A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: A March 2011 Disney Wedding/Honeymoon Trip Report

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

Eventually we found ourselves over by the Walt Disney Theatre:

LOVE this one:

To pass the time until our stateroom was ready, we decided to find the Midship Detective Agency desk and pick up our badge. I was super excited about this. It’s very akin to the Team Possible missions in World Showcase, which I love. And it adds the element of art, so it was perfect for us.

There were two different missions to choose from, the Case of the Missing Puppies and the Case of the Stolen Paintings. Of course, we chose to help Roger and Pongo find the missing puppies!

Our very official casebook and badge!

We had to burst some balloons to get to the clue in one of the paintings:

The “enchanted art” was so darn cool. I couldn’t get enough of it. Well, not just the enchanted art, but all the art around the ship. It was definitely one of my favorite things about DCL that set it apart from other lines we’ve cruised on. Another thing I was surprised by, but shouldn’t have been, was all the Disney music that was playing in the stairwells and hallways. Disney doesn’t miss a detail and the music was just an additional sensory experience. They even played obscure and random songs, like “Perfect World” from the Emperor’s New Groove. Disney just doesn’t miss a beat. Ahh… love.

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

We hunted down a few clues which were mostly located throughout the stairwells on the ship. At one point we found ourselves near Remy and Palo and decided to check them out. Initially, when we booked the cruise, we had wanted to eat at Remy, but it wasn’t available when it came time to book shore excursions, etc. Then we heard that the menu actually mirrors that of Victoria and Albert’s and we decided it wasn’t worth it because we already had reservations for Vicky’s on the last leg of our trip. Of course this didn’t stop me from wanting to actually dine in the super posh Remy’s:

We did, however, decide to book a brunch at Palo for the last day of our cruise. Surprisingly enough, I think I may prefer the décor at Palo.

The Meridian bar was situated right between the two restaurants. Very refined with its high back leather chairs!

And world traveler-esque window panes:

My favorite part about the whole dining/adult area was probably Nigel at the elevator bank! Ahhh... character love. :sohappy:

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

On our way back down to see if our stateroom was ready, we stopped by for some Eye Scream, but it wasn’t open. Booooo!

Walking past the adult pool again, I couldn’t help but take yet another picture... it’s so freakin’ inviting!

Our stateroom was on Deck 10 FWD. We absolutely love to book staterooms in this general vicinity on all of our cruises. I’ll happily take an inside category stateroom in this location over an ocean view somewhere on decks 2-4 any day. With our style of cruising, we’re prone to spending most our time on the top decks throughout our cruise anyway. As a bonus, on this particular ship our stateroom was just below the adult’s only area.

Score!

When we got to our deck, we had to wait in the stairwell for just a little bit, but around 1:40pm they let us head back to our cabin. Welcome to Standard Interior Stateroom 10545 (Category 11A):

Brett quickly declared this room a palace in comparison to some other staterooms we’ve had the privilege of staying in (I’m looking at you RCI Monarch of the Seas). :lol: I love the room décor and design, but of course I’m biased, as it’s Disney. And really no other line is going to be able to top Disney (for a crazy Disney fan), because of the level of Disney specific details and art.

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

The top comes off the coffee table/ottoman combo to provide more storage. Great use of space. We didn’t put anything in it though because we were afraid we’d forget it was there and leave without it.

I’m absolutely obsessed with the throw at the bottom of the bed. I want one so badly and went on a crazy internet search to find one when we got back, but to no avail. I really wish DCL sold them. And I’m holding out hope that they do someday soon.

The back of the throw pillow had the most perfect quote ever stitched onto it:

The three doors on the left hand side of this next picture make up the closet space, directly across from the bathroom. We found the space sufficient and more than enough for the two of us, but we’ve actually had better closet space on some other cruises we’ve taken (Carnival Liberty/Emerald Princess).

The refrigerator is in the bottom left cabinet in that last shot. And you can also see the “wave phones” provided in all staterooms aboard the Dream. It’s my understanding that they work anywhere on the ship and (maybe) Castaway Cay (but there is a pretty hefty fee if you lose/misplace one). We never once used them, so I can’t comment on their capabilities. I do know, though, that if we had been cruising with my parents like we usually do, those puppies would’ve come in super handy.

