Other Stuff
Bathrooms - The bathrooms are raised several inches from the stateroom floor plus you must step up and over a three inch lip. This can cause a stubbed toe or two and some awkward entrances and exits until you get used to it. The tub is quite small and anyone over six foot will have to duck their head to use the handheld shower.
The fixtures are unique to say the least. The left directs water to the tub or shower. The right selects the water temperature. The markings are there but there’s almost no contrast with the chromed fixtures.
Stateroom Power - When you enter your stateroom, the first thing you should do is insert your “Key to the World” in a special slot. The idea is to conserve power when the room is unoccupied. I brought along a player card from a local casino and left it in the slot the entire trip. This kept the A/C on but I did turn the lights off when leaving the stateroom.
If you don’t have a card to keep the system running while gone, the thermostat for the A/C has a “Quick Cool” setting if the stateroom gets warm while unoccupied. I kept the setting one notch cooler than
“normal” and found the stateroom cool even in the heat of the day with lots of traffic through the verandah door.
Stateroom Lighting – There are two overhead lights, a desk light, two bed lights, a verandah light and a night-light function over the seating area. You press the top of the rocker switch to turn off the light which is counter-intuitive. Facing the headboard, the fixture on the right has a single control for the light. The fixture on the left has a switch for it and another switch for the light over the seating area.
The light over the seating area also functions as a night-light with a soft blue glow. I didn’t notice it until the second night when I closed the laptop lid and saw it labeled at the desk which also has the switch for the desk light the verandah and seating area lights.
The two overhead lights have two functions controlled by the switch. When you press the bottom of the switch the lights come on full power, a second press will dim the light. Pressing the bottom of the switch momentarily when the light is on will either put the light at dim or full power while a press and hold will slowly adjust the level of light between full or dim until released.
Ship Horns - Disney Cruise Line's first two ships have special horns that instead of just a "toot" can also play the first line of "When You Wish Upon a Star." The Dream's horn goes much further than that, though. The new horn can not only play the first line of "When You Wish Upon a Star," it can also play the second line, which allows it to respond to the Magic and Wonder when they meet. In addition, it can also play parts of "Be Our Guest," "it's a small world," "Hi Diddle Dee Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)," "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)," and it's signature song "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes."
Storage - The closets are quite large and allow for lots of hanging clothes. The closet closest to the door has the safe taking up one lower shelf. The lighting in the closets leaves a lot to be desired. I found that if I opened the bathroom door with the light on then opened the closet door there was enough light to see. The raised bed has clear space underneath so you can store lots of luggage.
Wave Phones - Each stateroom has two Wave Phones assigned. The phones seemed to work everywhere on the boat and Castaway Cay. The phones are set to vibrate only so you have to keep them in a pocket to tell a call is coming in.
Beverage Stations - There are two beverage stations on Deck 11 just about even with the aft funnel. They are open 24 hours a day and there always seemed to be an attendant nearby. Provided are sodas, coffee (decaf and regular with real cream), a selection of teas and milk. I found the coffee to be just acceptable as it was obviously a bag-in-box product.
Verandah Door - The down position is open and the up position is closed. When the handle is moved to the closed position, the door pulls tight against the opening. Indicators for Open and Closed would be a nice touch.
Artwork - I was impressed with the quality and quantity of the Disney art on display throughout the boat. If you’re a fan of Disney art you should do yourself a favor and visit every public space on the boat.
Décor
I’ve cruised on every current major line and a few that have faded into the past. Without reservation I can say Disney has done it right at every level. From unique treatments to traditional materials, everything is outstanding.
On-board Water - The quality of the water on the boat was excellent. It was much better than on any boat I’ve ever been on with no “taste” at all. It was on the hard side which I only noticed because the water at home is decidedly soft.
Elevator/Stairway Locations - Our staterooms were just ahead of the forward lobby. These elevators opened to the Adults area on Deck 11. We found it much easier to use the hallway on our deck to make it back to the mid-ship elevators to get to Deck 11 or Deck 3 and 4. The aft elevator lobby opened into Cabana’s so there were guests dressed for the pool walking through the front part of the buffet most times.
