Reviews of Disney Dream Overall Experience
Reviewed by Corinnas Review Date: 12/07/2020
Rating: (10) Recommended
The Dream was amazing. The shows are top notch. The dining is top of the line for cruise ships. I have been on 16 cruises and 3 cruise lines and Disney knows how to do cruising. The rooms are very nice and the service is amazing. There were lots of activities. Aqua Duck was so much fun. The view was fantastic.
Pros:
Dining Food Aqua Duck Shows ActivistsCons:
PriceReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 03/25/2020
Rating: (10) Recommended
The Dream is amazing! All of the Disney details are stunning. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. The service is above and beyond any expectations. The cabins are roomy and comfortable. We loved the Caribbean ports as well. There were only 2 small issues... Don't expect to get in the pools, those are packed to the brim. Also the stairs will help you work off all the food you will eat as the elevators are also packed! The ice cream is really good, so is the pizza and chicken nuggets at Flo's. Only had motion problems on night 1. The shows are spectacular. The service is unbeatable.
Pros:
Easy way to travel while still experiencing the Disney magic. Pirate night is awesome. The fireworks are breathtaking.Cons:
Fireworks are loud. It can feel a little claustrophobic trying to get to dinner and the shows.Reviewed by Cswans5 Review Date: 09/28/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
I recently took a 7-day cruise solo on the Disney Dream touring the Eastern Caribbean. Prior to this, I had sailed with family three times on the Disney Magic and once on the Disney Wonder, so my review will reflect some differences I observed, as well as the "solo" experience. I was placed with one other couple for dining, and we were similar ages and found lots to chat about each night. When it came to entertainment, I enjoyed being able to pick and choose what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. I loved having my room to myself (a porthole view room on an upper deck.) I only took one excursion tour, but it was one my family wouldn't have gone on, so again, it was great to be able to do what I wanted. There were a few times I felt a bit lonely, but with the terrific service and attention I received, I didn't have many of these moments. Would I do it again? Maybe, in the future, but I'd probably choose to travel with friends or family next time.
Pros:
The ship had lovely new-to-me dining rooms and the super-fun AquaDuck.Cons:
I felt that the ship was very crowded in comparison to the Magic and Wonder. I didn't like the adult pool area at all. The pools were weirdly shaped and not at all set up for a leisurely swim. Also, the area had a door that meant families were constantly parading through the area. Not restful at all in comparison to the set-up on the Magic and Wonder.Reviewed by JShock Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
We took our 2nd Disney Cruise trip last January. The first one was on the Disney Wonder and our 2nd cruise was on the Disney Dream. WOW! The Dream is huge! The rooms are comparable, except on the Dream we had a porthole where we could see what's going on outside, plus an animated starfish or other character. We had a stormy trip the first night, where we rocked and roll. No problem! The cast and crew were right there to provide comfort and safety through the night. When we arrived in Nassau, other non-Disney cruise guests told us that because of the storm, their ships had a lot of problems with dining, sailing, and providing comfort. Not Disney! Disney is the only cruise line we will ever use!
Pros:
Comfort, beautiful rooms, fantastic crew, delicious food, fabulous entertainment, trip of a lifetime!Cons:
NoneReviewed by TLynch Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (1) Recommended
Family of 14 went this past summer and it was the best family vacation we've ever had.
Pros:
Service was exceptional; food was great; entertainment was great. Our servers and the lovely lady servicing our cabin were the best.Cons:
There is nothing I can complain about.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
our first Disney Cruise May 2018 ...we will never go on another cruise line again except DISNEY..the best
Pros:
service food entertainmentCons:
pool areasReviewed by Bobdes Review Date: 05/26/2016
Rating: (8) Recommended
OK... this was our 3rd Disney Cruise and our 2nd time aboard the DREAM. The ship is majestic and beautiful and never fails to impress me. I did note, however, the carpeting starting to show some signs of wear. Especially near the elevators. No big deal.
Our stateroom #6066 was very clean and comfortable. No issues at all. Everything ran very smoothly.