I’ve heard lots of great stuff about the usefulness of the split bathroom design on DCL, but with just two of us we didn’t see a reason to pay more for it, so I was expecting the standard broom closet-sized bathroom that we’ve become accustomed to on other lines. I was excited and surprised to see we actually had a tub, albeit a small one, but a tub nonetheless! Mostly because it meant that we wouldn’t flood the bathroom every time we took a shower. Great design!

You can’t see it, but there were some additional storage shelves on the left hand side of the bathroom mirror:

You may or may not have noticed the virtual porthole in those pictures... much more on that later. :sohappy:

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

Luckily, our suitcases were waiting for us when we arrived at the stateroom and we were able to unpack quickly, change, and make our way back up to the adult pool bar in record time! Pluto and Brett checked out the Navigator for potential meet and greets before we left!

We passed the main deck on our way to the adult pool bar. Looks like the ship was starting to fill up. It was about 2:30pm.

The line for the Aquaduck was already quite long, but it was good to see that they had it up and running even when sitting in Port Canaveral:

It was inviting; however, we were on a different mission... sailaway drinks!

Our drinks cost $15 total, which if I’m remembering correctly, is pretty much in line with the cost on other cruise lines.

maggiegrace1 · Jun 5, 2011

Ah, we loved the room..we had an inside stateroom also..beds were soo comfy...and the closet space was plenty for us...4 pieces of luggage and a carseat..

The tub was awesome especially for Maggie..

and she loved her bed, the sofa was made into a bed for her with a rail..

We had Eye Scream many times every day!

We used the wave phones..EXCELLENT..came in handy often!..

I need to go back now!..

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

We were sitting there, enjoying our adult beverages, when Chip and Dale appeared again.

And staked claim to a couple of loungers! :lol:

I love the look on the CM’s face in that last shot. I don't think it was intentional, but it really does look like she’s staring him down for being in the adult’s only area. Granted, I will say that it was nice to see Disney enforce some of their rules. I’ve been on some cruises where the rules aren’t enforced, and really, if that’s the case then why have rules at all?

Dale waved to us and then headed into the Cove Café for some coffee!

Seriously... chipmunks for the WIN!

Brett (with a little help from Pluto) saw somewhere in the Navigator that characters would be appearing on Deck 11, so we headed over to the main pool area. Sure enough, Goofy and Pluto were doing meet and greets! Woohoo... there wasn’t much of a line for either of them.

Thumbs up for marriage!!!

Would you believe the ship hadn’t even left port yet, and we’d already managed to meet Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Goofy and Pluto in their sailor garb? And to be honest, it hadn't taken much effort to do so, and we were hardly standing in any lines. Swoooooon!

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

Speaking of leaving port, the time was creeping up on us and the muster drill was right around the corner. The muster drill has been a little different on each of the lines I’ve cruised with. On Carnival we had to actually put on the vests and stand out at our muster station. On NCL we had to go to the assigned muster station, but we didn’t have to wear or carry the vests. On Princess and RCI we went to a designated lounge area indoors and listened to the spiel; Princess required us to carry the vests along, but RCI did not. DCL was probably most like Norwegian. We went to the designated station and stood around waiting to be checked off the list. For the sake of convenience, I would definitely say RCI and Princess do it best. That being said, if I were to have found myself in a situation that warranted an evacuation, Carnival, Norwegian and Disney had me better prepared.

View of the terminal near our muster station:

Having read Tammy’s (Disneyfalcon) reports, I knew if we wanted to be front and center for the Sailaway show, we’d have go stake our claim right away (and then keep our fingers crossed that some kid didn’t shove his way up in front of us and ruin our pictures!

). So we hauled a$$ up the stairs to find a completely empty deck, all set up and ready for sailaway.

Hey, where'd the pool go?! Another amazing Disney touch!

The Captain welcomed us aboard and then the real stars came out!

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

Pluto was introduced to the crowd as everyone’s favorite party animal! Really, I had no clue. It became a joke throughout the cruise because every single time he appeared his arrival was prefaced with this. “And now, everybody’s faaaaaaaaavorite party animal, Pluto!”

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

Daisy was the star of the show with her rendition of “Single Ladies!”

We about lost Goofy before it ended.

After the finale, one of the CMs welcomed a “special friend of Mickey’s” up on stage. I had a feeling what might happen when a cruiser appeared on stage. Yep! He totally proposed to his girlfriend. And they were so freakin’ adorable.

