DISNEY DREAM DAY 4

DAY AT SEA

        Our final full day on the Dream.  I love the sea days on Disney Cruise Line.  They always have so many activities planned, and it makes the time extremely enjoyable.  I started the day by joining my sister and her husband at one of the dining room restaurants for breakfast.  These are my favorite places to eat.  The reason for this is that you are seated at a table, and, while the breakfast is served buffet style, the crowds are just not present in these restaurants.  This makes for a more relaxing experience as they are not as crowded.

       After breakfast I perused the stores on Deck 4.  I like to look for unique gifts for the children in the family, and, I was able to snatch up a couple items to give to our nieces for their birthdays.  Then it was off to watch the diaper dash!

      This event is so much fun to watch.  The children on board who are still crawling compete in Jack Jack’s Diaper Dash.  There are usually quite a few kids who take part in the race.  It is so cute to see them “race” to the finish line.  After a few first rounds the winners move on to the final heat to see who is the fastest crawler.  Very cute.

       This event was followed by the character dance party in the atrium.  Being a Disney fan I enjoy seeing the character events which are held on the ship.  My kids are getting older so they are not as interested in standing in line to see the characters but they enjoy these events as well.

      That was a wrap for the morning.  After lunch, I went to the theater and watched Moana.  I really enjoyed this movie.  Unfortunately, since this was our last full day on the ship I had to spend some time in the afternoon in our stateroom packing our suitcases.  While I was doing the packing, I finished watching Sully which was showing on demand on our stateroom television.  (I had watched bits and pieces of it during the previous days).  I enjoyed this movie as well.

     Our youngest son wanted to get some ice cream from Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats which was a big hit.  (FYI, items in this store cost extra money and are not included in the cruise price).  He also went to the Mickey 200.  Teams of kids and at least one adult pick a Disney theme and design a cart out of a potato and a carrot.  Our son was not able to participate because it required you to sign up earlier in the week, and, we hadn’t.  However, he had a good time watching what the teams came up with and watching them race their  inventions.

        The final evening was spent at the theater again watching Disney’s Believe.  I have seen this production previously as it is shown on the Disney Fantasy as well.  And it was just as good as I remembered it. 

 

 

    And just like that our Disney vacation was winding up to a close!  

DISNEY DREAM DAY 3

CASTAWAY CAY

      One of the things I love most about cruising is waking up to the ocean every morning.  It is one of the most calming and tranquil moments of cruising.  We started our second full day on the Dream with another late start.  By the time we awoke we were already docked at Castaway Cay. 

      At 10:00 in the morning we made our way down to the gangplank to debark for the day at Castaway Cay.  It was incredibly windy so all of the excursions were cancelled for the day.  That did not impact us though as we did not have anything booked.  We walked down to the beach and found a nice shady spot to relax and enjoy. 

     We spent the morning enjoying the beach atmosphere and having some good conversation with our family.  The kids spent some time in the water, splashing in the waves.  After a few hours we went over to Cookies Too for some lunch, and then spent some time exploring the island before heading back to the boat.

     We decided not to go to dinner in the dining room opting to get some room service delivered to the room.  The motion of the boat affected our youngest son on this trip and we found that staying on the higher decks lessened the effects.  As he was feeling a little off – we decided dinner in the room was the perfect solution!

    That evening was pirate night on the boat.  So much fun!  A pirate themed dinner menu, costumes galore, pirate themed deck parties and, of course, fireworks!  This was our third Disney cruise and I never tire of pirate night.  It is such a fun, family friendly atmosphere. 

    In addition to the pirate night activities, Mike Super, Magic & Illusion, was performing in the Walt Disney Theater.  In my humble opinion, he was not worth the time.  His show felt more like an infomercial for his t-shirts, and, I did not find it very entertaining.  At talented magician, but, IMO, a bit of a disappointment.  The Disney Dream cruise fell a little short in the entertainment department. On the previous seven night cruises, Disney had four separate acts which performed throughout the week, each entertainer performing a couple separate shows.  This four night cruise only had one and it created a bit of a void.

DISNEY DREAM DAY TWO!

NASSAU, BAHAMAS

        We started our first full day on the Disney Dream by sleeping in late.  After taking our time getting moving in the morning we went to Cabanas to grab some breakfast.  Cabanas serves food buffet style in a cafeteria type setting.  Then it was time to head off to the pool.  This worked out well because the pool was not super crowded as a number of people debarked to go into Nassau.  The kids had a great time going between the Mickey Pool, the Donald Pool and the Mickey slide.  I enjoyed sitting near the pools with my book on a beautiful day.  Before we went back to the room, my husband and I went for a couple rides on the Aqua Duck.

