I turned my Dreams into plans- Disney Dream Nov. 2015, Update 4/6

Nightshiftplanner

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Hello Everyone, This is my first ever trip report. I really enjoy reading trip reports and I wanted to write my own. So, this report is a little outdated but I wanted to practice writing one so I can write another one for our cruise on the Fantasy this year. I have learned so much reading other's trip reports so I wanted to pay that back if anyone wanted to read about our cruise on the Dream.

Intros:
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This picture was taken just this past December. First you have me and if you are wondering what my screen name means, I work nights and spend any downtime I get planning our next adventure. You have my DH "C" who leaves all the planning to me, he's smart like that. My daughter "M" 11 years old, my middle son "big B" 9 years old and my youngest "little B" 6 years old. Obviously they were one year younger when we sailed on the Dream. Bare with me on this, I am a rookie!
 
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Before I start I would like to explain the trip name. When I was looking for some decorative stuff for my daughter's bedroom I came across a picture that said, "She turned her can'ts into cans, and her dreams into plans". Well, I really liked that and it stuck with me. So, when we concluded our 2013 trip to WDW I knew we were ready for another adventure and that was a disney cruise. I started researching and planning. At one point, I was going through a file of travel stuff and I found a picture of the Dream that I had ripped out of a magazine years ago. I had ripped that picture out hoping "someday" I would be on that ship and now I would be. I know that's kind of sappy but it's the truth.

On with the report...
Day 1
We drive to Florida from Ohio, it is about 16 hours with stops. We have done it many times with the kids and they do really well in the car. We all enjoy the road trip. This trip would be the first time that we were attempting the drive straight through. We left at about 4am Friday morning. This was the Friday after Thanksgiving.
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They are looking pretty sleepy. They never went back to sleep...the entire day! There was snow on the ground when we left Ohio.
The drive was uneventful and we stopped a few times but not many.
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We always love when we first feel warm air. This was most likely at a rest stop in North Carolina. We arrived at our hotel between 8 and 9pm that night. We would be staying in Orlando for a few days before the cruise. We were staying at the Buena Vista Suites. We have stayed there a couple times now and we really like it. Each room has 2 queens and a pull out sofa in a separate area with a second t.v. So, it is perfect for families. They also have a very extensive free breakfast in the morning. I was able to get a really good rate $100/night. It is also close to the parks.
 
Day #2
The first thing we did today was swim a little. The pool at the Buena Vista Suites is not huge but it is big enough for my little fish! There was nobody at the pool, I'm sure most people were at the parks. 1.7.jpg
After swimming for a bit we headed over to Disney Springs. I try really, really hard but I cannot stop calling it Downtown Disney! This was our first time visiting since it became Disney Springs.
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My kids love the LEGO store.
I had made reservations at T-Rex. We had dined there before, and we weren't completely wow'd but I thought it would be fun for the kids and I had discovered the Landry Select Club. Does anyone else know about this? You pay $25 to join which you immediately get back on your card and you also get a $25 birthday reward. So basically I had $50 to spend towards our dinner.
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I forgot to mention, if you have Landry's Select Club you get seated immediately. Sometimes, even if you have a reservation you have to wait a bit but with the club you do not have to wait at all.
I am going to post the rest of day 2 in a separate posts. I know there is a limit on pics in one post but I'm not sure how many. If anyone is reading this and knows could you tell me??
 


Day #2 continued

After we left Disney Springs we went somewhere in Disney I have always wanted to go...The Boardwalk. I really enjoy exploring all the luxury hotels, a girl can dream right? The Boardwalk was really pretty, especially at night. We just walked around the lake and enjoyed the sights. The kids enjoyed playing on the beach a bit.
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Day #3
The next day we headed over to Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge for breakfast. This was my first time at the Lodge. It's fun to see all the resorts decorated for Christmas. The breakfast was really good, they had some authentic African food as well as traditional breakfast food. This is one of the restaurants in Disney that gives you 10% off with your disney visa.1.18.jpg 1.19.jpg 1.20.jpg 1.21.jpg
It was so cool how the giraffes were right there.

After breakfast, we headed back to our hotel to swim a bit and then in the evening we went over to the Wilderness Lodge with a mission to go to Chip and Dale's campfire.

So we parked at the Lodge and explored a bit.
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To get to Chip and Dale's campfire we used the internal buses in the Wilderness Lodge to get to the Wilderness campgrounds. The buses were color coded but it was a little confusing which one we needed to ride but we just asked the drivers.

I had read that there would be a food cart at the campfire, so I just planned on getting dinner there. Well, we ended up paying over $40 for hotdogs and drinks! I thought the prices would be lower since it was at the campgrounds but no luck. So, there was a big fire started were you could roast marshmallows. I noticed some people had brought hot dogs to roast and I was kicking myself that we should have done that!
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We bought a s'mores kit that was $10. Then, Chip n Dale came out for autographs and pictures. It was not crowded here at all. No waiting in line for autographs, it was all pretty informal.
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You can see the food cart in the background.

