Disney Dream - Restart Content (initial cruises)

[Marrila]

Not to mention isn't it hurricane season right now in Florida? When does that end?

Official Hurricane Season Dates for the Atlantic and Caribbean - June 1st to November 30th.

 

[tvguy]

and that is with a casino and a very robust bar-loving crowd.
Norwegian has been offering free open bar, free wifi and free specialty restaurants for a while now.

And with lower fares than DCL.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I've been watching various vlogs and one showed the jacuzzi area completely drained. That would be very unfortunate if they have them closed off during the sailings. The UK cruise still had them available.

 

[cvjw]

And with lower fares than DCL.

We could have booked a concierge suite on a 9 night NCL cruise for cheaper than the price of our 2 August dream cruises. In the end, we stuck with disney. We are sticking with what we know, love and trust. We did not want to be stuck on a ship we hated for 9 nights.

 

[dclDream2018]

That 10 minutes in the pool thing really gets me - it would take me longer to GET TO the pool then I would be allowed to actually be in it. I don't know why they don't make it half hour slots, that seems more rational.

Sorry I am trying to follow, are you saying there are 10 minute limits to be in the pool?

 

[dclDream2018]

Can any recent cruisers share what they saw for Nemo's Reef? Any time or what capacity limits there are?

 

[tvguy]

We could have booked a concierge suite on a 9 night NCL cruise for cheaper than the price of our 2 August dream cruises. In the end, we stuck with disney. We are sticking with what we know, love and trust. We did not want to be stuck on a ship we hated for 9 nights.

I think of the 9 ships* I have been on, there were no ships we hated. Pride of America was different, the ship wasn't a destination like the others, it was more a floating hotel since you overnight in two ports in seven days, have no sea days. You never leave the state of Hawaii. The expectation was guests would spend more time ashore because of the overnighting, and eat more dinners ashore. The food was just fine, but it was the only one of three NCL cruises we have taken with Free Style Dining. The "eat when you like" concept was a joke, with a 2+ hour wait for a table. You can't make reservations in the main dining room more than 24 hours in advance, where as the extra cost restaurants you can reserve as far in advance as you like. So, other than the first night, we made our reservations for the next night when we arrived for dinner, and requested the same server team. But Free Style Dining could go away and I would not be offended.
Extra cost restaurants on Disney seem to be far more popular than any other line that I cruised that had them. Our last cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, there was a very hard sell for booking the extra cost restaurants, to the point that a couple of days into the cruise, the cost of extra cost restaurants was cut in half. There never was a wait for the extra cost restaurants. Our server team said the ship was designed with the expectation that more folks would book extra cost restaurants, so they always had tables available, and the fewer folks would eat in the main (free) dining room, so tables were often filled in the MDR.

*Mermoz, Norway, Nordic Prince, Sovereign of the Seas, Amsterdam, Magic, Pride of America, Westerdam and Eclipse.

 

[HiStitch626]

Sorry I am trying to follow, are you saying there are 10 minute limits to be in the pool?

people have reported that the lifeguards are monitoring time in the pool and asking people to get out after 10 minutes so that other people can enjoy the pool. I assume it’s because otherwise the first people there could just get in and stay and no one else would have a chance to use the pool.

 

[pogmog]

End of November!

 

[katmigordon]

I've heard reports on this twice now, that pretty much you get ten minutes - then you have to get out for the next person. It all seems kinda daft. I get the need for a time limit - but 10 minutes??? Really???

I didn't hear that one. What do they do, blow a whistle after 10 mins and the pool has to empty for the next group? They didn't do that at the Beach Club. They limited capacity but they didn't tell people in the pool area they had to leave.

 

[lanejudy]

I get the need for a time limit - but 10 minutes???

I agree it seems really short, though there isn’t much more than “hanging out” done at the DCL family/kid pools anyway. I’m not sure about DCL but at many pools the lifeguards rotate every 10 minutes, so it may be a logical time from an operations perspective.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I bet if DCL starts to see the capacity too low, they will start offering the special rates as they have in the past. There are some GTY rates dropping lower, but still no FL resident or military discounts out there. It could be lower at this point as well since school just started in Florida and parents may wait until the fall comes around to keep kids out of school.

Only 2 so far have hit Cast Discount so they must not be that desperate

 

[JBeaty0507]

Only 2 so far have hit Cast Discount so they must not be that desperate

What 2 are those?

 

[Disneyland_emily]

What 2 are those?

Both were later half of August but not sequential- I don’t remember exactly which ones but I was surprised to see them. So far more haven’t popped up to where I feel the odds would be in my favor for our Nov cruise I haven’t PIF yet

 

[sethschroeder]

I've been watching various vlogs and one showed the jacuzzi area completely drained.

