Poor Molly Kate had a very stuffy nose and didn’t feel well. She spent the majority of the night on either mine or Jason’s chest. I was prepared though and had bought her nose syringe and our Young Living Essential Oils which definitely helped her to feel better.

We ordered pastries from room service since we were up early with the baby. We put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for her and looked around the room at all the stuff we had to pack up. Sigh. That’s the worst part of the trip.

We left the room at 7 am to head up to Cabana’s. We were so excited to see that we were prepared to dock at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. We stood on the back deck of Cabana’s watching the entire process for a good 20 minutes. The island was so beautiful and the water was so clear!

We grabbed a table with a great view of the island and enjoyed a delicious breakfast. We were so excited to be able to go on the island. We had decided ahead of time that I would stay back with Molly Kate so she could take a good nap and then we would join hubby and the older kids. But first, we had to get our family picture.

We had our matching shirts on and our mission was to get a picture of the ship behind us. We were one of the first families off the ship and we headed straight for one of the professional photographers. Unfortunately their lenses were fogging up due to the humidity and they weren’t allowed to take a picture of us with our iPhone. Luckily a wonderful guest stopped and took a great family photo for us.

We said our goodbyes and Molly Kate and I went back to the room. Jason and the kids headed to the family beach to enjoy the ocean, build a sandcastle and play on Pelican Plunge.

Molly Kate laid down right away and took a 2 hour nap. I know the poor girl had to be so tired! I used the opportunity to catch up on some work and what was going on with life back home (I bought the $89 internet package and used it for about 5 hours of the ship and only used 1/2 of the data).

When she woke up, we got ready and headed to the island. Unfortunately, she woke up on the wrong side of the crib and she was in a crabby mood. We ended up staying on the island only 30 minutes before we decided to head back to the ship. I guess she wasn’t liking the heat or the sun. I’m not really sure.

Jason and the older kids decided they wanted to head back with us too. It was very humid and they were wanting to go on the AquaDuck again. We decided to go to Cabana’s for lunch again so that we could sit in the air conditioning. As you can tell, we really liked Cabana’s.

After lunch, Jason and the kids headed to the AquaDuck while I took Molly Kate back to the stateroom for her second nap of the day. This time she slept an hour before she was up and in a much better mood. She was all smiles while we packed the room up together.

By the time they got back from Deck 11, the room was packed and ready to go. The kids decided to head off to the Kids Club and we walked around the ship enjoying our last afternoon. We stopped by the Future Cruise desk and booked a Placeholder Cruise. We had to pay a $200 deposit and we have to book our cruise within 18 months. We will save 10% off the next cruise. Yay! We then went to deck 4 and watched the people on Castaway Cay who had rented the water crafts. I always love people watching!

We stopped by the Kids Club and got the older kids and then headed for our final dinner at Enchanted Garden. Our waiters were so excited that Molly Kate was actually joining us for this dinner. They had set her place every evening just in case she didn’t go to It’s A Small World Nursery.

Enchanted Garden is a beautiful restaurant and we were in one of the round booths which gave us a great view of the dining rooms. The kids, of course, scarfed their food down so they could go back to the Kids Club. So before long, it was just us and Molly Kate. She was starting to get cranky, so we decided to skip dessert and head back to the room. We wanted to put her in bed early.

The fireworks from Pirate Night had been moved due to inclement weather and I knew the kids would enjoy it. I stayed in the room to give Molly Kate a bath and put her to bed (oh the joys of being a mom!) while they went to watch the fireworks. And as soon as they were over (I hear it was amazing!), they were back in the Kids Club. They wanted to say goodbye to their friends.

Jason went back and got them just in time for the “See Ya Real Soon” show in the lobby. This show is really cute and features the Fab 5 in their sailing outfits. After the show, you can meet the characters. They were able to see Mickey, Daisy and Pluto with minimal wait.

Then it was time to go to bed for our final sleep on the Dream. Luckily Ms. Molly Kate slept all night.