      After getting everyone cleaned up it was time to head to lunch – another trip to Cabanas.  Everyone separated after lunch.  My husband went to purchase some internet minutes and to check in with things at home, I spent some quality time with my sister in the adult area catching up, and, the kids were off to their respective groups.

          Before we knew it the afternoon was over and once again it was time to head to dinner.  Tonight’s restaurant was the Enchanted Garden.  We had a beautiful table right by the window.  The food was amazing and the service was spectacular.  Today was also Valentine’s Day so the chef prepared a special desert for everyone.   One of those special Disney touches that makes your vacation extra special.

 

      That evening the kids went to watch Moana in the Buena Vista Theater and I went to see Villains Tonight in the Walt Disney Theater.  Moana received a thumbs up from everyone in our family.  I was not a fan of the Villains Tonight show.  IMHO it was not one of the better Disney Cruise Line offerings.  We came back to the room to a special Valentine’s Day towel arrangement and wrapped up our day.

 

       We had a really great day on the boat.  We made the choice not to go into Nassau while the boat was docked at the port.  We made this choice for a couple reasons.  The first was that my husband and I had previously been to Nassau.   Hubby and I spent a day exploring Nassau on a cruise we had taken a few years prior to this cruise.  Our plan for this trip was to keep the costs to a minimum so we did not want to spend the money on an excursion.  Without a specific plan for Nassau we decided to skip it.

        The second reason was that the Disney Cruise vacation is our “down time”.  We lead very chaotic, busy lives at home so when we are on vacation we appreciate the opportunity to slow down for a few days.  With only three full days on the Dream we did not want to spend one of those days running around a port.  

Disney Dream Vacation

A Disney cruise is an amazing family vacation! Our family recently sailed on a four night cruise on the Disney Dream!  This was our family’s third Disney cruise and we love them.   The entire family had a great time and we always look forward to the next time we get to travel with Disney again.  Before we start planning the next one though – let’s recap our Disney Dream trip!

DAY ONE – Monday, February 13th

     The start of vacation!  We were already in Port Canaveral  the morning of the cruise as we drove to Florida from our home state of New York.  We stayed at a Homewood Suites the night before the cruise and drove ourselves to the cruise port in the morning.  (I will do a review of all the hotels where we stayed in a later post.)

      Disney allows you to complete your check in online prior to departure.  You complete the entire registration process and print out the form to bring to check in.  As part of the online process you choose a boarding time.  We were lucky and managed to sign up for 10:30 in the morning.  We managed to get through security, the Disney check in and then waited for our boarding number to be called.  We were onboard by 11:40.  A smooth process.  I am always impressed by how well Disney handles large amounts of people.

      Once on the boat, the pools and aqua duck are open for business.  They also have Cabanas open if you want to get some lunch.  Your room is not ready until 1:30 and your checked bags take until mid-afternoon to be delivered so bring anything you may want with you in your carry on bag. 

We went to get some lunch and then found a nice place to relax in the adults only area.  At 1:30 your stateroom will be ready for you to go and drop your stuff off.  I usually use this time to go to the different kids programs to get the kids checked in. 

      The muster drill takes place at 4:00 and lasts approximately thirty minutes.  Disney does not make you don the life vest and the drill consists of you sitting in a theater listening to instructions if some emergency should occur.  Once this is done, all the festivities begin.     

        After the muster drill we made our way to the Deck 11 for the Sail Away party.  Time to set sail!!

        Dinner that night was Animator’s Palate.  This is my favorite restaurant. 

         We ended our first evening at The Golden Mickey’s show and the kids went to the theater to watch Finding Dory.  A wonderful first day of the cruise!

Live an Adventurous Life

     There is nothing like traveling.  No experience like visiting a new place with its unique sights, sounds and customs.   There are so many different things in which to get immersed when visiting a new location – the area’s culture, its architecture, history and natural landscapes. 

 

 

 

     Life is just more fun when you have some adventure thrown in  - new experiences, new adventures and new challenges.  As much as I would love to spend months in different locations, right now I have to be limited to vacations and weekend getaways. 

 

    This is the journal of our travels and adventures.