INDEX

Previous day – here

Friday 26th August

Well the day had arrived the one we were so excited about.

I’d slept quite well it was around 7.30 when I woke. The first thing I did was take a peek out of the window to look at what the weather was doing, it was quiet in the room I couldn’t hear and wind or rain but I needed to see. Thankfully the sky was blue it was a little breezy but then we are on the coast.

We all got up I sorted the bags out yet again, I tried to pack a bit more of the shopping that we’d acquired and managed to get some of the photo albums and mugs into a couple of the cases. We had 2 small cases for the cruise and a couple of back packs which contained our alcohol and swimwear – just the essentials then.

Took some travel sickness tablets at that point they last for 24 hours so I thought it best to do it now before I forgot.

Packed the car up with all our cases again then we left the hotel and drove across the road to Denny’s for our breakfast.


There was only a few other people inside so plenty of room and it meant that our food was brought out very quickly. Our server was really lovely and chatty and very helpful too. The food was really good and made a great start to our morning.



I can’t recall exactly how much the breakfast was but I know that it was cheap especially compared to Disney prices.

The time was now approaching 10am so we drove back up towards the port which was only a ten minute or so drive away.


Then we played the game first one to see the Disney Dream! All eyes were peeled as we headed round and Jamie was the first one to spy those big red funnels.


As you can imagine the excitement levels had hit the roof I’m surprised Scott could concentrate on his driving what with all the screaming and so forth.

The Dream was every bit as beautiful as we’d thought she’d be and we couldn’t wait to get onboard.

We followed the road round to the car park which was so easy to do then we paid as we entered, $64. There was plenty of parking spaces so of course we were faced with the dilemma of where the park up, remember we’re not the most decisive of people! I’d read the lovely Sheluk’s report which detailed this procedure well and although I’d made notes on which level to park I’d forgotten the said notebook! Couldn’t remember if it was level 1 or level 3 to park on so we opted for level 2 haha. Anyway it didn’t really matter that much.


Down on the street level we could see all the activity happening, people getting out of cars and coaches and handing their luggage over so we went down to that area. Caught the lift down then just followed the masses.

Of course we just had the 2 small cases we expected to be bombarded with lots of porters but nobody came to us. We stood around for a while but still no porters came and helped until we were practically piling the cases onto the pallet with all the others at the drop off point. The porter took them from us just as we were putting them on so of course we had to tip, easy work for him!

Again we followed everyone, we needed to show as passports as we walked through then we were directed to this building.


Once inside we went through security then got the escalator up to the main terminal building. It was around 10.30 and that was our Port Arrival Time we’d been given. I was surprised at how quiet it seemed to be inside even thought there were plenty of people milling around.



We went to a desk straight away no waiting and we had our photo’s taken and were all issued with our cards. The cast member told us that boarding wouldn’t be for a while yet but when we heard I number being called, which was number 5, we would be able to go onto the Dream.

In the meantime we waited in the queue to see Captain Mickey as it was only a short one, plus there really wasn’t anything else we could do at this point apart from sit and wait.

Waited about 15 minutes by this time though the queue had got a lot longer and the whole area was getting very busy and crowded. As we neared the front Mickey went away and was replaced with Minnie.

It was then our time to say hello so the kids went up straight away Minnie noticed Jamie’s t-shirt and she talked to Jamie, with gestures as to going on their first cruise. It was so lovely to see and more so because Jamie wouldn’t shut up and was telling Minnie all sorts!



Afterwards we walked around for a little while then I went to the restroom. At this point they announced boarding had begun and I thought it would be a while until our number would be called but it was literally every couple of minutes that they called the numbers and before I knew it they were calling our number!

I hurried myself up and met back up with everyone and we made our way over through those Mickey ears and along the tunnel. We had our photo took I don’t know why we bothered we could’ve skipped this bit as we’d already decided not to buy the photo package. Still it didn’t matter as it only took a minute.



