1st time Disney Dream cruisers with questions...

[amat]

We are sailing next week on 5 day cruise to Bahamas and Castaway Cay on the Dream. I would appreciate any advice or thoughts on the following...

We are booked for the Atlantis Adventure. Is this worth it? I have read conflicting opinions. At 169.00 a person and with 6 in our group, I would really love to hear from somebody who has anything positive to say...anyone, anyone ????

Castaway Cay we are booked for parasailing and catamaran snorkel adventure. Any feedback from anyone who did these?

Dress Code? again conflicting info. I have read what the Disney says and read packing lists on forums (no swimsuits, tank tops, shorts, etc...) But really? No shorts for kids/teens? My teens wear nice shorts and a collared shirts to church on Sundays. Do they really need slacks every night? My boys are 17, 15, 12, and 6 and I really don't want to iron clothes before every meal nor fight about pants for dinner. I thought this was vacation and I want to pack as light as possible!?! suggestions? What is the one "dress-up" night really supposed to be for teenage boys?

Should I pre-buy the bottled water package? Seems expensive for a case, but know it can cost more once on board. We drink a lot of water. How does the non-bottled water taste on board?

Hairdryer? I have read that they re sloooow and I have to dry my out of control hair. On the DREAM should I take my own or not?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and feedback!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We did the Atlantis Aquaventure for our family of 4 in May. Yeah, it's pricy. Was it worth it? Well, yes, because now we don't have to wonder about it anymore. That's the biggest factor that keeps us from regretting it. We also did the parasailing at CC. That was definitely memorable and fun but it went so fast. I don't think we were up in the air long at all. Literally a matter of minutes before we were being reeled back in. Again, glad we did it but doubtful we'd do it again. At least now we can be satisfied having done it. If either of these experiences are something you really want to try, bite the bullet and do it so you don't have to wonder what if.

Dress code. No, you won't be denied entry into a main dining room for nice shorts and shirts. We saw people dressed pretty sloppy in tees, actually. Because it's suggested we respectfully dressed accordingly. I have teen boys as well: 16 & 14. They wore dress pants & polos or button-ups. They didn't go overly dressy for dress-up night. If you book Palo or Remy for the non-kiddos you WILL have to follow their dress requests or you won't be allowed in. Having done 2 cruises now and done the mad planning/packing to dress for dinners I've come to the conclusion it's just not worth that much effort. Seriously. We're really laid-back people. We don't dress up. It's stupid to go nuts buying dress clothes/shoes for us for these cruises. Heck, the boys outgrow the stuff so fast it's like spending hundreds on stuff they wear only once before it's off to the donation bins. Silliness. Next go around I think we'll keep it as simple as possible. Dress-up or formal nights will be great nights to hit up Cabanas. I'm done with the stressing over what to wear. Or at least I'd like to think I am. We'll see how that goes over for our cruise with my brother & his girls next year. LOL! BTW, onboard pressing services are veeeery reasonable...even if you have to use the express services....not as bad as you'd think. Just sayin.....

I'm normally a bottled water snob & wouldn't dream of drinking anything from a spigot. However, onboard the ships the water comes from their desalinization systems which is actually pretty good. Mostly I drink iced tea anyway but the water really was okay especially with some lemon. I personally wouldn't buy the bottled water packages because they're Evian and I **hate** Evian-nastiness. Yuck! The hubby did grab me a case of Dasani on our stop at Key West last cruise. Carrying on what you want is an option. Or, invest in a water Bobble for each of ya. We love ours and it's another option for the bottled water dilemna.

I've always brought my own blow drier. I have a lot of long hair that takes forever to dry. I can't chance a sub-par hair drier. Bring a power strip to plug in on the desk then plug your drier in to that.

 

[OwensFab5]

I hate to hi-jack this thread but a couple more questions on dress code. My girls (12 & 14) are not dress and skirt girls. Are a pair of capri's with sandels okay for dinner? Also, my husband wears shorts year round, yes in the snow. Can men wear cargo shorts with a button down or polo shirt for dinner?

 

[amat]

Thank you for your advice. I was on the fence about packing slacks for all the boys, but I will put them in now for regular dinner nights. I am a rule follower and didn't want to feel awkward. The boys, however, could care less.

My husband and I will dine at Palo on the last night. I hope it is the dressy night so the kids can just eat at Cabana's casually. Is there a way to find this out ahead of time? I only see pirate night on night 3.

Thanks again

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I hate to hi-jack this thread but a couple more questions on dress code. My girls (12 & 14) are not dress and skirt girls. Are a pair of capri's with sandels okay for dinner? Also, my husband wears shorts year round, yes in the snow. Can men wear cargo shorts with a button down or polo shirt for dinner?

