Being a veteran of more than 70 cruises, I believe that I have experienced most of the cruise experiences and have seen and done most of the things within the cruise industry. However, a few months ago, Disney Cruises UK approached me and asked if I could start selling their product. Of course, most people would seize the opportunity, however, Disney UK is not the easiest to deal with in the world so I thought I’d better try the product first to make sure it lived up to your expectations and if it would be worth the back office pain that?
Since I was already in Florida, I waited for a last minute deal and booked one of their newer ships, the Disney Dream, for a 5-night cruise to Castaway Cay, their own private island, and Nassau in the Bahamas.
Once we arrived in Port Canaveral we proceeded to the check-in desk, this was a straightforward process considering I had not been able to print my e-tickets. While they waited, there was a buzz and some noise, and across the esplanade, Mickey and Minnie arrived. In a matter of seconds a line had formed with children and adults looking to take a photo with them. My immediate thought was what have I gotten myself into?
Once the registration was passed, we climbed aboard the ship and this is where the magic really begins. We were asked what our last name was and then it was announced to the entire ship that “Disney’s Dream would like to welcome into the Gilder family.” Nice little touch, I thought. Then we go to our cabin. I was intrigued because the brochure said 206 square feet, which is quite a bit larger than mainstream cruise lines. We walked in and to be honest I was a bit disappointed in the space. However, I soon realized where he had gone. First of all, there were 2 large closets to hang your clothes and this was more than big enough for the four of us. Then I also noticed 2 doors. One for the bathroom, yes it had a bathtub and one for a separate toilet. In all my years, this is the first time I’ve seen this in a standard cab. Everything else was the norm, but as the cruise went on, the closet and bathroom certainly made sense.
After quickly changing, we went upstairs and found “Cabanas”, the buffet restaurant. After a quick scan, our plates were full. My wife was in heaven as there was a whole area of fish with clams, prawns and crab legs galore. My initial thoughts were that this is the best opening buffet we have ever seen. This continued throughout the cruise and I am sure my wife ate her tickets only on crab legs.
Our next stop was the deck area open above us, we were able to see the water roller coaster and 2 kiddy pools. The clever part of this was the mechanical platform that was not used, it covered the pools and turned the entire outside area of the deck into a large stage.
The boating party started once the ship left the dock and the excellent entertainers performed with Mickey and the other characters and then ended with a party on deck. Once again the best and most lively candle party I have ever seen and words cannot really describe it.
After the party, my kids wanted to know more about the kids’ club, so we went up to the club to sign up. To our pleasure it was already open. Other kids’ clubs usually don’t start until the next morning. We were also informed that it was open until 1am and unlike other kids clubs there was no additional charge if they stayed after 10pm. Once inside the kids’ club, it is by far the largest afloat. It took almost half of deck 5 with many different games, crafts, and experiments going on. It was open for children ages 3-12 and everyone was together. This had its pros and cons. The pro was that my 6 year old son could play with his 10 year old sister. However, on the other hand, they were also playing with 3-year-olds.
I’ll tell you a little secret: the ship was carrying around 3,500 guests, of which 1,500 were children. For most people this would be hell. However, Disney is very smart and creates sections of the ship for adults only. At the rear of deck 11 there is an adult pool, a swim-up bar and comfortable sun loungers. This kept him away from the noise and he hurried to run around the main pool. The other great part was the district’s adults-only bars on deck 4. After 7pm, no kids were allowed, so our kids would go to the kids’ club and we would stay having grown-up fun on a conventional cruise.
The only adult theme also continues on its private island, Cayo Castaway. Upon arrival, our children wanted to go to the children’s club that was on the island. We dropped them off and hopped on the little train to Serenity, which is the only private beach for adults. As you can imagine, I travel quite a bit, but I have never seen a beach like this. The sand was talc white and then the crystal blue sea subsided for at least half a mile. My wife suggested that they had used food coloring for color. The beach was idyllic and possibly the most beautiful beach we had ever seen, besides not having children, it was an incredible bonus.
There are too many things to write about on this cruise, but the highlights are the shows. Yes, they are Disney and you will be humming Hakuna Matarta and Mary Poppin’s, but these are some of the most elaborate stage shows afloat with fireworks at sea, food as good as any other, it really is a cruise for everyone, whether you are an adult or a child. Nobody likes Disney and this is really the case with this cruise. Yes compared to other cruises it is expensive, but the whole family agreed that it was arguably the best cruise we have ever had.