We had to be at breakfast at 6:45 am at Enchanted Garden (on your departure day, you eat breakfast at the restaurant you dined at the night before) so we got up early and said our goodbyes to our beautiful stateroom. We had no complaints about the room except that the door was heavy and it was hard to get a stroller through it when it was trying to close on you. But other than that, it was fabulous and our room attendant did an excellent job at keeping the room clean for us.

We ate our delicious breakfast and said goodbye to our amazing waiter. He did such a good job that I went to Guest Services just to pay a special compliment on him.

After our breakfast, it was time to depart from the ship. We had our carry ons and we walked right out the ship, through customs and was at our car within 20 minutes.

Our cruise on The Disney Dream was everything we could have hoped for and more. We had an absolutely amazing time and we can’t wait to go again.

Catch up on Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1.

Our 3rd day on the Disney Dream began with the ship docking at Nassau. We woke up early and headed up to Cabana’s so we could watch the boat dock from their back deck.

As we pulled into port, we noticed the Norwegian Cruise Line had already arrived. We were able to watch a Carnival and a Princess boat approach which we found to be very enjoyable. When you see these 4 ships side by side, you realize just how incredible the Disney Cruise Line really is. The Dream is so well maintained and beautiful. One of the other ships has visible rust on the side.

After an incredible breakfast at Cabana’s (seriously, y’all need to eat here), we walked around the pool deck so we could see all of the ships around us. 

 

We decided to stay on the ship so we could explore and ride the AquaDuck again. But first, it was time for our meet and greet with Anna and Elsa. We had gotten tickets as soon as we had boarded and had selected the first meet and greet on Nassau day. We lined up outside Animator’s Palate. Since Princess Minnie was meeting in the Lobby shortly, I sent Jason to stand in her line.

We were ushered into Animator’s Palate where they had set up a backdrop for Anna and Elsa. We were 3rd in line to meet them. The baby loves characters, but she was more impressed by the scenery than she was by the princess and the queen. The kids gathered together for a quick photo and then we were off to meet Minnie Mouse.

We joined Jason in line (which is really the best thing to do on the ship since there are so many characters to meet) and when it was our turn, the baby was so excited! Minnie even got in the floor to hold her, which was so sweet. This was probably the best meet and greet we have ever had with Minnie in all our trips.

Next it was time for our meet and greet with the princesses. We had tickets for this event as well. We got in line with our tickets and waited about 15 minutes before it was our turn (we were a little early for the meet up). The baby fell asleep while we waited.

The first princess we met was Snow White. The kids decided to tell her that Molly Kate had apples for breakfast. Her response was absolutely adorable.

We also met Belle, Cinderella and Rapunzel. We always love talking to Rapunzel. She has the best attitude and responses. Plus I just adore her outfit.

 

We then rushed back to our room to put on our bathing suits so we could ride the AquaDuck a few times before the line got busy. The baby had finished her nap by this point and she enjoyed playing in the splash area.

We arranged to have Molly Kate stay in the nursery for a couple hours midday so we could go on another ship date. We dropped her off at It’s A Small World Nursery and then went to Cabana’s for lunch. Their sushi was so good that I had to go back for more. I knew it was free of dairy, so that made it an easy allergy free alternative.

The kids headed to the kids club and we went to Deck 4 to Pub 687. During the day, you can play family games and activities. We decided to challenge one another to a game of Connect 4. I stomped him. We ended up playing 9 rounds and I won all but one. I didn’t even know that I was that good. HA!

 

Jason went to get the kids while I waited in line to meet Mickey Mouse in his Halloween costume. I was able to strike up a very interesting conversation with the couple in front of us. It’s always fun to chat Disney.

Mickey looked stunning in his Halloween costume and then we were off to wait to meet Chip and Dale in their costume. While we were waiting they started lining up for Pluto so Jason went to wait in his line. Pluto is Jacob’s favorite character so we definitely wanted to see him in his costume.

Because Jason had on his Roll Tide Mickey shirt, he was able to strike up conversations with the men around him about football. We found the shirt at Cracker Barrel a couple years ago. I have also seen a Tinker Bell shirt with sports teams on it.

