MissE and Me: Bon Voyage! Disney Dream Day 1

Hello! I’m refreshed and recharged (for now) after 3.5 weeks in the US. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to bring you this series of posts about our USA Adventure 2016.

This portion of our trip has been a long time coming – nearly 18 months of planning! I booked the Disney Dream back in April 2014, just after Easter. Yes, you read that correctly. To do Disney World is to be well-organised! There are dates to remember, touring plans and restaurants to research, must- do experiences to book, and outfits to make and buy. I actually don’t really know what to do with myself now that I don’t have to scan my daily and weekly cruise and parks emails for changes, announcements and tips. Plan for 2018?

SYD-SFO

Boy did this flight SUCK. I have some status with Qantas yet we were put in the 2^nd to last row. It was also incredibly turbulent which meant that service was pushed back at least 2 hours. In turn, after dinner, the lights weren’t off for too long before they were trying to give us snack then breakfast. We were pretty much zombies when we got off the plane and it affected us until we left for Orlando.

SFO-MCO

We were invited to say hello to the captain and get some wings too!

Brand new A321 plane!

We had an early morning flight; so early I wasn’t sure if we were going to get an Uber in time so Pau-Pau kindly drove us to the airport. We were, again, at the back of the airplane but it was a nice one! We had our own screens so the kids watched their own movies and played games too. We had a quick layover in Dallas and arrived on time to Orlando. We had a tight window to grab our bags and meet our transfer but we made it!

We I spent a lot of time researching the best way to organise the 3 transfers and 1 night accommodation. I found Go Port Canaveral that bundle it for you. The accommodation ranges from motels to large chains. We selected one based on location and then the transfer time to the port (most important factor!) It was basic but it was for one night and was close to many dining options. We had our Chili’s fix and then prepared our day bag and luggage for embarkation the next day!

All Aboard!

Our first glimpse of the Disney Dream

Monday morning, our shuttle was back to take us to the port. We were the first stop. The other cruisers were excited for us! Another part of the Disney experience was the seamless embarkation, really it was seamless EVERYTHING. We were met by a porter as soon as we stepped off out of the shuttle. We were then directed towards the terminal for security screening. Inside, there were many counters open for check-in which made it quick (it helped that DCL sent us a full booklet with all required documents to be completed in advanced). We also already registered the kids for Oceaneers Club so they just needed to get fitted for their bands (they were proper bands so they were more than happy to keep them on the whole time. The RC ones were sharp and would scratch us!) As we waited for our boarding group, Mickey shorts were on the many TV screens and we had our Daily Navigator to plan the rest of our day. Then Pluto and Mickey started to make appearances! When we finished meeting Pluto, it was time to get on the Disney Dream. We walked through the big mouse ears, scanned our key cards, took our welcome photo and then were on the ship!

One thing that I loved was that we were “welcomed us” over the microphone and the Cast Members then clapped as we walked in!

Each ship features a different statue in the Atrium: it's Admiral Donald!

Crafted in Brixen, located in Northern Italy, the chandelier is 22 feet diameter at the ceiling plate and comes down 13 feet from the ceiling. It is 24kt gold plated with a total of 88,680 Swarovski crystal beads ranging in size from 6mm to 12mm.

Halloween on the High Seas

Cinderella mosaic

Once we were done taking in the beauty of the Atrium (art-deco chandelier) and the touches of Halloween, we headed straight for the Port Excursion Desk to grab times to meet the Princesses (objective: not have to queue up at Disneyworld for meet and greets we could do here!) then to the Royal Palace to snag a table at Remy’s for a champagne brunch (on my Disney cruise bucket list). It was then lunch time so we headed for Cabanas (buffet) while exploring the pools and slides. The buffet lunch was pretty darn good! We even missed a section that had turkey and all the fixings!

Mine! Mine! Mine! Check out the Finding Nemo mosaic

Soon we were advised our rooms were ready – at 1:30PM!

Deluxe Family Oceanview stateroom (Deck 8)

How cool is this? DCL provides an app that works similar to WhatsApp and no purchase of wifi required to use. MrH and I could message each other and use all the fun Disney emoji's (that I have been trying to win on Emoji Blitz) throughout the cruise.

After unpacking, we checked out Oceaneers Club as this was the only time parents would be allowed to play too. The Millennium Falcon was calling my name! Access was so easy – no standing in a queue 45 minutes before it opens just to get them in for a few hours, if they weren’t already full. No signing forms. No age separations, they could be together if they wanted. The kids scanned their bands and all of their and our information (including photo verification) came up.

I am not going to lie. We were jealous. The automatic hand-washers were a luxury massage in itself. I could have done that all day. The space was huge with plenty of iPad and TV games, movies playing, craft rooms, Infinity play room, a replica of Andy’s Room (Toy Story), Pixie Hollow for colouring, The Millennium Falcon with R2-D2 beeping away and interactive floor play.

Andy's Room

After the emergency drill, we played The Midship Detective Agency Case of the Stolen Puppies game until dinnertime. This detective game takes you throughout the ship to look for clues. The clues are located in interactive portraits (we missed a few because it showed a different portrait first).

Another fun thing that return cruisers do is decorate their stateroom door.
It was fun walking around checking them out! (Another thing to do next time...like fish extenders)
This one was a couple staterooms away and one of our favorites.

Disney operates on rotational dining which is ingenious, you never feel like you are on the boat with thousands of people. Guests are separated across 3 restaurants and 2 seatings, your waiters move with you as well. Our first restaurant was The Royal Palace, princess themed, and had a French-inspired menu. We thought this was probably the best night although all the food was very good. We were on a shared table with a lovely family from Georgia, Atlanta (MissE and MissN are now pen pals!) We had a good laugh because the Disney should sell their matching system to the dating apps! Not only were the kids the same gender and ages, the daddy’s worked in the same industry and knew people in common.

Tonight I had: Breaded & Deep Fried Brie, French Onion soup, Oven-Baked Salmon Royale
and Grand Marnier Souffle

Mickey ice cream (every night!)

After dinner, we joined the Sail-Away party in the Atrium (due to rain). Unfortunately we missed the horns which usually play a Disney tune. Next time!

MissE and MrE went into Oceaneers Club until The Golden Mickey’s Show. MrH and I went straight to the adults’ only section to play trivia (our favourite). We didn’t even come close at any point on this cruise… well, actually we did but MrH doesn’t listen to me so did not write down my CORRECT answers which would of meant going into the trivia-off that I knew the answer to. I digress. The Golden Mickey’s was great! MissE and MrE were selected as part of the show!

MissE and MrE wanted to go back into Oceaneers Club (BIG departure from Explorer of the Seas where MrE would cry at the mention of it) so MrH and I were left to explore the boat and watch the poolside movie while eating soft-serve ice cream.

Deck 11 at night.

Eye Scream - shh! Don't tell the kids we had a sneaky ice cram every night!

We finished the night by attending the close to midnight screening of A Nightmare Before Christmas (rumour had it there are surprise guests at the conclusion) BUT mid-way through the movie stopped so we took ourselves off to our room.