Sue (Holland) Rayford - Villas at Grand Floridian & DCL Dream - January 14-18, 2016

Who/When/Where:

Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
Sheila (56), Travel Buddy from years ago
Dates: January 14 - 18, 2016
Resort: Disneys Grand Floridian Villas Resort (1 night) and DCL Dream (3 nights)
Experience: Very Experienced 2nd stay at this resort; 13th DCL cruise (34th overall)

INTRODUCTION:
My last DCL cruise was the 3-night Dream in November 2014 with Tiana, and I fully intended for that to be my LAST one. She loved it, and although I didnt plan to do another I found myself checking future dates/itineraries/prices. I asked her if she wanted to go again, this cruise and she excitedly said YES. So, I booked. Not long after that she told me shed forgotten she has a bowling tournament this weekend. Really?? Bowling over a free cruise??? The woman must have mental issues <g>. I did look for an alternate date but what I found didnt work for her, so she said shed wait until we booked a HAL cruise (we each have a stateroom booked on a HAL cruise in December 2016).

That left me with this DCL cruise booked. I thought about canceling it, and probably should have, but I got a 10% discount for booking it onboard, plus $100 shipboard credit, and it would be painful to cancel any cruise even a DCL cruise (DCL is nice, but nowhere near as nice for me as a HAL cruise). I thought about going solo, which would cost just as much as cruising with a 2 people. SB was willing to go, so that was the plan. But, when we booked a cruise with Pete & Judy for February, I knew (and SB confirmed) that he did NOT want to cruise 2 months in a row. The February HAL cruise ended up getting moved to January the HAL cruise we just finished.

So, I thought about whether there was anybody Id want to spend 3 nights sharing a stateroom with. Honestly, I dont particularly like sharing a stateroom with my husband, so it shouldnt be taken offensively when I dont want to share a room with most friends either. I enjoy their company, but like my space! For many years I traveled with my friend Sheila (back when we were both single) and we traveled very well together. I reached out to her, and her husband told her shed be a fool to not go, lol! So, after several years well travel together again, and Im looking forward to this rare chance to spend time together (since Im now living 4 hours away).

I generally have a low opinion of the short cruises (anything less than 7 nights), and on most lines the short cruises have the crappiest ships and rather rough passengers. HAL doesnt even bother with this market. DCL has only 4 ships, and theyre all well maintained, so there are no crappy ships in the fleet. DCL markets to the adult traveler, but also to the families, and as a result the DCL ships are full of hordes of children. Entertainment takes this into consideration, with the shows being appropriate for the preschool set, and the same is true of the movies shown on board. That all is not my cup of tea at all, but its my choice to cruise knowing this is what DCL does. Im not going to change them <g>. I will stick to the adult areas/activities to the extent possible, and I do appreciate that DCL does do a good job of enforcing those areas.

With a 3-night cruise theres actually very little cruising happening. We board Friday. Saturday and Sunday were docked all day, and Monday morning they throw us off the ship. Were cruising in the evening and overnight while were asleep. I dont plan to get off the ship in Nassau that port is not worth leaving the ship for. I dont know about Castaway Cay its been many years since Sheila has been there so if she wants to go ashore Id go along with her. Otherwise, Im perfectly content enjoying the ship while most of the others are on the island.

As a Platinum level repeat cruiser I get complimentary Palo dinner for both of us, so we have that booked for Saturday night. Palo is excellent! It will also be a welcome respite from a dining room full of kids. We have the early dining booked, which typically has the most kids, and frankly not all parents actually parent nowadays. Last DCL cruise Tiana & I saw things going on that never would have been allowed in our homes when our kids were growing up never mind in our parents homes when we were kids! So, well have 2 nights in the restaurants and 1 at Palo. I dont think Cabanas will be open for dinner during this short cruise. Cabanas will be our spot for breakfast, and possibly for lunch.

We do plan to attend the DVC reception on the first day, and we will probably do the detective game (since Sheilas never seen it). The weather looks positively awful for departure day (rain & wind), and itll be chilly the day we return, but Im hoping Saturday & Sunday will be mostly sunny and not cold. Our stateroom has a verandah, so thats an improvement over the ocean view staterooms we used to cruise in. The Pirate night fireworks is the night of our Palo dinner, so well be too full for any food at the deck party but watching the fireworks is always cool. Its also amusing to see the other cruise ships in the area who stop in order to see DCLs fireworks <g>.

The night before the cruise were staying in a studio at the Grand Floridian Villas until around 7pm Wednesday, Sheila still had no idea where were staying, as she didnt ask which dvc resort I booked. Back in the day we stayed at OKW quite a bit, so she might have been expecting that so this was a very nice surprise! I have some fastpasses booked in Magic Kingdom that afternoon, so if its not raining Ill use those. Shell arrive and meet me at Magic Kingdom. Then, the plan is to spend the evening at Top of the World Lounge, and watch Wishes from there (8pm?).

Overall the plan is to relax and reconnect with a good friend enjoying a break from the real world for a few days. Since the cruise is so short I am not planning to bother buying an internet package, so unless that changes the reports wont be sent out until after I return home on Monday.

The plans so far are:
Thursday 1/14: Drive to WDW, Magic Kingdom, Top of World Lounge at BLT
Friday 1/15: Drive to DCL Dream, DVC Presentation
Saturday 1/16: Nassau (ship day for me), Palo Dinner
Sunday 1/16: Castaway Cay
Monday 1/18: Drive to Gainesville


DAY 1 Thursday 1/14/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
Sheila (56), Travel Buddy from years ago

Plan: Drive to WDW, Magic Kingdom, Top of World Lounge at BLT

Actual: I planned to work until noon but I ended up staying a bit longer. I finally moved from a pathetic old smartphone to an iphone and the case Id ordered for it was being delivered today, so I was hoping the mail would come before I left. It didnt, and I wasnt going to risk losing the whole afternoon, but I did get a text around 2pm while on the road to tell me it had been delivered. Glad I didnt wait for it!