The shows were all excellent even though we have seen them before. The day at sea, they had "Magic Dave" perform in the theater and his show was fantastic! very funny and the tricks were super! The Buccaneer Blast Fireworks were great, however, I wish they would bring Pirate Mickey back or maybe incorporate him in with Jack Sparrow. After the fireworks, there is a (unannounced) buffet in Cabanas that is there till around 11:30PM.
On the topic of meals, the food was good, but some of the meats were a bit dry. The server (Dan from Indonesia) was the BEST and very accommodating, so that made up for any issue with the meats. During our dinner at Animator's Palate, the "Crush" feature was not working on the screen closest to our table.
The Cove Café was a nice spot to get away from the crowds and enjoy a really good cup of coffee. The coffee is NOT included in the cruise and they charge it to your room, however, the baked goods (excellent) are free!
The one thing that I need to express is that Disney really needs to start enforcing the "adult ONLY" rule in certain areas of the ship. parents should also be told to accompany their kids to the buffet lines. We encountered so many kids up at the line who were either too short to see and reach items on the buffet or who could not understand English so the workers had a hard time helping them. Many adults tried to be sneaky when it came to their kids in the adult areas. To me, it does not make sense to have a section of Deck 9 adults only, but Deck 10, right above is family and then Deck 11 is adults only again! All 3 should be for adults. It just makes it easier to enforce and ensure that those adults who are traveling with no kids and those whose kids are in the various programs to enjoy themselves. In conversation, one of the ships crew even stated that this was way more kids than they usually get on the ship.
BTW... I am not a kid hater. Actually the opposite. 😉
Pros:
Disney Service A+Cons:
Kids in adult only areasReviewed by Bucation Review Date: 02/26/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
After boarding at the Port Canaveral terminal and exploring the ship a bit, we decided to make our way to the adults only area known as “The Cove.†To our surprise, we found The Cove abandoned. We had the pool, bar, and both lower and upper decks of lounge chairs all to ourselves. We cannot express how delightful it was to spend so much time during our cruise in The Cove. Throughout our cruise, The Cove bar and pool was our own private paradise. Disney Cruise Line really has a nice balance of adults only, teen clubs, kids clubs, and other activities to keep everyone happy.
Our stateroom, 9608 was on the ninth floor truly in the center of the ship. We reserved a Deluxe Family Oceanview Room with Verandah, Category 4A. If the price is right, we highly recommend reserving this category stateroom. We were conveniently located between the midship and aft staircase. The location of our stateroom was convenient to both the midship elevators, which allowed quick access to The Cove, but our stateroom was also a short walking distance from the ship’s aft staircase which ascended to the entrance of Cabanas, the Disney Dream’s breezy breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet. Our verandah was also a nice retreat during the busier times on the ships upper decks. Our verandah was the perfect way to take in the spectacular views and fresh vitamin sea. We cannot praise our stateroom host enough for his excellent service and attention to detail. Wijaya went above and beyond during our time on the Disney Dream.
The Disney Dream’s Senses Fitness area located on deck twelve, forward, offers the same state of the art equipment that you will find in a number of the Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts as well as Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Senses Fitness Area also offers a number of free and a la carte fitness classes with complimentary abdominal and yoga classes offered during each of our morning visits, and these classes are sure to help you show last night’s dinner who’s boss!
One thing worth noting is that we were completely unaware of the family style dining that takes place on Disney Cruise Lines. Unfortunately we were seated with a group that was not enjoying their time onboard, to say the least. One of the lovely couples we met during our cruise recommended we not waste another second of our trip as unhappy diners. In result, we went to guest relations where they made this change for us. For the rest of our cruise we were seated at a private table which was a dream!
Disney Cruise Line’s dinner service, at least in our experience, does not include any major productions or fanfare during your dinner seating. If you plan to dine at the Royal Palace to see Disney princesses, you will be highly disappointed. Unlike Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom, there were no characters, and there was no song and dance during dinner service at any of our meals. For us, this was a nice change from the norm of other cruise lines.
The Buccaneer Blast Fireworks at Sea show is the perfect example of how Disney Cruise Line pulls out all of the stops with its daily entertainment. From deck parties to Broadway style shows that rival those in its parks, Disney certainly knows how to put on a show. There is truly nothing like the Fireworks at Sea show, and this alone is completely worth every penny.
