Disney Cruise: Ports of Call

                                     Disclaimer: I was not compensated in ANY way for my opinions and reviews :)


Ship: Disney Dream
Dates: August 15-19, 2016

Ports of Call: 

Nassau, Bahamas

Castaway Cay (Private Disney island)

Departing Port:

Port Canaveral, Florida

Port Canaveral, Florida:

Port Canaveral is only a 45 minute drive from Disney World and it is an easy trip. There are clear signs along the interstate to guide you to the port, but there are SO.MANY.TOLLS. 

I think we went through 6 and many of them asked for exact change or cash only. Although we don't have a SunPass, we drove through the SunPass lane instead of stopping because we did not have any cash and were totally unprepared. 

Thankfully, SunPass will send you a bill for all the tolls you skip. :)

There are also Publix, Chick-fil-a, and other fast food restaurants to stop at along the way. If you purchase a 24 pack of bottled water, you can add a Disney Cruise luggage tag to it and have it sent to your room when you arrive at the port. 

The Disney ships are not hard to find, but it is a bit confusing trying to get there. I recommend you research what port number you are boarding from keep an eye out for port number signs as you drive. 

Once you arrive, you will need to have a photo id for everyone in your car before you will be allowed to park. There is also a valet luggage area that allows you to unload luggage and passengers before parking. 

Parking:

We paid $80 for 4 nights of parking in the parking deck. The walk was maybe 100 yards to the building and our car was completly safe. 

 Be aware, the Disney Cruise check-in area is small. There will be characters to meet but the line gets long very fast. You will likely be shoulder to shoulder with others if you arrive during the first check-in slot time. 

There is also an opportunity to register for the Kids Club, but you can pre-register online before your cruise and won't have to wait in line. 

Nassau, Bahamas:

I did not get off the boat in this port. I had read that it was a typical Bahama port with local merchants and markets and we thought it was a good opportunity to enjoy the amenities on the ship without the crowds. We were correct. It was also incredibly hot out and making our way through a port while hauling a toddler and watching for pickpockets did not sound fun. My mom however, did go for a few hours and said it was beautiful but hot and a little like the ports in Jamaica. 

Castaway Cay:

As I said previously, I ran the Castaway Cay 5K with my brother and was able to see more of the island than I probably would have seen otherwise. 

The walk onto the island from the ship will take you 5 minutes and there is a tram that will take you farther into any sections you wish. 

The paths are paved with bathrooms and beverage stations along the way. 

The island is split into 3 sections; the activities section (across from Scuttle's Cove), the family beach and the adults only area. 

Scuttle's Cove is the kids area that is a lot like the Kids Club on board. You do not need the Kids Club magic band for your children to participate but you will need to register them when you drop them off. 

The activities area is where you will meet for snorkeling, jet skis and other excursions. This is also where you can rent snorkeling gear and set out on your own. You will still be required to wear the yellow life vest so the lifeguards will know that you are snorkeling and can keep you away from the swimmers. 

The family beach was great! The water was clear and the sand was nice. There are small fish that you can see in the water and there are lifeguards everywhere to keep you safe. Also, the beach is sectioned off from the ocean to prevent larger animals from entering the water. 

I was weary of the chair situation and asked my husband to score our spot early while I ran. In reality, the family beach is so large that there was never a shortage of umbrellas or chairs. The beach has lots of palm trees for shade and you are just a few feet away from bathrooms and beverages. There are also employees walking around with bottled waters that are $2 each or a cooler of 6 for $9. If you don't want to spend the money you can go to the drink machines located just across from the family beach. They are similar to the ones on board and you can fill up any personal bottles you brought with you. 

There are also play structures with slides in the shallow water for kids to climb on. They ask that you not take any shells from the beach but there are some really nice ones as well as sand dollars to look at while you are there. 

The one downside of Castaway Cay was the lunch. My 3 year old was not keen on waiting until 12 to eat after swimming all morning. One employee told us that we could grab a bag of chips from a food cart but that no food is provided until 12, not even snacks for purchase. My daughter and I ended up boarding the ship and having lunch there while my husband stayed on the island and snorkeled. 

Keep in mind that Pirate night is the same day as Castaway Cay. If you want to stay up for the 10:30 Pirate Night fireworks, you might not want to stay on the beach all day. 

