Travelled with my husband and 3 year old son, stayed in a deluxe verandah cabin. We have travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean and have been on other cruises with RCCL. This was our first Disney cruise.Embarkation and Disembarkation:- Wonderful in comparison with RCCL. We arrived at the terminal by shuttle at 11am. We boarded the ship at 12:45pm. The terminal was crowded but it was comfortable. We came prepared with snacks and beverages. Our son was happy seeing the Disney characters and watching a DVD and playing with a few toys while waiting.- First seating dining were scheduled for breakfast at 6:45am and required to get off boat following meal. We skipped breakfast and lined up at the door by 7am. We were able to get off the boat by 7:20am (were first in line). A porter helped us find our luggage, took us directly to our shuttle. We made it to our shuttle by 7:30am. A breeze getting through customs. Seamless!!Pros:- The ship is beautiful. Very attractive and clean. Our cabin was fantastic. Quite large, loved the bathroom (separate area for toilet and shower). I was anxious about having a verandah with my 3 year old however there are safety locks on the sliding glass doors which are very secure and impossible for small children to reach (located near the ceiling). The railings are really high. We kept things safe by removing the small table from the verandah. - We enjoyed having early dinner. I couldn't imagine trying to feed my son at 8:30pm....he barely made it through the early dinner! Kids menu was great. There was always healthier choices (baked salmon, chicken) therefore my son wasn't stuck eating french fries and chicken fingers the entire cruise.- We enjoyed our dinners as well. Lots of choices. The portions were small however wait staff were more than happy to bring you more to eat if you weren't satisfied with your choices. The food at dinner was better than our experience with RCCL.- Fantastic shows both on deck and in the theatre. Definitely a highlight of the trip for us. Another highlight was dinner at Animator's Palate. We loved the virtual animation that occurred throughout dinner.Cons:- While there are aspects of the cruise we enjoyed, the cruise was tainted by how crowded the ship was. Breakfast and Lunch was chaotic as the restaurants were busy and there were always long lines. We found it stressful with trying to feed both ourselves and our little one. I was constantly worried about my son getting knocked over by the masses of adults around him and/or lost in the crowd.- The pool deck was also a chaotic place to be. It was difficult to find chairs on deck not to mention find a space in the pool. The pools are ridiculously small for the amount of passengers on the ship. Definitely a design flaw in my opinion. There were so many children in the pool, few adults supervising them. I was a little frightened that someone would drown. - There were many characters on board however crazy long lines to meet them. They were always too long for my son to wait his turn.- Most activities occurred late at night which isn't a good fit for those travelling with small children. We were surprised by how little was happening on the boat. We honestly felt there was more to do on the RCCL cruises. This came as a surprise to us.- We were also surprised that the shops on board were closed most of the time (only open in the evening). There wasn't the same boardwalk type atmosphere as experienced on other ships. We were also surprised by the lack of snacks throughout the day (not the same type of ice cream bars, cafes as on other ships we've been on).- The kids club was extremely popular and used by many. We did not feel comfortable leaving our son. We were shocked at how large and open it was (approx. 1/2 one full deck of the ship). Children can easily roam from room to room with little supervision. We were welcome to go in with our son so he could have a play...we were pleased with this and able to observe what it was like. We were shocked to see little ones unattended in corners, roaming aimlessly on their own. In our opinion, your child could easily be missed. We did see one couple arrive for their child and they could not find him?? He was eventually found in a corner sleeping on a bean bag chair. The atmosphere was extremely loud and chaotic in the evening. The staff:child ratio seemed extremely high. Our son has an anaphylactic allergy however we were not permitted to hang onto his Epi-Pen. The policy is to keep the Epi-Pen at the entrance of the kids club. Crazy policy as the area is so large, staff do not always know location of child(ren), therefore in our opinion a bad situation waiting to happen and not a safe environment for children with special needs.. Not our cup of tea.... Ideal for an older child (in my opinion 8+).- Some rave about Castaway Cay however we were kind of disappointed. We were ecstatic to get off the boat and have more space away from the crowded pools however were bummed that the beaches were so rocky. Definitely pack water shoes if you're planning on getting in the water. The BBQ was OK. Not good but edible. Fun place to be however been to many other beaches that were WAY nicer. Lots of other activities that were great and lots to do but not good enough that we'd want to go back.- Staff onboard were not always knowledgeable about the ship (e.g. couldn't tell you where things were, gave you incorrect info....for instance we were told there wasn't a gym onboard but later discovered it was located in the spa)We are happy to be able to say we experienced the Disney Dream however would probably not go on another Disney cruise. I can see how families with older children would probably enjoy the cruise more and love everything the kids club has to offer.