It looks to be open its in Kyle Pallos vlog sea day. It's also in a preview picture by Michael Kay.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Thanks for the photo and info! Perhaps it was just drained for cleaning. The vlog I watched occurred on embarkation day and occurred during the time before muster.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I just got off an NCL cruise and I have to say how relieved I was at how overwhelmingly normal it felt. It's 100% vaccination required right now.. so unfortunately no small children allowed yet... plus we tested at the port.. but once onboard, other than the lower capacity, staff being masked at all times and Purell hand sanitizer stations every 10 feet, it may as well have been a cruise in 2019.

I would not have been okay with any time limits in the pool considering how much time I spent there. The sun was BRUTAL this past week and I could not get in the water fast enough. I only stayed outside long enough for my shorts to dry before going back inside. Seriously.

Every production show in the theater was fabulous, especially Blazing Boots. Wow. Also enjoyed a comedy/magician show, a Broadway cabaret in the lounge, a standup comedy show, etc. so entertainment was A+.

Music around the ship was plentiful and at night you really had your options of whether you wanted to check out karaoke, live latin music, themed DJ parties (I enjoyed 80s night with the accompanying music videos on the screen), etc.

Didn't do a spa treatment but got a day pass to the Thermal Suites while in port which was great since we pretty much had it all to ourselves. So relaxing. I usually love a good trivia moment but the two I checked out were SO easy, it made me cringe. (Imagine movie poster trivia where all they do is block out the movie title and you have to guess )

The food was fantastic. I was shocked to see the buffet was self serve as I did not expect it to be but every station was still monitored by an attendant. We even did some specialty dining yet the best meal we had somehow still happened to be in the Main Dining Room. Perhaps the lower capacity allowed for more cooking to order but everything we tasted was fantastic and service top notch.

As far as Disney touches for a fan like me, we got to see Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker and Mulan (2020) playing in the big screen in the atrium. The latter was especially nice since we never got to see it on a big screen due to it premiering on Disney+. Even Coco and Frozen 2 played on in-room TVs so I was happy.

I totally understand Disney could never do fully vaxxed cruises right now so the coverage of the experience I've seen looks a lot like how the parks were when they re-opened last year. The biggest thing that's hard to swallow, other than the price, are some of the completely non-sensical omissions and closures as being "for your safety." Mickey waffles never hurt anybody! lol

Still I'd rather be on a Disney cruise than not so I'll keep watching experiences and check pricing to see if the value makes sense for what you're getting currently. Otherwise, it won't be until the Wish next year for us.

 

[yorkieteacher]

I agree it seems really short, though there isn’t much more than “hanging out” done at the DCL family/kid pools anyway. I’m not sure about DCL but at many pools the lifeguards rotate every 10 minutes, so it may be a logical time from an operations perspective.

I am one that only gets in the pool to cool off if I get hot, but my grandsons get into the pool to STAY! I am hoping we can alternate the kids pool/ Mickey slide/Aqua Duck so they will not feel cheated. I am hoping toddlers can stay in Nemo's Reef longer-there will be one screaming tot if that's the case there! I'm sure he won't be alone either if
little guys are only allowed to play for 10 minutes!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am one that only gets in the pool to cool off if I get hot, but my grandsons get into the pool to STAY! I am hoping we can alternate the kids pool/ Mickey slide/Aqua Duck so they will not feel cheated. I am hoping toddlers can stay in Nemo's Reef longer-there will be one screaming tot if that's the case there! I'm sure he won't be alone either if
little guys are only allowed to play for 10 minutes!

My kids were too old for Nemo’s Reef when the Dream was built but I can say for sure if they were 1-2 years old, they would have screamed bloody murder to be made to leave after 10 minutes. It would be an ugly scene. It’s harder to explain to a toddler. You can’t reason with a 2 year old. You can try but it’s not likely to end well.
At least an 8 year old would understand better about taking turns and what 10 mins really is. It’s like giving them exactly 2 licks of a lollipop & then taking it away.
I personally wouldn’t cruise with a toddler if that were the rules.

 

[trompettecon]

They just confirmed he's double vaxxed!

Yes. It is possible to be positive and even be triple-vaxxed. The vaccine prevents severe illness. You can still catch it. However, you will be shredding a lot less virus so are less likely to transmit the infection. Omnicron is another story. Very highly contagious. But almost all severe hospitalized cases are with the unvaccinated. My ICU is currently at 400% capacity. That is why I had to cancel my upcoming trip. I have to work. If you care at all about other people, social distance and mask-up. And hopefully get the vaccine if you have not already.