I was on the road by 12:45 and received the email from Disney at 1:04 letting me know my room was ready and giving me the room number. The drive was uneventful, and with a stop for some gas I pulled into the Villas at Grand Floridian somewhere around 2:45-3pm. I was shocked to see the 2nd spot in the parking lot empty, so I grabbed it and then walked into the building. The fire department was there for a test of the fire alarm, and I went to the elevator and pushed the button. A cast member came over and suggested I not use the elevator just yet, as he didnt know if the elevators would stop when the alarm went off and figured I probably didnt want to take that chance.

My room is on the 3rd floor, so I headed for the stairs, just as the fire alarms started sounding. I made it through the fire doors just before they closed, found the stairwell, went up to the 3rd floor, then worked my way back opening fire doors to get to my studio. The magic band worked, thank goodness, so I didnt have to trudge back downstairs. The studios are so pretty here, but I quickly realized this is a handicapped room. The kitchenette is lower than normal, which is what gave it away. Despite being lower, its MUCH better done than the handicapped kitchenettes at Hilton Head or Vero.

Id booked this room for the double (split) bathroom, and in the handicapped rooms there just one gigantic bathroom. That was very disappointing, since Sheila is staying with me. There is no tub, theres only 1 sink, there are no shelves or drawers in the bathroom, and the only shower is a handicapped one with a curtain and a shower seat. I miss the beautiful glass shower stall! If I was here for multiple nights I definitely would have gone downstairs and asked to be put in a regular room, but for 1 night I can live with it.

I got settled, and had missed my first fastpass due to the late start, but I still had time to get to my other 2 fastpasses. I walked over to the monorail and arrived just as it pulled away. It was about a 5 minute wait for the next one. At the Magic Kingdom a huge crowd was arriving (must have been the ferry boat unloading), so I stepped up my pace a bit and got through back check quickly. From there I was directed by the private security employee to go through the metal detector. Ugh. There were only a handful of people ahead of me, but I had to stand there waiting while they emptied their pockets, took off belts, etc. One young lady even took off her tiara (which looked like plastic to me, lol) and put it in the bowl. I just gave my purse to the employee, who passed it through. But, when I walked through I set off the alarm. It was then I remembered I had a fitbit clipped to my bra, and the new case I received yesterday has a metal strip in it. I tried to tell the lady what caused the alarm, but she didnt care she just waved a wand around me and let me go. What a pain. I am not a fan of this randomly selecting a small % of guests to go through the detectors. If we need them, then everyone should go through but it needs to be a faster process.

On my way into the park I got a text from Sheila that she was stuck in awful traffic on I-4. I got into Magic Kingdom just as the parade ended, so it was mobbed along Main Street. I was glad the parade had ended, as at least people were dispersing. I walked over to Mine Train, which had an 85 minute wait. I had about 15 minutes left on my fastpass window, and was on the ride with a very short wait. They seated me with a lady from a family of 3. Its a fun ride, but so short!

Once that was done I texted Sheila to let her know I only had 1 fastpass left, in about 20 minutes, and asked if shed rather just meet at the resort. She replied yes, so I walked over to Space Mountain. Overall the park was VERY busy people everywhere, and everything had waits longer than I would deal with. I thought about the People Mover, but it had stopped, so this one of the extremely rare times when I didnt do that attraction.

Since the magic band works for fastpasses 5 minutes before the designated time, I joined the Space Mountain fastpass queue 5 minutes early. The standby wait here kept changing from 70 to 80 to 70 minutes. The app had it listed as 75 minutes. I ended up getting pulled ahead quite a bit since they were looking for a party of 1, and I got the back row which I like! When I got back outside I had a text from Sheila that she was at the resort and was waiting in the lobby.

I left the park, and boarded the waiting boat for the quick ride over to the Grand Floridian dock. When I got to the Villas I didnt see her in the lobby, but she texted to say she was in the room. I was puzzled, but went upstairs and found her sitting on the couch. She told me the cast members saw her sitting there and insisted on taking her up to the room. They had her try her magic band, which of course did not work because she isnt linked to me in My Disney Experience. They said theyd take her band downstairs and reset it to work the door she told them that wasnt necessary but they insisted it was no problem. Damn customer service, lol! So, when I got there she didnt have her magic band and she told me what was going on. I was uneasy, wondering if they were going to mess ME up. I had a magic band for her, which opened the door it wouldnt have her annual pass on there, but were not going to any parks.

Soon there was a knock on the door and a friendly cast member had her magic band. She tried it and it didnt work, lol it would not unlock the door! She told the person again, she didnt need anything done. The cast member said we needed to reset our pins which really was my pin. She said sometimes the pin gets dropped when they try to fix the bands. Ok, red flags waving here now. I entered my pin on the tablet and she assured us we were good to go.

Pretty soon we walked over to the monorail and rode over to the Contemporary. We checked out Contempo Caf for possible breakfast ideas, but this time of day they dont have anything like bagels out. We went to go across the sky bridge to Bay Lake Tower and for a change the doors were closed. My magic band wouldnt open them since Im not staying there. I saw people coming, so we stood back and waited for them to come through, then went through the doors rather than going all the way back downstairs and walking over to the lobby doors.

We went down to the lobby, getting there around 5:45, and learned the Top of the World Lounge did in fact not open until 6. We walked out by the tiny BLT pool, then went over and toasted marshmallows at the fire pit by the beach on the Contemporary side. After that we went back to the lobby and checked in for the lounge and were taken up right at 6pm.

We grabbed a table by the window, and I noticed now the tables have 2 chairs instead of 4 and they had room to add an extra table that way. It wasnt busy up there at first, but by 7:30 it was nearly full. I ordered a glass of wine, and we shared the steak & cheese flatbread. The menu is mostly all new the pretzels are still there, but thats about it. I really like the changes! The flatbread was excellent, and plenty for the 2 of us to share. It was too much to leave room for a 2nd item, though. I used Tables in Wonderland, which brought the check down to around $20 and I decided to pay for it using my magic band. Remember the help cast members provided trying to fix Sheilas band? Well, now I couldnt charge anything to the room. I told the cast member theyd tried to reset Sheilas band and I had to re-enter my pin, and she said often when that happens the credit card information gets dropped. Gee, thanks Villas at Grand Floridian!