I had a perfect view of them and took about 10-12 pictures. After everyone started to disperse, I looked around for the couple but we didn’t see them anywhere. I figured there might be a possibility of running into them at some point so I kept my eyes peeled for them over the next couple days. Because I know I would’ve loved it if someone had taken impromptu pictures of Brett proposing to me.

So, after all the excitement, it was time to sail out of Port Canaveral. The wind had picked up and it was starting to drizzle a bit. It was the only rain we saw the entire week. Immediately, Brett and I went to find a spot on the starboard side of the ship. I was on the lookout for Corey (corey154) who said she and her family might be out there that day. I kept taking pictures and then zooming them in to see if she was in any of them.

After that last grassy area, the coastline turned rocky, so we figured that was the last possible place for people to camp out and watch the ships sail away. Turns out there was another area at the very end and that’s where Corey was. Drat! If only we’d stayed out there longer, because I think we would’ve seen her.

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

Instead, we headed back to our stateroom to rest up and change before the 6:15pm showing of the Golden Mickeys. By the time we left our room, I was feeling kind of queasy. The ship was most definitely rocking! In fact, of all the cruises I’ve been on, this was the worst I’d experienced. It always seems to be more noticeable in the forward areas of the ships, and of course, that’s almost always where the theaters are and almost always where we book our staterooms.

We arrived fairly early for the Golden Mickeys. Wall-E and Eve were already there!

We both absolutely loved the show. I expected it to be good because it is Disney after all, and yet, I was still completely blown away by the performances and the sets. On most cruises, I could not care less about the shows at night. In fact, we often skip them in favor of spending more time lounging around on the top decks as all the other cruisers clear out and go back to their staterooms to get ready for the evening activities. But not on DCL. There was no way I was going to miss any of these shows.

Back to the Golden Mickeys... we were both completely geeking out over the somewhat random song choices! Seriously, “I’ll Make a Man out of You,” “Son of Man,” and “Out There!” Amazing. To see Tarzan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame get some love was pretty great, too.

I had accidentally left my faster lenses in the room when we went to the show (I blame it on the rough seas that were messing with my head), so these shots will have to do...

I think the Tarzan scene may have been my favorite. Well, really, the whole “Heroism” part was made of WIN.

astjames15 · Jun 5, 2011

Holly-

I guess I am reading this as you are posting, because I keep refreshing and there is more!! Wow, your room does look big compared to an interior cabin on Princess. We just got off the Emerald Princess in April and our cabin was tiny in comparison to the Dream.

FYI--those little pillows with the saying are the same ones they now have at the renovated Disneyland Hotel, except at the hotel, they are blue. My daughter and I stayed there in a newly renovated room in June (we got upgraded!) and it was awesome! I don't want to ruin the surprise, but let's just say there is a giant headboard over all the beds that involves some type of lighting/fiberoptics!!

I think I do really want to try a Disney cruise on one of the new ships. My one reservation is that it seems to be a lot more expensive. My kids are 5 and 10 and I think they are both at a perfect age for different reasons. Although, we just found out that the next Star Wars convention is being held in Orlando again in August of 2012, so we will have to be there for that. Last year, we combined the convention with 10 days in the parks and it was great.

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

After the show we made our way to the D Lounge. Brett recalled reading that Donald Duck would be there, so we were off in search of him. After all, this was Admiral Duck’s ship and all.

Oh Disney, you’re simply killing me with all these background “sets” (both here and in the parks):

After saluting the Duck we went to find the Art Gallery. Brett and I had decided very early in the wedding planning process that we were going to get ourselves a new piece of Disney art as a wedding gift to one another. We had seriously contemplated purchasing the Donald and Daisy set (“One is the Loneliest Number” / “The Lady will have None of It”) online, but decided to wait and see if we found anything on the cruise or in the Art of Disney during our trip.

Well, we’d looked all around the Art of Disney the previous day and hadn’t found anything. But we were hoping that the cruise line might have some art that isn’t made available elsewhere. So, with high hopes we found the Vista Gallery and started looking around. There were a few that we liked but nothing was really jumping out at us. And then I heard Brett call out from another area, “Found it!”

Yep. There was no doubt that this was the perfect piece of wedding art for us. I mean, really, could there be a more perfect Disney-style representation of our day!? I think not.

