First Disney Cruise Review: Disney Dream 5-Night Western Caribbean Cruise with Marvel Day at Sea

Check-In

We were required to check-in online prior to the cruise, where we had to enter all our ID information, flight information, submit our photos, make special requests such as dining table preferences, highchairs, cribs, nursery etc. It is also where we got to pick the Port Arrival Time. Because we do not have any status with Disney Cruise Line (DCL) and we checked in pretty late, we got a fairly late Port Arrival Time (2:30pm). Check-in was a time consuming process, but I felt like it was well organized especially with regards to the special requests form to clearly mark any food allergies and special needs.

App

We were able to access the DCL app prior to the cruise. Here, we were able to pre-book onboard and port activities. Since we had checked-in quite close to the date of sailing, as well as our lowly first time status, most activities were already sold out. When we arrived at the port, we were able to access the DCL network and that provided us with more app functionality, including daily activities, map of the ship and other important information. By the time we arrived at the port, we were also able to see a lot of activities such as the special meetups free up (e.g. Royal Gathering to meet the princesses and the Heroic Encounters to meet the avengers were opened up and we were able to book these activities). Throughout our stay, the app proved to be key as we were constantly checking the app for ongoing activities, character appearances, dining hours etc. We used it to favourite activities and it did send us a notification 15 minutes before any activities we had saved. There was a chat function but we didn’t use it much since iMessage and WhatsApp worked (just text, no media) fine during the entirely of the cruise even without the purchase of an internet package.

Embarkation

We were warned by previous DCL guests not to arrive at the port too early because they had to adhere to the port arrival times for embarkation. We ended up arriving about 30 minutes earlier and it was perfect because by the time we worked our way through the line, it was about the actual arrival time. The embarkation process was pretty straight forward and smooth. The staff were all very friendly and efficient. As soon as we arrived the porter took our luggages. We entered the ship at the atrium where they announced our names as we entered. There were quite a few guests gathered at the elevators but the wait to go upstairs to our staterooms was not too long.

Stateroom

By the time we arrived at our staterooms, it was ready for us. Our checked baggage arrived shortly. Unfortunately our crib didn’t arrive yet so our toddler had to miss her nap that day. So parenting tip is to try to get your babies/toddlers to nap through some other means and don’t rely on having a crib when you first arrive on the ship. Having previously been on multiple other cruises (including Princess, Celebrity, Holland America), the DCL staterooms seem significantly bigger. Firstly, there are 2 bathrooms: one with a sink and toilet, another with sink and bathtub. This is a huge plus for a family and in general more sanitary, as your toothbrush doesn’t have to be right beside the toilet inside a small stateroom bathroom. We booked a deluxe family room so the tub was a small circular tub with a faucet, hand held shower and attached shower head. The small tub was perfect as it quickly filled up for bath time for the little one. There was plenty of space around the bed to walk around and there was a big sitting area and for our deluxe family room, we had an extra section to put a crib/Murphy bed in lieu of a verandah. The window itself was also quite large which was nice since we didn’t have a balcony. The other huge benefit for us is that there is a thick black out curtain between the main bedroom and the “kids’ section”, which was great for nap time and after the kiddo’s bedtimes so you’re not stuck having to sleep at the same time as your child. There were connecting rooms but we were not able to get one for our party. We did bring a simple monitor and the range was good enough so that we were able to watch our child from the other room of our party 2 doors down if need be. In terms of storage, again I was impressed with the large underbed storage, plenty of drawer and closet space to fit all our suitcases and stroller. It seems they pay extra attention to the needs of families and we were extremely impressed.

Later that evening, we received our crib and to our surprise, we also had a diaper genie in our room! This is a first as it’s also a pain to have to find plastic bags to wrap poopy diapers in since hotels never seem to have bags in their garbage bins. The crib itself was a pack and play which is nicely branded with Mickey Mouse sheets. Unfortunately, like most pack and plays, the “mattress” is nothing more than a piece of cardboard so it was not the most comfortable sleeping surface.

Dining

After a quick, relatively painless muster drill, we were able to go to the upper deck for a sail away party. Mickey and the Gang performed on stage and it was our first time checking out the upper deck. We were starving by this time so we grabbed some quick bites at the pizza place by the pool.  There was a line but it went quickly. We got our preferred early dinner seating so it wasn’t long before it was dinner time anyway.

When we had booked the cruise (approximately 1 month ago, which was pretty last minute since most people book their cruises a year in advance), only the later dining time was available. We were placed on a waitlist and by the time we checked-in approximately 2 weeks ago, we saw we were granted our early seating. This was a relief because we were not sure how we could eat dinner at 8:30pm if our child usually is in bed by then.

There were 3 main rotational restaurants. For our first evening, we were assigned to Enchanted Garden, which was quite pretty with a water fountain in the centre which my toddler was quite intrigued by. They were organized and already had a highchair and a straw cup with water for our toddler before we were seated. (We had asked for a booster but a highchair also worked. Maybe they thought she was too young at 2.5 for a booster.) They had a kid’s menu and crayons for colouring and surprisingly our child stayed in her chair the first night for 2.5 hours of dining. As the cruise went on, she did get progressively restless, so bringing entertainment to keep them seated is not a bad idea. 

The food on this cruise was pretty standard for most cruises I’ve been. I did appreciate the themed menu each night depending on what’s happening on the ship that day and the restaurant we were assigned to. The quality of food was pretty on par with the food from other cruise lines both at the main dining and at the buffet. I did appreciate them taking food allergies very seriously. We were able to pre-order our special allergen-free meal for our toddler the night before and it was not limited to the kids’ menus. Our main dining staff asked what our daughters preferences are and we were able to pick and choose from the main menu as well. She had her own special dessert each night which she loved. At the beach BBQ, we were also able to preorder our lunch. Our order was misplaced and did not go through but the main chef was very apologetic and quickly prepared her meal and delivered it personally to our table. Overall, I was very impressed by their attention to detail with regards to food allergies.