Once we said our hellos to Pluto, we went back to the room to dress like pirates and get ready for the Halloween party. Not only was it Pirate Night, but they were also hosting a Halloween Party complete with a show performed by the characters in their costumes.

We made it back to the lobby just in time to see them perform. We then danced with Chip and Dale and played a couple games. We also were able to get a family portrait with us dressed like pirates. We didn’t dress Molly Kate in her costume because it was very close to dinner and we didn’t want to drop her off at the nursery in her pirate outfit. Jacob has a funny expression on his face because he was trying to talk like a pirate. While I enjoyed the professional portraits, the company they use on the ship is not as good as the one at Disney World.

When you cruise for 4 nights on the Dream, you will be scheduled for 2 nights in the same dining room. One of the 2 nights is Pirate Night and it has a separate menu. We were back in Animator’s Palate for our second night. When we entered, the screens around the restaurant were playing various clips of pirates in Disney movies.

The dinner was delicious. Our waiter, as always, was very attentive to us. He is such a nice guy and I hope if we cruise again, we are able to request him. He brought the kids their food quickly so that they could rush off to the pirate events in the kids clubs.

Hubby and I sat and enjoyed the rest of our meal alone. We had asked the nursery to keep Molly Kate for 3 hours so we were free to enjoy another couple of hours without kids. We decided to go back to the room to change out of our pirate costumes and then head to the kids club to get Jacob and Emily. We wanted them to see the Pirate In The Caribbean Show.

We got a great viewpoint on the 12th deck to watch the show below. About halfway through the show, Captain Hook takes over the ship. He and Mickey battle it out and the crowd tells Hook that he’s a codfish. It was a very enjoyable show!

We picked up Molly Kate from the nursery and got her into bed. Jason and the kids decided to go down and meet Pirate Stitch and Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. When it was their turn to talk with Captain, Peter Pan ran by yelling “Hook is a codfish! Hook is a codfish!” It was their favorite moment of the ship!

Unfortunately they had to reschedule the fireworks due to inclement weather, so we decided to call it a night.

All in all, it was a wonderful and busy day on the ship.

 

Day 2 on the Disney Dream was the day spent at sea. When you sail for 4 nights, you’ll have one day at Nassau, one at Castaway Cay and one at sea.

Even though the baby had a rough night, we were still up for the day at 6:30 am. We are morning people, so waking up early is just natural for us. We got everyone ready (love that the stateroom has 2 sink areas) and headed up for breakfast at Cabana’s. We got a table on the deck overlooking the back of the ship. The weather was perfect (we were never hot or cold on the ship) and the view was amazing.

Cabana’s breakfast buffet had so many options! There was fresh fruit, breakfast meats, eggs cooked multiple ways, dry cereal and our favorite, Mickey Waffles! Although I will admit that the ship’s waffles were not as good as the ones at Walt Disney World.

After we finished breakfast, we put on our suits to head to the pool and I wanted to try out the AquaDuck. We try to avoid things when they are crowded, so we would go to the pool early in the morning and late in the evening.

I am normally scared of heights, but climbing up to the top of the ship (the loading area for the AquaDuck is on the 14th deck and you have to climb up 3 decks worth of stairs to get to it) didn’t bother me. Racing down the water slide in a double inner-tube wasn’t terrifying either. Even when it went out over the ocean. My son and I did it 3 times before the line started to exceed a 10 minute wait. Then it was on to more fun!

Molly Kate absolutely loved playing in Nemo’s Reef, the splash area for kids 8 and under. On one of the back walls is a waterfall that cascades from the ceiling to the floor. There is a narrow amount of space on the right side where the water does not fall. She crawled the entire length of the waterfall until she found the safe area to cross where she wouldn’t get her head wet. She is so precious!