After Chip and Dale visited they had a gentleman come out and sing and play guitar. It was country/ hoe down type music- really fun! Then they played a movie on the big screen. It was Cinderella (the new version). We hadn't seen it yet so that was perfect! We had a really good time.

After the movie, we hopped the bus back to the parking lot. We went back to our hotel and to bed because the next day we would be up early to board the Disney Dream!
 


Following! I also want to do a first time trip report as a many time cruiser.. Leaving next Jan 30 on the Dream
 
For a first timer , you are doing a really nice job and I look forward to reading more. Had you not told us I would have thought you were an old hat at this TR stuff. You have a precious family.
 
For a first timer , you are doing a really nice job and I look forward to reading more. Had you not told us I would have thought you were an old hat at this TR stuff. You have a precious family.
Thank You!! I have read alot of trip reports, that probably helps! lol
 
Day #4

The day had finally arrived, we would be boarding the Disney Dream! I don't recall exactly how long it took us to drive to the port but I do know the drive was pretty uneventful.
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Getting Closer!!
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I had gotten the earliest port arrival time, I think it was 10:30. I want to say we were parked before 10:00. There was a small line of people waiting to enter the terminal. I know we did not have to wait very long.
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I had put the kids in nice-ish clothes because I didn't know if our bags would arrive before dinner.
After we went through security we entered the terminal. (I'm not sure it's actually called a terminal but that's the word we are going with.)
There was a very short line for check in and then we just hung out waiting for our number to be called. I think we were boarding group #5. We decided to get in line for the kid's club wrist bands since we were waiting anyway and the line was pretty short. Well, shortly after we got in line the line became huge! I was glad we got in when we did.
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It was so fun to be finally doing what I had seen tons of people do in their trip reports! In this pic you can see the kids are already wearing their wristbands.

It seemed before long they were calling our boarding group! Now, of course I wanted to get a super cool pic going through the Mickey ears. I guess I forgot to let my family know.
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At least M was on the same page as me, lol!

As you can see M is holding my disney drink holder that I crafted with duct tape and a chick-fil-a drink caddie.

The first thing we did after boarding was go reserve tickets for the princess and frozen meet & greets. I am so glad that you can now reserve these online.

Then we headed to lunch. I had read that to avoid crowds you should go to the dining room instead of cabana's. Now, that is probably true, the Enchanted Garden was pretty empty and we had a nice relaxed lunch. I kind of suspect though that Cabana's would not have been too bad since we got on the ship so early.
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I had packed our swimsuits so next we headed straight for the pool area. We wanted to get on that Aquaduck! Next cruise I would wear our suits under because it was a little crowded trying to change in the restrooms.
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So I found a chair and we got right on the Aquaduck. After I had rode it once I was content to just sit in the sun and soak in my surroundings.

Now this next story I am going to relate to you is one of the very few negative experiences I had on this cruise. I was sitting, like I said, enjoying the sun when a young, handsome server approached me to see if I would like a drink. Now, I am not a big drinker but I definitely enjoy a tropical drink when I am on a cruise. So, I ordered a pina colada I think. Now, somewhere in the conversation the server knew how old I was and that I said I had 3 kids. I don't know how this came up but he was going on and on about how I looked so young etc. etc. Of course I was soaking it up.. who wouldn't?? When he returned with the receipt, I signed it. I am not sure exacty how much it said, but I know it said what I expected- maybe $8.00?? So, after I finish my drink, I am now walking around with this plastic cup. I didn't want to be a slob and just leave it sitting around so I asked a CM where I could put it. Well..she informs me that what I have is a souvenir cup and need to keep it because I can get drinks half price now for the rest of the cruise. I was very surprised because #1 my waiter friend never gave me the option of a souvenir cup and #2 I almost just set it down! I didn't mind having the souvenir cup but it would have been nice to know! I'll leave you with that...This is not the last time you will hear about the cup....
 

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Day #4 continued.

It's been a while since I updated. We have all been sick here...ugh, it's the worst. I really could use some Vitamin Sea.. if you know what I'm saying..:rotfl2:
So, I left off with us hanging out at the pool. After a bit we decided to go check out our room. We had cabin 8510- deluxe family oceanview. One of the reasons I booked our cruise very early was because I wanted to be sure to get an oceanview vs. a veranda. There are alot fewer family oceanviews. I have an irrational fear of verandas, especially with kids. I liked our room so much I booked the same exact room on the fantasy for December!

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as you can see, we were still in port at this point.

