66th cruise but first on Disney - a review of my Disney Dream March 2024 sailing

[ohioNCLcruiser]

This was my 66th cruise and my 7th cruise line with Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland
America, Celebrity, MSC and Royal Caribbean sailed previously. I am not a Disney person so read this
with that in mind.

 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the cruise. Like I said I am not a Disney
person, but you couldn’t help feeding off the excitement of those who were and the excitement that the
kids onboard had for it. The ship was not “in your face” Disney and was tastefully done in the artwork,
ship design etc. Everyday they had areas for people to meet and take photos with the various Disney
characters, but it was certainly not the focus. The ship was incredibly clean and in great condition. They
do not allow paint to peel or rusty areas around the public areas and open decks. Spotless ship and they
still do cabin service twice a day. This was a great way to get a Disney fix in without dealing with the
parks.

Food: The only area that surprised me in a negative way was the main dining food quality. For some
reason I thought DCL food was elevated compared to the other cruise lines, but I did not find that to be
the case. I would say their included food quality in the main dining room was a step down from Holland
America and Celebrity, on par with NCL and a half step up from the new Carnival menus.

 

The 24-7 free room service was great, the buffet included crab legs daily and Mickey ice cream bars are
available for free anytime you want.

 

I loved that each night we rotated between the three themed dining rooms (Secret Garden, Royal
Palace, Animators Palate where the dining room goes from black and white to a rainbow of colors as the
meal progresses) but kept the same waiters each night.
Another food department area I loved was that the main dining room is open for lunch every single day
and the lunch menus changed daily.

 

Palo brunch was A+. Wonderful food and an even elevated level of service. Highly suggest going!

 

Shows: Disney wins out of all my other cruise lines when it comes to production shows, hands down.
Broadway quality with great effects, music, sets, costumes etc. Norwegian’s Pricilla Queen of the Desert
was my previous favorite show at sea but that has been bumped down to second place. The deck parties
were great too. They didn’t just have performers on stage, but they would come down from the smoke
stack, shoot across the pool deck etc.

 

Pirates of the Caribbean was a pirate themed night where everyone dressed up and was finished with
fireworks at sea. Overall great time for people of all ages.

 

Service: Some of the best at sea from the moment your cab pulls up to the pier to leaving. Everyone was
very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. Our waiters were rockstars and they are so good to the kids.
They make personal connections with them, make them feel special and even when carrying a tray of 12
dishes they will still pause and answer a kid asking them something. My 5 year old cousin told our waiter
that he loved Goofy and that he liked corn bread so for the rest of the cruise our waiter would say,

“Benji guess what Mr. Goofy is in the kitchen baking you up some cornbread. He asked me to tell him
when you arrive so I will go get it!” Just really made a great connection with the kids.

 

Cleanliness: As I mentioned earlier the ship was spotless in both public areas and our cabin. We loved
that cabin service was done twice a day and workers were always around the ship cleaning.
Ship condition: As expected the ship was in almost perfect condition. The cabins showed their age with
some design and décor items, wear and tear but for a ship of this age overall it was in great condition.
I’m always impressed that companies like Disney, Holland America and Cunard can keep dark painted
ship hulls in such prime condition.

Drinks: We were surprised by the price of drinks and in a good way. Drink prices were similar to other
cruise lines but the adults only bars had happy hours for a few hours a day. Drinks were 50% off so a
16oz beer was around $5, a glass of wine was $6, cocktails around $6 as well. Disney does not offer a
beverage package but with the cheap happy hour prices we definitely did not need one. Everyday they
have a “cocktail of the day” for $5 as well. Soda is included in the price of the cruise so we packed airline
mini booze bottles to make our own drinks from time to time. Disney also allows all adults to bring on
two bottles of wine or a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer each.

 

We loved the adults only coffee shop Cove Café. The café was relaxing, tastefully done and had many of
the same treats that Starbucks has (Cranberry Bliss Bars etc.) which were included.