Once we had our fill of swimming, the kids wanted to head to the Kids Clubs to meet up with the friends they had made the previous night. My husband and I took this opportunity to deliver our Fish Extender gifts. Fish Extender is an internet organized gift swap onboard the Disney ships. You join the Facebook group for your cruise dates and then sign up for a Fish Extender group of 10-15 people. During your cruise, you deliver small gifts to the families in your group. They will have a bag or organizer hanging on the fish by their stateroom number. In return, they deliver small gifts to you. We got cups, light up bracelets, water and sand toys, pirate items and lots more.

We used the Home-Cube® New Cute Wall Hanging Storage Organizer Bag 5 Pocket (Mickey Pluto Minnie) for our Fish Extender and it was perfect! It fit the space and the pockets were wide enough to hold the gifts we received.

After we finished delivering our 9 Fish Extender gifts, we decided to go sit in the lobby until it was time for lunch. When we arrived, they were calling for crawling babies to compete in the Jack-Jack’s Incredible Diaper Dash. It’s a competition for crawling babies to see who can get across the finish line first. Since Molly Kate was still a crawler, we decided to enter her. Why not? We were already there.

There were 8 babies competing, so they broke them into 2 groups. Molly Kate raced in the second group. I had my husband hold her on the start line and I waited for her at the finish line. I decided to sit the camera on the floor instead of holding it so that I could better encourage her to come to me. Of course, she wanted the camera….

She won the first round and then she had to compete in the finals. The other baby competing was also 15 months and also from the great state of Alabama (Roll Tide!). He was technically faster, but he got distracted and crawled off the mat. Molly Kate was focused on getting my camera so she head straight down her lane for it. And she won! Her prize was a stuffed Halloween Mickey which was great because we collect stuffed Mickey’s in different outfits and didn’t have him yet.

Next we headed back to Cabana’s for lunch. We called the kids on the Wave phones and Jacob came and met us for lunch. Emily decided to eat with her friends by the pool. Cabana’s had an incredible lunch buffet with a variety of seafood, rack of lamb, tenderloin, sushi, all the fixins and a number of desserts. You won’t go hungry when you dine at Cabana’s!

As soon as he finished eating, Jacob went back to the kids club leaving us on our own again. We spent another couple of hours just walking around the ship and exploring everything we came across. We especially liked deck 4. You could sit in a lounge chair and watch the ocean as the ship glided across the water. You could also play Shuffleboard, but we had no idea how to play it.

 

We picked up Jacob from the Kids Club and had Emily head to the room so we could get ready for dinner. Tonight’s meal was at the Animator’s Palate which I was really looking forward to. Molly Kate was headed for a stay in the It’s A Small World Nursery and I asked them to keep her from 5:30 – 8:30 so Jason and I could have a ship date after our meal. While we waited to drop her off, Peter Pan came by for a picture. He would often just wander the ship looking for something to get into.

When we arrived at Animator’s Palate, our server was waiting to greet us by the door. He was such a nice guy and I am so glad we got such an amazing server. When you enter Animator’s Palate, you’ll notice all the screens on the walls. Halfway through your meal, Crush from Finding Nemo swims into the restaurant. He goes to each dining area and interacts with the guests. Unfortunately were weren’t seated close to the screen, so I wasn’t able to hear much of what he was saying.

The kids stayed for their entree (they totally skipped dessert) and then took off for the kids clubs again. Jason and I enjoyed the rest of the meal as if we had been on a date the whole time. We enjoyed just sitting and talking about everything we had done and everything we wanted to see.

Since we were on our own for 2 hours after we finished dinner, we decided to start with a round of Putt Putt on the Goofy’s Sports Deck. We haven’t played Putt Putt in over 10 years. Jason ended up with the first hole in one and I finished the game with one. Although after I scored my hole in one, I noticed that as long as you hit it up the ramp, it’s going to go into the hole.

We noticed that there was no one on the pool deck, so we raced back to our room to put on our bathing suits. We went on the AquaDuck 4 times together before taking a quick dip in the pool. We picked up some popcorn by the movie theater to enjoy in our stateroom while we watched the pre-recorded Golden Mickey’s performance.