At 8 Wishes began, and it was great as usual. I do like sitting comfortably watching and hearing it without the crowds! When it ended we went down to the sky bridge and walked over to the Contemporary. We stopped at Contempo Caf, where Sheila got a chocolate chip cookie & banana for breakfast and I got an oatmeal raisin cookie for breakfast and a flourless chocolate cake for tonight. As we were in line to pay, all of the registers went down and they werent able to read any magic bands. It was getting ridiculous, but finally the people trying to order food were able to move away, and Sheila paid cash for our items. From there we went up to the monorail station. It seemed like they sent the monorail from Magic Kingdom with a couple empty cars, so people were able to get on at this stop. The park had closed with Wishes, so everyone was trying to get out of there.

We got off at the Polynesian, and sat on a couple chaise lounges on the beach while we waited about 10 minutes or so for the Electric Water Pageant to begin. Id expected it to be raining by now, so this was an unexpected treat! When it ended we walked the path over to the Grand Floridian, passing by the luau show that was being performed. We went up to the studio, and settled in for the night. The sleep sofa is one that pulls out after you take off all the cushions, which surprised me. Hopefully itll be comfortable for her. We got the extra blanket and pillows down from the closet. We each ate some of the flourless chocolate cake, with the other 3rd going into the fridge for breakfast tomorrow. Its too good to throw away!

The rest of the night I worked on the trip report, while Sheila played with her tablet. It was a nice evening, although I wish the cast at this resort werent so helpful this afternoon! I didnt have any problem with them letting her into the room, but they didnt need to be messing with the bands. Top of the World Lounge and Wishes were great, and its nice spending time with Sheila again.

Tomorrow its supposed to be raining, which I could definitely live without when I have to travel! We plan to get on the road by 8, since we have a couple quick stops to make before actually heading to the port to board the Dream.


DAY 2 Friday 1/15/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
Sheila (55?), Travel Buddy from years ago

Plan: Drive to DCL Dream, DVC Presentation

Actual: We both slept well last night the studio was comfortable and quiet. I was up with the alarm at 5:20, and took my shower & got dressed first. The huge bathroom came in handy for that! I realize 5:20 was earlier than necessary, but its 5 minutes later than my normal weekday time, and I wanted to have time to relax online before we headed out. Sheila got up and did the same once I was out of the bathroom.

I had a cup of cappuccino and finished the flourless chocolate cake. She had her banana and a cup of coffee I think the cookies will eaten as we drive. The weather looks awful for the drive some heavy rain, thunder & wind, with an isolated chance of a tornado. We packed up our stuff and left the studio around 7:40 or so. It was just barely raining at this point so I was hopefully wed stay ahead of the worst of it.

We made a stop at the Disney Car Care Center, where we both filled our cars up with gas and Sheila got a decent cup of coffee in the store. From there she followed me as I worked our way towards Disney Springs and off Disney property so we could hit the Publix located near the Premium Outlets. By then it was raining a bit heavier. Sheila got the cash she needed from the ATM, and we continued on our way. I used the GPS and she followed me.

The added wrinkle was I have a SunPass transponder so I dont stop for tolls. Sheila doesnt have one, so she needed to use the cash lanes. I could have pulled my transponder down and gone through the cash lanes, but I decided to see how it went. For the most part it worked really well better than expected. As we approached a toll shed speed up and pass me, while Id move to the slowest SunPass lane and slow down to the lowest speed I could safely travel, and wed catch up with each other after the toll. At one toll they only had 1 cash lane open and a big truck was sitting there, but I was able to pull off to the side and stop until I saw Sheila get through.

We arrived at the port around 9:45, and parked in the garage. It was starting to rain harder now, so I was glad wed be under cover from this point. People were lined up, and there were HORDES of kids. Being a holiday weekend with schools closed on Monday it makes sense that this cruise will be more kid-heavy than other dates in January. We waited in line, and it was somewhat damp & cool.

Just after 10 they started processing people through to stand on the walkway this became more challenging because the walkway is open on both sides and the rain was blowing in over half of the walkway. People lined up on the other side, trying to stay dry. Eventually they started letting us into the terminal around 10:20, which is good since the people on the walkway were starting to have a harder time staying dry.

At security Sheila forgot about a swiss army knife in her purse oops. Shes a retail manager and her store doesnt have box cutters so she uses it to open boxes of merchandise and had forgotten it was in there. They were very nice and let her take it on board.

Once inside we stopped at the DVC desk and received our DVC lanyards (she gets one as my guest) and they reminded us of the 2:30 presentation. We had no wait to check in, since it wasnt our first cruise, and we found seats to wait. We were given boarding #1, so were in the first group! They started boarding just before 11:30 and we were among the first to board. They still announce the family name, which loses something when its 2 unrelated people traveling together.

We went up to Cabanas, which surprisingly did not open until 11:45. This meant all the people coming on board were herded up to Cabanas but could not start getting food. Instead, Disney created a big backlog of passengers hitting the buffet line once it did open. I didnt understand that one! Either delay boarding until 11:45 or simply get the food ready by 11:30. Its not rocket science.

I went up first, while Sheila sat at our table with our stuff. They have the usual station full of big shrimp and stone crab claws very popular and nice items, but not stuff I eat. The buffet is broken into stations, so I assume you can just go to the station you want, but so many people had no clue and were starting at the beginning and walking the entire buffet line, so I joined at the end rather than look like I was cutting in front of people. Eventually though I got tired of walking and waiting with an empty plate, and moved ahead. I ended up with a chicken tender, a slice of tomato/mozzarella sandwich, some fried rice and some pork & noodles. The first 2 items were great, but the fried rice and pork/noodles were nothing special I didnt even eat those.

Sheila got some shrimp, the tomato/mozzarella sandwich, fried rice and Im not sure what else. Later I went up and brought back a small piece of carrot cake and a chocolate marquise (chocolate mousse but with a couple pieces of a chocolate chip cookie on the bottom) and we shared both of those. They were ok not bad, but not outstanding. During lunch it poured outside, The rain was streaming down the window, and it got very dark. The people just arriving were in for a miserable time we were glad we got on the ship when we did! Not too much later it started clearing up.