After a bit it was time for the muster drill. Then, immediately following that we headed up for the sailaway party. Now, when we arrived there were already tons of people with their arms stretched out saving space for their family members at the railings. Oh well, kind of like the parks. I make my family sit on the curb for an hour before a parade. But, we all sit there, one person does not save for all. My kids tried to catch a glimpse. I prefer to watch sailing away anyway and who could complain at this point- right?
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so pretty!
After sail away, it was time to get ready for dinner. Our first meal was in Animator's Palate. I didn't get a done of pics but you can see the screens with Crush on them..so fun!
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oh and one more stateroom pic. I loved the ocean view. This was the first time we have had that. In previous cruises we had interior or a stateroom that had a window into the interior of the ship.
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After dinner we watched the show for the night and then headed off to bed. It was a great first day!
 
Following along! We loved our large oceanview window. Our daughter took many naps there. Also in need of some "vitamin sea"! Very clever. Can't wait to hear more.
 
Vacation Day #5 Nassau

Before I get into our Nassau day I just want to make a quick mention about sea sickness. I learned so much from reading other people's reports so I wanted to offer any advice I could. I have taken three previous cruises and even though I am not prone to motion sickness, I have suffered from sea sickness. So, I wanted to take every method to prevent that. Before this cruise I found out about Bonine. I also found out you should start taking it before you set sail. So, I started taking it the night before we left and I took it every night. I had zero sea sickness this cruise! and I slept like a baby! I have also had issues getting rid of my sea legs. One time it took me more than a week! The Bonine also helped with that. I also brought meds for the kids but they never needed any. Just some food for thought!

I know alot of people stay on the ship in Nassau, but we decided to do an excursion. For one, my kids have never been to a foreign country and for two, when C and I took our honeymoon cruise we did an excursion to Atlantis and I wanted to go back. We did an excursion through DCL where we had a guided tour of the Atlantis hotel and aquarium and then had some free time to walk around but it did not include lunch or beach time.


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Some pics from our Aquarium tour, we really enjoyed it.
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Loved these little turtles!!
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We had a shuttle that took us back and forth to Atlantis. They had shuttles running back and forth so you could leave Atlantis whenever you were ready. I believe we got back to the ship in the early afternoon. I know Cabana's was closed and we grabbed some food from Flo's.
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Remember I mentioned C and I took a cruise to Nassau on our Honeymoon? Well, this is the ship we were on! Majesty of the Seas. I have to say, Majesty needs a little TLC, but it was neat to see.
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After we grabbed a bite to eat we went to check out the kid's clubs.
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need to go to another post!
 
I left off with us visiting the kid's clubs. It seemed like every time we went to the kid's club they were having an open house and during those times parents had to stay with their children. I found this kind of odd because it kind of defeats the purpose a bit. We did not spend a whole lot of time there so it wasn't a huge issue.
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This was the milennium falcon simulator. It was pretty cool. The only thing I didn't like was my kids had to wait quite some time to get a turn. There were kids playing on it who stayed there for a long time. I kind of felt that one of the counselors should have been helping kids remember to take turns.
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Shortly after we got there they started a star wars program. I believe C stayed with the kids while I went to get ready for dinner. One thing I really enjoyed was putting a disney movie on while I was getting ready.
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This was more of the Star Wars program.

After this came dinner, I realized I did not take very many pictures in the dining rooms. I need to make sure I do that more next time. This night's dinner was in the Enchanted Garden. After dinner we went to one of the family game shows. Big B did get chosen to participate but as I recall he got very upset for not winning and some scolding ensued....Ahhh memories.
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Well, he looks he was having fun there! :confused3

Next up! Castaway Cay!!:cool1:
 
Day #6 Castaway Cay!

Gosh, I haven't updated in forever! I've been thinking about cruising alot. We have had about 2 weeks straight of rain where we live. It has been rough. This picture makes me happy. On Castaway Cay day I thought I made a smart decision to eat breakfast in one of the dining rooms. I thought we would avoid the madhouse of cabanas and get an early start to the beach. It was actually a bad decision because the service in the dining room was very slow. It was definitely nice but something that I would save for a sea day in the future. Nonetheless, we were off the ship on to the most fabulous beach ever!
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We chose to just walk along to the family beach and on the way we met a few friends. There was no line at all!
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Basically, we got to the family beach, found a spot and just plopped down. We were fairly close to the snorkel area which was good because we were planning on doing that. I got Little B a life jacket and he really liked wearing it. I would really recommend this for parents of young children. Of course, it would never replace supervision but it is a piece of mind if your child is not a strong swimmer.
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I can see in this picture I also brought swim arms. I must have gotten the life jacket later when we actual swam out in the ocean. The life jackets were free of charge by the way.
Remember I said you would hear about my souvenir cup again? Yes, I lugged the cup to the beach thinking I would get my drink half price. Well, when I ordered a drink I asked about this and I was told the drinks were not half price but you get more with the souvenir cup. Oh well, what ev...I got a drink and enjoyed it. :beach:

More to come from Castaway Cay.....
 

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