For our honeymoon, David and I did a half & half Disney vacation. Half the time we were at Disney World staying at the resorts (blog post for a different time), and the other half we went on a 3-night Bahamas cruise on the Disney Dream. We were left with some mixed reviews and lots to talk about so let’s dive in!
Food
What I remember about my first Disney cruise (which is like nothing because I was young and have a bad memory) is that the food was amazing and I ate way too much of it. This time around, I would probably give it a 6 or 7/10. That seems harsh, but it honestly wasn’t spectacular like the hype around it is. The first night was rough, to say the least. The food itself was actually very good, but before we got on the cruise, I had put in a request for a private table so that we wouldn’t have to sit with strangers. Being that it was our honeymoon, the chances were much higher to have the request approved. Well, we got there and it wasn’t approved. If you are going with a family of 4, you shouldn’t have this problem. It’s only an issue for couples (or so I have heard). Our company was incredibly awkward, to say the least. David and I couldn’t have a real conversation, and let’s just say we didn’t fit the demographic of our table-mates. Then the entree took about an hour to get to the table which made the awkward conversation draw out much longer than anyone wanted it to. The best way I can describe it is that everyone at that table wished the other people weren’t there and it was a mutual understanding between us. We were seated in the corner of the restaurant and all of the sound was bouncing straight into my ears. So so loud. Right after that dinner I went and put in a dining change request and sure enough, they gave us our own table the next two nights. WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THAT THE FIRST NIGHT?
The dinner food (Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace, Animator’s Palate) was a hit or miss. I had amazing sea bass while David’s steak was cold by the time he got it. I was especially sad when my creme brulee had the consistency of scrambled eggs….no thank you. However, the ambiance of the restaurants were lovely.
That being said, breakfast at Cabanas was awesome. After the Castaway Cay 5k, we went back to the ship and had breakfast overlooking the ocean and the food was amazing. They always had a great variety and it was a buffet and seat yourself. I’ve also heard wonderful things about Palo and Remy, but we didn’t try those because it is not included in the cost of the cruise like the other restaurants are.
Perks
Entertainment
It’s tempting to just want to sit in your stateroom or even sleep because the beds are AMAZING on the ship, but use the Navigator and pick events to go to. This is how we were on the “Match Your Mate” gameshow. It was a recommendation from a cast member, and it was nice because it was in the 21+ area. It was nice to get away from kids, Lol.
However, the musical the first night was so lame that we didn’t go to any more shows after that. The acting was fine, but the show itself was sooooo cheesy. They tried to make a show using scenes from 10 or so Disney movies and bringing it into another story, very chaotic storyline. It was a waste of time. I was disappointed because there are normally 3 shows on different nights, but the show that was cancelled was the one I wanted to see the most.
This doesn’t really fall under entertainment, but it is a must do: the spa! This was one of our favorite parts of the whole vacation. To my surprise, it didn’t cost us a fortune either! It’s a bit hard to explain to someone who has never seen it before, but they have a package called the Rainforest. It gives you unlimited access to 3 saunas: dry heat, eucalyptus wet heat, and wet heat without eucalyptus (idk if “wet heat” is the right term. Maybe that’s just humidity, haha.) Also, unlimited access to private hot tubs, “rainforest showers,” and relaxation chairs with heated tiles. We fell asleep on those. It was only $100 for 2 people for the entire cruise! We also did massages (extra cost), but I do recommend waiting and booking your spa sessions asap on the ship because you get a better offer. Rookie lesson learned.
Ports of Call
Our cruise took us to Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. Because the port adventures (AKA mostly Atlantis in Nassau) are so expensive, we made the Nassau day a spa day and it was amazing. 10/10 would recommend the spa on the ship. Get the Rainforest! We did get off the ship for about 30 minutes in Nassau and we affectionately now call it Nasty Nassau. You cannot try to explore it on your own because the vendors are overwhelming and it makes the whole experience extremely uncomfortable when people are yelling at you all the time. If you are going to do something in Nassau, book an adventure through Disney. I was shocked that people were walking the streets with children. I wouldn’t even let go of David’s hand!
Castaway Cay, however, was the best day of the entire vacation. Seriously. It’s the magic of Disney but in a tropical paradise. We started the day with the Castaway Cay 5k, which was great because we were the first people off the ship, you get to see the island as you run, and you get a medal for completion! <—the real reason I ran. David’s parasailing excursion was cancelled, but it ended up giving us more time to get breakfast before setting up camp on the beach. We did the Extreme Getaway Package which included feeding and snorkeling in the stingray lagoon, snorkeling on the family beach area, bike and tube rental. The package is under $100 per person and we would do it again in a heartbeat. We didn’t even have time to bike because the day went by so fast. Another perk, the food on the island is included! The weather was gorgeous and this Midwestern skin soaked up as much sun as it could get.
Stateroom
We had a verandah stateroom mid-ship. I really wanted a balcony to sip coffee on in the morning, and it was lovely. But we definitely felt the waves both nights, which I have been told is better if you have an inside stateroom (meaning no outsideaccess/verandah). The rockiness was tough, and I heard that the cruise before us was crazy rocky. But one of my favorite parts of the room was the bed! It was seriously the most comfortable “hotel” bed I have ever slept in! One big issue of the room was that David literally couldn’t stand in the shower #tallguyprobs
The Verdict
We absolutely would do another Disney cruise vacation. I think this first cruise was a learning experience, and now we know what we would do differently next time. We did a 3 day, 4 night cruise and it was a bit too short. I wanted more time because there was just so much we didn’t do. However, it might be a bit before we go cruising again because David gets to pick the next vacay!