We got the baby from the nursery and took her back to the room to put her to bed. We had a super cute towel animal waiting on us along with chocolates and our beds were turned down. I love that the stateroom host comes by twice a day. They work so hard on the Disney Dream.

We used the curtain to divide the room (the TV will swivel from the wall so we were able to move it to our side of the curtain) and turned on her sound machine. She was out like a light and ended up sleeping all night. Praise the Lord!

We enjoyed the showing of Golden Mickey’s and hubby ran down to the Kid’s Club to get Jacob and Emily. They would have spent the entire night there if we let them!

We had so much fun on our Day at Sea on the Disney Dream. We really enjoyed watching the ship glide over the water. The movement wasn’t too bad. I barely noticed it at time. It definitely wasn’t enough to knock us off balance or make us nauseated.

Man, I wish I was still on the ship. Don’t you?

You can read day 1’s trip report here.

We drove down to Orlando a few days before our Disney cruise to stay with a friend of mine who lives in the area. The kids thought we were only visit her so it was a great cover for us! On the morning of the cruise, we told the kids that we needed to take pictures of the Disney cruise ship for the blog.

When we pulled over the bridge into Port Canaveral, we saw the Disney Dream. It will take your breath away. It is huge and beautiful and absolutely amazing. My daughter spotted it first and had a hard time containing her excitement and disappointment that she wasn’t going on a cruise.

We pulled into the employee parking lot and parked so we could get a better view. We walked over and looked at the ship, took a few photos and then headed back to the car. I told the kids that I meant to take a picture of them in front of the ship and just before I snapped the picture, I handed them letters from Cinderella and Mickey inviting them aboard the ship for a 4 day cruise.

Because we were so early, we went to McDonald’s to play for a bit. That didn’t last long because we wanted to go sit and stare at the ship. So we went ahead to the parking deck and found a spot where we could just sit and watch the activity on and off the ship.

Finally it was time for the departing guests to enter the cruise terminal. A quick stop through security and we were finally inside Disney’s cruise terminal. It is a lot like an airport, but it is Disneyfied and super clean. We checked in and then waited in front of the model of the Disney Magic to meet Captain Mickey.

We also went ahead and checked the kids in for the Kids Club and got their MagicBands. The kids are issued MagicBands to keep track of them in the kids club. You are issued a Key To The World for everything else. My hubby and son put on their bathing suits because their goal was to ride the AquaDuck.

Finally our boarding number was called (10) and we were allowed on the ship. We waited for our boarding picture (I bought the photo package ahead of time and wanted as many pictures as possible) and then it was time to walk up the ramp and into the atrium of the incredible Disney Dream. They announced our name as we boarded the ship (what a magical touch) and then we were on our own to explore.

My daughters and I went to the 5th floor to get tickets to meet the Princesses and Anna and Elsa. These are the only meet and greets that are ticketed. The line was about 30 minutes, but the baby slept and Emily looked out the portal window.

We decided to go to Enchanted Garden for lunch. It had a buffet and very attentive staff. Because I don’t eat dairy (the baby has a dairy allergy and I am still feeding her), the chef came and spoke with me and was able to whip up a pasta based dish for me to have for lunch. She also pointed out which items on the buffet I could have. Our waiter also brought the baby a chopped banana and made fruit smoothies for the kids.

Right as we finished lunch, they opened the staterooms. You can’t enter your stateroom until 1:30, but they allow people onto the boat starting around 11:30. There is so much to do though that the time will pass quickly. We made our way to the 9th floor, stateroom 9658. While it was small (241 sq feet), there was so many nooks and crannies for storage that we didn’t even utilize them all!

In our stateroom, we had 2 closets, 9 large drawers, a large cabinet, 2 smaller cabinets, 6 shelves, a long desktop and even storage in the coffee table. There is also a fridge that kept our water very cold. The said our bed was a Queen, but it felt more like a King. The kids slept on the bunkbeds and the baby was in a Pack N Play. They even supplied a Diaper Genie which was a very nice touch. The room had 2 bathroom areas. One had the toilet and a sink and the other had a sink and round tub/shower. You could choose to have the water flow from the shower head, the tub or from the rain shower above your head (so cool!).