We truly believe the purchase and development of Castaway Cay is one of the best decisions the Walt Disney Company has ever made. We were so glad our cruise itinerary included a stop at Castaway Cay. The island is perfectly laid out with endless activities, and there is a flawless balance between family and adult where one does not impede on the other. The only down side was that we eventually had to leave this perfect island in the sun that had as wanting to sign up as permanent residents by the time our day had ended!
Although we've enjoyed our time aboard other cruise lines in the past, we can say without a doubt that the level of service we received, the amount of included onboard amenities, the quality of food offerings, and the unique dining opportunities with rotational dining on the Disney Dream far surpassed any of our experiences on other lines. Our Disney Cruise Line experience was truly a dream come true. For all of these reasons and so much more, Disney Cruise Line has made repeat cruisers out of us and we are very much looking forward to our future sailings with DCL.
Pros:
Fantastic food, luxurious staterooms, no casinos, adults-only & kid/teen areas done very well!Cons:
—Reviewed by nicoleamidon Review Date: 02/08/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
We took the 3 night Bahamas trip mid-January, 2015 on the Dream. This was our fourth Disney cruise but our first time on one of the newer ships. We loved being on the Magic and Wonder before and were worried the larger ship might not feel as personal or might feel over crowded.
The Dream was terrific! The ship is definately larger but it wasn't a problem at all. My husband and I love to walk the promenade deck (gotta burn off all those dinner calories!) and doing more stairs was fine for our active family. Animator's Palate is an upgrade from the older ships - even our teens enjoyed talking to Crush. They also liked the sports deck, especially mini golf. The pools were busy but other common areas like the theaters, lobby, shops, etc. never felt too crowded.
Our balcony room was several floors below Cabanas (so noise wasn't a problem) but it was odd to walk through the restaurant in order to access the stairs or deck and doing this could be tricky when food service was in full swing. It just seems like poor planning and very un-Disney like. The overall service was excellent, of course, and we liked our catamaran and snorkle trip in Nassau.
The port of Nassau isn't worth too much time (as many previous reviewers have pointed out) but we really had fun sailing and swimming as a family. One tip - be sure to ride the AquaDuck early and often (consider doing this the very first thing upon boarding, even). It got extremely crowded towards the end of the cruise with long waits. Our kids rode it multiple times with no line on embarkation day. We just packed our suits in our day bags and they practically had the pools and slides to themselves for several hours.
The technology on the ship is fantastic and we loved the moving artwork on the walls. We missed having a "trunk" of shelves in our room - stateroom storage was adequate but there was less than on the older ships. The Walt Disney Theater was absolutely beautiful and one night we sat in one of the small balconies on the side of the auditorium. This provided an interesting view of the stage and our kids liked being able to see down into the floor of the stage where props were raised and lowered, cast members prepped and scenery was moved around. We got an "inside" peek at how Disney creates some of their on-stage magic!
We don't think being on the Dream has ruined the older ships for us at all and we plan to return to whichever ship is going where we want to cruise next.
Pros:
another beautiful ship, great shows, teens loved mini golfCons:
walking through Cabanas to access stairsReviewed by florsaucedo1696 Review Date: 08/20/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We just got back from a 7 night cruise on Fantasy. I have to say when I book another cruise I will be booking on Magic or Wonder. Fantasy is a nice ship very clean very friendly staff. However Fantasy is very crowded the pools are overcrowded. When we have sailed with Magic and Wonder my kids enjoyed the pools and had a very hard time getting them out. On Fantasy my kids were disgusted from how dirty and small they were they didn't even go in at all. They have the Mickey pool and Goofy pool way too close together which makes it very crowded in the area, everyone seems to be in one small area.
There was 4 of us on the trip. They charged me $366.00 for the week. Yes it was $366.00 which for what we pay for the trip wouldn't that be included in the price? I thought it was a litte much for being a single mother that was just trying to take the kids on an unforgettable trip. I understand a tip is a good thing for their extra time and efforts but that was alot of money since we already pay to have the room cleaned and a good service for dinner.
Other than that we loved it and will keep sailing thru disney but on Magic and Wonder.
On Magic and Wonder i feel its more intimate and personal.
