“DISNEY DREAM” OVERVIEW – STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

I have seen white sand and clear turquoise water. I have snorkelled with sting rays and barracuda’s and collected sand dollars from the sea bed. I have sat in a chair at the water’s edge reading my book and drinking Conk cocktails at Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay in glorious sunshine. I have watched fireworks and kissed Mickey Mouse. I have talked to Crush, everybody’s favourite turtle in the interactive restaurant and I have over-eaten delicious food served by the smiliest most helpful people imaginable. I have had pre-dinner drinks in the cool bars, during-dinner drinks in the impressive restaurants and post-dinner drinks in yet more bars and then danced inappropriately for someone my age in the nightclub with all my new friends and I have spent several days laughing at everything and nothing. I have felt happy and safe and secure and excited. I have watched the new show “Disney’s Believe” and for a minute…believed. I have stood on my balcony and marveled at the enormity of the sea and the smallness of me. I have wished upon a star. Listened to the waves. The wind. Watched the sunset. It all felt luxurious. Everything that one could possibly want was provided for and more. I chose mostly relaxation, others chose mostly stimulation. Real life in grey wet London seemed like a million miles away and I felt as if I was literally floating on a shiny happy cloud. That is the beauty of a cruise of this nature. You can pick and choose to your hearts content. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble. Everything was easy. This aspect particularly appealed to me because when I am on holiday with my children I don’t want to have to worry about how I’m going to get somewhere by myself with them, that is the bit that I find most difficult and on a Disney cruise holiday you are most certainly paying for the privilege of relinquishing all responsibility – both for yourself and your family to highly trained professionals who will try and cater for all your specific needs.

So what would be a typical day spent on the Disney Dream cruise ship for someone like me? Obviously, this is the best, best, best age – this is the stuff dreams are made of:-

But as a single parent with three children of significantly different ages and gender who don’t want to do anything together there is still much to be enjoyed. The beauty of a holiday like this is that instead of the family being looked at as one single unit, Disney recognise that each individual has different requirements. There was literally something for everyone. Lots of somethings for everyone. Everywhere you looked.

If we weren’t on Disney’s private island then this was the area I liked best:-

Which housed the adult pool and bar and spa area where we sampled several different cocktails whilst lounging around on the top deck:-

But my children would have preferred to be here in the “Vibe” teen section which I’ve written about previously.

For more information on teenage facilities please look at my specific post in the travel section of this blog: http://www.familyaffairsandothermatters.com/facilities-for-teenagers-on-the-disney-dream-cruise-ship/

We might all meet for lunch and dinner in one of a variety of restaurants OR if they were busy with their friends I might choose to eat in one of the adult only restaurants. See my specific post on restaurants for more details: http://www.familyaffairsandothermatters.com/disney-dream-cruise-ship-restaurant-review/

We might all then go and watch a show in the splendid Walt Disney Theatre. More than 20 of Disney’s most beloved characters take to the stage in the new “Disney’s Believe” and it includes such famous songs as “Never Had A Friend LIke Me”, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (I’ve always wanted an excuse to write that down), “Bear Necessities”, “Circle of Life” and many more and it was surprisingly moving and uplifting:-

Then my children might go back to their respective clubs whilst I take a stroll down to “The District“, the evening entertainment area for adults which was very cool . A selection of bars that all intertwined.

The Skyline – a chic, metropolitan bar where the view changes every 15 minutes to another city.

“Pink” an intimate cocktail bar – which in an all too brief period of time became our favourite.

Then hopefully at some point I will remember that I have children, go and collect them (or vice versa) and sleep peacefully in luxurious beds dreaming of how we are all going to do it again tomorrow.

Thank you to Disney and Virgin Holidays for inviting me out there to check it all out. I loved every minute. Especially the silly game of Crazy Golf we played with champagne in one hand and a club in the other:-