Photo TR: A [Disney] Dream Vacation

A few weeks ago I had the chance to sail again on the Disney Dream, the third ship in Disney's fleet of four. I made it a point to try some new experiences on the ship this time (including a hot stone massage in the Senses Spa & Salon, which I HIGHLY recommend) and Palo. Also great for me (because if you didn't already know, I'm a major foodie), all of the menus on the ship's dining venues have been updated with some incredible new items!

So let's dive in and see what I experienced this time around...

And I'm back!

And that means it is time for food!

Our stateroom for the weekend.

With a great verandah to boot!

I always enjoy seeing the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) as I sail away from Port Canaveral.

"I'm a shower, playin' a shower, disguised as another shower."

Frozen smoothie cups at Frozone Treats on the Disney Dream.

The District is the adult section of the ship with some great venues to relax without children around you.

Skyline is my personal favorite, offering the illusion of sailing through famous European skylines.

One of my favorite places to chill.

Every bathroom should have these amazing hand washing stations!

The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is open!!!

The Oceaneer's Lab is a great haven for kids.

Really designed with kids in mind.

So neat!

Time to sail away!

"There's a land cross this ocean I'm waitin' to see..."

S.687. Made of quality and built with love.

Remy: Elegance with a view.

The Wine Room at Remy can be booked for private groups.

John Lasseter signed several Lasseter Family Winery bottles, each with a custom label depicting a different Pixar film.

My favorite of the three rotational dining venues on the ship.

The Avocado Tuna Tower is one of my favorite food items on items on the ship.

Lobster Ravioli!

A light salad, because I can.

Perfect scallops.

And new to Enchanted Gardens' menu was the Pan Seared Sea Bass with Fava Bean (and a nice Chianti) and Pea Risotto, sliced Fennel, and a Dill-Chive Riesling Wine Sauce. It was KILLER!

Pre-dessert desserts. The passion fruit cubes taste like Jungle Juices gummies. I can't describe the "good feelies."

Chocolate mousse for good measure.

Enchanted Garden along with all of the rotational dining venues & Palo have all added new items to their menus.

I love the grandness of the Walt Disney Theatre!

Stopped for a flute of Taittinger in Meridian, a new favorite hangout for me on this cruise.

Started off dinner at Palo with some insanely good antipasti...

Tuna Carpaccio. Incredible!

Elissa-friendly food.

The calamari at Palo was spectacular. And the fried cherry pepper was uniquely spicy and sweet all at once!

Breadsticks with Atlantis in view.

The Grilled Portobello Mushroom & Polenta at Palo is 1 of my favorite food items on the planet. Seriously incredible!

Time to cleanse the palate.

There was no way I was going to skip the beef tenderloin. I opted for the gorgonzola sauce over the red wine sauce, because it is pure "delicious" on a plate.

New to the menu was this Tuna Steak with truffle potatoes. The tuna was beautifully cooked & the potatoes were rich!

The Chocolate Soufflé. As if there was any other choice to be made.

I'm just gonna leave this photo here and let you enjoy.

Calvados/Lemon Sorbet/Apple Brandy shot for the grand finale!

New cover photo incoming!

Our stateroom host had fun with my friend's FSU hat.

Next up...

Pirates are about to take over!

Captain Jack Sparrow sure knows how to make an entrance...

Why's the rum gone?

(Continued)

Jack points to the sky and fireworks begin!

Time for something a little different...

Turkey Legs are available at the Pirate Buffet during Pirate Night on the ship.

Pirate watermelons!

The level of detail is just awesome.

My favorite!

Pieces of the keel of the Disney Dream can be found in 687, the ships adult bar/lounge. 687 is named after the Disney Dream's codename at Meyer Werft, as it was the company's 687th project.

I can never resist the opportunity to have a loaded beer!

Admiral Donald says hello!

One part of this portrait of the Disney Magic's Atrium is no longer in existence.

The map behind Guest Services onboard the ship actually has magnetic models of the ship that can be placed where the ships are currently sailing during the year. As of right now, all four ships in the Disney fleet are based in Florida!

Time for some exploring at Disney's Castaway Cay!

Probably getting gorgeously tanned in Summer.

Making appearances at Castaway Cay!

Love it!

It was such an incredible day out, the moon could be clearly seen throughout our entire stay.

So picturesque.

Too easy!

Hi Minnie!

The Castaway Cay equivalent of the Main Street windows.

I spy with my little eye...

The moon!

Paradise.

My favorite!

Can't you tell? I like food.

Definitely a fixer upper!

The tram to Serenity Bay runs on the island's original landing strip, built in the 1940's.

Matt Ouimet, CEO of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, was instrumental in the development of Disney Cruise Line and the launch of the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder.

Mount Rustmore.

This is just so neat!

Love.

I spent a LOT of time at the Quiet Cove pool this time around.

These were delicious!

One of my favorite things to do on the ship!

Everything about this is just perfect.

Castaway Cay is really my favorite stop in the Bahamas!