For drinks, we did not buy the drink package and just ordered by the glass each night. The wine package did not make sense for us because it required you to buy a certain number of bottles of wine throughout the cruise. We preferred to each match what we were drinking with what we wanted to eat that night so it’s not like we were sharing a bottle of wine each night. I saw some guests brought their unfinished bottle out at the end of dinner each night if you wanted something to take back to your stateroom. The free coffee was not good but they had several places you can purchase “specialty” coffee on board. They gave out coffee cards so you can collect stamps to get a free drink every 6th coffee.

Service

Again, I have never had less than excellent service on a cruise before but DCL did go above and beyond. When the housekeeping staff saw we had to use their decorative throw for extra padding for the pack and play, she specifically got us more towels and remade the crib for us. During dinner, out dining staff helped to de-shell our shrimp, cut up the noodles and food for our toddler and would even feed our toddler (and us) sometimes! We have nothing but good things to say about the service on this cruise line. Even the photo team staff are super friendly. They even gave us a special delivery on the last night. 

Internet

We ended up buying the internet package for a few nights. You can get it in 24 hour increments. There were different levels including social media only, basic surfing and video streaming/calling. We got the basic surfing one for 1 device and its as 28USD/24 hours. Even though it’s for 1 device, we could disconnect from one device using another device so we were able to share it between the two of us. The speed/quality of the wifi was not good. It was fine for simple social media usage and very basic browsing, but there were times when it was really slow and unstable if you need to rely on it for anything important.

Ambiance

All the facilities on the ship were very clean and well-thought out. There is Disney branding on everything from the lamps, to high chairs, to cups! Even the jingle played before the announcement is Disney themed! Like their theme parks, they really make it a truly magical experience. The guests were all very into the experience, so you would constantly see people dressed up as their favourite Disney princesses or Marvel character, or just in matching family tees. The doors to the ship are magnetic so many people put personalized magnets on their doors which was quite fun. They also had gift exchange between rooms organized on a Facebook group. We were randomly gifted Marvel stickers on our door (apparently called pixie dusting). It’s just a very friendly environment. There was a scavenger hunt game on board so it was fun seeing others also holding a detective badge playing the same game as us. It also acted as a nice conversation starter.

Activities

If you have children, then this is the cruise for them. There are kids clubs for 3+. There are tween and teen clubs for older children. There is a nursery (out of pocket) for little ones less than 3 years old. We did not use the clubs since our little one is under three but we did join the toddler time at the kids club once and it was a nice room decorated like Andy’s Room in Toy Story. It was nice to entertain your toddler(s) with some toys and art material.

There were multiple kids and adults pools. Unfortunately, they required young ones to be fully potty trained as swim diapers are not allowed. They were very strict with this rule for sanitary reasons. They did have a cute splash pad area with a small slide for the little not yet potty trained ones. There is a bigger kid’s slide as well as a tube slide which can be used by adults and children.

The favourite activity for my toddler are the character meetups. There are specific times when characters will be in atrium for photos and autographs, we learnt quickly that you had to arrive early to line up for this, especially for popular characters like Mickey and Minnie. It was a very lovely experience and the characters were very friendly and interactive. My toddler wasn’t much of a Disney fan before this cruise and now she has fully converted.

One of my favourite things to do a cruise to join in all the activities. However, for adults, I did not find the activities very enticing. They did have some adult activities like various forms of alcohol tasting and bingo but those were not my cup of tea. We did enjoy the high tech scavenger hunt game on board utilizing various “paintings” through the ship. Even though we started it as a “date activity”, eventually our toddler joined in on the fun. 

Entertainment

For entertainment, due to being a parent of a young child, we were not able to catch most of the shows. We did see the magic show and Beauty and the Beast (at least some of us were) and they were pretty good. There was a popcorn stand right outside so it’s nice to be able to grab some snack before. The show times were usually after dinner for the early dinner seating guests and before dinner for the late seating guests. The only exception was Beauty and the Beast where they had a matinee at 1pm so we were able to catch that show. There were a few nights with the open deck show at 7:30pm so we had to rush upstairs to watch a bit after dinner. Some evenings they had a later show at 10pm with fireworks which we were not able to catch. 

Excursions

We did not take any excursions this trip. We just walked around for a bit in Cozumel, then returned back on the ship to enjoy the quieter facilities. One of the highlights of the trip was the Castaway Cay day. I was just expecting a simple beach but it was a full theme park on Disney’s private island. They had plenty of beach towels, lounge chairs and umbrellas. There were lots of water sports, bike rentals, a small splash pad and multiple BBQ areas (included). They even brought the characters and the kid’s club onto the island. The weather was not great for us (rainy), so some water activities were cancelled but we still had a great time. For those who would like to splurge, you can also book a private cabana for your family for $880USD. Despite the hefty cost, these sell out so even if you want to splurge you’ll have to book early or remain on the waiting list.

Overall

Overall, we were extremely impressed with our first Disney cruise experience. They were definitely the most family friendly cruise we’ve been on and our little one had a blast. To be honest, we were a bit skeptical going into this since we were not huge Disney or Marvel fans but we enjoyed it a lot just seeing how much fun our little one was having. We hope to enjoy another Disney cruise soon and we hope you will be able to experience this for yourselves too!