 

Private Island: Their private island was wonderful. The ship is able to dock so you don’t have to deal
with tender boats, multiple beaches for all ages and the best tasting beach BBQ we have ever had on a
cruise. Usually the private island buffets are a miss in taste and quality but this was wonderful. In
addition to beach time, we rented bikes and enjoyed some nature trails around the island. Service on
the island matched the elevated levels that we found on the ship.
Pools: This might have been because of spring break but the main pools were quite small, so they were
incredibly busy and packed and the lines for the water slides were very long. The adults only area pools
were quiet which was nice. Even my seven-year-old cousin said he hated the pools because they were so
crowded you couldn’t go in without being constantly kicked or hit by people. The pool deck was overall
very hectic.

 

Premium price: So, is the premium price worth it? This was the perfect ship to try with kids and while
we had a wonderful time and will be back on Disney with them in the future, I think the premium price
just depends on the specific itinerary if it is worth it. We had to go during spring break so that meant
peak pricing. This five day Disney cruise was more expensive than 14 day Asian cruises we have done in
a balcony cabin. The ship does not have a casino so I save some money there. If you love Disney I say
give it a try and if you don’t like Disney then don’t necessarily write it off either. Like I mentioned at the
start, we enjoyed it a lot more than we thought we would and we will be back to Disney but for the price
it certainly won’t become a main cruise line choice for us but I can see us doing them from time to time. Will be sailing on the Disney Fantasy next April.

 

Thanks for reading!

[PhillyTravelBug]

This is exactly what I needed to read! Thank you. I'm a 44 year old that has a mother turning 60 this year that wants to do a Disney cruise for her birthday, so that's what we booked. ha!  I sail NCL normally and was really concerned it was going to be in your face Disney 24/7.   Glad the dining, parties, and service were well received.  You gave me confidence for our September cruise.  Glad you enjoyed yours!

[Betsynh]

I just got off the Wish yesterday with my almost 4-year-old grandson. It was amazing (but pricey). Did my own review, but concur with everything you said. Our shows were phenomenal - Little Mermaid and Aladdin. My daughter can’t wait for the next one. We’ve sailed frequently, as well, but never before on Disney.

[carohs]

Peak pricing on DCL is the worst. We've only ever sailed off-peak and even then, they're still more expensive. But we find the premium cost worth it, when we can get a good deal for DCL. Did you book a placeholder?

[cfabar1]

DCL is expensive, but if you book early and use the placeholders it softens the blow...

 

We were able to book 3 times on DCL and the way we were looking at it, that we could make the price work relatively well compared to RCCL.  But now after a few DCL cruises, we are hooked... The service, the kindness, it is all wonderful.

[gometros]

Great to read an objective review from a non-Disney person. Just one small correction. Secret Garden is actually Enchanted Garden. Rumor is that when the ship goes into dry dock in October, i tmay be going through some changes. Not exactly clear on what those may be.

[mollymom53]

We might have been on the same cruise.  My husband and I have sailed on several other cruise lines, but I wanted to treat my family to a Disney cruise to celebrate a milestone anniversary.  We were a family of 8 total (4 adults and 4 kids) and had 3 midship balcony staterooms on deck 9.  Perfect location!  Two of the rooms were connected and the third room was next door.  It was VERY expensive, but totally worth it for the kids' experience.  I would not choose to do it again for just myself and my husband because there were So. Many. Kids.  Yes, the pools were like Where's Waldo.  

 

The food was nothing special, in my opinion, but I don't cruise for food.  The kids got their food very quickly in the dining rooms, but then they were ready to leave before we had even gotten our main course.  That's my only complaint.

 

I loved being able to get Diet Coke self-service 24 hours a day.  The entertainment was outstanding.  It was a special time for us. 

[Wordyways12]

Thank you for the great review!  My family is Gold status on Disney but also regularly cruise NCL.  I will say this was a good reminder of what to expect on our Disney cruises - our last one being Wish Inaugural Summer 22 after a long Covid hiatus.  As our girls age our cruise bucket list changes - but the dining room atmosphere (despite the great theming and excellent service we have had) can be challenging in multiple ways.  We expect it and try to have a Plan B for certain evenings.  I still haven’t picked a favorite cruise line!