Disney Cruise

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in ANY way for my opinions and reviews :)

My family and I just returned from our first Disney Cruise. Before we left, I spent weeks googling every review and tip I could find but after having the experience for myself I can tell you, people are leaving out some valuable info!


Details:
Ship: Disney Dream
Dates: August 15-19, 2016
Ports of Call: Nassau, Bahamas & Castaway Cay
Departing Port: Port Canaveral, Florida

My husband, 3 year old and I had a wonderful time and are already planning our next Disney Cruise. Lets start with the positives:

1) It's Disney
The name means a lot. The cruise employees are very attentive and go out of their way to keep the kids happy. When my daughter wore her Elsa dress we were stopped no less than 15 times by employees complimenting her and calling her Queen Elsa. The same level of service you expect at Disney World, you can expect on a Disney Cruise.


2) Kids Club
My nephews (ages 4 & 3)  begged to go to Kids Club every single day. They had cooking classes, dance parties, games and free play and had to be dragged out every afternoon for lunch. We toured the Kids Club a few times with our daughter during the Open House times and it was pretty spectacular.

The security is tight and the counselors learn the kids names almost immediately. They have hand washing stations when entering the Club as well as a lighted dance floor, quiet cove for drawing and reading, Star Wars interactive area and a game room with at least 10 gaming consoles. The coolest part is that the counselors are really good with the kids. The man stationed in the gaming room knew every game and cheat code without hesitation. When our daughter wanted to be picked up we received a text on our Wav phone ( mobile room phone) and she was waiting for us with a counselor  when we got there.
The MagicBand we got when we registered her was $12 but can be returned at the end of your cruise and the $12 will be refunded.

3) Waitstaff & Restaurants
Our dinner was Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace, Royal Palace & Animator's Palate. The rotation started off a bit rocky. We had 6 adults and 3 small children who had all been outside for 30 min in a safety drill and we needed food fast and the waitstaff delivered! Each night our waitstaff was ready for us with drinks and coloring menus to occupy the kids. After the first night they knew our drink and food preferences and would perform magic tricks if we started getting too antsy. You can have any food brought from any restaurant during dinner and they are happy to provide substitutions.

We were pleased with the restaurants in general but the best was Animator's Palate. Crush spoke to many tables and addressed the kids by name. The menu there was also the best of all 3 and I recommend the Cookies & Creme Sundae for sure! We started off eating at the buffet but went to Royal Palace one morning and it was amazing. I had the Waffle Sandwich which is whipped cream and Dulce de Leche sandwiched between 2 waffles and covered in cinnamon and sugar. It was amazing and I wish we had tried more restaurant breakfasts while on board.

The buffet offers many different choices and changes each day. Make sure you go all the way around though because the food is NOT the same on both sides.

4) It's Clean!
I was very worried that someone would get sick on our cruise but miraculously they did not. There are attendants at every restaurant who hand out hand wipes weather you want it or not.

5) Shows
The shows were very well done! We really enjoyed Disney's Believe and I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. The shows are very loud and often include smoke or other effects- we saw a few families with scared little ones so be cognizant of your seating arrangement of you think you may need to leave early. Also, take food from the buffet or room service into the shows with you. There is candy and popcorn for sale but save the $ and grab something beforehand.

6) Room Service
Room Service is totally free, 24 hours a day. We initially ordered room service just because we could but quickly figured out that it's an awesome way to stock up on in-room snacks. We also had a small breakfast of coffee, cereal and chocolate milk delivered every morning to snack on as we got ready. Being in a smallish room while trying to wake up is hard on kids but giving them something to munch on might buy you 10 minutes to blow dry your hair. The service was always fast (less than 10 minutes) and the food was good although the menu is limited, they will bring special requests. Keep in mind that the person who delivers your food is not part of your "team" and will not receive any tips if you have prepaid. They will accept cash and I recommend you tip them well if you plan on ordering more than once.

7) TV!
There are tons of Disney movies and current movies on the TVs in the Staterooms. Just hit the Menu button then On Demand. This was a big plus to us as there are some movies you just can't find anywhere ( I'm looking at you, Beauty and the Beast).

8) Characters
Just like the parks, the characters were awesome. They spoke to every child and took their time to make sure they felt special. Before you board sign up for the Frozen meet n greet. It's free and Anna & Elsa have no other meet ups during the cruise. The lines are usually 5-10 minutes long but be prepared to wait longer when Mickey or Minnie are involved. The Cruise schedule each day will let you know who will be where.

