The Disney Dream is the third Disney ship built, and the first of the line’s two new ships. It is 40 percent larger than Disney’s earlier Magic and Wonder, and carries nearly twice the passengers. The keel was laid in 2009, and the ship took its maiden voyage in 2011. It was refurbished in 2015 to keep the ship fresh, and play spaces that incorporated new Disney properties like Star Wars, Wreck it Ralph, and the ever mashup-able Disney Infinity were created.
Cruises as family vacations was a concept that Disney pioneered, and their ships were built from the very start with families and their needs in mind. The Dream is the first ship Disney built with the lessons of that first decade worth of multi-generational family cruise experience in mind.
Dining on the Disney Dream
Eating on a Disney ship isn’t quite like dining on the other lines. On a Disney cruise, guests are assigned not only a dining time, but a restaurant for every night of the cruise. Their servers rotate with them, and guests and staff get a chance to bond during the course of their cruise. Your rotation is shown by a series of letters on your key card.
Animator’s Palate (note the spelling) is a venue that is found on all four Disney ships, and the show during dinner is different on each of them. On the Disney Dream, characters from Finding Nemo will show up to interact with the kids. Crush — the surfer dude sea turtle from Finding Nemo — will even stop and have conversations with diners.
The Enchanted Garden is modeled after the gardens of Versailles, and the ceiling is modeled after the sky. During the day it is a bright blue, and constellations begin to appear when you’re dining at night. The light fixtures are shaped like flowers, and as the stars come out they gain color and bloom.
At least once on the Disney Dream you’re going to eat like royalty. The Royal Palace is one of the main dining rooms aboard, and it takes its inspiration from the classic Disney Princesses, like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Everyone, whether prince or princess, has thought about having a meal in a setting like this at least once.
Palo is another fleet wide standard, for adults only dining, that specializes in Northern Italian cuisine. On the Dream it offers an amazing 270-degree panorama of the ocean, and a dining time in the early evening will get you a view of a glorious sunset. At night the windows reflect the inside of the dining room back at you. Since an early dining time is easier to get, and Palo is less crowded then, we recommend trying to eat there early.
Remy is an adult exclusive restaurant that isn’t part of the regular dining rotation, and is exclusive to new ships, Disney Dream and Fantasy. It’s grand, in the classic sense of the word, and compared to the other dining rooms aboard its tiny. The food is the real star here, and its gourmet French food. Its namesake from Ratatouille appears in its art nouveau décor in artful ways. While aboard the ship, adults should probably schedule at least one brunch or dinner here to pamper themselves.
Play Areas for Kids, and their Parents
Recreation facilities aboard the Dream are extensive. There are cruising staples like mini-golf, and a variety of sports courts. There are two theatres on the Dream. The Walt Disney Theater and the Buena Vista Theater. The Walt Disney theater has live shows, which given Disney’s successful run on Broadway are definitely worth seeing. The Buena Vista theater shows up to 5 Disney movies in rotation, including first run movies. You can check the daily newsletter to see what’s playing.
A real star on the ship is the new Star Wars Millennium Falcon play area. It’s a new addition from the 2015 refurbishments and it’s in the Oceaneer’s Club for kids ages 3 to 12, but we think the staff may have to chase away older kids, or parents, out with some frequency. The Oceaneer’s Club is also where the Disney Infinity space is. It’s most interesting feature is allowing young cruisers to play the game they love at home, but using their body as the controller. Kids that have the playset at home will unlock cruise line-specific content they can use at home.
The forward funnel on the Dream—and all Disney Cruise ships—is a fake. It’s home to the Edge Tweens (tweens is how it’s labeled on the deck plans) club. A space for cruisers age 13-14, and the home activities like an 18-foot video wall, karaoke, and computers with access to a ship wide social media network. Above it, is the Outlook piano bar, the highest point on the ship and a place parents of teenagers can unobtrusively keep an eye on their kids from.
Vibe is for ages 14 to 17 and is located at the very front of the ship on Deck 5. It’s less of a play area and more of a social lounge where kids can order snacks and drinks. There’s an area where they can watch movies and play video games, and an outdoor sundeck at the very front of the ship. It’s somewhat shielded from the headwind generated by the Dream’s passage. The Chill Spa is a place where kids aged 13 to 17 can pamper themselves.
The highlight of all these activities is probably the AquaDuck. The world’s first “watercoaster” at sea. Riders take a raft down four decks of the ship through a clear tube that swings out past the edge of the ship. There is a height requirement, so smaller kids may need to be warned that they might not get to ride quite yet.
A treat on the Disney Dream is the Midship Detective Agency. An interactive game solved by interacting with digital artwork throughout the ship. The two original cases involved Mickey, Goofy, and Donald, or the 101 Dalmatians. A new addition, as of 2015, is one starring the Muppets.
Stateroom Studios and Suites
Disney’s ships have some of the largest staterooms at sea. All Disney staterooms have sitting areas that are distinct from the sleeping areas. They’re more like studios than traditional staterooms. Heavy curtains divide the two areas of the room giving parents some privacy from their kids and vice-versa. Each room also comes with split bathrooms that have the toilet, and bathing are in distinct spaces. Both areas have sinks and vanities, and it helps to speed up preparing your family. Another nice touch is the presence of an actual tub which is something that will help parents of younger cruisers. The tubs are meant for youngsters, so adults will find them a bit cramped.
