Over 2000 pix! Our first Disney Dream cruise + Fantasy pix + Our Wonder cruise!

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Originally Posted by goeva

Can't wait to hear more. :

Thank you. I will be updating today sometime!

Originally Posted by JustUs275

Just read this trip report - love all the information and pictures! We have cruised 2x on RCCL, but our Dream cruise will be our 1st with DCL. Our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters (ages 6 & 1 at time of sail) have never been on a cruise at all...can't wait to see their faces when the see the ship for the first time! Thanks for posting, looking forward to seeing more!

I love RCCL. The two don't even compare, and both are special. It will be interesting to hear what you think after your cruise. I just toured the Fantasy in December and I did not want to leave. I thought the Dream was nice but the Fantasy made me cry. Could have been all of the Christmas decorations. The kids are going to have the time of their lives!

Originally Posted by The Marsons

What a fantastic report. We are sailing on the Dream in August on the four night excursion. We have never cruised before and are taking my grandparents with us who have never cruised also! We are from the UK so are combining the stay with a three week stay at WDW. I was wondering last night actually if I should be doing anything with regards to the cruise although think that most of the planning will take place when I have paid my final balance in May.

thank you once again

Sarah

Thank you. What a great place to have a family reunion! On my last night at Disney prior to sailing I repacked and only brought aboard the stuff I needed for the cruise itself. Now we drive our own car to port. Not sure what your driving situation is for your trip, but the less you have to carry on, the better I believe. If you guys are visiting for a month you must have a lot of gear. Our longest trip at WDW was 17 nights and the truck was packed to the rim! As far as booking excursions and specialty dining...all of that will be done prior to your WDW arrival. As soon as you pay in full you can begin booking all of that fun stuff. If you get a chance to dine in the specialty restaurants do so. We did not eat in them, but when I took my ship tour we walked through both and all I can say is WOW!

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Wow. Okay I forget what I have added so far, but I think everything was up except Pirate night and maybe one other. If I add something again that's already been posted my apologies. As I sit here waiting on my hubby and oldest son to get home from work, I keep getting sidetracked with facebook. My friends keep posting cruise pics and Disney CA Adventure pics and well, they're just amazing to look at. Let me go ahead and add this...my friend just got back from a Dream cruise. She put up pics of Castaway Cay all decked out for the holidays! Christmas trees and decorations all over! Hello, how cool is that? Then of course the interior was much like the Fantasy I just toured...huge tree, lots of garland, and the most amazing gingerbread house ever! They also had this thing where they made their own gingerbread houses! AWESOME! Maybe she will add some of those pictures...HINT HINT Jenny! Oh, and she also had her "Pirate" night at Animator's P and I will be requesting that next time! Much better than the other two places. They had some cool stuff popping up on their screens. We just had servers in pirate costumes.

Okay, okay. Food pics...this is going to be so random it's not even funny. You ready?



















































Darn it. Now I'm hungry. As you can see my little guy was very excited about cruise eating. He liked the idea of getting two plates to pick and choose from. He said he could get used to that. That probably is one of the best things about cruising. The variety of food. I was proud of my kiddos too because they tried a lot of new things while sailing. Even the escargot! Surprisingly they didn't care for it and I was stuck eating two. Oh, poor me. LOL Tastes like mushrooms...and I love mushrooms!

Do you have a favorite menu item when you cruise with Disney (or other lines)? Mine has to be the escargot. Tried it on our RCCL honeymoon cruise and have loved it ever since. Okay! This is it for tonight. I'm going to start uploading the pictures from Nov/Dec (there are thousands of them...literally!) soon. Before we end this trip report we will add some FANTASY pictures. The next trip report will be like old times though, if you choose to follow. Details kept, pictures to match, and they will be uploaded in order. he he I will look through this tonight and see what else is missing. Until tomorrow. Peace out.

[MomToPrincePhillip]

Glad your back to posting, I missed you! Can't wait for the new TR too.

[The Marsons]

Thanks for that yummy food update. I love love love dining at Disney but this cruise food looks so good to.

