WDW and Disney Dream Cruise Reviews Super long!!

[egishere]

Trip and Budget Details:


Stayed at AoA Nemo Family Suite Sept 25-30

Cruise Verandah room Sept 30-Oct 3


We went to celebrate our triplets fifth birthday! DH and I had not been to WDW in 20+ years.


Budget details - because I’m always interested to see what people spent! Family of five, two adults and three five yr olds. Airfare was free on Southwest points. Took $400 cash for tips and extra spending money….came home with $140 which went towards the dog sitter! The kids received $50 each in Disney gcs to pick out their own souvenirs.


Total cost WDW includes four day park hoppers, free dining plan (1QS, 1 TS, 1 snack per day), five nights at AoA in Nemo family suite: $4217.80

Note: I purchased insurance for the trip as well but cannot find how much that was-an additional $200+ or so I believe. Always purchase insurance because it turned out we needed it! Read the review to see why (Day 5 MK)!!


Other expenses:

• Stroller rental from Apple stroller – Double city mini $47.93

• Another stroller rental - single city mini from Orlando strollers (Apple was booked) that we decided we needed once we got there $64.20

• Memory maker share $29.80

• Extras at WDW (TS tips, alcohol, extra food, souvenirs, etc)-still haven’t seen my bill but I suspect in the $300 range or so



Total cost Dream cruise: $3224.15 (includes $180 in gratuities and insurance)

• RT transportation from AoA to port/port to airport. Used a private driver that had car seats for this. Also it was a limo which was a surprise to us!! It was really nice not having to deal with the Disney cruise bus. $350 + tips

• Extras on cruise (alcohol/souvenirs/bottled water/adults only dinner): $643

• Did not do any excursions on Nassau

[egishere]

Part 1 WDW Review


Day 1 arrival: We had a direct flight from DIA or so we thought! Once we got closer to Orlando the pilot came on and said we couldn’t land there because of a storm so we were going to circle a while to see if things would clear. This went on for probably 45 min and then he came back on and said we were running low on fuel so we needed to land in Tampa. Ugh! Landed in Tampa and refueled-took about 30 min then we took off again for Orlando for a 20 minute flight. Landed and made our way to the Magical Express. They were picking up our bags so we didn’t have to worry about those-loved that service! No lines at ME. Got on the bus and waited maybe 10 min before leaving for AoA.

Received the text earlier our room was ready so we went and dropped our stuff and checked it out. Since we arrived so late I canceled our reservation at Raglan Road at Disney Springs and we just had dinner at the AoA food court. The food court was super busy, loud and chaotic…hated being in there during peak times because it was nuts. I enjoyed the food in here though-especially the “create your own” pasta and salad stations.

After that I went to pick up our double stroller and we waited for our luggage to arrive then got ready for bed. Note: I took a chance and rented the stroller from Apple which is the cheapest option and they get very mixed reviews. Our stroller looked brand new-wheels and everything. It worked perfectly!



Day 2: Magic Kingdom


Got up and headed to the buses by 7am or so. We had an 8:05 reservation at BOG. Bus was there right away which was pretty much the only time we had good luck with the buses all week. Arrived outside MK and waited about 15 min or so to be let in. Breakfast at BOG was decent- nothing special. I don’t get the hype of this place. I’m sure it’s neat being in the castle at night as opposed to the morning though. I got the platter with eggs, potatoes, sausage, etc. DH had the open face egg sandwich and the kids had French toast and an egg platter. We also got two of the grey stuff cupcakes…they were just ok IMO.


Time for some rides! We rode the carousel, did a character meet with Tiana and Rapunzel (5 min wait), Astro Orbiter, People Mover, Carousel of Progress (boring! My kids hated it but it had AC lol), Monsters Inc Laugh Floor show, Buzz Light Year (FP), and Speedway (FP). I wanted to ride Space Mountain by myself but it said 45 min wait so I passed. MK was starting to get super packed and it was so hot. Also the kids were fighting who was going to ride in the stroller so we decided to order a single stroller so they would each have a seat. I called Apple and they were booked but Orlando Strollers could accommodate us and dropped it off at the resort that afternoon. We decided to head back to AoA for naps and swimming. We had an early dinner reservation at Crystal Palace but I was able to reschedule it to Thur lunch since we decided we didn’t want to head back to the park. We ended up eating at the AoA food court again for dinner and went swimming.