After lunch we toured the ship, dragging our stuff with us since DCL cant seem to have staterooms ready before 1:30 (no excuse for that). We finished that around 1pm, so we went to the Cove Caf/Bar on deck 11 to wait for 1:30. I ordered a glass of pinot grigio and we both spent some time on our phones. At 1:30 we went down to our stateroom, which is in a great location on deck 6, with a verandah.

It didnt take very long to unpack, and DCL has tons of storage in the staterooms, with several drawers. I like this layout better than my HAL stateroom. Our stateroom steward dropped by to introduce herself, and seems very nice. After unpacking we went down to the DVC presentation in D Lounge.

Upon entry we each received one of the DVC member mugs that look like tervis tumbler but really are a cheap knock-off. I still like them, though! The one I got last time is a little messed up, so its nice to have a new one. They also had champagne and cold bottles of Evian water, along with a tray of macaroons. We each took a glass of champagne, a bottle of water and a macaroon. The macaroons were the best Ive ever had perfectly fresh, and delicious.

The presentation was a lot of fun, and the first part was hosted by the very enthusiastic and flamboyant Jaimsee, who might weigh all of 80 pounds soaking wet. He told us hes from southern England, so the way to greet him is with Toodles Yall, lol! He was something else, but a lot of fun. After his part a DVC guide took over. There were contests, questions, and some prizes were given away (we didnt win anything). We did get a 2nd glass of champagne and 2nd bottle of water. Later we saw the macaroons sold for $2.00 each, so we should have picked up a handful of those as well <g>!

After the presentation we dropped off our swag and went down to walk around the promenade deck which is deck 4 on this ship. It was mobbed out there it is unreal how many people are on this ship, and in particular how many kids are on board! Soon it was time for the lifeboat drill, so we went to our muster station (the Walt Disney Theater). It didnt take too long, and after the drill we went up to deck 11 for sailaway. I called SB to say goodbye to him, and also talked to my friend Michael. Sheila called her husband.

There was a Royal Caribbean ship in port with us, and they left first. Once they were out in the ocean we started moving forward, but had a ways to go to get to the channel. We were so glad the clouds had disappeared and it was such a pretty afternoon for sailaway! The deck party was a mob scene uncomfortably noisy & crowded. It was just plain unpleasant to both of us. But, the people down there on the covered pool seemed to be enjoying themselves. We wandered around a bit, then went back down to the stateroom to get ready for our early dinner.

We have first seating, which means dinner at 5:45. Tonight were in Animators Palate, and were seated at a table for 4 with 2 gentlemen. They turned out to be very nice frequent DCL cruisers from Memphis, who are a married couple. We had fun talking with them at dinner and sharing some funny travel stories. For dinner I tried the pasta purses with truffle stuff, and they werent horrible like Id feared they might be. I didnt eat it all, as they were pretty heavy, and I doubt Id order it again. I also ate half of the bacon cheddar cheese soup. Sheila just had the soup. For my entre I got the lemon thyme chicken breast, and Sheila got the beef tenderloin. My chicken was fine she said her steak was perfect. For dessert she got the trio sampler platter and I had the white chocolate fudge cheesecake, which was good but not exceptional.

After dinner we tried visiting the shops but they were mobbed. We went back to the stateroom and changed into our daytime clothes (like so many other passengers) and went down to walk around the promenade deck a few times. After that we went up to deck 11 and walked around after picking up tonights DVC gift (teal baseball caps). We also checked out the candy/gelato store, which has some interesting stuff!

By 8:30 or so we headed back to the stateroom. I think we were both somewhat tired. I quickly finished up the trip report while she poured herself a glass of wine and sat out on the verandah. Once I got the report sent out I poured a glass of my wine and joined her its pretty sheltered from the wind and very comfortable out there today!

In terms of internet they had a special where signing up on the first day I could get 50mb free, so I did that. When thats gone I can decide to just stop accessing the internet, or buy a plan. I dont think 50mb will last me 3 days, but while I do have it Ill at least get a report or 2 posted hopefully. This way Judy wont have to listen to Pete whining about not having my reports until Monday <g>.

Tomorrow we are in Nassau, which means were enjoying the ship. Neither of us has any interest in visiting Nassau! Tomorrow night is our dinner at Palo, and then later (if we can stay awake) we have the Pirate night fireworks.


DAY 3 Saturday 1/16/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
Sheila (56), Travel Buddy from years ago

Plan: Nassau (ship day for me), Palo Dinner

Actual: Last night we sat on the verandah until the wind caused us to be sprayed with salt water. We werent sure if it was spray or a rain shower, until Sheila tasted salt, lol! We then wandered around the ship. We looked at everything in the art gallery (all Disney stuff). By the time we finished it was 10:30, so we decided to head back to the stateroom.

It was quiet and comfortable in the stateroom I think we both slept well. I was awake earlier but didnt get up until 6. I wasnt going to shower until this afternoon, but I tried to clean up a little bit, accepting that my hair was a total disaster. Sheila decided to skip walking this morning, so I headed out and did about 1.75 miles on the promenade deck. It was nice and warm out, and not too windy.

After my walk I returned to the stateroom and Sheila was up. It was around 7am, so we decided to sit outside behind Cabanas and wait for breakfast to begin at 7:30. I think I said last year and Ill say it again not starting breakfast until 7:30 is ridiculous! There are many early risers. They do have continental crap at 7:00, but in my opinion they should have real breakfast foods by 7. I took a Styrofoam Disney cup with some of my cappuccino powder in it, and added water at one of the beverage stations. Sheila got a cup of coffee, and luckily another guest told her it wasnt right (not enough coffee it was tanned water, lol! There were only a handful of guests getting coffee/beverages and it was such a mess everyone was in everyone elses way, drinks were spilled on the counter, and it was just poorly laid out. I cant imagine what its like at a busy time!