Thanks for your earlier reply. We are staying at animal kingdom lodge for five nights, followed buy the cruise for four nights and finally followed by two weeks at port Orleans riverside. We plan to hire a car for the akl and cruise part of the holiday. I never thought but I could leave the majority of our stuff in the car while we cruise. We usually take three suitcases, so I could maybe pack all our stuff in the one case and just take that on board? That should be ok shouldn't it? Does it cost much to park your car for the four nights?

Thanks

Sarah

[goeva]

Hey, Tammy: Glad you're back to share more awesome pics with us.
My favorite menu item on DCL is Pan-seared Sea Bass.
Hubby's favorite is Escargots Gratinés, too.

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Most of you guys know we just went back to Disney again for a 14 night/15 day stay. We had a blast! Stayed at the new Art of Animation and had some very cool experiences that I will be writing about in the new trip report very soon. Right smack dab in the middle of that vaca I got to go to Cape Canaveral and take a tour of The Disney Fantasy! (I thought The Dream was nice, but wow, Fantasy has her beat.)

I know a lot of you are planning vacations aboard these beautiful grand ships right now ~ LUCKY CROWD YOU ARE! Since I've put up a good bit of stuff from The Dream I thought it would be a nice break to show off the beauty of The Fantasy. Is that okay with you guys?

There he is! My favorite rodent in the world!



Ha! No more guilt. Before Mickey greeted me I spent about 45 minutes wandering around in here, before any guests arrived!



This place is huge! It doesn't feel that way when you go inside to check in with it full of other guests. I took advantage (snapping tons of pictures) of the empty lobby while I could. They were all decorated for the holidays.










Look at that beauty! Wouldn't this be fun for my daughter's Polly Pockets?





Ahh, love these ears!







The huge tree down by concierge





I took a bunch of pictures of the model ship so my daughter could check it out in detail. The day we checked in for our cruise it was packed with people, then Mickey and Minnie came out for meet n greets in front of it. You couldn't see it real good that day. I do think this would make the ultimate toy!

























Wow. That already filled up an entire post! Sorry ya'll, but when it comes to pictures I get a little snappy. Well let's post already and start a second one!

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Oh my gosh. It is so cold in my house! I suppose I could have found a better place to set up office away from a double window. Duh! I've warmed up my fingers so I can add some more now.

This is the desk where the average Joe checks in. Concierge is in another area. For my cruise in September we didn't have to wait long at all. We were through the line (yeah, two groups in front of us) and signed in within 15 minutes. It probably took longer than it needed to because we were new to Disney sailing. We were lost as all get out. Didn't even have documents in hand because we booked so close to sailing, then left for WDW. It was fine though. We had the online print outs and the info they advise you to fill out prior to arriving at port. (It's some paper work that tells them who you are and what not.) Do it before you get there and it saves ya about 10-15 minutes.



Signs everywhere so you know where to go!



Did I post this picture already? Oopsie if I did. You get to see it again. (Smile) <---Yes, I smile all the time. I'm super happy and that's just the way things roll. *Picture yourself walking through those yellow ears. See there, you just smiled too!



Seating for when you do have to wait. We had to wait for our number to be called. Took about 15-20 minutes. By the time we got through Mickey's Meet n Greet line we were ready to go aboard. Now I know if you cruise a lot, OR if you book a concierge room you get to go on the ship before everyone else! I kind of dig that idea.



I may have posted a similar one of these too. I just fell in love with them. It's a different picture, I promise!



Look at this logo! Love the logo.



More!



This 45 minute wait felt like hours to me. It must have felt like years to my family. I was anxious for the tour to start but some dude was running late, and I think they waited for him. Or maybe we were delayed because of...I'll tell you about that later. No spoilers this time. So...I took a walk down the bathroom hall and gazed out the window. There she is!!! Look ya'll.





Oh yeah, the bathroom hall...super blue huh?











I was really ready to see the Fantasy! Anticipation was getting the best of me. It was like being a kid at Christmas with this huge present under the tree that you could not open for days, yet it was there staring you in the face! Still waiting on "Mr. Running Late" to arrive... I take my second walk around Port Canaveral and take a detailed look at the super shiny floor. I am a sucker for cute things like this. Once again I didn't notice this on our first visit to the Cape. The floors feature the places they sail to, sail out of, and even the theme parks! Awesome!