Like I said, you won't be kicked out of a main dining room for being under-dressed. You'll see various levels of dress when there. The suggested attire is just that: suggested. Personally, if I suggested a dress level for an event I planned & someone showed up in a tshirt & flip flops I'd be irritated. That's why I've tried so hard in the past. But like I also said, it's crazy to spend so much on clothes/shoes that only get worn a few hours on a cruise. I think as long as everyone looks neat-n-tidy, dressed a step above, and generally looking like you made some amount of effort it's fine. The dressier nights I'm thinking we'll opt for Cabanas & call it done. Lol!

Thank you for your advice. I was on the fence about packing slacks for all the boys, but I will put them in now for regular dinner nights. I am a rule follower and didn't want to feel awkward. The boys, however, could care less.

My husband and I will dine at Palo on the last night. I hope it is the dressy night so the kids can just eat at Cabana's casually. Is there a way to find this out ahead of time? I only see pirate night on night 3.

Thanks again

I think the dressier night on the shorter cruises (5 nights or less) comes on the at-sea night. Not sure. On our 5-night Magic cruise in May that's when we had it. I like to think they're giving everyone a whole day to get ready. Lol! Do you have an at-sea day! My bet is it'll be that night. Is day 3 Nassau day? The 2 cruises we've done Pirate Night was the night we pulled out of Nassau.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Sweetpee gave you good answers of course.

We absolutely loved Atlantis, but we got a gret deal at Comfort Suites and didn't pay very much for the day. My son went back with a friend for 5 nights and loved that too.

You didn't say if you were itinerary A, C, etc. but your dressy night *should* be night 4. You can call Disney to confirm that.

 

[ChuckElias]

Castaway Cay we are booked for parasailing and catamaran snorkel adventure. Any feedback from anyone who did these?

I've not done the parasailing, but my sister and brother-in-law did it on our first DCL cruise years ago. I can't honestly remember how long they were in the air, but I know that they both liked it a lot and thought it was very cool.

Dress Code? again conflicting info.

This is one of those questions that comes up over and over again, so be assured that you're not the only one with this concern. I'm one of the wierdos who actually like to conform to the dress code, but I've never seen anybody turned away from the rotational restaurants, even on formal night. Check out a couple of older threads that offer some good insights:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=735120

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=734907

Should I pre-buy the bottled water package? Seems expensive for a case, but know it can cost more once on board. We drink a lot of water. How does the non-bottled water taste on board?

DCL allows you to bring your own drinks on board, so if you're concerned about the prices onboard, you can stop at a Publix and grab a bunch of waters and bring them with you. I don't have any problem with the tap water on board (it's certainly better than the tap water in the parks!).

Enjoy your trip!

 

[jtjohn1]

For the Atlantis thing??

IMHO no it's not worth the cost (It's a tour of the casino and grounds. Don't get me wrong it's cool and everything but unless your BIG time into aquariums and fish it's just not worth THAT amount of $$$)

 

[sweetpee_1993]

For the Atlantis thing??

IMHO no it's not worth the cost (It's a tour of the casino and grounds. Don't get me wrong it's cool and everything but unless your BIG time into aquariums and fish it's just not worth THAT amount of $$$)

I think the OP was asking about the Aquaventure excursion. Yes, they parade you thru the casino & some of the grounds but it's also an incredible water park with great water attractions and gorgeous scenery. Lunch is included which is a value unto itself considering that just a burger (no fries or drink) is like $12. Drinks are unlimited refills and, yes, you get a drink with your lunch. Fries, too, if you get a burger. The transportation was easy-peasy which I thought was nice. You can tour the aquariums, access the beach, do all sorts of little included activities for that big price-tag. It's a lot of money, yes, but staying at Atlantis and having the amenities is expensive as well. I think if we did it again I wouldn't wait around with the herd considering I know where to go and what to do. We got our wristbands and lunch vouchers before we got off the ship so I wouldn't need to wait for those. I'd zip on by out to the lockers, grab my towels, set up camp, and hit the slides. Definitely a ton of fun. The water park experience as far as the attractions definitely is up there with Schlitterbahn (consistantly in the top rated water parks in the country). Good stuff!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

For the Atlantis thing??

IMHO no it's not worth the cost (It's a tour of the casino and grounds. Don't get me wrong it's cool and everything but unless your BIG time into aquariums and fish it's just not worth THAT amount of $$$)

Sweetpee is right, it's the whole shebang, not just the tour. There is a cheaper excursion that is only for the tour.

