This was our 3rd Disney cruise and 2nd on the Disney Dream. I have been on over 20 cruises with different lines and still feel that Disney offers the best cruise experience for families with younger children(3-12). Once you get into the teen years, you may want to look at a different line. Overall we had a great trip, we have not seen any negative changes in service levels and quality over the years with Disney, they are still at the top of their game. We were a little worried when we heard that Disney would be filming during our cruise because we thought that it would impact our access to certain areas of the ship. This was not the case, in fact they would only take little corners here and there and the film crews were very friendly and accommodating. They let us watch the filming, even getting us seats, and my daughter got to meet some of her favorite Disney Channel stars who were very generous with their time and took pictures etc.. This just made a great trip, even better. We will definitely go back on Disney until my daughter ages out, which will probably be about 12-13 years old.

Embarkation: Getting on the ship was a breeze. We did the pre-checkin process online, so when we got to the pier, we really didn't have much to do. We arrived around 10:45 and we were in boarding group 3.

Ship: This is one of the cleanest ships I have ever been on, everything is spotless. Public areas, bathrooms etc... are not showing any signs of wear at all. The layout was perfect for me, I liked to better than some of the other ships out there. The pool deck was fun, but it can get a bit crowded. They have a big TV screen that shows Disney movies during the day and in the evening. The aquaduck is lots of fun, you may have to wait in line a bit, especially during the day at sea. The family pool is a little small for my liking and the kiddie pool was closed down 4 time during our cruise for AFR if you know what I mean. I didn't spend much time in the adult pool area. TIPS: If you want a prime seat, get to the pool deck early. If you don't like the hustle and bustle of the main pool area, there is smaller family area with chairs and a tiny pool one level up and forward. Get to the aqueduct early and go back on the line a few times, this way you can get 3 or 4 quick rides in before the line builds up. Read more