Oh wow it was amazing to hear out name called out as we boarded and then everyone clapping too, made us feel like royalty lol.

We were blown away with the main atrium even though we’d seen loads of photos of it to see it in the flesh really was something else.


Because we were one of the first lots of people on board it meant that a lot of the public areas were empty so we had a chance to get a good look round and take a few photos!



We walked up those amazing stairs and looked down into the atrium all the while families were being greeted onboard.


The pools weren’t open yet but we could see they would be really soon so we went to the restrooms to get changed. On the way back we picked up some towels and sat ourselves down on the deckchairs next to the pool. We didn’t have long to wait until the shallower pool was open but it was a while until the deeper pool would be ready. Not sure why but I expected the pool to be somehow bigger? It more than served its purpose and the kids enjoyed their dip.


Jamie and Poppy were okay to go on the slide, the Aqua duck wasn’t yet open but people were already queuing for it.


Continued below…

We explored some more and Poppy made her way into the hot tub. A section of the floor is glass so you’re able to look down below you which intrigued Poppy.


Her brothers came to join her for a while at this time it was still really quiet around the pool area.


Time for us grownups to try the bar I purchased the glasses so it worked out a little cheaper to buy the beer this way. It also meant we could take the beer glass back home with us when we left


The weather was still holding up which I was so grateful for but it was starting to get a bit more breezy.

Both of the pools were open now and we then noticed that the Aqua Duck was operating too. The kids couldn’t wait to get on it so they went off for a ride. We could see them in the queue the whole time so knew that they’d be ok and couldn’t really get into any trouble.
Before we knew it we could see Jamie and Poppy zooming by…


We watched for Hayden coming down next but he didn’t? We waited a little longer and still Hayden didn’t come down so I started to panic a little. Scott went up to see if where Hayden was and whilst he did we saw Hayden riding down, it turned out that you weren’t able to come down solo you needed a partner. Hayden had been sensible and followed the life guard instructions and waited until another single rider came. So proud of Hayden.


All 3 of them raved about it and because the line was still relatively short I went up with Jamie for a ride and yes it was brilliant! So cool riding round the ship this way!

Hayden and Jamie checked out the other pool as it was now open it was a little too deep for Poppy though.



Thought it would be a good time to check out the food here so we made our way over to Cabanas where the main buffet was. It was a bit manic but we managed to get ourselves some food and find a table. Couldn’t believe the choice of food there was so much!


Next door to Cabanas were Vanellope’s sweets and treats which we had a look in. It was pretty cool inside but nothing really caught our eye probably because we were too full from our lunch!


Time to check out our room next which we knew would be ready now, we managed to find it more or less straight away. Our cases were outside the door so glad that they’d arrived.

The room was perfect and surprisingly spacious, the split bathroom would be really handy and make getting changed and ready a lot more easy.


We then decided to go along to the open house at the kids clubs to see what they were like.


They looked like a lot of fun we checked out the Oceaneers Club first and this was the one where both Poppy and Jamie could attend. I’d already registered them online so there wasn’t any need to do that they were both given a wristband similar to a magic band and this would be used to enter and leave the club. Poppy couldn’t leave of her own accord though but with Jamie being older we said it was ok for him.

We only looked in a couple of the rooms but they looked fab!


Hayden had found the Star Wars area, no surprise there and thought it was super cool. Well both Hayden and Jamie thought it was ace being here and you can guess which part was their favourite.


I had to gently remind them that other children were waiting for a turn lol otherwise they could’ve easily have stayed there all afternoon!


It was then that I heard a lady saying hello Julia, I turned round and it was another lovely dibber Becky who had come over to us. Becky and her family had just arrived on board and were checking out the clubs too. I’d been so grateful to Becky as shed helped me out so much with the cruise and had given me lots of handy tips and advice. This would be the second cruise that Becky and her family had been on so her advice had been very much welcomed.

We chatted for a little while then said our goodbye’s the kids wanted to look round the clubs a little more.