Day 3: Animal Kingdom


Got up and had breakfast at the food court and headed to the bus. Waited at least 25 min for the bus which seemed to be the theme of the week unfortunately. Once we arrived at AK we stopped for some MM pics in front of the tree of life. Walked around a bit and decided to ride the train. We then had a 11am Safari FP. This was pretty cool-saw tons of animals. After that we had a lunch reservation at Yak and Yeti. Loved this place. Ordered the egg rolls for an app. I got the steak and coconut shrimp and DH had the duck. Too full for desert. By this time one DD was constantly melting down and wanting to go back to the hotel so DH took the girls and DS and me stayed at the park.


We had a FP for Kali River Rapids coming up so we walked over to Dino land and checked out the rides there. Rode TriceraTop Spin and did a character meet with Goofy and Pluto. After this we made our way to KRR for our FP. Got down there and about to get on the ride and they closed it for weather  Gave everyone a FP to use later. Made our way out of the queue and it started to pour. DS was freaking out so we waited a while under cover and then he said he wanted to go back to the hotel. We walked to the buses and got even more soaked. Lol It stormed for quite a while this afternoon so we were pretty much stuck in the room napping. We just got dinner from the food court and ate in our room. The kids were so worn out.


I didn’t love AK honestly. There aren’t a ton of rides that little kids can do it seemed like. To be fair though there was a lot more we could have probably seen here animal wise and we missed our FP to the Lion King show which I was bummed about.



Day 4: Hollywood Studios and Epcot


This morning we just picked up some light snacks from the food court for breakfast. Headed to the buses and DHS. I gave our AK FP we got the day before to a family waiting in the AK bus line.  Got there right at rope drop and went through security quickly. Short line for a character meet with Donald and Daisy so we did that and headed directly for Toy story Mania. We didn’t have any FP at DHS because I had to save those for Epcot that night for Frozen Ever after. We walked on TSM-so fun! The kids loved it. After that the kids saw the face painting area so they wanted to have that done…$50 later ugh we headed to the Star Wars Launch Bay. Watched the short film and then did the meet with Kylo Ren and Chewbaca. It was awesome! Looked at all the SW stuff they had on display.

DH took two of the kids on the Great Movie Ride while another kid and me stopped at the restroom.

After that it was time to head to Prime Time for our lunch reservation. Our waiter was great “Uncle Chris”-probably best service of our meals. I remember loving this place as a kid but the food here is gross IMO. I got the sampler thing which had pot roast, fried chicken and meatloaf. DH got the meatloaf and thought it was good. I kind of picked at my entre. It was too hot out for me to enjoy this type of food and everything was so salty. Had the brownie sundae for desert which was yummy.


Kids started melting down and wanted to go back to the resort. See a theme here?  I tried to convince them to stay for a show like the Frozen sing along but they weren’t having it. I really wanted to ride ToT and RnRC so I stayed and DH took the kids to the bus. Both rides had a 20 min wait posted but it seemed shorter. ToT was so scary to me…never again! I probably rode it when I was younger but forgot how much I hated it. I think I was grabbing the ladies leg next to me most of the time. Haha RnRC was fun! After that I headed back to resort. Relaxed a while and then it was time to head to Epcot.


Epcot


Arrived around 5:30pm or so. Stopped in a shop for some souvenirs, rode Spaceship Earth then headed to the world showcase. Crowds were starting to pick up with Food & Wine. We stopped at the Mexico Pavilion to ride the boat ride there but it was closed for technical issues. Stopped at the booth in Norway to get beers and Mickey Bars for the kids. Next it was time for our FP for Frozen Ever After. We all loved it!



We walked to Italy for our reservation at Via Napoli. This place was so good! Ordered the Bellini, Mozzarella Caprese salad and the prosciutto and melone pizza….so yummy! I’m not sure what kind DH and the kids had. DH and I skipped desert. Some a-hole stole our Disney poncho off our stroller we had covered because it was going to rain!