9) The Ship
The Disney Dream is beautiful. There is marble everywhere and beautiful chandeliers and staircases. Even the restrooms are gorgeous. The coolest being on level 3 by Evolution.

10) Pictures
At first I was annoyed by the amount of photographers but the pictures all came out amazing. If you plan to buy a photo package get every photo you can. Prices are:
1 8x10-$20
10 prints, any size- $149
All digital photos -$229

11) The App
We downloaded the Disney Cruise App months in advance and started our cruise countdown. After we boarded we were able to see the schedule for each day as well as menus for all restaurants. You can also chat with others on board for free using the app. Make sure you set your settings to get notifications from the app when you download so you will receive the texts.
It would be nice to have a location feature within the app so you could find other family members, but that is probably asking a lot.

12) The lifeguards
There were lifeguards everywhere and they did not hesitate to correct the swimmers. There were at least 2 to a pool and throughout the beaches at Castaway Cay.

Now, on to things that would have been great to know before boarding:


1) Too Many People
We raced from Disney World to Port Canaveral hoping to maximize our first day on the ship. We arrived at 11 and between check-in and security we waited over an hour to board. When we finally boarded, the ship was CROWDED! There was a line for elevators and bathrooms. Rooms were not ready until 1:30 and, like others with small children, fighting our way to the buffet with our carry on bags was not an option. We had to wait for other family to arrive so we set up camp on level 3 and got started with connecting to the ship wifi and pulled out some snacks we had packed.
I would recommend not boarding early. Take your time. Everyone is so excited to get on that they rush the earliest check-in spots. If you can check in at 1:30, you can walk straight to your room and hopefully the early birds will be in their rooms and away from the elevators.
The crowd thinned out a bit after the first day but theatre shows, restaurants and pools were usually a hassle.

2) Bathrooms
There were lines for the women's restroom every time I went. No matter where or what time of the day, women and girls were lined up to pee. Now, I know we are used to this phenomenon but there are literally 2-3 stalls in each restroom on Disney Dream AND only 3 women's restrooms on the main (3) level! It was a hassle every time to get to a restroom especially with a 3 year old. As I stated above, the ship was slam-packed so if you wanted to use the restroom in your room you were either waiting 5 minutes for the elevator or haulin' it up the stairs. While I am on the subject I should also tell you that most restrooms have an attendant to ensure you are washing your hands.

3) Pirate Night
I heard amazing things about Pirate Night but was a little disappointed at the lack of participation on our ship. Lots of people weren't dressed up and the Pirate show on the pool deck was relatively empty. I heard people came out for the 10:30 pm fireworks but was fast asleep by then. There were also be folks walking around selling light up toys and specialty drinks. These are EXPENSIVE ($18 for a bubble blower).

4) The Castaway Cay 5K
My brother and I ran the Castaway Cay 5K and it was hot! The course is flat but has no shade and not much to see. We originally signed up thinking we could get off the boat early as some blogs had suggested but as we were walking to the starting line we passed folks who already had their beach chairs and were in the water. The medal is cute and a nice (free) souvenir and I would do it again, but be prepared for the walk to the starting line. It is at least .5 miles and you will be asked not to use the restrooms on the way as there are restrooms by the start. Also, you can bring small children with you and drop them off at Scuttle's Cove on your way to the start but there are no children under 10 allowed to run and also no strollers.

5) The safety drill
Nobody likes these, I know. Ours was particularly painful as it was August, in Florida, and our drill was outside on the ship deck. It was hot and the kids were antsy and sweaty. It took about 30 minutes and the ship employees were very strict. I understand the reasons and am VERY thankful for the protocol but we could not hear a word our safety leader said nor could we see her for most of the time.

6) Pools
First thing in the morning the pools were pretty empty but they filled up quickly. During our 4 days on the ship, the pools were drained on 2 occasions due to potty accidents. When this happens, the pool is closed for hours and the other areas become very crowded.
There are 2 large projection screens at the main pool on deck 11 that show movies throughout the day. Unfortunately  they are hard to see due to the sun and are very loud.

 All in all, we had a great time. I highly recommend this cruise and hope you found some info you can use. If you have any questions you can comment below or email me and I will be happy to get back to you.

Next up: Ports of Call!