We took our beverages to Cabanas and went outside to find none of the tables and chairs set up. They were all shoved along the railing, and the chairs were stacked up. This is also ridiculous! We chose where we wanted to sit (by the railing) and unstacked a couple chairs to set at that table. I went inside and took a basket of silverware/napkins from one of the tables in there. Fairly soon a big group of stewards arrived and dragged the tables into place, set the chairs at each table, and brought out the cutlery. I dont know why they had to do this at 7:20 though!

When breakfast started, Sheila got her plate, then I went up for mine. I had a fried egg, bacon, couple bites of a sausage link and a couple bites of a small Mickey waffle. The waffle was disappointing it was cakey like a donut, and I would have preferred something lighter and fluffier. Thats why I only ate 2 bites of it. It was a gorgeous morning, and we were approaching Nassau by the time we finished breakfast. Cabanas had gotten busy pretty quickly, but back at the end where we go its always less busy than along either side. Lots of families were eating at the outside tables, and all the kids (hordes of them, lol) were behaving appropriately!

We got up so someone else could use our table and wandered up towards the front of the ship to watch us sail into Nassau. We could see a Carnival ship already in port, and when we got closer I saw it was the old Ecstasy. This is a very old, smaller ship frankly it looks like a floating piece of crap. What was strange is the ship was not at the dock it was sitting still several feet from the dock, so I thought perhaps it was here to have work done. We didnt see any signs of passengers.

We pulled into the harbor and just before reaching the dock we spun around slowly to back in. By now it was nearly 9am, and Id been thinking about MAYBE booking another Dream cruise for us for next year at this time. I have a 10-night HAL cruise the first half of December, and a 7-night in late March, so doing this 3-night in mid-January wouldnt be too crazy in terms of time off. Besides, if I dont cruise Id be headed to WDW for the long weekend anyway. The future cruise person was working from 8:30 10 this morning, so I went down there to check the pricing, and found out the internet was down so she couldnt help me. Really??? Maybe this is a sign I shouldnt do it?? She took my information and told me the IT guys were working on it. Shes open again at 4pm, but I dont want to have to wait behind other people, and it may be busy by then.

I went back to the stateroom and we changed into our swimsuits and went up to the adult area on Deck 13. Nobody under age 18 is allowed up here. Its very peaceful over by the family area its absolute bedlam, and not relaxing or enjoyable at all. Even when most of the chairs got occupied, it wasnt crowded. The chaise lounges up here have big thick cushions, and pillows strapped on. On the other decks its just your usual mesh & metal. Beverage stewards kept circulating to bring drinks from the bar, and it was really nice out there.

Eventually we heard a ships horn blowing and Sheila went over to the other side to investigate. She came back saying the Ecstasy was at the dock and passengers were getting off the ship. I still dont understand why they werent docked earlier. Around 11:30 Royal Caribbeans Enchantment of the Seas arrived, backing in across from us and making all kinds of noise! Its a smaller ship, and also looks old (and not very nice), but thats typical for the Bahamas market. Although, in this case Id bet this ship is at the end of a 7-night itinerary and will be back in Florida tomorrow.

Around noon we went down to Cabanas for lunch, which for me ended up being disappointing. Neither of us wanted a heavy lunch, since we have Palo tonight. They had the jumbo shrimp and the crab again today, so Sheila enjoyed a bunch of the shrimp, along with a salad. I tried a bite of cashew beef over rice (not great), part of a polenta square (ok) and had a bowl of tortilla soup that could have passed for tomato soup. That was good, and they had pieces of tortillas to float on top. I also got a glass of pinot grigio from the bar there. Once again, the sides of Cabanas were crazy crowded, but the back end where we were was not busy at all and much quieter! We ate inside for lunch.

After lunch Sheila grabbed a couple chocolate chip cookies and a lemonade, and we went back up to our chaise lounges on deck 13. I knew Id get a small ice cream later, so I skipped the cookies. We sat out on deck a while, then I went down for my ice cream and went to the stateroom to get my camera. On the way back up I took a few pictures of Atlantis and the other ships, then joined Sheila for a bit.

After a little while she moved to the shade and I decided to go ashore to take a few pictures of the ship. I swung by the stateroom to get photo ID, then walked off the gangway. For once it didnt feel broiling hot here it was actually comfortable walking thanks to the breeze. I took photos of the back of the ship, then walked towards land to get a shot of the entire ship. Once that was done I walked back and reboarded the Dream.

I took my shower and got dressed and Sheila came back as I was getting ready to blow dry my hair. She took her shower, and I updated the report we were both ready to go by 3:30. We wanted a little something to eat, so we ended up where they serve the chicken tenders. Our server from last night was working there, so we talked with him for a while, then sat down and each ate a chicken tender over by the adult pool area where its quiet.

We went down to deck 5 and picked up the materials to do the Midship Detective activity, trying the new scenario with the Muppets. Ive done both of the other two, but this one didnt exist on the last cruises. We got started at the location in the art gallery, since I needed to check with the future cruise person at 4pm anyway.

The pricing didnt work out for me to book the Dream next year after all. For a similar stateroom, after the 10% discount for booking on board, it would have been close to $1400. For a 3-night cruise, thats insane! So, looks like this is really my final DCL cruise.

We did the detective thing, and traveled all over the ship in the process. Its a cute activity, and we had fun with it. Sheila controlled the card, since shed never had the chance to do this before. Along the way we saw sections of the ship with lots of interior staterooms, and found many hallways that seemed weird (not straight). Im definitely not a fan of large cruise ships!

After solving the mystery we went back to the stateroom and got dressed for dinner, then went up to have a drink in Meridian and watch our sail away from Nassau. Meridian is the bar located between Palo and Remy, the 2 upscale restaurants on board. As such, my experience at Meridian has always been very nice its been a classy, dignified place. Today we walked in to find a bunch of people in there dressed in shorts & t-shirts, doing shots and other drinks. There was one especially classy guy standing up letting loose with a long loud belch. I thought Id stumbled into a family reunion in a trailer park or something! Some of these people were actually going behind the bar, too and the 2 stewards working were busy taking care of this group and were not interested in us at all.