 

[jtjohn1]

Yeah I just did the tour not the whole shebang. Friend of mine did the water parks at Atlantis while on a carnival cruise and recomended I skip them. Said they were fun but you needed to make SURE to follow the instructions when doing the slides and stuff because there isn't any real saftey built into them (He got a few bumps and scrapes doing the various slides and saw some folks get some nasty cuts)

 

[Phonedave]

I have done the parasailing at Castaway Cay - you are in the air maybe 10 minutes. There are a bunch of people on the boat, and you all have to go. So while you may be in the air for 10 minutes, the entire excursion is more than an hour. Depending on your weight they will fly singles, doubles, and triples if you want. They will also dip you, dunk you, or drag you through the water if you request it.

As for dining dress code, a lot has been covered already. I personaly would not go in cargo shorts. Nice shorts yes (like golf shorts) but not cargo shorts. I would also not wear sneakers or flip-flops. I have never done so on a cruise, but I would think it was OK. Most of the time I just wear boat shoes, kahkis, and a shirt. On the semi dress nights I throw on a sport coat. My kids wear capris, nice shorts, skirts, dresses, whatever. As was said, unless you are at Palo's or Remy's, they will not deny you admittance, but do you really want to sit there in a cargo shorts and a polo while the tables all around you (and mabe even your tables mates) are in pants and a button down shirt?

-dave

 

[LoriSue]

We did the catamaran and loved it, would do it again this next cruise but we are already doing 2 snorkeling excursions in other locations so we're just going to hang out on Serenity Bay this time. One thing we did do that we will definitely do again is buy snorkel snax. It comes in a tube, looks kinda like poo actually (not the stuffed with fluff kind, either ) it's kind of fish food and attracted dozens of fish. Made for a great snorkel experience.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

^^^
I need to get some of this! Tracey & I are planning to do some snorkeling on CC (not necessarily just in the snorkel lagoon) and I'd love to "plus" the experience.

LOL @ "not the stuffed with fluff kind" part! That's funny!

 

[mikewdw]

what is there to do on ship when it is at a port (Nassau,etc). we really dont want to get off ship if there is something for us to do. we are only doing 3 night cruise since its our first ever.
thanks
mikewdw

 

[sweetpee_1993]

what is there to do on ship when it is at a port (Nassau,etc). we really dont want to get off ship if there is something for us to do. we are only doing 3 night cruise since its our first ever.
thanks
mikewdw

The Aqua Duck & pools will be open. Movies will be in the Buena Vista Theater. There will be scheduled activities all over the ship for all age groups. Character meets, the spa will be open, etc. Also, you can wander and explore the ship. Lots to do!

 

[Billy6]

^^^
I need to get some of this! Tracey & I are planning to do some snorkeling on CC (not necessarily just in the snorkel lagoon) and I'd love to "plus" the experience.

LOL @ "not the stuffed with fluff kind" part! That's funny!

Heather and I have planned to do the Seahorse Snorkel adventure on Castaway... As well as the stingray adventure..
Poo, huh? Dig it!

 

[ChuckElias]

The Aqua Duck & pools will be open. Movies will be in the Buena Vista Theater. There will be scheduled activities all over the ship for all age groups. Character meets, the spa will be open, etc. Also, you can wander and explore the ship. Lots to do!

Also, the Muppet Detective Agency!

 

[pcarathers]

We are planning our first cruise for next May 2013....Disney Dream 4 night.....there will be 3 GROWN adults and 2 "semi-grown" adults (18 & 19)......how well are the Deluxe staterooms with verandeh for a group of 5? we're concerned the "fold=down" won't hold 19 y/o nephew.....just curious.... we are trying to decide if we should plan to go up to the next level which we believe is Concierge, but don't really want to pay that much more money!!! BUT, we don't want to have to pay what we're paying and have someone end up having to sleep on the floor either!..........

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We are planning our first cruise for next May 2013....Disney Dream 4 night.....there will be 3 GROWN adults and 2 "semi-grown" adults (18 & 19)......how well are the Deluxe staterooms with verandeh for a group of 5? we're concerned the "fold=down" won't hold 19 y/o nephew.....just curious.... we are trying to decide if we should plan to go up to the next level which we believe is Concierge, but don't really want to pay that much more money!!! BUT, we don't want to have to pay what we're paying and have someone end up having to sleep on the floor either!..........

I did have someone recently tell me that they found the pull down bed to be a little short. We had a 17 year old teenage boy in ours last time and he didn't say anything about it being short, but he may have been trying to be nice.

There are some other options though. Two rooms may actually be less than concierge for you. You could get a verandah room with an inside room across the hall and probably save a good deal.