After this we walked the rest of the world showcase and watched Sugar Ray perform a couple of songs at the Eat to the Beat concert. We intended to stay for the fireworks but it was pretty crowded and everyone was tired so we headed back to the bus.



Day 5 Magic Kingdom Birthday day and trip to the ER!


We decided to sleep in this morning. I did a couple of loads of laundry and got everyone snacks for breakfast at the food court. After that we headed to MK around lunch time. It was a little overcast and the heat wasn’t too bad this day thankfully. We had a reservation at Crystal Palace. I know this place doesn’t get the best reviews but I liked the food. It was all fresh- loved the salad bar and carving station. The waiter brought the kids birthday cupcakes and we sang HBD. They loved seeing all the characters. After this we stopped for some pics of the kids in front of the castle. I really wanted some good MM pics but there were no photographers around then. 


We rode Dumbo, Barnstormer twice then waited a while because rides were shut down because of the weather. Rode the Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle cruise and Haunted Mansion.

After this it was time to head to boat for Wilderness Lodge for our last dinner at Whispering Canyon. Loved this place! Food was great and it was a lot of fun for the kids. Our server Gretchen was hilarious. DH and I got the meat platter thing and the cheesecake for desert. DS was so into the “we need ketchup” thing here. He was cracking us up!! The kids had birthday cupcakes again. The kids were the most well behaved this day and game to do a lot. I guess because it was their birthday?


We headed back to MK on the boat and then to the bus. Got back to AoA around 10pm or so.


This is when the night got interesting! All we wanted to do was get everyone showered and to bed because we were leaving on the cruise the next day and still had to pack up the room. DH was in the shower and DS was going to shower with him. DS literally jumped into the shower and slipped and cut the back of his head open! It was bleeding pretty bad. DS was crying some but not too bad.

We got him dressed and I took him to the lobby to ask about seeing if there was a medic that could check it out. The staff at AoA sprang to action and immediately took us to an office by reception. While a manager took down a report of what happened they called the paramedics to come and take a look. One of the managers brought DS a stuffed Mickey and balloons. The medics were there in five min or so. Medic took one look and said yes he needs to go to the ER and asked if we had a car here. Nope! So off we went in the ambulance no lights on (which DS thought was super cool) to Celebration Hospital. They quickly checked us in and the Dr came in and checked out DS. She said he would need staples and they needed to apply some numbing gel that has to sit for 45 min. So we hung out and watched cartoons on the TV. DS was a trooper while getting the staples and only cried for a minute. They gave him a Popsicle after! I was worried about him being able to swim on the cruise but they said it was fine as long as he didn’t submerge his head a lot. Yay! We checked out and they called us a cab with a booster seat. Arrived back to the resort at 12:30am. I showered and went to bed. So tired!!


This is when I plug the need for travel insurance!! Get it! You just never know what can happen and when you are spending so much on a trip like this you might as well spend the extra! I know we will get bills from the hospital after our medical insurance pays their part and the ambulance ride so I plan on turning all this in to the travel insurance to be reimbursed. AoA also said they would gladly reimburse us for the cab ride back but I didn’t have time to stop by the desk the next morning to mess with that.



Finals thoughts on WDW: the trip was fun but a lot of work with our kids. I felt like we were rushing around a lot to make reservations and FPs. The kids did not love it as much as I thought they would…maybe they are still too young, I don’t know. I think the heat played into this somewhat. Our one daughter that is normally so well behaved in public was awful most of the time and melted down too many times to count! We will not return again during a really hot time. The lines were not bad at all for rides even though the parks sometimes seemed to be pretty packed in certain areas.


AoA was just ok…we really prefer a nicer room but wanted a suite. I think it’s a great resort for families with little ones and we loved all the extra room in the family suite but grew to hate the bus system! We normally waited 20-30 each time which got old quickly especially in the heat and with cranky kids. The food at AoA was pretty good/lots of choices but this place is so crazy during peak times-it was like enter at your own risk! Haha The pools were really fun.


