Cruising on The Dream - 4 Nights to the Bahamas - Jan 5-9th, 2014. TR complete 1/31/2014 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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There were a few differences, and perhaps some of the info will be helpful to those planning to do this cruise in the future. I'll also share a few photos.
The Cast (minus me, since I am taking the photo, as we load up for the 2 hr drive to Port Canaveral):
Just like our last trip, we had DDs 1 & 2, along with DD1SiL, and DGD 1 & 2. DGD 1 turned 12 on our last cruise, and is now almost 14. DGD 2 would be turning 11 on this cruise - which is why we picked January for this trip. And DH, sometimes known as Grumpy Bear. Oh, and me 60 yr old wicked stepmother to DDs 1 & 2
Brief Backstory: We spend our summers in Maine, usually returning to Florida in October. This year, Grumpy decided to have open heart surgery in October - in Maine ... All went well, and we finally got the OK to drive back to Florida the week before Christmas. Had it not been for the scheduled cruise, I fear Grumpy would have held me hostage in Maine for the winter. This would have been ok with Stitch - one of our dogs:
(If you've followed any of my other reports, you may remember I usually find an excuse to sneak in at least one dog photo - )
Fast forward through Christmas - literally - and the kids all arrive from California after the New Year, with a couple of days to acclimate before boarding the ship.
3 Days before we were due to leave, I looked for our cruise booklets and luggage tags - nowhere to be found. I guess I did forget something in Maine A quick call to DCL confirmed it was no biggie - just have photo ID to get into the terminal, and the porters will have spare luggage tags.
2 days before: I never pack until the morning of the cruise, but since I was trying to be more organized this year, I packed early. Guess what? I forgot several essential items So much for that packing ahead foolishness.
The night before the Cruise - I found all of our travel docs and the luggage tags Who knew I would have actually unpacked them and put them away in a travel folder? I tell ya, trying to be organized and on top of things is not helping me this year!
Our van arrived to take us to Port Canaveral at 10am. We had a quiet 2 hour drive - everyone enjoying their iPad, Kindle, or taking a snooze.
The birthday girl is ready to go!
We arrived just shortly after noon, and there were only a few people waiting to get into the terminal. Grumpy (who hasn't been all that grumpy since he feels much better after his valve repair), wore his jacket so he wouldn't have to pack it. We call this his "Dr. Epcot" look:
Up Next: Getting on the Ship, and Sailing Away ...
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Jan 5, 2014: Day 1: Part 2 - Getting on the Ship & Sailing Away
After almost no wait to get into the terminal, we quickly passed through security as we made our way upstairs to check in. I didn't take a photo of the check in area, but the lines didn't look too bad, especially since it was just after noon. We made our way to Concierge Check-in, and were quickly checked in and boarding the ship. We were escorted to the Boarding Photo setup, and got a group photo, as well as one for each cabin.
TIP: There is now a new App, called The Disney Navigator App which you can download for your iPhone or Android smart phone. You should do this from home, even though you must be on the ship to use the APP. The advantage of this APP is it will show you all of your Navigator info for the whole cruise, not just day by day like the paper ones. It works over the ships wi-fi, but the connection is free for just the APP.
It seems we always rush this part, and I don't know why. But soon, they were calling our names as we walked into the Atrium. It was only 12:30pm, and our rooms were ready, so we quickly stopped in to check things out. After that, we stopped in at the Concierge Lounge to check on our dining reservations.
Staffing Concierge for this trip were Ashley, Annie-Marie, and Tracey. All were excellent and did everything they could to make us feel welcome. A note on the Concierge Lounge; we did not use the lounge much on our first cruise, perhaps because we were on Deck 11. This time, we were on Deck 12, in 12512, and the door to our room was just past the side entrance to the Lounge. We found it easy to slip in for coffee, a soft drink, or just to relax.
A quick look at the one bedroom suite - the kids had the adjoining room (no suite) next door:
I don't spend much time in the cabin, but Lou (DH) does, and he enjoys the space in the suite.
We grabbed a snack for lunch in the lounge, and the kids went off to get checked into the Edge, and to get some lunch at Cabanas. We just relaxed, explored the ship, and went to the Emergency Muster Drill.
The weather was good - high 70s, no rain, but windy:
The Sail Away Party started, and there were lots of people on deck enjoying the send off - this is the only time we ever saw a crowd:
Since we had the late seating for dinner, I joined DD1 and DD2 for the Golden Mickeys. We enjoyed the show, although I might have dozed off a few times:
No photos allowed during the show - this one was a lap snap taken at the very end - no flash, and the display on the camera was turned off, so I hope it will be considered a small transgression:
Our dining rotation had us starting out in the Royal Palace. We had a nice meal; the only complaint I heard was disappointment about the French Onion Soup, as it wasn't quite as good as some had remembered.
The cute Napkins and Royal Bread Basket - and the youngest in our party stifling a yawn in the background:
I tried the Lobster Mac & Cheese, and enjoyed it. Our server tried to bring out some additional lobster, but I assured him this was plenty.
Sleepy Birthday Girl passed on Dessert, but was delighted when our server brought her a plate, decorated with the phrase she'd used to turn down dessert. We'd seen this before, but the kids thought it was very special:
This may be the reason I keep booking Disney Cruises - the Grand Marnier Souffle at The Royal Palace is my favorite dessert:
No one was up for night clubbing, so we made our way back to our rooms. Jose, our room host, took good care of us all week, and had a couple of surprises:
(Note: I blacked out the sleeping grizzly behind the beautiful swans)
This concludes our first Day on board. So far, everyone was still having a good time, and the weather was holding ... would our luck continue?
Wow your photos look like they should be on the Disney Cruise ads, you get such beautiful pops of color! And WOW that suite! Glad it was a nice easy first day on board, complete with your favorite dessert
Oh wow - your suite is just beautiful. One of these days, we're going to have to go concierge...
Once again, and I know I always say this, but your photos are just absolutely stunning.
Thank you, Cheryl. Be careful what you wish for - I booked our first cruise Concierge to get adjoining cabins (I booked quite late) - now it's become a "must" as far as Lou is concerned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Your suite is amazing! Love the pictures you took around the deck!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
Wow your photos look like they should be on the Disney Cruise ads, you get such beautiful pops of color! And WOW that suite! Glad it was a nice easy first day on board, complete with your favorite dessert
Thanks - it was a relaxing first day and night. My photos will always err or the side of colorful
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Great first day on board. Love the suite and the lounge area is much bigger than I imagined. Gorgeous photos!
Thanks - the lounge is a nice size. We almost never saw more than 2 or 3 couples/ families in there. The fancy coffee machine was working this time (unlike on our first cruise), so it was really nice to step in for a quick latte after waking up. Still not as nice as the Cove & Outlook on The Wonder!
Well I'm glad I found this as I missed the first round, but I'm thinking I may need to go back and read it.
Wow! That room is gorgeous! And your photos are stunning! They look better than the pics Disney uses to promote.
Can't wait for more!
Wow, your suite looks amazing! And your photos are incredible, as always! I just love looking at them! Thanks for the tip about the Navigator App... I hadn't heard of that, but will definitely try it on my next cruise.
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A quick call to DCL confirmed it was no biggie - just have photo ID to get into the terminal, and the porters will have spare luggage tags.
So much for that packing ahead foolishness.
Who knew I would have actually unpacked them and put them away in a travel folder? I tell ya, trying to be organized and on top of things is not helping me this year!
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Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
I adore the photo of Stitch in the snow! 
Melanie
One of these days, we're going to have to go concierge... 
that suite! Glad it was a nice easy first day on board, complete with your favorite dessert 
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