Some of you may have been following along when Casi and I went on our Disney Dream Cruise earlier this month. It was an amazing experience for us that will help us guide our clients when sailing on the Disney Cruise Line ships. This 4 night sailing was out of Miami with stops in Nassau, Castaway Cay, and a full Sea Day. Not having our children with us meant we were able to explore adults only areas and partake in the coveted Palo brunch!

That doesn’t mean we didn’t make the most of exploring the whole ship. We checked out the Youth Clubs as well and honestly didn’t want to leave so we know your kids will love it too. Read on to find out more about our experience aboard the Disney Dream.

 

All The Fun Is Back

Post pandemic it was a slow start to normalcy for the Disney Cruise Line. I’m happy to report that things are coming back, including a recent announcement that character hugs will return August 29th! A few things we were really excited to see return was The Sail Away Party and Pirate Night.

On the first day of your cruise be sure to head up to the main pool deck area as you sail away during a fun filled party with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy, and Chip and Dale. This show features both Captain Mickey and Captain Minnie and the rest of the gang in cute cruising outfits. For the best viewing spots be sure to arrive early to be near the stage or to go up to the deck above to have a birds eye view.

Pirate Night is back as well with the full show! This is for cruises sailing the Caribbean and happens the evening of your Castaway Cay day. We loved seeing the characters dressed up as Pirates and meeting them in the lobby. You even have special appearance from Captain Hook and Mr. Smee.

Youth Clubs – Fun For All!

As adults we don’t get to experience the Youth Clubs unless there is an open house. We highly recommend doing this the first day because there are so many fun things to see. My personal favorite was the Millennium Falcon area and Casi loved Andy’s Room from Toy Story. We even got to meet Woody while we were there.

• “it’s a small world” nursery! is for kids ages 6 months to 3 years old. Casi was impressed they had cribs and rocking chairs so mamas can come and nurse their little ones. Note: there is an hourly charge for this service, all other youth clubs included in the cost of your vacation.
• Vibe is just for teens ages 14 to 17 with a high-tech media room as the central hangout. They may never leave since they have a private sun lounging area, stage for activities like karaoke, and a smoothie bar.
• Edge is just for tweens ages 11 to 14 and has a colorful dance floor, two movie screens, tablets for gaming, karaoke machine, and a flat screen TV for group gaming.
• Disney’s Oceaneer Lab and Club are perfect for ages 3 to 12. This area was our favorite with multiple areas featuring Andy’s Room, Disney Infinity Game Room, Pixie Hollow, and Star Wars Millennium Falcon.

Trust us, your kids will love it there! Don’t be too upset when they ask to hang out here all the time. I promise there are plenty of areas for adults to have fun too. Let’s explore those.

 

Adults Only Areas

There are PLENTY of ADULTS-ONLY spots and activities! Yes you heard us right. If you leave the kids at home, or they spend a lot of time in the youth clubs, then there are adults only areas for you to hang out.

• • There is The Cove area with a pool, cafe, and hot tubs or a few decks above the Satellite Pool. We loved that the Satellite pool had covered lounge areas.
  • Every night we were in The District sipping on champagne at Pink. There were nightly activities featuring live music, karaoke, trivia, and even a silent disco party.
  • Don’t skip Palo, as this 18+ brunch is especially nice for a morning Sea Day. Having food allergies that include gluten, dairy, and almond I was super impressed by the food options. They were able to make me pizza which tends to be difficult with those allergies on short notice. Both of us were blown away by all the food.
  • Check out the Rainforest area of Senses Spa. This 18+ area has saunas, hot tubs, and the most relaxing heated chairs. It was a nice escape and we even napped in the heated chairs after a hot day at Castaway Cay.
  • Take the tram on Castaway Cay to the adult-only beach by getting off at the 2nd tram stop and waiting for the Serenity Bay tram. There is even an entire food spot out there so you can spend all day if you want. There are youth clubs on the island if the kids want to hang there. Of course there is a family beach as well.

 

Our Tips

It’s always nice to have some tips to make your trip run smoother. We had an amazing time on our Disney Dream Cruise and we want you to as well. Here are some of our best tips.

• Bring a tumbler. This cup will come in handy when you want to bring water back to your room. Or keep your drinks cold when moving from one part of the ship to the next. We always asked our waiters to fill our cups at dinner.
• Get on the ship as early as possible. You will select your time when you do online check in via the app. Head to Animator’s Palate for a nice sit down lunch.
• Castaway Cay has strollers on the island you can borrow. They also have these really awesome beach wheelchairs.
• Order room service as it’s included. They also have Mickey Ice Cream bars even though they’re not listed on the menu 😉

 

Like our tips? Want more? Feel free to request a free quote to get your vacation planning started.