Cute huh? Wanna see my favorite!!!??





This one is kind of rad too.



Did I just see a new guy walk in?



No, guess not. So I continue to photograph the floor! Woo hoo. STARFISH!



Oh my goodness! My hands are frozen to the keyboard and I am at my 25 picture limit. How about this. Tomorrow I will finish posting the floor pictures, and then things will get enchanted. Sound good? I'm on this now! I can feel the excitement in the air. Wait, that's just static electricity. Anyway, I have a LOT more to share with you cruise lovers! Just do me a favor and let me know you're out there! I'd love to hear from you guys. Until next time...

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Originally Posted by MomToPrincePhillip

Glad your back to posting, I missed you! Can't wait for the new TR too.

My goal is to start that baby before NYE. We will see. I'm going to have to start up several PB accounts to hold all these pictures. There are 1000's of them. No joke.

I missed all of you guys too! I've come to realize Dis is where some of the best friends in life are made!

Originally Posted by The Marsons

Thanks for that yummy food update. I love love love dining at Disney but this cruise food looks so good to.

Thanks for your earlier reply. We are staying at animal kingdom lodge for five nights, followed buy the cruise for four nights and finally followed by two weeks at port Orleans riverside. We plan to hire a car for the akl and cruise part of the holiday. I never thought but I could leave the majority of our stuff in the car while we cruise. We usually take three suitcases, so I could maybe pack all our stuff in the one case and just take that on board? That should be ok shouldn't it? Does it cost much to park your car for the four nights?

Thanks

Sarah

Sarah you won't be disappointed in the food! Try everything. I didn't pig out this time, but next time I plan to. I was so caught up in seeing everything I didn't want to spend much time at dinner. Looking back, huge mistake. I should have. They really don't mind you sampling the entrees and desserts.

You might be able to store your suitcases at the resort. You should call and ask. See what they tell you. I mean, after all you are cruising on their ship and staying at their resorts. It wouldn't hurt to ask. The parking fees aren't too bad. It was less than $100 for our 4 night cruise.

That's exactly what we did. Consolidated the bags so we only took what we had to have. Even then with a family of five, it was an event waiting for our room to open. We brought everything on with us, and it was fine. We don't use bell hops and such. It's offered, but you don't have to give them your bags. I'd still ask the resort about storing those items until you return from your cruise.

Originally Posted by goeva

Hey, Tammy: Glad you're back to share more awesome pics with us.
My favorite menu item on DCL is Pan-seared Sea Bass.
Hubby's favorite is Escargots Gratinés, too.

Thank you. I have a lot to add now! I think there are more pics from the Fantasy coming up than what I took on the Dream.

Oh yummy. Pan seared sea bass sounds superb. I wonder if that was one of the fish entrees I had. I remember getting a very dry salmon one night, but the other fish entree I had was delicious. I may have eaten three total. I can't remember now. I'm not a big red meat eater so I opt for fish or chicken when possible.

[2BusyPlanning]

Great pics, what a fantastic surprise this morning!!! I love the Mickey hands holding the ornaments! And I'll be sure to check out the floor before sailing next September. Can't wait to hear more!

[MomToPrincePhillip]

Wow! Fantasy bonus! We sail her on our 1st cruise May 4th so I'm looking forward to your pics and comments. I must say I'm feeling a little confused about the cruise check in etc. I hope it all becomes a little clearer as we get closer to May.

[missj1975]

Subscribing now. Will catch up on this thread when we get back from seeing Wicked this afternoon. Every since we saw Stephen Schwartz on the Fantasy Maiden voyage hubby has been dying to see Wicked. Luckily the show came to St. Louis this month so I bought hubby tickets for Christmas!!!

[FOV]

Love the updates! I haven't been able to log onto the dis in awhile but life is finally slowing down! Can't wait for your next installment.

