All good except the kids’ club

Item: Disney Dream
Rating: 4.3
Author: KarenP59

Disney Dream Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

KarenP59

Contributor Level: Second Mate

179 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 24

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

4 Night Very Merrytime Bahamas (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 30, 2023

Ship: Disney Dream

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8574

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 11 months ago

Review summary

We had a great vacation even though the ship felt more crowded than any other experience we have ever had. Our heart hurt when our 12 yr old was denied Oceaneers Club b/c of an unexpected new rule. Enjoyed the dining rooms & Castaway the most. Beauty & the Beast was outstanding too.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Smooth

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Loved our server Mawi M. He was the best!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Princess gathering was excellent / Beauty and the Beast was simply amazing / pool area WAY TOO CROWDED to enjoy. Atrium activities too crowded. Don’t know how they fix over crowding, but it needs to happen!

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Stage show - Beauty & the Beast

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

Ok, here’s my BIG issue. Suddenly on THIS sailing, 12 year olds were not allowed in the Oceaneers Club. We had a 12 yr old and a 9 year old who are inseparable cousins. They did not enjoy the club without each other after looking forward to that activity for almost a year.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Greatness!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Choppy. Hard to find things and I am a very experienced cruiser who figures out my current ship quickly…not this one.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Comfortable — enjoyed

Ship tip

Be prepared for unreal crowds!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

4 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas

4 out of 5

Enjoyed Margaritaville Resort on a day pass.

Thumbs Up 0

Castaway Cay (Disney Private Island)

5 out of 5

Loved it!

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

6 Comments

MaelstromTroll 11 months ago

How unfortunate for the kids 😬

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Gwbigdog 11 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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KarenP59 11 months ago

I sent an email to the podcasters called the DCL Duo. No one knows more about Disney cruising than they do, in my opinion. They said it took some digging, but DCL was trying to shift the Oceaneer Club age range and decided to test it on our particular sailing. They received complaints and criticism, so I believe they immediately put the old rule back in place for the next sailing. It just unfortunately happened to us. 😔

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 11 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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JimOhio 11 months ago

Thanks for sharing. Your experience with your 12 year old is just not right. I did some research and 12 year olds are advertised as being within the acceptable age range. Making a new rule for this sailing is really garbage. I would have raised you-know-what with Guest Services. Shame on Disney.

Thumbs Up 2

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cruising2004 11 months ago

Glad you enjoyed your cruise! Thank you for your review.

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