Disney Dream Trip Report Day 1: Embarkation

To start off the new year, I had the amazing opportunity to cruise on the Disney Dream. This was my second Disney cruise. My first Disney cruise was almost 15 years ago, but I cannot remember if it was on the Magic or the Wonder. I do recall it was a three night cruise out of Port Canaveral, with one day at Castaway Cay and one day at Nassau. I was excited for our cruise in January because it was a four night cruise, giving us a day at sea to explore the ship!

Monday, January 10 – Embarkation

On the first day of the cruise, we arrived to Port Canaveral and immediately had to undergo Covid testing. Thankfully, everyone in my party tested negative so we were able to proceed with boarding the ship. Interestingly, they collected our checked luggage prior to the testing. Something we discussed in my party, was what if we had not been able to board, what would the process have been to get our luggage back?

We were fortunate enough to not need to worry about this. We retrieved our carry-ons from our vehicle and headed out of the parking garage where we needed to verify we were all green, clear to sail. Inside the terminal, we were asked to show our passports. All I will say for this is to make sure before you leave that your passport is valid and has not expired. Our group learned that in lieu of a valid passport, an ID and a photocopy of the front and back of your birth certificate will be accepted.

While we waited in the terminal, I was able to enjoy the map of the Caribbean that is depicted in the tiling and the model of one of the original ships, the Disney Magic.

The most apparent difference between the Magic and Dream class of ships would be the size and capacity. The Disney Magic and Wonder have 875 staterooms with a passenger capacity of 2,700, whereas the Disney Dream and Fantasy have 1,250 staterooms with a passenger capacity of 4,000. The two older ships have 11 decks, while the newer ships have 14 decks. The Dream and the Fantasy also have the AquaDuck, the first water coaster at sea.

Once we received the all clear to board the ship, we snapped a group photo and then walked the gangway. There was no sail away party happening so instead they had a small celebration when we entered the atrium. They announced our family and then instructed us to stand on a dot, physically distanced from the other families also in the atrium. Mickey was upstairs on deck 4 and danced to “Come on everybody put your ears on.”

After our welcome aboard, we had to stop at our Muster station. Instead of having the entire group assemble there, we just needed to check in with the Cast Members. This system seemed to work well and I wonder if they will continue this in the future. Then we went upstairs to Cabanas, the food court, to get lunch, but first we stopped at the spa to inquire about the Rainforest Room. In the past, a Rainforest pass could be purchased for the entire duration of the cruise; however, due to physical distancing this was no longer being offered. Instead, your party of up to 10 people could book the room for almost a two hour period. Unfortunately, none of the times left worked with out schedule. We continued on to lunch.

After lunch, we dropped our belongings off at our room and then headed back to the atrium to stop by guest relations to inquire about the Castaway Cay 5k and Mixology. Sadly, at the time of our cruise they had not yet brought back the 5k on Disney’s private island, but we were able to get into Mixology. During embarkation is a great time to try and snag reservations for Remo and Palo, the fine-dining options onboard, if you were not able to book prior to your trip.

We then explored the atrium, went into the shops, started the Midship Detective Agency mystery game, and played with the steering wheel from the Jolly Roger on deck 5. We also took some photos of Admiral Donald, a bronze statue of Donald in the atrium. We walked around the Promenade for a bit and then headed back to the room to unpack as we sailed away.

There are two dining times and because we had the later one, we went to the earlier show. The show on the first night was called Believe. Rather than having a different show each night, because the seating was physically distant, they did the two shows, Believe and Beauty and the Beast, two times while we were aboard. This show was absolutely amazing and definitely worth watching. I loved how they incorporated Disney songs throughout the entire show. I’m not saying it was a tear-jerker, but I may have shed a few tears. While we waited for the show to start, I also found some Hidden Mickeys inside the theatre.

After the show it was time for dinner. On the Disney ships, there is rotational dining which means you will rotate between their three dining rooms and your wait staff will stay with you the entire time. Our head server, Jane, was fantastic and I cannot recommend him enough! Something else that is unique to Disney Cruise Line is that at dinner, soda is included, so a separate beverage package is not necessary. Our first evening, we ate at Royal Palace where there are touches of Disney princes and princesses scattered throughout including the paintings, the chandelier, the tiling, and even on the tables.

We were even visited by some princesses during our dinner. We had a special surprise at our table when it came time for dessert. Our wait staff came to sing Happy Birthday to me and present me with dessert which was so kind of them; however, it was not birthday. It was in fact four months after my birthday. Our table came up with many theories about what happened and we decided that maybe they just wanted to create some extra magic for our table.

Once we were finished with dinner, we headed back to the room as we had a busy day at Castaway Cay scheduled in the morning.

Thank you for joining me for Day 1 of my trip report on the Disney Dream!

Coming soon: Disney Dream Trip Report Day 2: Castaway Cay

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