We took a walk round the top deck of the ship next we wanted to see where the other two clubs were. The Vibe was just for Hayden but we knew he wouldn’t want to go there on his own so because of their ages the Vibe was suitable for both Jamie and Hayden – it was for ages 11 to 14.



As we arrived the open house was closing as it was nearly time for the muster drill. This happened at 4pm but the clubs closed at 3.30pm. We decided we may as well go over to our station which was located in the Buena Vista Theatre. I popped to the restrooms before hand as I wasn’t sure how long the drill would take and I didn’t want to get caught short!


We could see a cast member holding the letter F up which was our group so we went over and gave our names and stateroom number. Then we sat down and waited for everyone else to come along. The alarmed was sounded which was extremely loud as to be expected but it did catch us off guard a little. The drill didn’t take long to go through and we were soon on our way back out of the theatre.

Continued below…

It was nearly time for the Sail Away party to start so we went back to join in the fun. The show was lovely and involved lots of singing and dancing and in between we went over to the side of the ship to wave at the people down below on the shore line. It really was exciting as we finally started to pull away, straight away I could feel the boat moving and so could Jamie. It was nice and smooth at that stage and I thought we’d been fortunate that there had been no rain.


Lots of people waved to us the music was blasting out really loud and we were all dancing to YMCA! I could see a few people in the café down below dancing along too it really was a great fun atmosphere I could tell we were in for an amazing time.


Sail Away Party over with made our way to the Edge club which was fairly empty at that time. Hayden and Jamie were welcomed in and everything looked good there and the boy’s said that they’d like to check it out later that night.



Couldn’t believe how quickly the time was flying by we realised that we only had half a hour before dinner started as we were on the first sitting at 5.45!

Somehow, thanks to those split bathrooms, we were all showered and changed in ½ hour. I decided to leave the unpacking until later when we had a bit more time, not that there was a great deal to do.


Our dining rotation started with the Royal Palace we were seated at a lovely porthole table. I had noted that we wanted to be seated alone I didn’t want Hayden to be anxious about eating with strangers and maybe trying to have a conversation with them either.


Our server introduced himself his name was Arya who was from Indonesia and our assistant server Daniel was from Portugal. They were both very nice and soon took our orders which were soon delivered to us.

Jamie wanted to try the Escargot so he ordered some for his starter and much to our surprise he really enjoyed them, even Poppy tried one!

The food was good but if I’m totally honest it wasn’t anything special. I think I had been expecting to be blown away with the food but it was just ok quality. Also I think we’d been spoilt with 2 weeks of Disney dining and had eaten some great meals so I was expecting the cruise food to be something else. One thing I must add though is the food at Cabanas was absolutely amazing especially to say it was a buffet.


Looking out of the porthole we could see those waves and they appeared to be getting bigger and bigger. I could definitely feel the movement of the ship and I was glad that I’d took some travel sickness tablets!


Arya came over and performed a few magic tricks for the kid’s which they thought was brilliant, he was really good with them.


After we’d finished we walked back through the atrium and there was some entertainment happening, a little limbo dancing for everyone. Alas I didn’t join in but Jamie and Poppy did.


It was nearly time for the show to start which was called the Golden Mickey’s but before it did the Cruise Director came on stage to welcome us all on the Dream. The captain also came on and introduced himself to us all then went on to talk about how rubbish the weather was going to be but not to worry as we’d still have a fantastic time!


This is a Hollywood style award show which even had a red carpet outside of the theatre. People were interviewed on there and it was screened on the large screen inside. We all thought it was very good and there was plenty of singing and dancing going on too.

At the end all loads of Golden Mickey’s came floating down on us we picked up a few them before we left the theatre.


After the show had finished Poppy and I nipped to the toilets and whist we stood there waiting we could really feel the ship rocking. I asked the attendant in there if this was normal as when you walked you could feel yourself really swaying. I also thought if this was normal I didn’t think I’d be able to cope if we did come across some rough seas. Thankfully she said it wasn’t normal for the boat to be rocking this much it was due to the weather system but she assured us that the captain would have put all the stabilizers on.