We unpacked our carry ons and the rest of luggage was delivered a few minutes later. By 2:15, we had everything unpacked and organized. We then went to visit the Kid’s Clubs so we could see what all they had to offer. The Oceaneer Club was amazing. They had so many different activity stations for the kids to play in. Jacob’s favorite was where he could drive his own cruise ship around. That was right up his alley and he would spend hours playing that game during the cruise.

We stopped by It’s A Small World Nursery to register Molly Kate. We decided to pay for her to be in nursery during our dinner. She normally goes to bed between 5:30 and 6 at home (she is up at 4:30 – 5 am), so I knew sitting at a meal would be difficult for her. The nursery was very clean and well maintained. There were a number of different toys and activities for her to enjoy. The Cast Members who worked the nursery were from England and Australia and used words like “cupboard” and “nappy”. I just love listening to the things they say!

We then had to make our way down to the lifeboat drill. On the back of our stateroom was instructions on where we were to go in the event of the emergency. For us, it was located in one of the clubs with air conditioning. It took about 20 minutes and we were seated in comfy chairs the entire time.

When the drill was over, we needed to make our way to the pool deck for the Sailing Away party. This was insane. Everyone was trying to go up, so the elevators were slow and busy (we were in the aft of the ship). I had the baby in the stroller, so I couldn’t take her up or down the stairs. I sent my hubby and kids on up to see the show and told them I would meet them. I tried to be patient and show a good attitude, but it was very annoying to watch people go down to the 3rd floor and then take the elevator up. When it would open on the 4th floor, they would just smirk at me. So I would suggest to you that you do not take a stroller to the lifeboat drill. Carry or wear your child if possible so you can avoid the elevator situation.

After 15 minutes, we finally made it up to deck 12 where my family was watching the show. The kids always love seeing their favorite characters dancing and singing. I also enjoyed looking over the other side of the ship as we pulled away from the port. It’s fascinating how smoothly and precise they can operate the cruise ship.

I took Emily up to check out the Edge (the club for tweens) before we headed down to dinner. She wasn’t as impressed as the Oceaneers club, but she was looking forward to hanging out with her peers.

We dropped Ms. Molly Kate off at the nursery. They gave her a MagicBand to wear and told us what was on the menu for dinner. Since she has a dairy allergy, I had packed her some food which they were happy to feed her. She was excited to play with the toys and get the attention of the Cast Members.

Our first dinner was in The Royal Palace. This restaurant serves French inspired cuisine and has very elegant and upscale decor. If you plan to dress up for dinner one night, I would for the night you are dining here. One of our favorite touches was that the bread is served on your table inside a wire carriage.

Each table is assigned a head waiter (only seen once during the meal), a waiter and an assistant waiter. The assistant waiter is responsible for your drink order, refills, bread service and anything else you might need. Your waiter will help take your meal order, serve the food and make sure everything is to your satisfaction. Our waiter was absolutely amazing. He had a number of delicious recommendations and was eager to help me find dairy free options. He even brought me the menu for the following night so I could go ahead and pick my meal out. This would enable the chef’s to prepare it without dairy and have it ready the following night.

The kids ate quickly and ran off to the kids clubs before the adult entrees were even served. I knew it was important for them to go on the first night so they can make friends with other kids. They had so much fun in the kid’s club that we had to pull them back to the room at almost 10 o’clock that night!

After we finished our delicious meal, my husband and I had a few minutes before we had to pick up the baby. We decided to use this time to browse the gift shops. The shops aren’t open while you are docked in port, so you have to make sure to shop while you are at sea. I had read that it was best to shop on the first night because if they sell out of something, you won’t be able to get it during your cruise.

We browsed the various shops and ended up purchasing a couple Tervis cups with Disney designs (these are absolutely amazing), a photo album (something I get on every trip), a magnet, Christmas ornament and new plushes for the kids. We collect plushes of the characters in different outfits. We got sailor Pluto, pirate Mickey and a plush cruise ship for the baby.