Lessons learned is next time we will spring for a monorail resort or consider renting a car and driving ourselves to the parks to avoid the bus system. Or even maybe stay offsite! The dining plan was so much food so I don’t necessarily care if we get that again but if it happened to be free then that would be ok. We probably won’t be returning to WDW for several years.

[egishere]

Dream review coming up!

[egishere]

Part 2 Dream Review


Day 1 arrival: Got up that morning and packed up the hotel room and got some light snacks from the food court. Returned the strollers to the bell desk and waiting for our driver who was picking us up at 9:45am to head to the port. He picked us up in a limo which was fun! He also had three car seats installed just like I had discussed with him a couple of days before. We headed to the port and were there before we knew it! The kids were super excited to get on the ship. The security and check in lines moved pretty quickly and then we sat and waited about 15 min before it was time for our group to get into the ship.


We got onto the ship and looked around some then headed up to lunch at Cabanas. It was pretty good. After that the kids had their swimsuits on and I had packed DH and mine in the backpack so we changed and went swimming for a couple of hours. DS and me rode the Aqua Duck which was fun. We did the safety drill thing. Later we headed to the room, unpacked some and relaxed a bit before getting showered and ready for dinner. The kids all napped.


We had the late dining at 8:15 which was a big mistake with the kids but the early one was booked and I didn’t bother trying to change it once we got on the ship. The kids were starving so we got some room service for them. We checked them into the kids club which was super chaotic but got better as the cruise went on. DH and I went to dinner at Enchanted Garden. We had another family with a five yr old daughter sitting with us. They were really cool and we enjoyed getting to know them! I don’t remember what I had to eat here but it was okay-nothing special. By the end of dinner we got a text on the Wave phone that one of the girls wanted to be picked up so we went and got the kids and headed back to the room for bed.


Day 2: The ship was in Nassau this day but we opted just to stay on. Had breakfast at Cabanas. We went swimming most of the day and did a Frozen meet and greet which was fun. Had some food at Flo’s later in the afternoon. It rained some as well. That night we had reservations at Palo the adults only restaurant. Everyone napped and we got showered for dinner. Checked the kids into the kids club. This night was pirate dress up night or Halloween costumes so the kids wore their costumes and there was a party at the kids club. DH and me went and had drinks at the Pub for about an hour before our reservation. It was so nice to have some kid free time!!


Palo was wonderful all around from the food to the service! We had a table overlooking the water. DH let the waiter pick all his selections for him. After the antipasti selections, we had the gnocchi, caprese salad and calamari for appetizer. I had the beef tenderloin and DH the Osso Buco and scallops. For desert we had the soufflé - one chocolate and one white chocolate. So delicious- all of it!!

By the time dinner was ending we got a text that DD wanted to be picked up. I went into the kids club and they said they wanted to stay of course haha but it was getting late so I got them and we walked around a bit, took some pics and let them get ice cream.


Day 3: Castaway Cay!


I was super excited about seeing the Disney island! We had breakfast in Cabanas then got off the ship. Took some character pics and headed to the tram to take us to the beach. We stopped to buy the kids sand buckets and got chairs at the beach. We headed to the beach/water for a while then DS wanted to do the water slides so I took him to do that which probably took about 30 min or so-long line. Then DH took the girls to do the waterslides. We then got lunch at Cookies BBQ. It was so hot I didn’t have much of an appetite and nothing looked great really. We played on the beach a while longer then decided to head back because a storm was coming. Got rained on some and back on the boat for shower and naps.


That night we had dinner at Animators Palate. We ordered some room service snacks before because everyone was hungry and 8:15 was a while away. Before dinner we saw the show Believe and while super cheesy, I thought it was really well done! We loved AP for dinner. Really fun experience and Crush talked to our table quite a bit! After dinner we walked around some and took more pics then headed to our room to get everything packed since bags had to be set out by 10:30pm.