We sat around outside, then I went inside to get a drink menu & they had to hunt around to find me one. When they did, the glasses of wine were mostly all in the $15-18 per glass range. Meanwhile, the place was full of hillbillies it was such a disconnect! We ended up leaving and were outside on deck 11 when the captain made an announcement about the weather and tomorrow. Unfortunately, we couldnt understand most of what he was saying. It sounds like the weather might hold for the deck party tonight, but beyond that neither one of us has a clue what was said. There was something about wind, something about hoping to be able to dock at the island, but we were mainly wanting to know if it would be sunny, or rainy, or what??

Frustrated with the whole thing, we went down to deck 4 we were looking to have a drink before dinner and watch sailaway. By now the ropes were off, and we were starting to move. I thought about the British pub, but when we got there it was full of people watching a sports game on the tv sets in there. So, we went to Pink (the champagne bar) instead. Its a cute place, and they had a violinist playing songs, so the ambiance was nice. But, there are no windows, so we couldnt see sailaway.

We each ordered a glass of wine, then decided to take our wine back up to Meridian and go outside there. When we got up top the drinking and burping crowd had gone, and wed left the harbor. It was still pretty watching Nassau get smaller as we sailed away, and very quickly the guy from Palo came out to tell us our table was ready.

We were brought inside and seated at a table by the window, which was nice for the brief time before it got dark. Our server was a nice young man from Poland, and he did an excellent job. We started with antipasto, with him fixing a plate for the table. I dont eat most of that stuff, but the parmesan cheese and the beef was very good. Sheila enjoyed all the stuff she tried.

For appetizers she had the battered shrimp and calamari, and I tried the potato gnocchi. The gnocchi was good, and a nice change from my usual tomato & mozzarella here. For entrees Sheila got the sea scallops and I had the beef tenderloin (my usual). Both were excellent, and Im glad the beef isnt as large as the petite filet on HAL! Even still, I left almost half of it.

We both got the chocolate souffl for dessert, and we also ordered the Spoonful of Gelato to share, which ended up being 4 bowls (mini martini glasses) of gelato!! The souffles were exceptional these are so much better than HALs chocolate volcano cake. The gelato was also excellent, although we couldnt finish it. We each liked different flavors, so it worked out well.

Wed let our server know we wanted to be somewhere at 7:30, and he was able to get us out of there at 7:25. It was an excellent meal! We rode the elevator down to deck 4 and went into Evolution for adult Disney trivia. It was being hosted by none other than Jamesie (Toodles, yall), so it was pretty funny! We only got 15 out of 25 right, but a big team got all 25 right. Most of the questions were about the cartoon movies, which I didnt think was very adult. There were a few questions about the parks or attractions, but it was mostly movies.

After trivia we walked through the Skyline Lounge (it was NYC in there) and then walked out on the promenade deck before coming back to the stateroom. I updated the report and we got changed back into comfortable clothes & shoes, since wed be out for the pirate fireworks later.

We went down to the promenade deck and walked a couple miles. A group of young adults came out and set up chaise lounges in the enclosed part of the deck. They evidently felt directly across from the no smoking sign was the best place to sit & smoke while drinking their beers. It stunk, thanks to them!

We went back inside and Sheila went up to one of the shops and I went to the stateroom to post the report. I forgot to mention that as we were leaving Nassau, the captain announced that a guests passport had in fact been found. Some very foreign-sounding passenger had lost his passport, but it was found in the terminal and the pilot boat would be bringing it out to the ship as we were sailing. He also updated us on the passenger that was IN the water turns out it wasnt one of ours. It was a guy from the Carnival ship (no surprise there).

Its starting to sprinkle out now, so we may need umbrellas when we got up on deck for the 10:30 fireworks. Weve also got a couple other big cruise ships staying close so they can see them, lol! Today was a very nice day, although the ship was very crowded since so many people dont bother with Nassau. The pricing on this cruise for next year was very disappointing. Palo was outstanding, as always! Its up to $30/person now, so Im glad to have it comped for being a Platinum level passenger.

Tomorrow were hoping we can dock, mainly so these people will get off the ship!! Were also hoping for sun, but at this point were not sure what to expect. I guess well find out in the morning!


DAY 4 Sunday 1/17/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
Sheila (56), Travel Buddy from years ago

Plan: Castaway Cay

Actual: I tried to get online to post the report but wasnt successful. Its possible the internet was down, but more likely that the freebie package was only good for day 1 of the cruise. At that point it was late and I wasnt going to get online after the fireworks, and theres only 1 day left so it wasnt worth buying internet time. Pete will just have to sulk and wait until Monday for the rest <g>.

Wed gone up to deck 12 to wait for the pirate fireworks, and then I noticed a few people sitting in the fake wicker chairs up on deck 13 and decided that sitting for 30-45 minutes beats standing for that long. So, we went up there and sat at a table with a couple chairs, right at the railing. It had rained earlier so things were somewhat wet, but nothing pool towels didnt take care of. By 10:30 more people had come, but I dont know that the seating area ever completely filled. The majority of the passengers were crammed into the midship area, where they could see the show on the big screen, but we much prefer the comfort and quiet of our spot. Those of us there only cared about the fireworks not the show. The show began at 10:30, and we could hear it blaring all the way down where we were.

The show lasted a good 15 minutes, and finally the fireworks started. I took several photos, hoping Ill end up with 2-3 that are decent. I didnt see any of the other cruise ships out there, which was surprising. The fireworks go on for a good long time (for being out at sea), and when they were over we went back down to the stateroom and went to bed. I woke up around 2am and noticed it was very bright in the stateroom, and thought neighbors must have their verandah lights on. But, then I looked outside and could see a light shining in. I thought that was odd, but went back to bed.

In the morning it was still bright when I got up at 6, and the light was still there. I walked over to the verandah door and saw the light was attached to a pole, which was on the dock at Castaway Cay. Wed been docked here since before 2am! I guess with the weather, the captain came straight here and docked as early as possible, so as it got windier we didnt have chance missing this port. Later Sheila told me a large curtain lowered to cover all the staterooms while they docked, as several bright lights were shining directly at the ship. Once we docked and those lights went out, the curtain/shade raised how cool! Wish Id seen that!

