We recently embarked on an exciting adventure across the seas with Disney Cruise Line. This was our first time using Disney Cruise Line, and it did not disappoint. 

We sailed onboard the Disney Dream, on a four night bahamian cruise. Our itinerary was as follows; embarkation day, day at sea, Nassau, and finally Disney’s Castaway Cay. The fifth day then being disembarkation day. 

As DVC members, we utilised our points from our 2024 membership year to cover the cost of the cruise. It is worth reminding you there there is a small administrative cost when transferring your points to a Disney Cruise Line vacation. Check the Disney Vacation Website for the latest fees. 

The Disney Dream is one of five Disney Cruise Line ships, and is the sister ship to the Fantasy. It has 14 decks in total, which provides ample space to house facilities for the whole family. The fantastic thing about all Disney Cruise Line ships is their adults only spaces – which as travellers without children was something we took advantage of.

Staterooms: 

We opted for a veranda stateroom, which was decent in size with plenty of storage. As Disney Cruise Line ships have been designed with family travellers in mind, this also translates to the staterooms too with these being much larger than on other cruise line ships in order to accommodate a family. 

The staterooms feature a split bathroom, with the first section containing a sink and toilet, and the second containing a sink and a shower over a tub. This is great to help speed up getting ready before an exciting day ashore or around the ship. 

Each stateroom has a fabulous stateroom host looking after you, and they do a fantastic job of keep your state room spic and span throughout your sailing. They regularly change the towel out and ensure all the amenities are top up. Disney Cruise Line provides the same amenities as you’ll find in Disney Resorts in the US. (Let’s not lie, we know they are H2O products just with stickers on). Each evening upon returning to your stateroom, your stateroom assistant will have fashioned the throw from the bed into some sort of creature, which is always a nice surprise to return to when you retire for the evening.

Should you wish to send a postcard to your loved one back ashore, then you’re in luck, as you’ll receive two complimentary postcards within your stateroom. If you have Bahamian stamps, you can even post your postcard from Castaway Cay. Check with guest relations as to whether this service is still offered at your time of sailing. 

Dining:

All food onboard is included with Disney Cruise Line, and soda and soft drinks are also complementary from beverage stations across the ship and within the dining facilities. One thing that we think was lacking was water refil stations. They could have done with having these on all floors, either near the elevators or guest corridors – as it was a real pain having to keep trekking to the few beverage stations on the upper decks. 

There are two signature restaurants onboard the Disney Dream; Palo, which offers Italian cuisine, and Remy which offers up French style dishes, either as a tasting menu or al a carte. Both are adults only. We were fortunate to visit Palo for dinner on our final night, and it did not disappoint. The food and service was excellent, and the restaurant has sommeliers to hand to recommend wines to compliment your dinner. The portions are very generous, so go easy on the lunch on the day of your visit to save room for all of the delicious dishes on offer.

The rest of the dining was also very good. Disney was one of the first cruise lines to introduce rotational dining. This means each evening your meal will be in a different location, but your serving team move with you. This is great as you get to experience different types of cuisine each evening, a different setting, and generally the dining rooms are smaller than your typical main dining room on a cruise ship as they are only accommodating a fraction of the entire ship at one one. On the Disney Dream there is a total of three dining rooms; Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, and The Royal Palace. Our favourite was Enchanted Garden, the food that evening was delicious, with the kitchen serving up some great seafood options, with the Scallop starter being a true star. The atmosphere in this restaurant also felt undoubtedly Disney, with great theming elements throughout the space. It also felt far less chaotic then Animators Palete, which on the Disney Dream is nothing like the original on the Disney Magic where the dining room ‘comes to life’ in colour throughout your meal. The Royal Palace, whilst having a regal feel, didn’t provide anything unique. 

A great tip is that The Royal Palace also serves breakfast in the mornings. If you want to avoid the Chaos that is Cabanas (and believe us – it’s absolute carnage in there) then The Royal Palace is a great place to get a sit down breakfast, with Cabanas being the buffet alternative for breakfast, but which also serves up lunch and dinner. You can go to Cove Cafe for breakfast also, if you just fancy a pastry and coffee for breakfast – the coffee here is speciality coffee, which you have to pay for, but something we found out a little too late was that all the pastries on offer our included within the price of your cruise. As mentioned, all food on Disney Cruise Line is included in the price of your cruise vacation, but this is with the exception of speciality dining / signature restaurants, Vanellope’s and some of the smaller outlets which serve candy and popcorn. 

