Disney Cruise Trip Report - Disney Dream
We just got back from our very first Disney Cruise, my first cruise EVER. It was really one of the most amazing vacations we have ever taken. I have a series of posts that I am working on that will focus more on tips for your first cruise and Castaway Cay info but I thought first I would give a full trip report/review.
We went on the 3 Day Bahamian Cruise sailing from Port Canaveral on the Disney Dream. We spent a few days at Disney World before the cruise.
SIDE NOTE: If you plan on doing a land/sea vacation I can't recommend more doing the Disney days BEFORE your trip. Getting off the amazing Disney Dream and headed to Disney World will kind of feel like a let down. OH and take a tip from us and don't do a super late After Hours event the night before though. We were totally wiped out for the first night of the cruise. So Disney World days before not after, and make sure to take it easy the day before you get on the boat!
PREP WORK Do your online check in, have that form printed, filled out and with your important documents. Cameron and I don't have passports so we just used copies of our birth certificates and our drivers Licence. Make sure you don't pack these in the suitcase! Have all of you cruise documents easily accessible. Put your luggage tags on your bags!
FRIDAY We left Disney Wolrd around 9am to head to the Port. I am not going to go into super detail about the parking process if you are driving because it had already changed since our friends had gone last so I don't know how often that changes.
If you are driving yourselves from Disney World I will reccomend buying a sunpass. There are SO MANY TOLLS form Disney World to Port Canaveral I think it saved us like 20 min time having the sunpass.
Make sure the driver has their Passport/Birth Certificate and Drivers Licence in hand as you are pulling up. Cameron had to show it a few times before we even got into the port. Once you pull up, they will come to your car to get your bags. It will be a lot easier and smooth if you already have your bags tagged with the luggage tags they give you. Your bags will meet you in your room later that evening.
Overall the process of checking in was super simple. We arrived about 15 min after our scheduled check in time. Have all of your documents handy, you don't want to be the annoying person who has to dig through all of their bags to get their Passport out. They take your photo, and issue you your Key to the World Card (Keep this safe and handy! It's room key, light switch, how you charge things to your room, and how you get on/off the boat) and they also give you the Naviagator for the day. That basically tells you all that is going on. By the time we got through the line, and used the bathroom it was time to board!
Making your way to the boat, you walk through an area that looks a lot like an airline terminal and onto the beautiful BOAT. A cast member will ask your name and announce you as you walk into the main lobby. Be ready to be amazed!
Now you have some options, you will not be able to get into your room until 1:30pm. So depending on your boarding time going straight there probably won't be an option. We went right up to deck 11 and began eating at the buffet, Cabanas. Once we ate our weight in shrimp, we walked around for a bit. Before the boat departs it's considered open house. So adults are able to check out the kids areas which will be off limits for the rest of the cruise. The kids area is AMAZING and it's worth a walk though whether you have kids to register for the kids clubs or not.
We basically walked around and checked the ship out until it was time to head to our room. The pools are open, so if you wanted to you could wear your swimsuit onto the ship and jump right in.
Since the rooms opened at 1:30pm, a crowd starts to form by the stairs on your floor. I would reccomend chilling out somewhere else and giving it about 5 min to let the crowd get to their rooms. When you get to your room, enter using your Key to the World card and stick it in the little metal slot right inside the door because that's how you turn your lights on! The lights will not come on unless your key is in the slot.
We took the next hour or so to NAP. Like I mentioned before super late night at Magic Kingdom made us kind of sleepy for the first day of the cruise. We had an Inside Stateroom, and it was perfect for the two of us. I was nervous about it feeling small or claustrophobic but I didn't feel that way at all. The room and bathroom are very well thought out, and the virtual porthole gives you a window like feel.
Our Stateroom Host knocked on our door and introduced himself. Beware of feeling creeped out, everyone on the cruise will remember your name even the first time you meet them. Disney magic for you!
Around 3 our bags showed up at our door. At 3:45 everyone is asked/required to attend the safety drill at their emergency meeting location. We got ready for the safety drill, dinner and more exploring. It didn't take long at all, but you do have to wait for EVERYONE on the ship to get to their locations so one slow family may slow your drill down. Activities and entertainment start as soon as the safety drill is over.
We decided to really RELAX as much as we could on this cruise since we do the total opposite at Disney World. Because of that we took time to enjoy the sunset, walking around and the spa more than seeing all the shows and movies. So you really have to decide what kind of vacation you want because there is SO MUCH TO DO on the boat!
There is a Sailing Away party as the ship is leaving Port. I reccomend at least being on deck 11 or 12 for this because the music is super fun and the ship's horn plays Disney tunes. It's pretty magical. We had second dinner, so we decided to relax some more on the loungers on deck 4 to watch the sunset, then do some shop browsing before dinner at Royal Palace. (You could also use this time to go see the show for the night, or catch a movie)