I dressed and went out for a walk, and it was very windy. Its also completely overcast at this point, so Im not sure well have any sun at all. I only walked about 1.5 miles, since it wasnt as enjoyable in the wind & humidity. Afterwards I swung by the stateroom to get my camera and a cup with cappuccino powder, then went up to deck 11 to add hot water. I wandered around taking more photos, since this would be my last time on the ship. It was 7am when I returned to the stateroom. Sheila was awake, and got up to get dressed.

We headed up to Cabanas for breakfast just before 7:30. Theyd gotten the tables and chairs set up, and a number of passengers were already out there. I grabbed a glass of water and a small yogurt thing, while Sheila grabbed coffee and a banana. We used our items to secure a table at the railing and went back inside to get breakfast. Today I had a fried egg, bacon, some potatoes and part of a biscuit with sausage gravy. It was so windy outside things cooled off almost immediately, lol!

Weve never been here when its been so windy, and theres no way we would have been able to dock today if wed waited for morning. They had us tied really tightly, so the ship wasnt moving at all. After breakfast we wandered around on deck 4, and at 8:30 people started leaving the ship. The cruise director made an announcement saying wed arrived and docked just after midnight, and he confirmed that had we waited until morning we wouldnt have been able to dock. He also read the long list of canceled excursions canceled due to the wind. He also mentioned the current weather temperature in Chicago (below zero), New York (32), Orlando (low 60s) and told us here it was currently 77. The sun was also shining, so all things considered, this is the place to be!

We went to the stateroom and Sheila grabbed a bottle of water and went ashore to walk around a little bit. I changed into my swimsuit and went up on deck 13 to lay on a chaise lounge. Shell join me up there when she gets back to the ship. It was extremely windy up there!! The chaise lounges were mostly all tied down so the cushions wouldnt blow off, except for some that were in a sheltered/covered area. I untied the ropes to free 2 chaise lounges and laid down to keep the towels in place. My towel clips dont work on the thick cushions.

Eventually Sheila showed up, saying it was so windy sand was blowing everywhere, and her glasses got filthy from the sea water spraying up. Shed ridden the tram out to the shops and then walked back. We laid out there for a while, but the gusts of wind were so severe I decided to go seek a more sheltered spot. I found one down on deck 12, where we still had a view of the water but the wind wasnt as severe. These were just the mesh & metal chaise lounges, but that was ok. We werent there too long when an announcement was made that a shower would be passing through quickly fairly soon. They said it would only take 10-15 minutes to pass over, but it would pretty much soak everything.

We were looking at sunshine, but when we turned around we could see the storm. People on the beach would get drenched. Sheila decided this was the time for her to enjoy the hot tub down below, since thats under cover. I went back to the stateroom for drink of water. The wind was so strong it was blowing the water up to the edge of the dock, causing waves to crash over it. This was an area where guests wouldnt be walking, though. I moved our verandah chairs to a sheltered corner to keep them mostly dry, and turned on the tv to the bow camera. I could see the starboard side get darker, as this big blob overtook the ship and turned it so dark it was like nighttime. Then I could see raindrops hitting the lens, lol! It was pretty cool to watch.

By then our verandah door was getting wet, so I brought our chairs inside. It was amazing sheets of rain were blowing sideways, soaking everything and everybody outside. We were planning to have lunch on the verandah today, which is why I brought the chairs inside. After a while the storm had let up, so I went upstairs and found Sheila still in the hot tub. The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy. We decided to go have lunch, so we checked Cabanas and found it mobbed! With the storm almost everyone had come back from the island, and they were not prepared for this many people at Cabanas. Only 1 side was open, so the lines were crazy.

We walked through and there was nothing I wanted. Sheila got some jumbo shrimp and a bowl of creamy broccoli/cheddar soup, along with a roll. I went back to the counter service places and got a pesto/tomato/mozzarella panini, which happened to be half of a sandwich so that was perfect. We met back in the stateroom and had lunch on the verandah along with some of our wine.

After lunch we went back up on deck and detoured for an ice cream cone. They were all out of cones so we had to use cups, but later I saw people with cones so they hadnt truly run out. We went up on deck but all the chaise lounges were stacked up and tied down. Plus, it was very windy were assuming the chairs were stacked so they would not blow around. The little piece of blue sky wed seen while on the verandah was nowhere to be seen there were just thick gray clouds everywhere and with the wind it was actually chilly.

We went down to deck 11 where it was more sheltered and ate our ice cream there. After the ice cream we needed exercise! We went to the stateroom, where Sheila changed clothes and I added a jacket. We walked on the promenade deck, and looked at the lousy weather. A cast member who works in the nursery said hed been on board here at Castaway Cay during a cyclone and that wasnt nearly as bad as the weather were having today. There were still some people coming back from the island, and we even saw one family walking TO the island. For the most part though, most people were on the ship, and trying to stay warm.

We walked and walked and walked, getting passed several times by this big guy with maybe 1% body fat who was jogging faster than I could do a 10-yard dash! He even stopped once in a while to do push-ups, then got up and kept running at a really fast pace! Eventually we grew tired of our walking, and stopped by the candy store. We were going to get stuff to take home, but forgot we cant take food off the ship unless its pre-packaged. The US wont allow it into the country. I got a chocolate covered oreo that Ill have to eat later tonight, and a couple packages of trail mix for SB.

We went back down to the stateroom and Sheila sat out on the verandah watching the wind and waves while I downloaded and worked on my photos. This way I have part of the work done to make Monday easier. Around 4 I took my shower, and then Sheila took hers. By 5 we were starting to see a little bit of blue sky appearing, but the winds were still strong. The captain made his announcement, which we listened to on the tv so we could actually hear it!

He warned wed have vibration while he used the front and rear thrusters to move us away from the dock and into the channel. Once there were going to speed up and move as quickly as possible most likely to leave this wind behind us at some point. It was so windy and humid we didnt spend much time on the verandah for sailaway. The cast members on land put on their Mickey gloves and waved goodbye, as usual.

