After a year of planning, we were ready to board the Disney Dream for our cruise to the Bahamas. And then came Hurricane Dorian. We were both disappointed and thought this dream would never happen. But with the assistance of the amazing DCL Customer Service Center, we were able to reschedule for a later date. And boy did we get a deal! We were able to reschedule for a couple of months later which allowed us to join the Very Merrytime Cruise! This was something that was not in our original plans and something we hadn’t even thought of. Four days and three nights on the Disney Dream with a Christmas theme – yes this was meant to be!

Since we live in Florida now, airline concerns are not a factor. But it is for some of our family as hopefully they can join us on our next cruise. Flying into Orlando International Airport is the closest to Port Canaveral, and it was just a two and half hour drive for us. We were so excited that we took the toll road to ensure we arrived at our scheduled port arrival time. I wasn’t expecting the multiple tolls, but it was worth every cent to see the ship once we reached the terminal signs.

Port Canaveral is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, but parking, security, and checking in went smoothly. Disney provides Key to the World cards as your room keys and charging cards on the ship. You’re not allowed to pay with cash for anything on the ship so you must have your Key to the World card at all times.
The card also shows your dining rotation. The Disney Dream has three themed dining venues on board – Royal Palace, Animator’s Palate, and Enchanted Garden. You can also make reservations at Palo or Remy for special adult dining options. These go fast so if interested, try to book prior to your scheduled trip date. They will also take requests on a first come basis on the first day. We ate at a different restaurant each night and actually chose to eat breakfast at one during the trip as well. I wish we would’ve done this more, but Cabanas was our go to for breakfast and lunch this time around.

Upon arrival, most families browse the ship and we did this too! Come on, I’m a planner and want to at least know the vicinity of things. Having the Voyage Navigator (trip itinerary) in hand and on the Disney Cruise Line app helped. The Disney Dream can have up to 4000 visitors during a trip. That’s a lot of people, but Disney does well that you don’t notice it. There is so much to do on the ship in addition to activities at each Port of Call that you feel as if it’s still your planned vacation.

Below is our itinerary of fun. We’ll be sharing specifics about each day in separate posts.

Day 1: FRIDAY – Port Canaveral, Florida – Port Departure: 5:00pm – All Aboard: 3:45pm

Day 2: SATURDAY – Nassau, Bahamas – All Ashore: 9:30am – All Aboard: 5:15pm

Day 3: SUNDAY – Disney Castaway Cay – All Ashore: 8:30am – All Aboard: 4:45pm

Day 4: MONDAY – Port Canaveral, Florida – Breakfast (depends on dinner rotation time) – SEE YA REAL SOON 😦

 
Thanks for following along.

~Kelli & Rhiyan