When we got to It’s A Small World Nursery to pick up Molly Kate, we were overjoyed to be presented with artwork she had done during her stay. They took her footprint and made the cutest little prints. How thoughtful was that?

We took her back to the room and got her settled for the night. They provided a Pack ‘N Play for her as well as a Diaper Genie. There is a heavy curtain that separates the room in half, with our comfy bed being on one side of it. This was helpful as we could put her to bed on one side and still move about quietly on the other.

I ordered the family warm cookies and milk from room service while my husband called the kids on the Wave phone (special phones provided to each stateroom for use onboard the ship and Castaway Cay) to come back to the room. The kids enjoyed their snack and we all headed to bed after a very exhausting and exciting first day.

Unfortunately, the parents didn’t sleep long. Ms. Molly Kate did not like the way the ship moved in the night and ended up sleeping on our chests all night. We would take turns with her, trying to lull her back to sleep. I didn’t think about how the ship moving might affect her sleep. You can’t feel it that much, but it does make strange noises that she wasn’t accustomed to. Even though she sleeps with an ocean sound machine, she was not fond of the real ocean sounds especially when the ship would turn.

Overall, our first day on the ship was great. We enjoyed every moment of it and it was interesting comparing it to the parks. They don’t compare at all except you can see some of the same characters!

Stay tuned for the Day 2 trip report.

With multiple Walt Disney World trips and even a Disneyland trip under our belt, we decided it was time to take our first every Disney cruise! We just got home from 4 nights on the Disney Dream that sailed out of Port Canaveral on September 14th. I chose not to announce the cruise ahead of time because I knew I wouldn’t be able to blog live from the cruise like I usually do when we visited the parks. We also have had a couple break-ins in our area and we didn’t want to announce on social media that we would be out of the country.

For our cruise on the Disney Dream, we booked a Category 8B Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with a porthole. Our trip total came to $2,751.80 for 2 adults, 11 year old, 8 year old and 1 year old. When I selected the dates, I priced every single cruise in 2015 and then picked the least expensive one. If I had booked the day the prices were released, I might have saved more money. If you plan to cruise, try to book the day the itineraries are released. The prices will just go up!

We headed down to Orlando a few days before our cruise to stay with a friend of mine who lives in the area. This way we were able to wake up on the day of our cruise and drive straight to Port Canaveral. You definitely do not want to try to travel to Florida the day of your cruise. Too many things can go wrong and the ship will not wait for you!

We didn’t tell the kids about the cruise ahead of time. They thought the whole reason for the trip was to visit our friend and her family. On the morning of the cruise, we told them we wanted to take pictures of the Disney cruise ships for blog posts. We pulled into the Employee Parking Lot and let them walk over to look at the ship. Then we presented them with letters welcoming them onto the ship. Here is a video of their reaction:

We spent 4 nights on the Disney Dream including a day at sea, a visit to Nassau (we stayed on the ship) and a day at Castaway Cay (amazing!). It was also Halloween at Sea so on top of the normal activities they also added in a Trick or Treat event, meets with characters in their Halloween costumes and a special Nightmare Before Christmas showing with a visit from Jack and Sally. There was so much to do on the ship!

I won’t say that I like the cruise better than the parks, but it was an equally magical experience. The Cast Members were so attentive and I looked and couldn’t find a single speck of dirt on the entire ship! We will definitely be taking another cruise in the future. I’ll also be sharing our trip reports this week.

Here is our final costs for the cruise:

Cruise – $2,751.80
Pictures – $195
Tips – $240
Nursery – $90
Tubes on Castaway Cay – $12
Parking for 4 nights – $75
Gas there and back – $187
Souvenirs – $122
Misc. Expenses – $33
Total: $3705.80

Since we had saved $3905.91 for the cruise, we still had right at $200 left! So we used that money to pay a deposit on a placeholder cruise. This means that we will cruise again within 24 months and we will get 10% off the cost of that cruise. I am so proud of us!