Pre-Cruise Vacation
Prior to our Disney Dream cruise, we spent a week at Ron Jon’s Resort in Cocoa Beach, FL. The pools were amazing, but the resort itself was back off the beach with a pretty good walk to get to the surf and sand. Being late December and early January, the average temperatures were in the mid 70’s and lower 80’s, which to me is a bit chilly to swim. This being said, the hot tubs became our friend! I started getting nervous when I saw the weather forecast. I kept thinking it was going to change. We were leaving from FL after all.
After all the excitement leading up to our cruise, it was finally time to embark on our 5-night voyage on the Disney Dream. This was a new ship to us, as well as a pretty new ship in the fleet. Wow, this was a cold day! It was in the 30’s! Burr! I was not ready or prepared for this type of cold. After all, we were going on a cruise to the Bahamas. A quick trip to Walmart to get toe-socks was a must on our to-do list, and boy was it worth it!
Embarkation Day
We checked in at the terminal and met some of our favorite Disney friends while we waited to board. The lines can look intimidating, but they move fast. This is your first photo opportunity with the characters, so if you get the photo package (see the section on Photo Tips) these pictures will be included. Of course, you can always bring your own camera and the photographers will be happy to snap some memories for you.
It was time to board Disney Dream! You show your Key to the World card and scan it before getting your pre-cruise photos taken. You have the option to skip this line if you do not care to have your photos taken.
Then, we are given a warm welcome…one of my favorite parts of our cruises!
We spent about an hour walking around the ship and taking as many pictures as we could. The Oceaneers Club was open for open house and registration so we took our daughter in there and she had the entire place to herself! We already had her registered in the terminal so there was nothing else we needed to do.
Sailing Away
After eating lunch at Cabanas, we attended the mandatory muster drill and then headed out to the deck party to celebrate Sailing Away. My favorite part of the Sail Away Party is the ship’s horn. Amazing!
The sailing away party is always a blast. Here’s a tip for you…get there as soon as you can after the Muster Drill, especially if you have young kids. They will want to be up close to the stage in order to see all the characters. The deck fills up so quickly. Bring your cameras but keep them at a height that doesn’t block the view of other passengers.
Enjoy the video I made about our cold cruise! I’ll be back to tell you all about the excursions we went on and if they are worth the money. Click here to read first-timer tips for booking shore excursions.
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