Another family friendly feature that comes standard with a Disney stateroom are the two Wave Phones. We’ve dedicated articles to how expensive internet and cell phones are at sea. Well, that doesn’t free parents from wanting to stay in touch with their kids, both aboard ship and at port in Castaway Cay. The Wave Phones work throughout the ship, and on Disney’s private island so mom and dad can interrupt their child’s sweet run on a game at both Vibe and the Edge without ever leaving their stateroom. Two is the standard number, but more are available for an additional fee if you request them. The phones themselves are like a cordless home phone, so don’t expect the same functionality you get from your smartphone. It is still a nice touch that isn’t found on most cruise ships.
A drawback of Disney’s standard staterooms is that the queen bed doesn’t split into two twins. This means that if you happen to be cruising with a friend instead of your spouse, and, or family then you’re either sleeping together or someone is taking the couch. There is an additional pull down berth above the sofa so each stateroom can sleep up to four people.
Disney Dream Decks
Deck 1 on the Disney Dream is home to the health center (first aid instead of a gym) and the Tender Lobbies. The only time you’ll see this deck is when you’re injured or sick, or when you need to take a tender boat to your port-of-call instead of docking. We hope it’s the latter rather than the former.
Deck 2 on the Dream is where staterooms start to appear. They’re mostly oceanview rooms with a scattering of interior rooms. Four of the interior rooms on this deck are wheelchair accessible. It bears noting that portholes in oceanview staterooms are far larger than what you might be expecting. They’re more like round picture windows than portholes. At least some of them come equipped with window seats that might not fit an adult, but may become a kids’ favorite seat. Also on this deck is the Enchanted Garden dining room, which is so pretty we had trouble telling whether or not we were looking at a photo, or at concept art.
Deck 3 and Deck 4 are entirely given over to the ship’s public areas. Deck 3 has the Walt Disney Theater, and Animator’s Palate. Deck 4 hosts the Buena Vista Theater, and many of the ship’s lounges.
Deck 5 has the Vibe the 14-17 year ages youth club, and the Dream’s Oceaneer’s Club which is gigantic. The forward interior staterooms on this level share a bulkhead with Vibe. If any staterooms aboard the Dream have a noise problem, then it would be here. The other cabins are deluxe oceanview, and towards the aft of the ship are balcony rooms. Disney calls these Verandahs. The family Verandahs aft have extra outdoor space, and are insulated from the wind.
Disney Dream Deck 6 is entirely staterooms, and the majority have Verandahs. The exceptions are at the very front of the ship where you’ll find deluxe oceanview rooms instead. Likely because of the headwind generated as the ships sails. These forward staterooms are oddly shaped, and may have much more space than regular rooms of the same class. Aft on this deck are staterooms with larger Verandahs, and some deluxe family oceanview rooms.
The Disney Dream encapsulates the meaning of a “magical” vacation. Before you cruise, book one of our Port Canaveral hotels with transportation included. These packages allow visitors to enjoy the local theme parks, dining options, and nightlife before or after they cruise. Call 855-755-4637 or click below to book your all-in-one package!
Deck 7 is another all stateroom deck, mostly Verandah cabins with some deluxe oceanview staterooms forward, and towards the aft of the ship. Of particular note is the two royal concierge suites at the forward corners of the ship. These rooms are very spacious and come with special service. A concierge room on a Disney ship automatically get VIP treatment, which includes a private boarding lounge when embarking, and a private concierge lounge aboard the Dream. Everything you would normally do in the lobby can be taken care of at the concierge lounge instead, and the opportunity to book excursions well in advance. Essentially these rooms come with their own personal assistant. However, the largest rooms are the family Verandah rooms at the very rear of the deck.
Deck 8 feature approximately the same layout as Deck 7 with the addition of concierge bedroom suites, smaller suites with concierge service. There are also two forward corner Royal Concierge Suites on this deck as well. The largest rooms are still the family Verandah rooms aft. Deck 8 is one of the high rent areas on the ship, but not the only one.
Deck 9 is given over entirely to deluxe and family Verandahs with the biggest still towards the aft. Deck 10 is very similar to Deck 9. Directly above this is the Lido Deck which may cause staterooms on Deck 10 some noise problems.
Deck 11 is the Lido Deck and home to the pools. All of the poolside bars and dining on the ship, including an ice cream parlor. The spa is also forward. Forward, on the port side of the ship, next to the spa, are concierge suites and Verandah suites. These are some of the most desirable cabins on the ship. They are forward enough that the Verandahs might be exposed to some of the headwind generated by the ship.
Deck 12 is where the entrance to the AquaDuck waterslide is. It is also the location of the high class dining at Remy and Palo. Every stateroom on this level is concierge, and it is where the concierge lounge is located. The two forward Royal Suites are the largest cabins aboard. Above them is a private sundeck.
Deck 13 is home to sunbathing forward, and the Edge tweens club concealed in the funnel. Aft is the Goofy Sports Deck.
Finally, Deck 14 is home to the Outlook. It is a quiet piano bar with views of the entire Lido Deck. The ship’s radio studio is aft, and prepares daily live shows and broadcasts. Both are located in the false funnel aboard the tween’s club. So you have a reasonable excuse to check up on your tween throughout the day.
The Disney Difference
Disney Cruise Lines magic is a definable thing. They are well organized and pay a great deal of attention to the details while treating their guests well. Set dining is usually something cruisers grumble about. Disney doesn’t just set dining times; it tells cruisers where they’re going to eat to. However, because their dining rooms shows are engaging and their décor is so creative that cruisers look forward to the show rather than grumble.
The same thinking applies when it’s time to disembark. Lines are kept to a minimum, and everyone finds their way to the parking lot before noon. We’ve never actually found someone who has missed their flight because a Disney cruise took too long to disembark. A rare thing indeed in the annals of cruising.
This sort of tight scheduling could make things seem harried, but Disney keeps everything so entertaining that it comes off as exciting instead. You’ll end up wondering what they’ll do next.
Recommend 
