my first disney cruise

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I didn’t celebrate my eighteenth birthday in a traditional way, I went on a Disney Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Dream instead. I’ve mentioned things that I have experience of, so there will be things missing that are available on the cruise. 

The Room

We were in room 10545 on deck ten. This location was great since we were just below the deck with Cabanas, Eye Scream, the pools etc. It was super convenient (dangerously convenient actually) to be able to nip up a floor to get an ice cream. The room had a large double bed, a sofa which converted into a bed, the magic porthole with moving images of either the sea or the port you were docked in at the time (watch out for Disney magic too!) and the tv with free access to loads of Disney films and tv shows.

The Food

Disney cruises follow a “rotation dining” procedure. They assign you to a restaurant each night, of which the dream has three main options. Theres also a range of speciality cocktails for those lucky enough to be over 21 to enjoy (sadly, at an extra cost).

Enchanted Garden

Inspired by the gardens of Versailes, a beautiful restaurant with a colour changing ceiling and a stone Mickey fountain as you enter. Dinner menu includes lobster ravioli, roasted pork tenderloin, portobello mushrooms and chicken dishes. Desserts (everyone’s favourite part of a meal) include no sugar desserts like strawberry cheesecake, or the popular warm sticky date pudding. If you’re quite boring like me you can order a Mickey ice cream bar from the kids menu (who doesn’t love them?!).

Royal Palace

This one is also French inspired. The walls are full of portraits of Cinderella, Snow White, Belle etc, showcasing a classic Disney princess theme. The dinner menu has highlights such as Lobster Macaroni, Chateau-Roaste Filet Steak, or the lighter alternative of Grilled Grain-Fed Sirloin Steak, Mushroom Ravioli and Roasted Duck Breast. The desserts featured a vanilla crème brûlée, strawberry shortcake sundae or a duo chocolate slice. This was the night that I got my birthday dessert and was serenaded by all the wait staff, it was a cute little chocolate cake with an edible sweet candle. 

Animator’s Palate

I’ve left the best til’ last in my opinion. It’s so unique, it’s very Pixar themed with a lot of Toy Story, Cars and Finding Nemo (or Dory) on the walls. On the dream the show is “Undersea Magic”, the Finding Nemo characters come to life through “spectacular digital animation and puppetry”, we sat under the large screen and ended up having multiple conversations with Crush the turtle throughout dinner. Not a sentence that many people can say. The bread service was my favourite here, garlic and herb focaccia bread, it was the only bread bowl that we finished (and pretty much finished the second one too, whoops!) Mains included Pennette Pasta, two Salmon dishes, two chicken dishes as well as beef tenderloin and veal chop. Dessert was my favourite here, the three of us had the Cookies n Cream Sundae which was so good, there was also chocolate fudge cheesecake and key lime pie. The kids menu and theming here was the most kid-orientated in my opinion, the menu had pizza, mini burgers and chicken strips. I think most children would prefer the menu and theming of Animator’s Palette compared to the other rotational restaurants. 

(Breakfast and lunch was available at all of the three restaurants above, but we only went for breakfast at a restaurant on the last day)

Cabanas 

A giant buffet area where you can sit and look out the glass windows onto the sea while dining. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Breakfast included omelettes, eggs, sausages, muffins and obviously Mickey shaped waffles. Lunch had the classics such as pizza, chicken, steak, sandwiches, sundaes and cookies. Cabanas did not serve its’ own dinner menu but instead offered dishes from the three signature dining options, for those that preferred a more casual dining experience. However, on pirate night there was a buffet in cabanas for dinner after the fireworks, with turkey legs and other favourites.

Room Service

Room service is a hidden (free!) gem on the Disney cruise line. It’s very rare to see free room service, even the Disney resorts charge 18% gratuity and a $3 delivery charge. It’s still nice to tip the room service staff, but is not compulsory and is not added to your bill, however some snacks and beverages are not included and will be charged on your account. It runs 24/7 so it’s great for an afternoon, pre-dinner or even a midnight snack. The menu includes hot dogs, pizza, Mickey bars, warm cookies, cheese boards and chef specialities. I definitely think it would be great on a longer sailing because I personally don’t think I would go to signature dining EVERY night. 

Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats, Frozone Treats

These are two stores on deck 11 and are some of the very few food items on a Disney cruise that you actually pay for. Vanellope’s is definitely worth a look, with adorable wreck it Ralph themed decor and delicious looking waffle cones, baked treats and gelato. Frozone specialises in cooling frozen-fruit smoothies, making them super tempting for when you’re lying under the beating sun.

Eye Scream Treats, Flo’s Cafe

Both of these dining locations are also on deck 11. Flo’s offers hot dogs, chicken fingers, burgers, fries etc, super handy if you’re chilling by the pool and fancy a quick snack. Eye Scream,, as you probably guessed, provides guests with soft serve ice cream cones and toppings. Many people bring their own bowls so they can have a large portion to share between the family.

The Entertainment

Broadway quality shows at the Walt Disney Theatre

These are shown twice a night in line with rotational dining times, with the thought that you can experience a show before or after your dinner, without any clashes. The Disney dream features Beauty and the Beast and Disney’s Believe about a work obsessed father reconnecting with his daughter through the help of the Genie. The shows really are broadway quality and are free! You also get a mini playbill/programme to keep as a memento. 

Classic and newly released films at the Buena Vista Theatre

Here are cinema showings throughout the day at the theatre from morning til midnight. The listings always include the newest Disney and Pixar films, and if you happen to be cruising when one is being released you may even get an advanced screening. Christopher Robin was released at the start of August but we waited to see it on the cruise. It’s great to go to the cinema for free, and you can bring in your own food so you can even grab something on Deck 11 and bring it down with you, or purchase some popcorn at Preludes. 