I love getting the chance to take photos like this.

Animator's Palate still has the amazing Pasta Purseittes.

The Curly Endive salad was updated to include a cider vinaigrette and chorizo.

The trio of veal was replaced with this insanely good herb crusted veal chop. The serving was huge!

Do the wave!

I swam out to the back of the snorkel lagoon at Castaway Cay on a mission...

What's this?

A relic of departed past?

Could it be the Nautilus?

It is a point of pride that I could stand on the tail fin of the original 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Nautilus that operated at the Magic Kingdom Park when I was a kid.

It looks so brilliant in the water.

Listed to the side.

Well worth the swim!

(Continued)

I never get tired of this sight.

Or of Skyline.

It's the rabbit from Donnie Darko!

687 has its own brew on tap!

Animator's Palate ended up being a real favorite for me during this cruise!

The restaurant takes on an aquatic feel for dinner...

And then the characters from Disney-Pixar's Finding Nemo take over!

It really is awesome!

Also new to the menu was this goat cheese and tomato tartlet. It was fantastic!

What better dessert than a Mickey Bar?

So great!

I can't get over this chandelier.

Time for the See Ya Real Soon sendoff...

Hi Elissa!

Hi Minnie!

Hi Mickey!

In case you were wondering (and I know you were), they do have one of my favorite Disney movies on demand on the ship.

Bobbing along, bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful, briny sea!

Woke up to a nice view in Port Canaveral...

Time for one last meal.

An elegant presentation of a classic breakfast combo.

I miss this already!

And I need this entire table ensemble for my future home.

So many neat items from Pixar here!

Lots of great touches to be found throughout the ship.

Does it have to be over?

Sadly it does... But it was another great sailing!

Great report. Disney cruises (especially the food) look incredible.

Awesome report. Thanks for all the food photos. Deena and I really want to go on one of these cruises. Maybe for spring break next year.

dt

Want.

An all around amazing looking ship, experience and food. One of these years I will take an adventure on a Disney cruise.

Disney Cruises look amazing. They are probably worth the cost, but right now my family doesn't have enough money to go on one . One day I will get on one though.

I think at some point, every single thing on the ship was your 'favorite.' Cool report, would love to try one of these cruises some day.

Thanks this was an interesting report. I'm still worried I wouldn't enjoy a cruise, this may have changed my mind a bit about it.

Never really thought about going on a Disney cruise before, but this just blew me away.

Throw in the foodie and beer report and I rate this an A++!

Do the booths in Enchanted Garden rotate or move? For reason they look like they do.

^The teacup-looking booths in Enchanted Garden do not rotate. They definitely look like they were designed with that capability in mind, but neither the one on the Disney Dream or the Disney Fantasy ended up having anything enabled to allow rotation of the booths to happen.

Never really thought about going on a Disney cruise before, but this just blew me away.

 

Throw in the foodie and beer report and I rate this an A++!

Disney runs lots of 3 and 4 day cruises that would a be a great appetizer-size vacation if you don't want to commit to a full week-long cruise.

We did a quick 3 day cruise back in the Dream's first year, just to see it - a little hurried, but you get to see Castaway Cay, and experience the ship and definitely NOT get bored in that few days!

And Palo was a spectacular experience - my fave meal on ANY cruise I've taken so far - the antipasto cart alone made it an amazing experience!

Great TR, looking forward to going on our 2nd Disney cruise in a couple years!

^That's good to know...may have to check into that!

Awesome report. Thanks for all the food photos. Deena and I really want to go on one of these cruises. Maybe for spring break next year.

 

dt

I gotta be honest Dave...you would KILL YOURSELF if you went on one of these ships over Spring Break where the children outnumber the adults. If you're going to do Disney I highly recommend you try to go during a school period.

Thanks for all the photos Adam...CHEESE!!!!

^Sadly, due to Deena's job being with a school, we can only go on trips together when kids are out of school (spring break, summer, Christmas). No doubt we would want to set ourselves on fire from all the kids, so we likely won't do this during spring break. But we both want to get on one of these cruises at some point. We almost drove down to Tampa to get on a last minute cruise last week during her break. Guess it's a good thing we didn't since I ended up in the hospital, but it was still a fun idea.

This is also why she still hasn't been to Orlando, because we can only go during peak tourist times. Hopefully some day I will find hidden leprechaun gold in my back yard and solve these problems...

dt

Awesome report, especially the food pictures! It's been years since I've been on a Disney cruise and I need to go on one of the new ships.

I will totally second your comment that about the Grilled Portobello Mushroom & Polenta at Palo being one of the best dishes anywhere.

Great report, makes me miss the Disney ships.

Looks like you had a great time! I enjoyed all your pictures and captions. If you don't mind me asking, what does a cruise like this one cost?

^Thank you! It really depends on when you travel, what length cruise you pick and what stateroom category you choose. The numbers are always shifting so your best bet would be to call Disney Cruise Line for accurate pricing and options.