Disney Dream

I was in fifth grade when I first got to experience Disney World. For me, it was a wonderful time but I would say “magical” would not be a word I would use to describe it. I was too old to really appreciate the character experience and looking back as an adult I felt sad for my eleven year old self. I was too busy trying to be cool, as any rising 6th grader would. That introspect led to my consideration of the importance of having my children participate in the Disney character experience before their magic was removed. 

Of course, our first decision was whether we would be visiting Disney World (my husband’s preference) or embarking on a Disney Cruise Line experience (mine). Lo and behold, I won the debate (surprise, surprise, I know)! The cruise option was chosen due to a multitude of reasons - the main one being my children’s ability to listen and stand in lines for long periods of time. Hint: they are two energetic, loud boys (respectively four and five years of age), I think you get the picture. 

We booked a family verandah suite on the Disney Dream for a four night Bahamian cruise. Our two ports of call were Nassau and Lookout Cay at Light House Point (Euluthera). It was the perfect amount of time for a first time cruise experience and the stops were fabulous!

Food

Trying to keep this short is somewhat difficult because there truly is so much to say! The dining experience was fabulous.  Throughout the cruise you rotated through each restaurant (Animators Palace, Enchanted Garden, and Royal Palace) allowing you to try all the delectable delicacies that the ship has to offer. What made this special was that your table staff traveled with you, making dinner a seamless event every night. My husband and I made ate at Palo, an Italian adults-only restaurant, one evening and without a doubt it was the best meal of the whole trip. My husband, who is a slight food snob being raised in New Orleans, was very impressed. The staff from the front of house, to the servers, and especially the sommelier were exceptional and did a fabulous job of taking customer service to the next level. We highly recommend paying the extra to have a date night at Palo or Remy. 

Breakfast and lunch were served at Cabana’s daily and had an absurd amount of food options, even including specialty items for people with food allergies. While we enjoyed these and the ease of them were great, dinner was definitely the best part of the dining experience. 

Kids Club

Some of you may be thinking, but what about your kids? Aha! One of the biggest selling points for me was the amazing kids club! We literally could not get our five year old to leave the Oceaneer Club, not even to eat. The staff are great with kids and there is so much to keep them entertained, I don’t think they even notice you aren’t there. There is even a kids splash club area on Lookout Cay if your kids want a break from you!

Ports of Call 

Being that I had already experienced Atlantis at the Nassua stop, I opted for our family to take advantage of the port excursion to Baha Mar. For a little background, BaHa Mar is a resort complex housing three separate resorts - Rosewood, SLS, and Grand Hyatt.  Each property has unique attributes and I hopefully will get to go back and stay at one to experience it in full. Our excursion included access to the Baha Mar water park and beach. You could choose to pay extra for access to other areas, specifically adult only ones, which we did not since our kids were with us. It would definitely be something to consider if they weren’t though!

 The food options were good and a voucher was included in the excursion. We opted to purchase a cabana for the day and did not regret that decision one bit. We loved having a private space with our own loungers, couches, and small refrigerator (and fan). Overall, BaHa Mar water park was a great excursion and I definitely recommend it, especially for those traveling with smaller children. 

Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point was also another great experience. Yes, the walk from the ship to the trolley is long, but not as bad as was made out to be. We loved that Disney had red wagons you could use to tote your kids all the way down the pier. We participated in a super fun Pirate Treasure Hunt on the island and the boys had a great time with it. The staff was energetic and extremely interactive making sure the kids enjoyed every moment. After the hunt concluded, we enjoyed the gorgeous beach with crystal clear waters until it was time to head back to the ship. 

Characters

Lastly,  the opportunities to meet Disney characters were ridiculously abundant. Disney does an amazing job of keeping you up-to-date through their Cruise Line app of where characters would be and at what time. The lines could be pretty long, so unfortunately we did not manage to see Minnie and Mickey but had great one on ones with Donald, Pluto and Goofy. We did have the misfortune to stand in line only have the character’s time end before it was our turn. That was pretty frustrating but the boys did not mind too much. Unfortunately for me, neither of my boys were interested in meeting any of the Disney princesses. Boo! Pro tip: bring a book for the characters to sign that include a spot for you to place your picture in after you return home. It's a great memento for your children (or even you if that’s your thing).

Overall, we highly recommend taking a Disney Cruise to anyone but especially those with young children. For me, Disney’s customer service is excellent and all of our expectations were met if not exceeded. Let me know if you want to chat about a Disney Cruise, I’d love to help you plan the magical experience.