The Pinay Nanay: Disney Dream-ING

Our adventure on the Disney Dream was nothing short of magical. It exceeded our expectations and we were so fortunate to have celebrated my father-in-law's 70th aboard a very cool boat.

I've only been on one other cruise besides this one. It was ages ago with my family and we took a Royal Caribbean Cruise to the Western Caribbean for my 18th birthday/graduation gift. This time, I get to enjoy cruising through a much different perspective. It's the first cruise for my family and we couldn't have had a much better experience.

We were a party of 10 people traveling together. We came from different parts of the U.S. and we all met up in Florida a day before departure to take a shuttle from the airport down to Port Canaveral. I saw Disney Cruise line buses picking passengers up from MCO, but not sure where they were going.
We stayed at the Radisson Resort at The Port, which was conveniently located nearby the port to board the boat. On the day of departure, a shuttle came to pick us up. The representatives from the cruise line were very organized and made sure they picked up all their passengers (note that there are other cruise lines departing from Port Canaveral). Our shuttle driver gave us some shopping tips for when we dock at Nassau and was incredibly jovial.

Check-in on The Dream was very easy. A porter took care of all our luggage (make sure you put the luggage tags that came with your cruise docs for all the gear you want delivered to your room on the boat), with the exception of our carry-on that held our swimsuits, passports, wallets, and some liquor/water. That's right! Alcohol is permitted onboard The Dream so long as it's in your carry-on and unopened. I had two bottles of sparkling wine shipped to the hotel from a local winery that my in-laws like and picked it up and brought it with me. Other members of our party brought some other alcohol and bottles of water (onboard the boat it costs about $4/bottle) to stash in our staterooms.

I did majority of check-in online upon receiving the disney cruise documents. They give you detailed instructions and information (like, there's Pirate Night) about your entire trip. I really recommend reading it before your cruise to help with preparations for what you'll bring/need on the trip. A credit card is attached to your Keys To The World Card, which also acts as your room key and credit card aboard the boat and on Castaway Cay. DO NOT LOSE THIS. Use a lanyard if need be. Even your kids will have their own cards. Each card has your room number and some additional information about where you dine each night and what group you're in for emergency evacuation.

There is one line after another, but everything moved smoothly and fairly quickly. After you receive keys, you line up for photos before boarding the boat. Of course this is optional, but c'mon, enjoy yourself. Taking 5 minutes to take a few photos for a memorable trip is worth it...unless this is your 3rd or 20th Disney cruise.

As you board the boat there is a greeting line and they announce your family welcoming you to The Dream. A representative will come to escort you aside and you give you information about what to do next. We opted to eat since our boarding time was between 11:30-1:30 p.m. and we got on the boat shortly after 12:20 p.m. We had our carry-on bags that included our swimsuits in the event, we wanted to go use the pool and water slides immediately. This is a smart idea to do because you can take advantage of using their amenities right away without having to wait for your room and luggage to be delivered. Rooms may get done on time, but delivering luggage to your rooms may take awhile. However, luckily after we ate lunch, we headed to our staterooms and most of our luggage was already delivered and waiting in front of our door.

Below are some pictures on the boat throughout the trip. If you want a more detailed narrative, please visit here. *warning: picture heavy post