Dream 4/11-4/15 Musings

[MiddKid]

Fifth DCL cruise in the books last week. First was a 3-Day Bahamas (Wonder) pre-kids in 2003. Then a 4-Day on the Dream in 2014, 7-Day Mediterranean on the Magic in 2016, and 7-Day Alaska (Wonder) in 2018. For this cruise last week, the kids are now 17, 14, and 11. We had a blast. Not a full trip report, but some thoughts:

• We spent 4 days at WDW pre-cruise which made us super nervous for testing prior to boarding but the testing process was smooth and we boarded with no issues. My wife qualified for 90-day recovered (mid-February) so at least one of us was clear!
• Due to a bunch of cancelled trips including a Norway Adventures by Disney we upgraded to concierge and enjoyed the private lunch upon entering the ship.
• Stateroom 12510 which was on the bump so we had an extended veranda. We asked for additional chairs (all 5 of us in one room) and they were promptly delivered. Nice to have two chairs and two loungers.
• Movie selection was poor at best as we had seen them all and the most touted movie was Turning Red...our cruise director noted they were only "one of four theaters in the world allowed to show it" which means the four ships. We couldn't get ourselves to spend time watching it when it was on D+. This is not DCL's fault as the movie slate is poor in April. We were also spoiled by having Solo premier during a previous cruise so it was a blast to attend the "premier."
• Ventriloquist (Lynn T) was fantastic the first night. Had the whole theater rolling with laughter. My youngest was brought up on stage. The show was highlight for our family and we bumped into the numerous "volunteers" throughout the trip which was fun. Believe was great. Third night was Turning Red which we all skipped. Last night was BatB which half our family said "I've seen BatB so many times on stage I'm skipping it." The three of us which did go forgot what a great version this is. Awesome staging and performances.
• Dining was as we remembered it. Great serving team and excellent food. Too much food! If someone said they were deciding between A&B, invariably both were brought out! One super small annoyance...the fountain sodas had Coke Zero as well as the concierge lounge. At the first dinner I asked if they had it and server said only Diet Coke in the restaurants but she'd see what she could do and they returned with a Coke Zero! I was annoyed when they brought me a bill at the end for $2.50 for the Coke Zero. I know, what's $2.50 given the cost of the cruise but was annoyed they didn't mention that.
• Characters were everywhere and we loved some of the surprise moments/photos we were able to get.
• We brought formal clothes and did our own formal night the last night...and were definitely outliers. Fun for us, but missed the "official" formal night of the longer cruises.
• Another annoyance was our Nassau shore excursion. We had planned to explore on our own in the AM. Walked right past the markets and into Nassau. Walked to the Queen's Staircase and enjoyed the self guided/paced exploring and shopping. We had a 12:15pm meeting for our afternoon catamaran and snorkeling. We had family at Atlantis who had a catamaran trip cancelled the day before due to winds and rough seas. We could see the rough seas upon docking. But we went back to the ship around 10:45am to grab lunch at Cabanas. Upon sitting down we got an alert at 11am that our trip was cancelled. Frustration was not at the cancellation but rather that it didn't come through until an hour prior. I know the 3rd party companies try to cancel as late as possible but this cancellation seemed "obvious" to us early in the morning just looking at the whitecaps out at sea...but we didn't get word until 11am. We heard many families frustrated that now they were stuck with no options for the afternoon. We, thankfully, called up our family at Atlantis and met them there for the afternoon but many didn't have that option.
• Given that we splurged on concierge (don't think we'd do it again) we had Cabana 20 at Castaway Cay. After chaotic days at WDW and the challenges in Nassau, the family LOVED just chilling in a cabana. A much needed relaxation day. Rested a bunch, rode the bike loop, did some snorkeling. Overall a great day.
• Last day on the ship we did a Palo brunch and couples massage. Palo brunch was excellent. We had done a massage before on the ships but never had a room with the massive windows overlooking the ocean. Also excellent (75 minutes goes too fast though).
• We're planning a potential large family cruise for next summer so we used the app to grab two placeholders. Process was super easy but the desk to talk to someone about it wasn't staffed. We were able to get our questions answered at guest services but it was weird to not have the desk staffed when the app tells you to go the desk for more information. The DVC desk next to it was staffed and that person said it hasn't been staffed for awhile and she couldn't answer our questions.
• My youngest could do the kids club and Edge. Middle child could do Edge and Vibe. Oldest was Vibe. They spent surprisingly little time there. They were also frustrated that the Edge and Vibe activities were NOT in the app. You had to go and look at the whiteboard each day. We all missed the old paper Navigators but we get it. The app generally worked great.
• Cast Member interactions were generally fantastic. You could see that after a long break many of them were amped to be back on the ships.
• I find the AquaDuck restrictions inconsistent with other Disney attractions. At Typhoon/Blizzard I can ride a ride with a GoPro attached to my hand (not handheld) and/or things in my pocket. I recalled from a prior cruise that a GoPro was a no-go on the ship so I left that in the room. But I did have my waterproof phone in my zip pocket of my bathing suit. We were next to go and I pulled my phone out of my pocket to snag a picture of my daughters going before us. Upon doing so I was told I absolutely couldn't ride with it. I explained it was going right back into my zippered pocket and was told I had to leave it. Nope. No go. We stepped aside and my oldest daughter who went first had to run back up the stairs to take it from me. As a former attractions CM I get it...rules are rules. Safety. And safety on the ship is different than at Typhoon/Blizzard. But just annoying. I don't fault the lifeguard for enforcing the rules, just noting the inconsistencies.
• No masks on the ship. They would announce that you need a mask while disembarking but hardly anyone followed that (and it wasn't enforced). Only mask enforcement we saw was in some shops in Nassau. They even made it a point to say masks were required in the Castaway Cay shops but no one was wearing them.
• Ship felt crowded, but not as full as our prior cruises. I didn't catch the passenger numbers.
• Never received any luggage tags but check-in was still easy on the first day.