She went on to suggest having a drink of either green tea or a ginger drink so I was on the lookout for some. That kind of made me feel better, I knew if it had have been worse I would suffer with sickness.

Poppy asked if she could go to the kids club, we said course she could if she wanted to she could go for a little while to see how she liked it. We took her over and she ran straight in and joined with the group.
Couldn’t believe it when Jamie and Hayden said they’d try the Edge club, we walked them up there said our goodbye’s and then Scott and I had some time to ourselves. This is such a rarity for us we hardly ever any time to ourselves, I can’t remember the last time we went out so what a lovely surprise for us.

Of course we didn’t quite know what to do with ourselves haha, we had a walk round one of the upper decks. The ship looked lovely all lit up.


The boat was moving quite a lot now or maybe it was due to feeling it more because we were higher up. I didn’t feel sick just a bit woozy, it was hard to walk in a straight line as you kept swaying around. Felt like you were a bit tipsy but in a strange way.

After a little while we sat down at the top bar I think this was in the adult only area? And we sat and had a couple drinks. I’d managed to pick up a lemon and ginger drink so had that first.

It was purely a coincidence that the bar faced the Edge club but I must admit it made me feel more relaxed knowing that Hayden was enjoying himself and doing ok.


We had another little walk around the ship and I started to feel as if I was getting my bearings a little.


Can’t remember what the time was when we collected Poppy but it was around 10.30 to 11pm. She’d really enjoyed it at the Oceaneers club and had made a few things there including a paper turtle!

Back at our room our stateroom host, Rose had been very busy doing all the beds and generally tidying up. Because of us rushing out we’d left the room in a bit of a state but you’d have never have guessed as the place looked immaculate. The two suitcases had been pushed under the bed and everything else was so neat and tidy.

Of course we’d been left a chocolate each which I never did get to try and our blanket had been transformed into a crab!



Scott went to collect the boys from the club it was around 11.30, i felt absolutely shattered it had been a really full day. I felt like we'd done so much it seemed like a sensory overload everywhere there was so much to take in. We looked at the Navigator for the next day and like today there was so much to do. In the end we said we'd just take each day as it came i think we had done a lot of planning whilst in Disney World and it would be good to just kick back and take it as it came

We were still all really giddy about being on this ship so it took a little while for us to wind down a little before we went to sleep. The boat was still rocking around a bit but i was able to fall asleep ok. Fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow!

Thanks for reading

Oh Julia I loved reading this, we absolutely adored our cruise and I am so desperate to go back again - you took me right back! Your pictures are fantastic (as always!)

I had the same feelings as you about the food, we preferred Cabanas to the main restaurants.

P.S. The story about Hayden on the Aquaduck really made me smile, that must have been a huge deal for him, he should be really proud.

Ooh Ive been waiting for this Julia

I'm always surprised by how beautiful the ship looks in peoples photos. The pool does look small though. It seemed a good idea of yours to go to the pool first.

The kids areas look amazing - no wonder they all wanted to go! I had to laugh at you and Scott not knowing what to do with yourself! Hayden seemed to take everything in his stride today.

Hope you manage to cope with the movement of the ship.

brilliant fun filled but busy day,i would love to cruise dcl any ship im not fussy lol, but for those prices i would expect the food to be outstanding,so dissapointed for you that it wasnt mo x

Lovely photos of the ship! It looks amazing, especially the kids clubs etc. And your cabin looks really nice too, I really would love to try Disney cryises, we usually go on Fred Olsen, who I work for, or Celebrity cruises, which I love too. Looks fabulous Julia!

Lovely day <3

Loved reading this! Can really tell how excited you all were It looks like such a beautiful ship too x

Really enjoying your report. Gorgeous photos and can sense your excitement!

Not sure if you saw on IG how much our girls want to do the cruise?! Eldest commented about the lifeboats... So thanks for that photo!

Mrs P