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Originally Posted by 2BusyPlanning

Great pics, what a fantastic surprise this morning!!! I love the Mickey hands holding the ornaments! And I'll be sure to check out the floor before sailing next September. Can't wait to hear more!

Aren't they adorable? I want some! Little things like those floors make me smile. One of my favorite things to do at WDW is close down the parks. When everyone leaves and you are in there alone you see so many nice things you normally don't notice.

Originally Posted by MomToPrincePhillip

Wow! Fantasy bonus! We sail her on our 1st cruise May 4th so I'm looking forward to your pics and comments. I must say I'm feeling a little confused about the cruise check in etc. I hope it all becomes a little clearer as we get closer to May.

What's confusing you? Maybe I can help. Are you booked in concierge or a regular room? Regular rooms check in at the big long service desk. It will be on your left at the top of the stairs. You will have access to some paperwork online that you can fill out prior to cruising. That will save you some time at the check in desk. They go over some things with you there, take your picture, etc. Then you go back out into the lobby and wait until they call the number assigned to you. Then you walk through the yellow Mickey ears onto your ship! Next you begin to cry, and your tummy starts to tighten a little, but it's all good!

Originally Posted by missj1975

Subscribing now. Will catch up on this thread when we get back from seeing Wicked this afternoon. Every since we saw Stephen Schwartz on the Fantasy Maiden voyage hubby has been dying to see Wicked. Luckily the show came to St. Louis this month so I bought hubby tickets for Christmas!!!

You are all caught up Jenny. It was the same report, pretty much, you had already read. I just got tired of updating two and since it's mostly about cruising this thread is a better place for it. You guys have fun...lunch looked yummy. Think of us while having all that fun!

Originally Posted by FOV

Love the updates! I haven't been able to log onto the dis in awhile but life is finally slowing down! Can't wait for your next installment.

Thank you! Same here. I didn't even get our home decorated this year. We grabbed a real tree and kids threw some stuff on it, but compared to what we usually do... The long trip to WDW kind of messed me up. Thinking of doing things different this year. Working on a plan now. One thing is for sure, it has to include Disneyland and a Fantasy cruise! (Praying)

[kelly1275]

Following along! Loving all the pics! We went on the Dream for our first cruise back in March and it was the best vacation ever!!! We are so hooked that we want to move to Florida now No seriously we really want to We are going on a 7 night on the Fantasy June 1 and can't wait to see how beautiful she is! We were going to stay at Art of Animation so wondering what you thought of it. We could only afford the standard room there and it seemed like it was going to be to far away from everything so we changed it to Port Orleans Riverside which i'm excited about so we can go to Downtown Disney by boat. Made reservations at the Be Our Guest Restaurant so can't wait for that either!!! My husband is not a Disney fan so we'll see if this will change his mind

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Originally Posted by kelly1275

Following along! Loving all the pics! We went on the Dream for our first cruise back in March and it was the best vacation ever!!! We are so hooked that we want to move to Florida now No seriously we really want to We are going on a 7 night on the Fantasy June 1 and can't wait to see how beautiful she is! We were going to stay at Art of Animation so wondering what you thought of it. We could only afford the standard room there and it seemed like it was going to be to far away from everything so we changed it to Port Orleans Riverside which i'm excited about so we can go to Downtown Disney by boat. Made reservations at the Be Our Guest Restaurant so can't wait for that either!!! My husband is not a Disney fan so we'll see if this will change his mind

Is hubby ready to move to FL, just not 100% addicted to the mouse yet? I'm sure this can be fixed. I have a lot more pix coming from the Fantasy! Tons. Now AOA was wonderful! We stayed in the mermaid rooms and they weren't far from stuff at all. We walked a little bit and we were in the amazing Lion King section. Right on the other side of that is the Main Hall, then Cars. Maybe it didn't seem like a lot of walking because there was so much to see and do along the way. It's fantastic! Maybe you can do a split stay and enjoy both resorts while you're there. One time we went and stayed in 3 different resorts. CSR, then POR, and later Pop. Fun trip! If you are staying at POR get the royal rooms! OUT OF THIS WORLD!