They also show movies and cartoons throughout the day on the big screens near the main pools on deck 11.

Pirate Night

Pirate night is a signature part of a Disney cruise. In the afternoon we came back to find Mickey/Pirates of the Caribbean bandanas for the party in the evening. Many people were dressed in extraordinary costumes, but there was just as many wearing casual clothes. There are opportunities to meet Pirates such as Captain Hook throughout the ship, as well as the “Party Like a Pirate” show and deck party after the pirate themed dinner featuring classic Disney characters in pirate attire and pirates of the Caribbean characters. It’s followed by a great firework show coming from the boat into the sky over the sea, true Disney magic.

Pools

The Disney dream has seven pools including the aqua duck water slide, suitable for kids and adults alike. Nemo’s reef is the adorable play area for kids eight and under. Satellite Falls and Quiet Cove are adult only (over eighteen) and there’s a jacuzzi in this area too, super relaxing. Then there’s Mickey’s, Donald’s and the Funnel Puddle for the whole family. Fun fact: the Disney Fantasy has the exact same pools plus the AquaLab. 

Activities

There is a whole host of activities for everyone onboard. There’s activities taking place all the time in each of the kids clubs like sloppy science, comedy shows and even a homecoming/prom for the 14-17 year olds in Vibe. Owen (ten years old at the time) went to the kids club as much as possible, he ended up winning a backpack with the cruise line logo from taking part in some quizzes and games. Disney also hosts activities specifically for adults such as couples game shows, solo cruiser gatherings and 80’s music challenges. For the whole family they have events like dance parties, bingo with high cash prizes, quizzes and character appearances. 

Senses Spa (over 18s only)

There is a spa offering high end treatments right on the ship. These are quite pricy ($120 for a fifty minute massage was the cheapest), I actually got a voucher for my birthday from Disney for $50 off a treatment, however, they still seemed too expensive to justify for me. My mum ended up buying us Rainforest room passes before we came, and I’m so glad she did! There are a limited number of passes available and they are likely to sell out since they are only $16 a day!!! (plus 18% gratuity) You can also buy passes for a few days (does not have to be used consecutively) and the length of your cruise. When entering the rainforest we were provided with a robe and slippers to wear in the spa and shown the lockers which were handy for keeping valuables in while you relaxed. The rainforest has tropical showers with multiple “rain” features in each one so you can alternate between the settings. They also have a hint of aromatherapy in each one. There was also a warm sauna, steam room and steam hamam. There were warm ceramic loungers facing the jacuzzi’s which look onto the ocean (exclusively on Dream and Fantasy). 

Near the spa there is also a complimentary fitness centre for those fourteen years and older (14-17 must be with an adult) with treadmills facing the sea, weight machines and some free fitness classes. 

Shopping

Sea Treasures is the place to go for Cruise Line exclusive apparel (like the spirit jerseys) and collectables. 

Mickey’s Mainsail is a must visit, with allllll the Cruise merchandise. 

White Caps is more luxury with fragrances, perfume and jewellery. Must shop there if you collect the Disney pandora charms as there’s some cruise line exclusives only available on the ships. While we were on the cruise there was the Tiffany & Co. pop up shop next to White Caps, but it had a rather small selection and the cruise line exclusive necklace was a steep $325. 

The Ports

Nassau, Bahamas

We got off the ship in Nassau late morning and had a stroll through the main street and did some shopping. They have high end such as Gucci to the classic touristy shops, and the Pandora store have a Bahamas exclusive charm. There was also an Alex and Ani store which had the Harry Potter bangles which I could not find anywhere in Orlando. When I boarded the ship I went to the shopping seminar and got a bag full of discounts to redeem, (also won a necklace in the raffle) and ended up with a free charm bracelet and cruise ship charm, then used my voucher to collect a free Bahamas charm in the Diamond International store in Nassau. I also collected a small necklace and earring set for free from one of the stores. So the seminar is definitely worth giving up an hour of your time for. The touristy shops had classic cheap souvenirs like t-shirts, jewellery, collectables etc. There is also a Hard Rock Cafe in Nassau, important to note that their legal drinking age is eighteen rather than twenty-one like on the ship! Also, in a few shops I was asked to show my passport to be exempt from the tax, luckily I had an image of it on my phone but I know some would not have this so that is something to be aware of.

Castaway Cay (pronounced Key), Disney’s Private Island in the Bahamas

This is Disney’s exclusive private island, so obviously this was pretty exciting. We had planned to be up at 7am to do the free Castaway Cay 5K run but abandoned that idea when we ended up watching movies until midnight the night before. Instead we still got up relatively early and had breakfast in Cabanas then got off to explore. The water was so blue and clear, it was lovely to look at. There was a lot of people snorkelling and sunbathing but it was just SO hot, so we just had a wonder round. We got a crushed ice and some souvenirs then headed to the barbecue for some lunch. After that we decided we had seen everything as we’re not really “beach people” so we did not want to lay around on the sand. 

My Birthday

Spending your birthday at Disney is magic, but a Disney Cruise on your birthday is something else entirely. I received a birthday badge upon check in, and had people saying happy birthday for the whole three days. My mum also had to talk to guest services about making a payment and whilst there she spoke to the cast member about celebrating my birthday, later that day we came back to the room and found a package from this cast member with popcorn, a magical moments certificate and badge, and some chocolate rice crispy Mickey treats from Vanellope’s. It was great to get my first piece of pixie dust on my birthday. All in all, I spent my birthday in the best place possible.