Some readers and Facebook friends have asked for details regarding our recent trip on the Disney Dream and a blog post seemed the most efficient way to share our experience so you may just want to skip this post and come back in a few days to see whats new.
1. Why a Disney Cruise and not Disney World?
There are 11 years between our kids so their interests are varied and we were looking for a trip where we didn't have to 'divide and conquer' the entire time. The ship also offers the characters and shows since Alec prefers Kings Island/Cedar Point and Molly isn't a fan of rides, it was a perfect match.
2. Cost?
Yes it is expensive! We used credit card perks to pay for 3 of our 4 flights & our hotel room. We paid for the cruise using Disney gift cards purchased at Giant Eagle which resulted in $400 in free gas. Please note that Disney refunds in whatever currency you purchase with so you would need to keep track of the gift cards.
Once you make a reservation (we did ours solely online) you have 30 days to make a deposit and then can make payments up to 2 months before you sail with no interest or fees.
3.Worries
We had lots.
Dining
Dining at 8:15 and with people we didn't know. Well 8:15 was awesome - allowed us to get a full day's activities in before a late nap. Disney does rotational dining which means you sit with just your family and you are at the same table (we were #57) but at a different restaurant every night. However your servers are the same. Room service was available at no additional cost!
Sleeping & Space
Both were abundant! Our room was 300 square feet. We had a queen bed and both kids had twins. There was a thick light/sound reducing curtain between the kids and us so we could be in the room when Molly napped.
Control
Some may say I like to be in control or that I have control issues. We were worried about the lack of control on the cruise but the only defined activities were loading and unloading the ship. The options were endless!
4. Do's/Don'ts
Do go on a family cruise (no I'm not being paid to endorse Disney Cruise Line)!
Do plan excursions - the dolphin experience was worth every.last.penny!
We brought gifts for our kids so every night after dinner they entered the room to see their beds (Molly's was on the flip side of the couch and Alec's came down from the ceiling) and to get their gift from "Mickey". Much cheaper than buying souvenirs on the ship.
Do sign up for the early boarding, as soon as you get on the ship start exploring. We had lunch and were in the pool before 1pm.
Remember your luggage won't make it to your room until 5ish so have a day bag with your suit and such.
Some random things to pack: safety pins (no Walgreens to run to if you have a wardrobe malfunction), sand toys, over the door shoe hanger (for make-up, brushes, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc you don't want cluttering the small amount of counter space available), wipies, beach bag (towels are provided), water proof watch, and a hoodie/sweater.
5. Additional Costs
You will tip your server, assistance server, head server, and host which ends up being close to $50-$75/day.
Alcohol & canned soda is extra.
And of course excursions.
If you are looking for a way to vacation with your kids but also time for yourself - Disney's secure childcare is amazing. For teens, there was a ton of structured activities with counselors. For non-teens there was a secured play area where kids wore a GPS bracelet and when parents picked up their key card located their child. There was also open play so parents could come in as well. We didn't utilize the child care option for Molly but Alec LOVED the teen scene which was obvious as we didn't see him until 1:30 every morning!
No, Disney isn't paying me for this endorsement as we should be paying them even more for the best vacation our family has ever been on and for helping cross things off our bucket list.
