During a Disney Dream Cruise, you will make stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay.  During these stops at the port of calls, you can book separate Shore Excursions that Disney calls Port Adventures.  The Port Adventures range in price, but one of our favorite values is the Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure where you get an up close look at stingrays.

You start off this Port Adventure with a talk from the local expert on stingrays.  You then walk out to the water, where you get to touch and even feed the stingrays.  The stingrays know it is feeding time when they see the white feeding trays, you will see that in the videos.  The stingrays swim right through the feeding trays to allow you to pet them and then later feed them a fish.  Most of the children during this Port Adventure did not want to even touch or feed the fish, so make sure you talk to your family before booking this excursion.  For an adult, it was great fun!

After you feed the stingrays, you then get to snorkel with the stingrays.  For an excursion, it is a very reasonable in price activity.  This Disney Dream excursion does book up early, so be sure to make reservations before you board the ship.  Enjoy a quick video tour of Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure.

For more information about booking a Disney Dream Cruise, contact Destinations in Florida Travel at 877-918-8941.

During a Disney Dream cruise, you will make a stop at Disney’s Private Island called Castaway Cay.  This incredible island has activities for the whole family including the new Pelican Plunge.  This man-made island called Pelican Plunge has water slides, water jets, and loads of water fun for the entire family.  Check out a video of the new Pelican Plunge on Castaway Cay.

For more information about planning a Disney Dream Cruise, contact Destinations in Florida Travel at 877-918-8941.

Kids of all ages have their own activities on the Disney Dream Ship, including tweens.  The tweens have a club called Edge that is just for them.  This club has lots of video games including a huge screen to play Wii.  They have their own bean bag chairs to hang out and a dance floor that lights up.

Edge is only for the tweens, but we were able to get a sneak peek at this amazing club.

For more information about planning a Disney Dream Cruise, contact Destinations in Florida Travel at 877-918-8941.

The Disney Dream hosts the incredible Kids Club area call Disney’s Oceaneer Lab and Club. Disney’s Oceaneer Lab is a play space designed for children and dedicated to adventure and exploration.  It’s an ideal location for children ages 3 to 10 years of age to play games, perform educational experiments and enjoy a wide variety of supervised activities throughout the day. A seemingly endless supply of toys, games and Disney movies make Disney’s Oceaneer Lab the perfect oasis on the Disney Dream.

Celebrating children’s natural explorer instincts, this space also serves as the staging area and starting point for a ship-wide quest game. Young explorers gather and decipher clues from around the ship that lead them on an exciting adventure. The room also features several individual computer stations.  Enjoy a video tour of the Disney Dream Oceaneer Lab.

For more information or to book your Disney Dream vacation, call 877-918-8941.

“Believe” is the new show on the Disney Dream.  A very cool show in the Walt Disney Theatre that shows how a father learns to believe in magic and miracles.  Especially touching for fathers with daughters (like myself), the show takes the father through various Disney-themed adventures demonstrating that magic and miracles do exist.

The show was very good and the sets were amazing.  I “believe” Disney Dreams on the Wonder and the Magic is a better show.  At least I found that Dreams tugs at your emotions a bit more than Believe…..except for that dance with his daughter at the end of Believe.  Wow!

Here’s a video of pics I took throughout the show on the new Disney Dream, in order to give you an idea of how the story progresses and to see the beautiful sets and stage.

Written By:  Tim Jones from Guide to Disney

Does the new Disney Dream cruise ship have good food?  How’s the food on the Disney Dream? Can you show us the menus from the Disney Dream cruise ship?  Everyone wants to know about the food on the Disney Dream, so here goes; yes and no, good, and yes.

Good?  OK.  Thanks for reading…

Seriously, this may be a longer post, but it’s something lots of readers are asking about, so please feel free to skip to the section you want to read about on this one.  I’ll be breaking it down by each of the three rotational dining options on the Disney Dream; Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace, and Animators Palate.