Gratuities: 

You can opt for pre-paid gratuities, which does make things simpler at the end of your cruise. This will cover your lead server, assistant server, restaurant host, and stateroom host. For all additional purchases onboard, for example at any of the bars or the coffee shops, 18% will automatically be added to the cheque, you can then place on any additional amount you like. We typically ensure to round it up to 20% – this is then charged to your stateroom.  The same applies for any of the specialty restaurants. 

Fun for adults: 

So, we mentioned that Disney Cruise Line is great for catering to adults. And that’s true. But unlike most other cruise lines you are not going to find a casino on board. The other thing you will not find is an all inclusive drinks package. Unlike other cruise lines, like Celebrity Cruises, Disney does not offer an all inclusive drinks package which covers things like spirits and cocktails. All of these you have to pay for separately. And be careful as this can quickly add up. Disney does however, have a very generous alcohol policy / allowance in regards to what you can bring onto the ship. At the beginning of your cruise, you can bring on up to two bottles of wine or sparkling wine per person or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces). You can then at each port of call bring on the same. One thing to note is if you purchase any alcoholic souvenirs such as Rum in the Caribbean – you can bring this back onboard but it will be held ransom until the end of your cruise. You can collect it from the bar in the main atrium as you disembark the ship. Do not forget to collect it, as if you leave it behind, you will not have the chance to return to collect it and you will not be reimbursed for your loss. 

So alcohol and casinos aside, there are lots of offerings for adults onboard. In fact there is a whole area called The District. Here you’ll find the Skyline Bar, which has a very suave city feel to it. Pink is the champagne bar, where you can find the champagne flight on the menu which allows you to sample three stunning champagne. There is also Pub 687 and Evolution. Also as we mentioned the specialty restaurants are for over 18s only too, and also offer some fun activities during the day, including Brunch at Palo and the Prima Notte at Palo, a wine tasting with food pairing. In addition the spa provide a tranquil space to unwind and receive a treatment (at an additional charge). On deck there is the Cove Pool, providing a nice place to hang out, complete with ‘swim up’ bar and there is also satellite falls at the front of the ship with plenty of sun loungers. 

The entertainment on the ship was incredible. Of course, with Disney you wouldn’t expect anything less. There was an abundance of characters about the ship, and you can use the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app to check the times and locations for each character. Our recommendation is to get there at least 10 minutes before the posted time to ensure you get to the front of the queue. The stage shows were fantastic, both Beauty and the Beast, and Believe were high quality stage shows worthy of any theater in the West End or on Broadway. The pierre de resistance was of course the fireworks. No one does fireworks better than Disney, and to be standing on the deck of a cruise ship, under the night’s sky in the middle of the ocean and see the sky come to light with dazzling fireworks was truly magical. 

The other thing that was truly magical, was the service. As with Disney theme parks, it’s the cast members which truly create the magic. Disney Cruise Line was no different. With each and every interaction with crew members being warm and friendly. Crew members would do all they could to ensure you were having the best vacation. 

I’ve left the best to last, as the jewel in the Disney Cruise Line crown has to be Castaway Cay. This island is truly Paradise, and the Imagineers have done an excellent job of transforming this island into the perfect port of call. This whole island is quintessentially Disney, with lots of hidden details across the island and a distinctive narrative present across the Island. We disembarked the ship early, and completed the Castaway Cay 5K, which is a great way to take in the sights of the island whilst getting in some exercise after all those chicken tenders. You get to run down the old runway on the island And the best bit is, you get a medal for completing it. There are plenty of fun activities for all of the family which can be booked in advance. We did not book any excursions, and instead took the time to read our books on the adults only beach, Serenity Bay. Serenity Bay is the furthest point from the ship and dock, and requires you to change trams at the second tram stop called Pelican Plunge. The two beaches nearest the dock and ship are the family friendly beaches and where you’ll find a majority of the activities on the island, including character meet and greets, youth club area, and shops. There is food throughout the island, with BBQ fare being served up at all three main food locations, there is plenty of food for even the most fussiest of eaters.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise with Disney Cruise Lines. Typically Disney Cruise Line is a family friendly cruise line operator, but there’s still plenty of fun (and relaxation) to be had for adults and the children at heart. Disney Cruise Lines, as with their parks, really does offer the Disney Difference, from the level of service to the intricate details of the ships decor. Whilst the ship is starting to feel a little dated in some places, it is incredibly well maintained and very very clean. The crew do a fantastic job at keeping the ship, well, in ship shape. 

We would look forward to doing another Disney Cruise in the future, and are excited to see what the new Disney ships, such as the Disney Treasure, launching in the near future have to offer.