It was evident to both passengers and crew that our most
recent Disney Cruise aboard the Disney Dream was not our first Disney
Cruise. Folks would ask how many Disney
Cruises, and we would reply that this was our fourth Disney Cruise. Then, the question that was asked of us most
often came next, “Which ship do you like the best?” Or, “which one did you like
the best?” By “one”, I assume they mean
either cruise or ship.
There is no easy, succinct, all encompassing answer to this
question, except maybe, “it depends.”
So, let me take this opportunity to expand on that two word
answer, “it depends.”
Itinerary: Many
cruise guests decide to cruise based on the itinerary. Perhaps the ship is going to various ports of
call that they would like to visit. For
us, the itinerary doesn’t matter as much as our dates of travel—when can we
cruise, rather than where can we cruise.
Price and availability come next when selecting a cruise. And, while the Disney Dream is taking guests
on 3, 4, and 5 night cruises, the itinerary is virtually the same—Nassau and Castaway
Cay. So, in this instance, the Magic and
the Wonder would be the top choices for “which one” with their varied
itineraries—Europe, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Hawaii,
and Alaska
being some of the choices.
Just a note: We
personally feel that a Disney Cruise isn’t quite complete without a stop at
Castaway Cay, and do take that somewhat into consideration when selecting an
itinerary.
Staterooms: For us,
the Disney Dream wins this category hands down.
Our stateroom 5022—
click here to read more—was the best Disney Cruise
Line stateroom we had ever experienced.
Dining: This category
would have to go to the Magic and/or the Wonder. The food was okay on the Dream, but I missed
our steak and lobster tail evening—which is only on longer itineraries (7 night
or longer). The dining rooms on the
Dream are big and noisy. There are more “bigger”
tables on the Dream that hold more people making the timing of the service that
much more difficult. Our serving crew
worked their tails off and yet the timing wasn't quite there yet. I trust the timing will come with more
practice, but even that won’t solve the big and noisy issue in the dining
rooms. A plus in this category is
Cabanas, which quickly became one of our favorites and offers much more in
terms of selection and ambiance than its counterparts Topsiders/Beach Blanket
on the other Disney ships.
Service—other than dining room service: Our stateroom host did an excellent job at
timing his visits to our stateroom. Our
luggage arrived promptly without issues, etc.
On other ships, we have had to ask for and follow up on certain things,
such as tuxedos not being delivered, etc.
Now, Room Service, was another issue. On the Magic and Wonder, when you put your
breakfast order on your door and indicate a time of delivery, Room Service will
call your stateroom—sort of like a wake-up call—prior to coming for
delivery. This gives you a chance to get
up, use the bathroom, and gather tip money.
Not on the Dream. They just
knock. When I asked about them calling
first, they said they don’t do that.
Hmmm. . . That would be a nice amenity to include. Another time, I phoned room service by
pushing the room service button on the stateroom phone and it rang for several
minutes without an answer. Could the 24
hour room service be closed? I hung up
and tried again. This time, the phone
was answered and I explained what happened.
They asked if I wanted their direct number. No.
Why would I need it? If a direct
number is needed to get to room service, then there is no need for the button
for room service to be on the phone if it isn’t going to reach room service! During this call, I asked for “Uncrustables”
sandwiches. They said they didn’t have
them. I then asked for peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches in a package. Yep, they
had those. I asked for 4 of those to be
delivered at 4:30, unopened. When they
arrived, they were “Uncrustables.” We
used room service twice—once for breakfast and once for the sandwiches. Room service was better on the Magic and the
Wonder.
Shows/Entertainment:
I’ll begin with the Sail Away Party.
The Dream gets a lower score for this show. Cast Members passed out streamers to wave—but
only to children. We all have received
them on previous cruises aboard the other ships. The Sail Away Party had an evident lack of
excitement and enthusiasm. And, we
missed the camera panning the guests and showing it on the big screen above the
party. Please bring that back!
Stage shows—Villians Tonight and Believe were excellent
additions to the Disney Cruise Line entertainment repertoire. We enjoyed both. What I missed was the scene where they show
the outside of the ship being brought to light by Tinker Bell and then the
theater is lit simultaneously with the twinkling lights. I waited for it when watching Believe. There is even a scene at the end of Believe
in which that segment could fit, but no.