Enchanted Garden

For me, this was the most unique menu on the Disney Dream.  I know there are a couple repeats from the Magic and Wonder, but it was less obvious to me.  The other two restaurants had lots of menu repeats.  This one seemed to have more original options.  I really expected a new menu in each restaurant, but that was obviously not the case.  I guess if “it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” ruled the day when creating menus.

I know it’s hard to read and this will be the case for every menu, which is why I’ll briefly itemize the menu items.

Appetizers

• Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower — this is the one I got.  It was OK.  
• Golden and Red Beet Carpaccio
• North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli — my wife tried this one.  She thought it was just OK.
• Thyme and Garlic Brioche

Soups and Salads

• Duck Consomme
• Curried Carrot and Apple Soup — I thought this one tasted a lot like the Butternut Squash soup you can get at Animators Palate, just a bit sweeter.
• Romaine Wedge Salad — looked really good, but I didn’t try it.
• Baby Spinach Salad

Main Course

• Caramelized Sea Scallops
• Pearl-Barley Cakes with Shallots, Leeks, and Rosemary
• Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Salt — wife had this one and was really good.  I finished it for her.
• The Enchanted Garden Tuna Salad
• Pan-seared Sea Bass
• Glazed Portobello Mushrooms
• Marjoram Scented Organic Chicken
• Grilled NY Strip Steak — I got this one and it was the best steak I had for the whole cruise, even though they overcooked it.

Royal Palace

Celebrated my son’s birthday, here.  The Dream has a different birthday cake than the Wonder and Magic and it’s MUCH better!!  I was least impressed with the food at Royal Palace of the three dining options.

Appetizers

• Pomegranate Glazed Duck Breast
• Escargot Granites — even though I wasn’t overly impressed with the Royal Palace food, this one was absolutely yummy!!  I even ordered it again in Animators Palate the next night (did you know you could order anything from any of the menus in any of the restaurants?)
• Double Baked Spinach Souffle — sounded better than it looked and it was SMALL
• Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp

Soups and Salads

• Avocado-Citrus Salad — SOUR!
• Royal Market Green Salad
• The Comtesse Du Barry’s Soup
• Belle’s French Onion Soup — FANTASTIC!!!  Almost ordered this one, again.

Main Course

• Royal Palace Aged Angus Grilled Beef Tenderloin and Lobster Medallions — this is what I ordered and even though I liked the appetizer and soup, pretty much spoiled my opinion of Royal Palace.  It sounds so good on the menu “Aged” “Angus” “Beef” — how could you go wrong?  Well, they did.  It was SO bland I could barely finish it.
• Oven-Baked Salmon Royale
• Roasted Wild Boar Tenderloin — I should’ve (and nearly did) tried this one.
• Grilled Farm-Raised Organic Chicken Breast Salad — sounds delightful, doesn’t it?  /sarcasm
• Double-Cut Rack of Lamb with Dijon Crust
• Pan-seared Tofu, Roasted Zucchini, Eggplant, and Red Peppers
• Baked Farm-Raised Organic Chicken Breast
• Wild Mushroom filled Pasta in a Vegetable Broth

Animator’s Palate

I really only wanted the beef tenderloin of the main course options, but I was real hesitant due to my experience at Royal Palace the previous evening.  I took the risk, anyway and was not disappointed.  While not the best (see Enchanted Garden, above), still very good and enjoyable.

Appetizers

• Smoked Salmon Tartare — tempting, but didn’t get this one
• Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes
• Sesame-flavored Rock Shrimp and Caramelized Onion Cheesecake — Yes, cheesecake!  It was actually pretty darn good!  I tried this one….in addition to my escargot from Royal Palace.
• Wild Mushroom Risotto and Porcini Twist

Soups and Salads

• Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese — I got this one and loved it!
• Creamy Butternut Squash Soup — an old favorite!
• Vine Ripe Tomato Salad
• Curly Endive, Arugula, and Watercress Salad

Main Course

• Grilled Pacific Black Cod
• Animators Trio of Veal
• White Shrimp Pennette Pasta
• Stir Fry Vegetables
• Lemon-Thyme Marinated Organic Chicken Breast
• Black Bean Chipotle Cakes
• Marinated Angus Beef Tenderloin — Best cooked steak of the cruise and the bok choy was awesome!
• Arugula Leaves and Grilled Vegetable Salad

That’s it!  All three rotational dining on the Disney Dream cruise ship!  Lots of interesting choices — some good, some not so much.  What have you tried on the Dream?  Let us know in the comments, below!