Overall a fantastic trip. We'll be back.

 

[bbn1122]

Sounds like you had a great cruise. Weather and rough seas are such a bummer when it affects excursions.

Thanks for sharing your experience. My family last cruise just before the pandemic hit in January 2020. My DH and I will be sailing on The Wish this September. Fingers crossed that Covid and it’s restrictions will continue to ease.

 

[Tehanna]

This is an excellent report! Thank you!

We're sailing concierge for the first time on the 5/16 Dream sailing. I'm hoping you might be willing to answer some questions.


1. What did you think of the concierge staff?
2. How was the boarding process for concierge?
3. What was the lounge set up like? Has it gone to self-serve, or is the staff still serving you?

 

[MiddKid]

This is an excellent report! Thank you!

We're sailing concierge for the first time on the 5/16 Dream sailing. I'm hoping you might be willing to answer some questions.


1. What did you think of the concierge staff?
2. How was the boarding process for concierge?
3. What was the lounge set up like? Has it gone to self-serve, or is the staff still serving you?

1. Concierge staff was nothing short of excellent. Zero complaints. They got to know us, addressed our questions, and always went out of their way.
2. Upon arriving at the passport/paperwork checkin there is a dedicated concierge line. Because you don't get your key card until you get to the room, we were each given gold stickers to wear on our shirts. Easy to get through security. Upon arriving in the port atrium, a Cast Member met us and walked us right onto the ship. There is a small concierge waiting area (and they are building a new one) but we just walked right through it. Upon having our names announced and entering the ship, someone saw our stickers and brought us right into Royal Palace for a private lunch. We didn't arrive until 1pm so it was a bit late. During lunch, a member of the concierge staff came up to our table and talked us through the services, the lounge, and answered any questions. Upon finishing lunch we went right up to our room where our key cards were waiting (but our bags weren't there yet).
3. Lounge is back to self-serve. Walk in, grab what you want, head out. There usually was someone staffed there serving drinks as well.

Happy to answer any other questions.

 

[KarenMom]

Are they still using virtual queues to exit the ship on port days (including Castaway Cay)?

 

[MiddKid]

Are they still using virtual queues to exit the ship on port days (including Castaway Cay)?

Nope. Free for all.

 

[anricat]

They were also frustrated that the Edge and Vibe activities were NOT in the app. You had to go and look at the whiteboard each day.

This made my daughter nuts in November on the Wonder. I don't know why they aren't putting the activities in the app right now. Hopefully that changes soon.

 

[mamaburrito]

Was the drink cart still a thing?

 

[lolomarie]

What covid precautions did you take in WDW? We are doing 1 day at MK and one at NASA and I’m also super nervous about preboarding testing.

 

[mousefan73]

What covid precautions did you take in WDW? We are doing 1 day at MK and one at NASA and I’m also super nervous about preboarding testing.

I’m not the OP but we did something similar on our December cruise and the only thing you can really do is is avoid people and shared air. Kind of hard to do LOL in those places. What we did though it’s specifically not eat indoors and we wore N 95 mask in crowds indoors.

 

[MiddKid]

Was the drink cart still a thing?

I'm not sure what you're referring to so I assume it's not a thing!

 

[MiddKid]

What covid precautions did you take in WDW? We are doing 1 day at MK and one at NASA and I’m also super nervous about preboarding testing.

To be honest, we did nothing. We had four days in the parks and just went like we would pre-COVID. Ate at the parks, stood in the crowded queues. The only time we wore masks was on the busses as required.

In December we did 4 days at Disneyland with the required masks in all indoor spaces and it didn't bother us. We could have done it again at WDW pre-cruise, but we just decide to go no-mask and enjoy it.