It wasn’t there. That gives me goose
bumps every time.
Pirates IN the Caribbean—Pirate Night on the Dream is now
broken into three parts. The first being
between the dinners with a 20-25 minute pirate themed character show with Mickey
and the gang. The entertainment staff
dons pirate gear and does some interactive games with guests on Deck 11. We were waiting for the interactive pirate
game on the big screen, but nope, wasn’t there.
Then, a couple of hours later, it is time for the fireworks, followed by
the dance party on Deck 11. There was
enough time in between for us to catch a movie.
I just think it’s hard to sustain the energy and excitement of the
celebration when it is broken into chunks and extended over a longer period of
time. Guests come, find a place to watch
the first show, then leave, then come back to watch the fireworks, etc. Parts of Deck 12 are closed during the
fireworks, making it even more difficult to find spot to watch everything.
So, far the Dream is not ahead in this category. One thing that they did do, entertainment
wise on the Dream that beats the other two ships, is to offer the character
final farewell twice on the last day. . . once in the afternoon, and then again
later—sometime after 10:00 pm. For guest
with young children, who are also trying to get their luggage placed outside
their stateroom in time for pick-up, making it to the later character farewell
can be difficult, but making it to the afternoon session would be much
easier. Disney Dream, you get a thumbs
up for this one.
All in all, the Magic and the Wonder were our favorites for
shows and entertainment.
Crew: It is
interesting for me to include this as a category, but I am going to because the
husband and I both noticed the lack of interaction with the crew on the
Dream. We just didn’t see or hear very
much of them. On the Magic and the
Wonder, ship’s officers would be found mingling in the Lobby Atrium between
dining seatings to interact with guests.
We have pictures of the boy with cruise directors of previous sailings,
but not this cruise. We didn’t even see
or hear the cruise director until our second night, when he introduced the show
in the Walt Disney Theater. (On previous
ships, we saw the cruise director during the Sail Away Party!)
There was the traditional Captain’s Signing event held on
our day at sea and we took advantage of that opportunity. On the Magic, there was an opportunity to
have your picture taken in the evening with the Captain. We didn’t find that on the Dream, which may
be attributed to a shorter itinerary.
On other sailings, there have been crew Pin Trading events—there
was only one on the last night of the cruise on the Dream, Question and Answer
sessions offered with the crew---we didn’t see this offering in the Personal
Navigators.
There was one crew member that went above and beyond for us
and that was Ryan. You see, on previous
cruises a scrapbooking session could be found in the list of activities in the
Personal Navigators. I kept looking. .
. You see, I wanted items for
scrapbooking—actually, images to scan and be a part of a digital
scrapbook. So, on the last night, when I
was in line to settle our account at Guest Services, I spoke to Ryan and asked
about a scrapbooking session. He seemed
surprised that one wasn’t offered. I
told him what I was looking for—extra Navigators, stationary, etc. Well, Ryan found our table during dinner and
presented me with a thick envelope of items he collected for me. This was definitely Disney magic at work!
Kids Clubs: The Dream
is the winner of this category with the interactive play floor, larger spaces,
and cool themes. The designated spot for
tweens is also great, as they had the left over space on the Magic and the
Wonder.
Ship: This is the
category that the Dream takes the cake.
With the design of the pools, the Aqua Duck, and other new features, the
Dream offers a great guest experience.
While we didn’t use the Spa, we had heard other guests who weren’t as
impressed with the Spa on the Dream—noisy and not relaxing—as they had been on
other Disney ships.
So, what is the best one?
It still depends. I can say with
confidence though, a Disney Cruise is bound to please every guest in your
traveling party. There is something for
everyone!
I can also say that Disney Cruise Line is very responsive to
guest feedback and every cruiser is asked to complete a satisfaction survey at
the end of the cruise. The Dream is
still sailing its Inaugural Voyages, and I’m sure more adjustments and changes are on the way to make a cruise aboard the Disney Dream even more satisfying.
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