6 Reasons Why Disney Dream is the Best Short Cruise
If you don’t have a full week to go on a 7 night Caribbean cruise, a 3 or 4 night Disney Dream Bahamas cruise is a great way to enjoy the cruise experience without being gone for too long. Short cruises are also perfect for new cruisers who may be worried about sea sickness – three nights is the perfect length to give cruising a try!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – no one does vacations like Disney and that goes for their short cruises as well. In this post I share the 6 reasons why the Disney Dream is the best short cruise option. Are you an adult and on the fence about taking a Disney Cruise? Then read my post on9 Reasons for Adults to Take a Disney Cruise.
Table of Contents
Dining
Unlike other cruise ships that have one main dining room, the Disney Dream has THREE main dining rooms. So for a short three or four night cruise, you get to dine in a different dining room every night. The dining rooms are Animator’s Palette, Enchanted Garden, and The Royal Palace. Each dining room has a different theme but your servers will follow you to each dining room so they will get to know you and your dining preferences.
The Disney Dream also offers two adults only restaurants – Palo and Remy. Palo is an additional $25 per person and Remy is an additional $75 per person. And for those that don’t want a traditional sit-down meal, the buffet, Cabanas, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Activities
Every evening, the room steward would place an activities guide on the bed for everything happening on your short cruise for the next day. There are a wide array of activities you can take part of on any given day including watching a movie in the theater, playing bingo, visiting the spa, participating in karoke, drawing a character, attending a wine or mixology demonstration, or just relaxing on your balcony with a book!
Castaway Cay
Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. The Disney Dream visits Castaway Cay on both three and four night short cruise itineraries. The neat thing about Castaway Cay is that there is a kid’s beach complete with a sunken ship and water slide and also an adults only beach where you can sit and relax. You can eat your lunch right on the island at Cookies BBQ or Cookies Too BBQ (adults only on Serenity Bay) and enjoy all-you-can-eat ice cream. You can also rent bicycles, floats and snorkels.
Character Meet and Greets
If you have been to the Disney parks you know that meeting a character and getting an autograph can be a production, often taking hours out of your day. Not so on the Disney Dream, in your activities guide it will show what time, which characters, and where they will be on the ship. There will still be lines, but not even close to what you see in the Disney parks.
AquaDuck
Disney Cruise Lines are the only cruise line to have a bonafide aqua coaster on a cruise ship. Both the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have the “AquaDuck” – an aqua coaster that wraps above the pool deck. If you want to beat the long lines to ride the AquaDuck, come back from Nassau or Castaway Cay a little early and ride while everyone else is off the boat. For a different experience, ride it at night – the whole ride lights up!
Bars and Lounges
The Disney Dream does not disappoint with its 11 themed bars and lounges. As soon as you board, you will see the Bon Voyage Bar on Deck 3 and will more than likely be your first stop for an alcoholic beverage. “The District” on Deck 4 becomes adults only after 9pm and here you will find District Lounge, Evolution, Pink, Pub 687 and the Skyline Lounge. Also on Deck 4 is Vista Cafe where you can grab coffee and pastries during the day and a pre-dinner cocktail at night and D Lounge where you can grab a quick cocktail a boogie down to some karoke. On the pool decks are Cove Bar, Waves Bar, and Currents Bar. Lastly, tucked away on Deck 12 is Meridian, a wine bar tucked between Palo and Remy.
Fireworks at Sea
Disney is the only cruise line to have fireworks at sea. On Pirate Night, typically the second night on a three or four night short cruise, a pirate show happens on the pool deck at 10:30pm followed by “Buccaneer Blast” – a spectacular fireworks show right over the ship! The fireworks are choreographed to the popular songs from “Pirates of the Caribbean” and are truly magical!
Was this post helpful? Save it for later on Pinterest!