Goofy’s Sports Deck on the Disney Dream is a fun area featuring a miniature golf course, virtual sports simulators and a basketball/volleyball court.  This area is the perfect place for kids, teens and adults to enjoy some family time.  One of our favorite parts of Goofy’s Sports Deck is the mini golf course. Go for a hole-in-one at the whimsical, Disney-themed miniature golf course. Designed by Goofy and his son, Max, the Disney Dream course features 9 interactive holes emphasizing various golfing lessons— with a delightful goofy twist.

Disney Dream Course Highlights include:

• “Handling a Dog Leg” – Golfers avoid a fire hydrant and use Pluto’s dog bone to guide them to the hole
• “Stuck in the Rough” – Goofy shows golfers how to avoid the tall turf and steer clear of a lawn mower
• “Reading the Green” – Stacks of books and a large magnifying glass are obstacles to circumvent on this undulating green
• “Attacking the Green” – Golfers take a pirate’s approach to sinking the putt as they maneuver their ball through various pirate-like obstacles

Watch for Goofy or Max at this mini golf course, because they do make character appearances!  Enjoy a video tour of the miniature golf course on the new Disney Dream.

Contact Destinations in Florida Travel for more information about booking your Disney Dream vacation.

Palo on the Disney Dream is an intimate Adult Exclusive restaurant.  This restaurant features Northern Italian cuisine for dinner nightly. Along with its rich cuisine and upscale atmosphere, Palo offers sweeping ocean views and an elegant décor—a perfect romantic setting for Guests 18 years of age or older.

Palo on the Disney Dream is named after the signature long poles used by gondoliers in Venice.  The restaurant features stylish furnishings, custom art and an Italian-inspired décor. Every seat in the restaurant provides an excellent view of the ocean, thanks to raised seating banquettes along one side of the room, floor-to-ceiling windows and a semi-circular design. Adding to the magic is a backlit bar at the restaurant’s center and a pianist who softly serenades diners in the intimate surroundings.

For an even more memorable Palo experience, Guests may dine al fresco on the restaurant’s private outdoor teak deck, where picturesque views and warm ocean breezes caress the senses.  Enjoy this video tour of Palo on the Disney Dream.

For more information about planning a cruise on the Disney Dream, contact Destinations in Florida Travel.

Nemo’s Reef on the Disney Dream is a whimsical water play area designed for children. It is located on Deck 11, Midship, adjacent to Mickey’s Pool. Featuring fountains, bubblers and pop jets, this fun-filled splash deck stars some of your favorite characters from the hit Disney•Pixar movie, Finding Nemo.

An interactive wet play area on the Disney Dream, Nemo’s Reef is where children can splash around, cool off and make new friends with other kids their own age. Based on Finding Nemo, this 1,500-square-foot venue features character figures from the hit film that move and spray water in a variety of unique ways. In addition to Nemo, Dory and Marlin, this splashy spot includes a mini-sized water slide shaped like Mr. Ray, a water curtain that moves back and forth mimicking the East Australian Current, and Pearl the octopus who “inks” herself with a mist of water.

For more information on this splash park for kids or booking your Disney Dream vacation, call 877-918-8941 or visit Destinations in Florida Travel.

Did you know that Disney Cruise Ships are the only ships in the world that have fireworks?  That is right!  Only Disney Cruise Ships can you actually watch a live fireworks show, right at sea.  It is spectacular!  On the new Disney Dream Cruise Ship, the fireworks show is bigger and better than ever with a special Pirate theme.  Enjoy this video of the fireworks at sea on board the newest Disney Cruise Ship called the Disney Dream.

For more information about planning or booking your Disney Cruise vacation, contact Destinations in Florida Travel.