Day 4: Depart:

Woke up, got everyone dressed and everything else packed up and went to our final breakfast at AP. Said goodbye to our table mates and the wait staff and headed off the ship. We had a porter help get our luggage and the customs line moved pretty quickly. It was pouring when we got off – hello Hurricane Matthew! I’m so glad we were done with the cruise because the next group was being diverted to Mexico and who knows what port they will be able to return to on Fri  Our driver picked us up and we headed to the airport.



Final thoughts on the Dream:


We loved it but since it was a short cruise it felt rushed! So much to do, so little time! We said we would definitely book another Disney cruise but it will be on a smaller ship for sure and a seven day. Loved the verandah stateroom with the bunk beds and it had another murphy bed too so all the kids had their own bed! We also loved how clean they keep everything and the emphasis on keeping everyone healthy with handing out wipes before meals, etc. Service was great all around! My kids didn’t love the kids club as much as I had hoped but it seemed pretty awesome…they have so much for them to do. The CMs there were really great.

[egishere]

chilerellanos, yes the heat and humidity was a killer! We live in CO so not acclimated to it at all! I expected it to be bad but not that bad - oh well. I need to read your reviews still. So nice you had an adults only trip! I'm trying to recruit one of my friends I have traveled with before to go with me to WDW next year lol then I can do all the stuff we missed this trip!

[bronxgirl]

sounds fun!

[Deleted]

Thanks so much for your review, very honest! And I appreciate the price breakdown too. I'm sorry your son got hurt but glad to hear he was treated well and fast.

[dcrunnergirl52]

Thanks so much for this review! Overall, it sounds like a really good trip, and you got to do so much!

[lishie]

egishere We did a weeklong cruise on the Wonder last summer. It was fabulous. The ship was the perfect size for us. Even in a week we didn't get to try everything on the ship. My kids adored the kids club and had a great time. I highly recommend a weeklong itinerary.

[mmmomof2]

The $600 for extras on a three night cruise surprises me! Was that a lot of alcohol or a lot of souveniers? Both?

[was5]

egishere, I just read the WDW report so far. Thank you for sharing. We went to WDW when DD was almost 6 and my twins were 15 mos. We went in August. The heat was horrible. I decided when we go back it will be in winter. I felt like our days were cut short at the parks because we just couldn't handle the heat. Our third (and last) day was also the best for us, and it wasn't anyone's birthday. Maybe by that point everyone just gets acclimated to the weather.

We stayed at a LM room at AoA when we went. I am thinking about splitting our next trip between a monorail resort and an AoA suite, maybe 3 days each. Your review convinces me that is probably the right choice. We only used the bus one day when we stayed at AoA because we had our car with us so I didn't know how consistent the service was. Next time we plan to fly and will rely solely on WDW transportation.

[egishere]

Oct 6, 2016 15:05:12 GMT -5 mmmomof2 said:

The $600 for extras on a three night cruise surprises me! Was that a lot of alcohol or a lot of souveniers? Both?

I was surprised at that too!  Mostly alcohol  probably around $100 in souvenirs. We both bought lanyards,  t shirt for me, some pins and sand buckets at Castaway Cay.  DH ordered a 12 pack of beer for our stateroom and they gave him a soft cooler too he could use.  I also ordered 24 waters which was way too many-stupid move.  We had dinner at the adults only restaurant which I think was $30 each and then wine and drinks there.  We had drinks at the Pub two nights as well and a drink or two in the regular dining rooms.  We normally are not big drinkers but when on vacation we are haha

[egishere]

was5, I think that sounds like a good plan for you! The suites at AoA are spacious enough and the two bathrooms is great. I really didn't expect the bus service to the parks to be so bad...so disappointing but now we know for next time and will rent a car or do a monorail resort!

[egishere]

chilerellanos, that's awesome!! haha

[egishere]

chilerellanos, that would have been fun! One of my other friends was there too and we just quickly said hi and snapped a pic. Always so hard to snyc up with people. With the way my kids were acting you would have run away haha but we could have had a drink together!

[spaghetticat]

Thanks for sharing! I love reviews.

My FIL wound up at Celebration Hospital is well so I told him your story. He is now mad that he didn't get a stuffed Mickey and balloons

[zarapipe]

thanks for sharing!