DCL Dream mini-TR

[bbn1122]

Thanks Suejen for a great and uplifting report.

I am a mom of 3 boys also (17, 13 and 11).

We all can not wait for our 2nd DCL cruise this August. We too are on a 3 day. I know it will be short, but we just joined DVC, so we had to keep it short and cheap this time around. Last year, we were on a 7 day during Easter.

It too bad your older son is on the shy side, my oldest had a blast at the Edge on the Magic last year and is looking forward to the Vibe, especially the outdoor area.

Thanks again for a great report. I loved your photos!!

[tomandrobin]

Originally Posted by rdetoma

Stupid question time. How would you pack a lunch from the cruise?

room service.....

[suejen]

Originally Posted by ljpmouse

Thanks for the TR and pics. We have our first cruise on the Dream in Nov. This will be our first cruise ever, so the first few negative reports of the dream, really had me concerned. Reviews like yours are putting my mind at ease - I don't expect a perfect cruise, just one where we all have fun.

BTW - am so doing the comfort suite Atlantis day pass. With a family of 4, this will save us so much $. Thanks for the tip!

You're welcome! I am glad to pass along something I learned about a year ago here on MO!

Originally Posted by AnnaS

Absolutely love your pictures. Thank you so much for taking the time to post them and great t/r/review.

Can't wait to cruise on the Dream - but I am also waiting anxiously for the 4/6 announcement. We shall see!

I'm looking forward to seeing what is coming next too. I would love a cruise out of NYC - my second favourite place (after Disney)!

Originally Posted by TriciaS

Thanks for your trip report, I really enjoyed it.
I really want to do a DCL but my DH won't commit. I already warned him that if they announce they are sailing out of NYC, I'm booking it!

My DH was skeptical about the cruise too...before we went. He is a go-go kind of guy and just thought he would be bored. Now he is hooked and insisted on changing the 5 day reservation on the Dream we made for next March to a 7 day cruise! He's totally converted.
(I must say it helped that this cruise was the incentive we got last year when we added on 100 pts. at AKV)

Originally Posted by disneydavid

just food for thought...I have stayed at the atlantis numerous times and i just got off the phone with them researching some details...

buying access to the grounds directly through the Atlantis (when not staying on the property) is $110 per adult and $80 per child 4 through 12....

they sell access on a first come first serve basis at the resort starting at 9AM...

may end up cheaper than the room at comfort suites (which charges an additional $40 per person per room over double occupancy) depending on how many people you are talking about....definitely less hassle and less logistics....

cab straight to the atalntis, buy your tix, setup your spot by the pools/beach and enjoy the property!!

no walking or schlepping between atlantis and comfort suites...

just wanted to throw another option out there for consumption...

That's a good option. We did see people try to buy the passes but they were all gone by about 11am. Mind you, it was Spring Break week and Atlantis was filled to capacity. That would probably work during a slower travel period.

Originally Posted by Kmurf

We disembarked the Dream on the morning of March 17th, after doing the 4 day cruise. This was our 6th DCL trip and the Dream is an amazing ship. We traveled with our daughter and her family as we usually do. I agree with the trip report. We did not experience any of the negative issues that had been mentioned in previous reports.

If you are a first time cruiser, you don't have a frame of reference as to how things are done on the Wonder and Magic. As a result, everything on the Dream is amazing. For repeat cruisers, there are things that you will notice may not yet be up to the standards of the other 2 ships. Keep in mind that those ships have had 10 years to get all of the routines in place and the staff know their jobs inside and out. The Dream has only had a few months. In addition, over 70% of the staff is new to Disney and so everyone is still working out the kinks. There are still some growing pains, but nothing to take away from the cruise experience. We actually noticed this same situation on the Magic in January, since a good portion of their staff had left for the Dream.

A few observations: If you book connecting rooms, as we did, you lose 25% of the closet space, as well as some storage and counter space. The connecting door has to go somewhere. You may want to reserve adjoining, but not connecting rooms. We also had the magic portal on the inside cabins. very clever, opens up the room, but you really have to watch it all the time to catch the various characters that go by.

The Aquaduck is very impressive, even for old people. The granddaughters went on it 23 times. I went on it once. Long lines during the day at sea, but no lines after the fireworks on Pirates night. Also short lines during the CC day. Try and time it when everyone else is at dinner or a show. We had the late dining.

We have done 3 of the three day cruises. Good intro cruise, but now we realize they are too short. Too hectic. We did a 4, 5 and 7, and the 7 was by far the best. Very relaxing. We also have stayed in many types of rooms, from the verandah to the rooms on deck 2 with only a single bathroom. My thinking is that as long as I am on the ship, the room isn't that big an issue. I only sleep and shower there.

Heading to Alaska in July.

I would love to do that cruise! Definitely on the bucket list.

Originally Posted by Disney4metoo

Thank you Suejen for the great TR and wonderful pictures! I really enjoyed reading it. I have made a notation of the great tip about Comfort Suites! I hope sometime in the near future I will be able to use that tip. Thanks for taking us along your cruise with such a great TR!

You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it

Originally Posted by bbn1122

Thanks Suejen for a great and uplifting report.

I am a mom of 3 boys also (17, 13 and 11).

We all can not wait for our 2nd DCL cruise this August. We too are on a 3 day. I know it will be short, but we just joined DVC, so we had to keep it short and cheap this time around. Last year, we were on a 7 day during Easter.

It too bad your older son is on the shy side, my oldest had a blast at the Edge on the Magic last year and is looking forward to the Vibe, especially the outdoor area.

Thanks again for a great report. I loved your photos!!

Thank you. Yes, it's too bad DS16 is so shy! DS11 more than makes up for him, though. We meet many people because our youngest guy is always making new friends!

Originally Posted by tomandrobin

room service.....

Thanks Tom - for answering all of these questions and for more info about Atlantis. I think I probably learned the Comfort Suites tip from you originally!

[Brian5581]

Originally Posted by Kmurf

We disembarked the Dream on the morning of March 17th, after doing the 4 day cruise. This was our 6th DCL trip and the Dream is an amazing ship. We traveled with our daughter and her family as we usually do. I agree with the trip report. We did not experience any of the negative issues that had been mentioned in previous reports.

Welcome aboard, and thanks for your review.

[all8ss]

Just wondering if you used points or cash. So many opinions on whether to use points or not, thought I'd ask. Great report and pics. Thanks

[suejen]

Originally Posted by all8ss

Just wondering if you used points or cash. So many opinions on whether to use points or not, thought I'd ask. Great report and pics. Thanks

Thanks for your comments! It was fun to put together.
We used neither points nor cash. The cruise was an incentive when we purchased an AKV add-on last year.
Next March's 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise we're paying cash and the 2 day July 2012 cruise that I just booked today was paid for with a combination of points and cash. I used the points because it didn't require many for an inside standard stateroom. Generally, though, using points for cruising is not really a good value.
BTW - in case anyone is wondering about the "grandfathering" of resale contract rules...The points I used today were from our SSR contract, a resale contract purchased in 2009. So, yes, that answers the question definitively. Resale contracts purchased prior to March 21 have all the same perks, etc. as direct purchases.