 

[anricat]

Heh, this is why we scheduled the WDW after the cruise. I just couldn't take the worry!

 

[lolomarie]

Heh, this is why we scheduled the WDW after the cruise. I just couldn't take the worry!

We would have done it this way, but we booked opening week and seriously thought covid wouldn’t be an issue anymore. Silly us.

 

[lolomarie]

I’m not the OP but we did something similar on our December cruise and the only thing you can really do is is avoid people and shared air. Kind of hard to do LOL in those places. What we did though it’s specifically not eat indoors and we wore N 95 mask in crowds indoors.

I think this is our plan.

 

[lolomarie]

To be honest, we did nothing. We had four days in the parks and just went like we would pre-COVID. Ate at the parks, stood in the crowded queues. The only time we wore masks was on the busses as required.

In December we did 4 days at Disneyland with the required masks in all indoor spaces and it didn't bother us. We could have done it again at WDW pre-cruise, but we just decide to go no-mask and enjoy it.

Thanks for this perspective too. Gives me hope!

 

[Kwami]

Dining was as we remembered it. Great serving team and excellent food. Too much food! If someone said they were deciding between A&B, invariably both were brought out! One super small annoyance...the fountain sodas had Coke Zero as well as the concierge lounge. At the first dinner I asked if they had it and server said only Diet Coke in the restaurants but she'd see what she could do and they returned with a Coke Zero! I was annoyed when they brought me a bill at the end for $2.50 for the Coke Zero. I know, what's $2.50 given the cost of the cruise but was annoyed they didn't mention that.

Up on the pool deck and in Cabanas, one side has Coke Zero and the other side has Diet Coke. It's been a few months, but I think starboard side is the Diet Coke.

I don't know about the concierge lounge, though.

 

[MiddKid]

Up on the pool deck and in Cabanas, one side has Coke Zero and the other side has Diet Coke. It's been a few months, but I think starboard side is the Diet Coke.

I don't know about the concierge lounge, though.

Correct on the fountain dispensers. Concierge lounge had it as well. So it was readily available...so that's why getting charged $2.50 in the dining room (without being told) was annoying!

 

[boaownsme]

Fifth DCL cruise in the books last week. First was a 3-Day Bahamas (Wonder) pre-kids in 2003. Then a 4-Day on the Dream in 2014, 7-Day Mediterranean on the Magic in 2016, and 7-Day Alaska (Wonder) in 2018. For this cruise last week, the kids are now 17, 14, and 11. We had a blast. Not a full trip report, but some thoughts:

• We spent 4 days at WDW pre-cruise which made us super nervous for testing prior to boarding but the testing process was smooth and we boarded with no issues. My wife qualified for 90-day recovered (mid-February) so at least one of us was clear!
• Due to a bunch of cancelled trips including a Norway Adventures by Disney we upgraded to concierge and enjoyed the private lunch upon entering the ship.
• Stateroom 12510 which was on the bump so we had an extended veranda. We asked for additional chairs (all 5 of us in one room) and they were promptly delivered. Nice to have two chairs and two loungers.
• Movie selection was poor at best as we had seen them all and the most touted movie was Turning Red...our cruise director noted they were only "one of four theaters in the world allowed to show it" which means the four ships. We couldn't get ourselves to spend time watching it when it was on D+. This is not DCL's fault as the movie slate is poor in April. We were also spoiled by having Solo premier during a previous cruise so it was a blast to attend the "premier."
• Ventriloquist (Lynn T) was fantastic the first night. Had the whole theater rolling with laughter. My youngest was brought up on stage. The show was highlight for our family and we bumped into the numerous "volunteers" throughout the trip which was fun. Believe was great. Third night was Turning Red which we all skipped. Last night was BatB which half our family said "I've seen BatB so many times on stage I'm skipping it." The three of us which did go forgot what a great version this is. Awesome staging and performances.
• Dining was as we remembered it. Great serving team and excellent food. Too much food! If someone said they were deciding between A&B, invariably both were brought out! One super small annoyance...the fountain sodas had Coke Zero as well as the concierge lounge. At the first dinner I asked if they had it and server said only Diet Coke in the restaurants but she'd see what she could do and they returned with a Coke Zero! I was annoyed when they brought me a bill at the end for $2.50 for the Coke Zero. I know, what's $2.50 given the cost of the cruise but was annoyed they didn't mention that.
• Characters were everywhere and we loved some of the surprise moments/photos we were able to get.
• We brought formal clothes and did our own formal night the last night...and were definitely outliers. Fun for us, but missed the "official" formal night of the longer cruises.
• Another annoyance was our Nassau shore excursion. We had planned to explore on our own in the AM. Walked right past the markets and into Nassau. Walked to the Queen's Staircase and enjoyed the self guided/paced exploring and shopping. We had a 12:15pm meeting for our afternoon catamaran and snorkeling. We had family at Atlantis who had a catamaran trip cancelled the day before due to winds and rough seas. We could see the rough seas upon docking. But we went back to the ship around 10:45am to grab lunch at Cabanas. Upon sitting down we got an alert at 11am that our trip was cancelled. Frustration was not at the cancellation but rather that it didn't come through until an hour prior. I know the 3rd party companies try to cancel as late as possible but this cancellation seemed "obvious" to us early in the morning just looking at the whitecaps out at sea...but we didn't get word until 11am. We heard many families frustrated that now they were stuck with no options for the afternoon. We, thankfully, called up our family at Atlantis and met them there for the afternoon but many didn't have that option.
• Given that we splurged on concierge (don't think we'd do it again) we had Cabana 20 at Castaway Cay. After chaotic days at WDW and the challenges in Nassau, the family LOVED just chilling in a cabana. A much needed relaxation day. Rested a bunch, rode the bike loop, did some snorkeling. Overall a great day.
• Last day on the ship we did a Palo brunch and couples massage. Palo brunch was excellent. We had done a massage before on the ships but never had a room with the massive windows overlooking the ocean. Also excellent (75 minutes goes too fast though).
• We're planning a potential large family cruise for next summer so we used the app to grab two placeholders. Process was super easy but the desk to talk to someone about it wasn't staffed. We were able to get our questions answered at guest services but it was weird to not have the desk staffed when the app tells you to go the desk for more information. The DVC desk next to it was staffed and that person said it hasn't been staffed for awhile and she couldn't answer our questions.
• My youngest could do the kids club and Edge. Middle child could do Edge and Vibe. Oldest was Vibe. They spent surprisingly little time there. They were also frustrated that the Edge and Vibe activities were NOT in the app. You had to go and look at the whiteboard each day. We all missed the old paper Navigators but we get it. The app generally worked great.
• Cast Member interactions were generally fantastic. You could see that after a long break many of them were amped to be back on the ships.
• I find the AquaDuck restrictions inconsistent with other Disney attractions. At Typhoon/Blizzard I can ride a ride with a GoPro attached to my hand (not handheld) and/or things in my pocket. I recalled from a prior cruise that a GoPro was a no-go on the ship so I left that in the room. But I did have my waterproof phone in my zip pocket of my bathing suit. We were next to go and I pulled my phone out of my pocket to snag a picture of my daughters going before us. Upon doing so I was told I absolutely couldn't ride with it. I explained it was going right back into my zippered pocket and was told I had to leave it. Nope. No go. We stepped aside and my oldest daughter who went first had to run back up the stairs to take it from me. As a former attractions CM I get it...rules are rules. Safety. And safety on the ship is different than at Typhoon/Blizzard. But just annoying. I don't fault the lifeguard for enforcing the rules, just noting the inconsistencies.
• No masks on the ship. They would announce that you need a mask while disembarking but hardly anyone followed that (and it wasn't enforced). Only mask enforcement we saw was in some shops in Nassau. They even made it a point to say masks were required in the Castaway Cay shops but no one was wearing them.
• Ship felt crowded, but not as full as our prior cruises. I didn't catch the passenger numbers.
• Never received any luggage tags but check-in was still easy on the first day.

Overall a fantastic trip. We'll be back.

We were on the same cruise!!!!! I caught a glimpse of the number of registered passengers as people were being checked in. If I remember correctly, it was 2,213. I think capacity is 4000. My hubby tried to go in the AquaDuck with his Go-Pro. No one noticed when he got on, but when the ride was over he was politely asked to not bring it next time Speaking of inconsistent rules, I remember on a previous Disney cruise that my oldest daughter was not allowed to ride in the AquaDuck with a tube top bathing suit. Really? I was baffled. I could see why you wouldn't want someone jumping in a pool with a tube top, but the AquaDuck??? I have never heard of that rule before.

 

[tee11]

We were on the same cruise!!!!! I caught a glimpse of the number of registered passengers as people were being checked in. If I remember correctly, it was 2,213. I think capacity is 4000. My hubby tried to go in the AquaDuck with his Go-Pro. No one noticed when he got on, but when the ride was over he was politely asked to not bring it next time Speaking of inconsistent rules, I remember on a previous Disney cruise that my oldest daughter was not allowed to ride in the AquaDuck with a tube top bathing suit. Really? I was baffled. I could see why you wouldn't want someone jumping in a pool with a tube top, but the AquaDuck??? I have never heard of that rule before.

Wow, on the capacity, because OP said it felt crowded! We will probably feel that way as well, but still hoping for a similar number of passengers in a few weeks, however I anticipate our numbers will be way higher... Regarding the bathing suit, I didn't know there was a dress code at all, other than "don't be naked"!