Touring the Disney Dream w/Pictures

We always have a great experience attending our CruiseOne conferences.  One of the highlights is always experiencing a new ship or getting a behind the scenes tour as we did with the Disney Dream.  Having sailed on the Disney Magic when our boys were young we wondered how the new ships would entertain our now tweens and adults as well.   The Dream did not disappoint!

We were able to board the ship right after it cleared of guests departing and before new guests arrived.  Having the ship all to your self for a short while is a fun experience - pictures with no guests around!  Disney is absolutely a premium experience and their ships are more beautiful and detailed than we remembered.

The look of delight from boys and girls boarding the ship as the crew announces their family names to applause and cheers is priceless.  Disney provides one on one attention as each family is greeted personally by a crew member to answer questions and guide them to their first destination on board.





First stop was to view the staterooms before they were opened to guests.  We do not have many pictures as we were not allowed to take any of staterooms that were not 'show ready' yet.  It is not often we get to visit the most expensive staterooms on the ship and the Walt Disney and Roy Disney suites do not disappoint. With plenty of room for the whole family and filled with little details like authentic antique cameras that Walt would have used as decorative artifacts.  These staterooms even have a small kitchen for the butler!

For us 'normal folk' the Disney staterooms are well appointed and perfectly sized for a family of five.  Disney pioneered the family stateroom with a split bathroom so two family members can be getting ready at the same time.  Even the inside staterooms have a unique feature with a 'Magical Porthole' that shows you a high definition live picture of what is going on outside on your side of the ship.  It did look impressive - almost like a real window!

Of course Disney has the kids covered and the family facilities are incredible.   The Nursery is run with trained infant care specialists.  When our youngest cruised on Disney we utilized the Nursery and they did a fantastic job getting him to sleep as a worried parents left the crying child to go to dinner.

The school aged children are a huge focus with almost a full deck dedicated to this age group.  Disney handles this group a bit differently as there are no real pre defined age groups.  The kids can roam as they see fit with the counselors and they naturally fall into the activities best suited for them.  The kids also have GPS bracelets on so they can be located in the huge kids center!





So why would a teen want to go on a Disney Cruise?  Well I would say the awesome Teen Center with their own movie theater, lounge, dance club, hot tub, and out door activity area!  The hangout areas are all supervised by 'cool' carefully trained counselors and they are never left alone to get into too much trouble.

           

Disney has a unique approach to dining.  With multiple restaurants you dine in a different restaurant most nights.  When you move to a different venue your wait staff also moves with you.   I remember the food being wonderful on our first Disney cruise.  On our tour we were able to dine in the Cabanas Buffet.  I would say it was the best buffet on board a ship we have had in a while.  You could not beat the fresh seafood bar with crab legs, shrimp, and mussels!  You should have seen all the kids with huge crab legs on their plates!



I finally got to use the panorama feature on my iPhone to capture this picture of the Enchanted Forest restaurant.  This dining venue starts out as daytime and then as you dine turns into a wonderful nighttime bistro.   And the booths you see in the picture rotate.

My blogging time has run out and I did not even get to the pool area, AquaDuck Water Coaster, 3D digital first run movies and the best Broadway style entertainment at sea, and the only line to offer fireworks at sea.  And how can I forget as the ship leaves port the ship horn does not just blow but blows the first seven notes - When - You - Wish - Upon - A - Star.   We can not wait to sail on the Disney Dream or Disney Fantasy soon!

Happy Cruising !