“Hula Time”

We talked to one of the CMs about how perfect it was, and asked some questions about the cost of shipping vs. carrying it off the ship. I knew it was the perfect painting for us, but I didn’t want to impulse buy, so we decided to sleep on it and go back the next day.

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

The first venue in our dining rotation was the Royal Palace, right off the main atrium, behind Admiral Duck. The best word to describe it is, well, royal. It’s inspired by the classic princesses and boasts a French cuisine.

We were pleasantly surprised when they seated the two of us at a four top table. It was perfect. The only problem was, by this point the waves were seriously working against me and I was starting to feel worse and worse. Walking around the ship had helped, but now that we were sitting down to dinner and reading a menu, I didn’t know if I was going to make it.

At one point, Aurora flitted through the dining room, waving to everyone. Talk about ambiance.

I managed to get a picture of her, but I was feeling miserable. In all our cruises I’ve never felt bad enough to leave dinner, but unfortunately there’s a first time for everything. I felt absolutely horrible, especially for ruining our first dinner aboard the Dream. Brett asked our servers, Leo and Erhan if they would plate our entrees to go and then he met me back in the room. I didn’t even eat, instead I just curled up and went to sleep. And that’s how my first night aboard the Dream ended.

Brett went back out and grabbed a beer at 687, the sports bar before turning in for the night, as well.

Up next... the Dream sails into Nassau

maggiegrace1 · Jun 5, 2011

oh!..

...Sosad you got sick..Drew felt like that the first night and went to the gift shop and got the seasick bands and felt better..Hope you felt better really soon!

DisGal · Jun 5, 2011

Hi Holly,

I have to say I am absolutely blown away by your pictures of the Dream - it really is such a beautiful ship and I'm loving all the little details you've included. I had to show my DH your pictures and a trip on the Dream is now a must for us. We will have to wait awhile, since we recently found out we're expecting a future lover of all things Disney in the fall!

OMG the sailor outfits on the characters are too cute! Love the Chip and Dale ones. Looking forward to see what other character interactions you have on the ship.

"Hula Time" definitely is perfect - I would love to have that too!

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

maggiegrace1 said:
It is basically a summary and a link to the pictures....not as great as yours..

We did carnival.and it was GREAT..I loved it..but after being on Disney I think it will be hard to do any other..especially with a child..there is so much for Maggie to do without stepping foot in the kids area..and other cruises basically for kids they just have the kids clubs!

Yes, we got in line outside, entered through security, went upstairs, got the boarding group numbers and did all the paperwork and waited around..no one looked or said a word about our arrival time.

You make a really good point about Carnival. We loved our Carnival cruise (and that's the line my parents have cruised most often), but I can see what you mean with regards to the kids haven't stuff to do.

I would've tried the same thing... just arrive and get in line. Glad it worked for you. :sohappy:

maggiegrace1 said:
Ah, we loved the room..we had an inside stateroom also..beds were soo comfy...and the closet space was plenty for us...4 pieces of luggage and a carseat..

The tub was awesome especially for Maggie.. and she loved her bed, the sofa was made into a bed for her with a rail..

We had Eye Scream many times every day!

We used the wave phones..EXCELLENT..came in handy often!..

I need to go back now!..

We are absolutely OBSESSED with inside staterooms. Seriously, it's the best sleep ever. And then add to that the virtual porthole, and we were in heaven. :lol:

That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the tub. How perfect for kids. You've been on Carnival, so I don't have to explain. :animwink: Not to mention that, it's got to be so much easier for the room stewards. No matter how hard I try on other cruise lines, there's just no way to keep the bathroom from flooding with those showers.

I totally need to go back with you!

astjames15 said:
Holly-

I guess I am reading this as you are posting, because I keep refreshing and there is more!! Wow, your room does look big compared to an interior cabin on Princess. We just got off the Emerald Princess in April and our cabin was tiny in comparison to the Dream.

FYI--those little pillows with the saying are the same ones they now have at the renovated Disneyland Hotel, except at the hotel, they are blue. My daughter and I stayed there in a newly renovated room in June (we got upgraded!) and it was awesome! I don't want to ruin the surprise, but let's just say there is a giant headboard over all the beds that involves some type of lighting/fiberoptics!!

I think I do really want to try a Disney cruise on one of the new ships. My one reservation is that it seems to be a lot more expensive. My kids are 5 and 10 and I think they are both at a perfect age for different reasons. Although, we just found out that the next Star Wars convention is being held in Orlando again in August of 2012, so we will have to be there for that. Last year, we combined the convention with 10 days in the parks and it was great.

It might be the lens that is making it look that much bigger than the Princess. The addition of the sofa was definitely nice. The only ship I've ever felt cramped on was the Monarch (RCI). Now that was a cramped room.

We have really got to get out to Disneyland. And soon.

You could always combine the convention with both. A couple days in the parks, and a 3 or 4 night cruise on the Dream. Do it! Do it! Do it! :sohappy:

maggiegrace1 said:
oh!.....Sosad you got sick..Drew felt like that the first night and went to the gift shop and got the seasick bands and felt better..Hope you felt better really soon!

Yeah, this wasn't the first time it's taken me a day to get my sea legs. :lol: But I did feel much better by morning. I've used those seasickness bands in the past, and they really do help.

Brett · Jun 5, 2011

You can tell Holly wasn't feeling well at all because she didn't even bother to take a picture of the first course we actually received at the Royal Palace. :ROFLOL:

But seriously, the rocking was horrible the first night. The motion of the cruise ships usually doesn't affect me at all, but I was having major trouble that first night. Holly was a trooper though, she tried so hard to stick it out. I just wanted to get her out of there before this happened: :hurl:

HollyBelle · Jun 5, 2011

DisGal said:
Hi Holly,

I have to say I am absolutely blown away by your pictures of the Dream - it really is such a beautiful ship and I'm loving all the little details you've included. I had to show my DH your pictures and a trip on the Dream is now a must for us. We will have to wait awhile, since we recently found out we're expecting a future lover of all things Disney in the fall!

OMG the sailor outfits on the characters are too cute! Love the Chip and Dale ones. Looking forward to see what other character interactions you have on the ship.

"Hula Time" definitely is perfect - I would love to have that too!

OMG!!! Alissa, that is so exciting. CONGRATULATIONS! :sohappy:

And just FYI, Hula Time can now be found in the Art of Disney stores, as well. :animwink:

Brett said:
You can tell Holly wasn't feeling well at all because she didn't even bother to take a picture of the first course we actually received at the Royal Palace. :ROFLOL:

But seriously, the rocking was horrible the first night. The motion of the cruise ships usually doesn't affect me at all, but I was having major trouble that first night. Holly was a trooper though, she tried so hard to stick it out. I just wanted to get her out of there before this happened: :hurl:

Luckily, sleep overtook me and there was no hurling at all that night. :lol:

meganw1985 · Jun 5, 2011

We were on RCI. Majesty of the Seas. We had a great time. 4 night itinerary: Nassau, Coco Cay, and Key West. First cruise for both of us. And first time in the Bahamas/Caribbean for us! I am not lying when I say I have never seen such beautiful, clear, emerald green water in all my life! Coco Cay was THE ideal Caribbean island. We visited Atlantis in Nassau, snorkeled in Coco Cay (my new hobby that I didn't know I had!) and shopped in Key West. Which was probably my favorite port of all. We then stayed an extra night in Miami, which is a city I'm not too fond of.

Seriously, your stateroom looks as big as ours, and we had a Junior Suite with a balcony! (which I LOVED having btw). Overall, it was a nice ship. Small, and obviously one of their older ones, but they have everything set nice and the rooms are newly refuribushed I believe. The food, not so fabulous, but Ian thought it was great! (He has not ever eaten Disney food :lol: ). As soon as I get all my pictures uploaded, I'm going to do a TR on cruise critic. That's my plan anyway.

The same thing happened to me our first night, I got horribly sick and had to leave dinner. The water wasn't so rough, I think it was more that I wasn't used to it and they sat me going backwards during dinner (I told them the next time that i had to be sitting going the same direction of the ship haha). And the elevators were WEIRD. That feeling of moving and not being able to see yourself move when you are inside without windows bothers me. We were on deck 10 also, and when I got back to the room, I sat on the balcony and got some fresh air and didn't get sick again the rest of the trip!

Oh, and now I ABSOLUTELY have to get on that ship! I am contemplating changing our originally planned week long Disney trip the week before Christmas to a Disney cruise instead! Or at least a combo of the two! Brett and I may be going alone though, as my hubby can't keep up with my vaca style :ROFLOL:

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: A March 2011 Disney Wedding/Honeymoon Trip Report

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