By now it was 5:15 so we had 30 minutes to kill until dinner. Wed both decided to do our packing later tonight, sine that way all of our clothes could be packed. We went down to Royal Palace for dinner just before 5:45 and theyd just started seating people. We had a table towards the back, and we enjoyed another dinner with the 2 guys from the other night. It was just a very easy, pleasant experience dining with them. We were sort of on the edge of a side room, and it seemed that room was full of tables with lots of kids. The worst was 2 tables over a table of 14!!! They had 7 kids! The adults sat at one end and ignored the kids. The kids were standing up inside the windows, pulling on the drapes, screaming across the table at each other, etc. Our table mates told us last night they were surrounded by kids melting down it wasnt pleasant.

For dinner I started with the French onion soup, which was excellent. Sheila had the jumbo shrimp and then the farmers salad. For entrees I went with the roasted chicken breast because I didnt like anything on the menu (duck, rack of lamb, beef wellington, pasta w/lobster). The chicken was ok nothing special, and prepared plain so there wasnt a lot of flavor.

Dessert was better Sheila got the grand marnier souffl, which she enjoyed. I got the crme brulee, and other than the caramelized sugar being a bit overdone, the dessert was excellent! We said goodbye to our tablemates and our serving team, then headed out of the restaurant at 7:30.

We knew the violinist was playing in Pink from 7:30 until 8:00 so we headed there. Quite a few people were in the District enjoying the various clubs. We didnt order drinks, but we sat and listed to her (Olga from the Ukraine) play a variety of older songs, accompanied tonight by a keyboard player. It was very nice, and quite enjoyable!

At 8 we went down a deck to the shops, which were mobbed at first. By 8:30 it had thinned out many people were either at dinner or the show (Believe). There wasnt much to pick from anything cute was crazy expensive. I ended up with a leather DCL luggage tag, and thats about it.

By now it was approaching 9pm, so we went up to the stateroom and started packing our stuff, then settled down to finish our wine. Sheila worked on the cruise survey while I finished up todays trip report.

Today was an interesting day, thanks to the unusual weather. It was relaxing, which is a good thing. But, I wanted more sunshine, less wind, and LOTS fewer kids on board! I was looking forward to everyone being on the island all day, but due to the weather they shut down most things on the island by noon, which brought most of the passengers back to the ship. I also wish parents would teach their kids how to act in a restaurant and in public places in general. There are some who do, but it seems most of them feel their job is over at birth!

Tomorrow well be up early, and after breakfast at Cabanas we have to leave the ship. Once I get home then Ill finish up the report, get the albums done, and send the reports out.


DAY 5 Monday 1/18/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
Sheila (56), Travel Buddy from years ago

Plan: Drive to Gainesville

Actual: Yesterday the captain had said the pilot would board the ship at 4:42 this morning, and he seemed to be pretty accurate. I woke up to blinking lights, which were most definitely from the pilot boat (theres nothing else out there), and it was right around that time. I fell back asleep and woke up again just after 5:30. I could see land, and we were almost docked. I got cleaned up and dressed, and when I came out of the bathroom Sheila told me she was awake so I didnt have to try to be quiet. Shed been watching us dock, since the head of her bed was right by the verandah door/windows.

I ran upstairs to add hot water to my cappuccino powder, then came back downstairs to finish packing up. We decided to take our stuff with us to breakfast, and ran into our stateroom steward on our way out the door. She gave us our statements, and they looked fine. We were up at Cabanas by 6:45 (it opened at 6:30 today).

It was 46 degrees outside, so we ate inside this morning, lol! They only had 1 side open, and they didnt have quite the usual variety, but it served its purpose. On DCL room service is not an option on the last day, and even on the other days hot food isnt an option unless youre staying concierge level. Thats another difference between them and HAL.

For breakfast I had some eggs & bacon, along with half a bagel. Sheila had her usual, plus some fruit. Around 7:20 they announced the ship had been cleared, so we gathered up our stuff & found our car keys, then went down to deck 3 and exited the ship. We had all of our stuff with us, so we went directly to customs and were out of there in no time. We walked across to the garage, said our goodbyes, and we each drove home.

We both had a really nice time it was a great weekend getaway, even with the periods of lousy weather and the hordes of kids. I want to end this report on a positive note, and its impossible to NOT compare things to HAL, so Ill start with the things I really do not like or where DCL just sucks compared to HAL. After that, Ill get to the stuff I really liked, and where DCL beats HAL (in my opinion).

A biggie is the pricing DCL has always been overpriced but its gotten to the point of ridiculous. When a 3-night (2.5 days) cruise to the crappy Bahamas during the slowest time of year costs over $1500 (just under $1400 with the discount for booking on board), something is very wrong. Granted, they have the kids clubs and the characters, but that cant cost THAT much!

Another major reason DCL isnt a good fit for me is the huge number of kids on board. Many of the kids we saw or met were quite impressive polite, respectful, etc. Unfortunately with so many of them on board, you also get the brats or to be more honest, kids with parents who just dont give a damn about parenting & teaching them how to behave appropriately for the setting. Those were the majority. When adults sit there ignoring kids standing up in windows, pulling on drapes in a nice restaurant, something is very wrong with our society.

There are many other things that were ok, but better on HAL menus, the promenade deck, room service options/availability, movie experience (HAL pops fresh popcorn and provides it for free DCL charges $3.50!!!!), and the Lido has a much wider variety of food than Cabanas. DCL does provide soda at no charge, but I dont drink that and frankly nobody needs that stuff.

In terms of specialty restaurants, Palo continues to be exceptional! Palo is better (to me) than HALs Pinnacle Grill, although I consider HALs Tamarind to be better than Palo by a very small margin.

I really love the dcor/design of the public areas on the Dream. It feels more modern than the HAL ships. I love the HAL ships, but would have to give the higher score to DCL. The staterooms on both are great, but I prefer the DCL stateroom and not for the split bath. I love the amount of storage space in actual drawers, lol and all the little Disney touches in the design & dcor. HAL has the better verandah & verandah furniture, though.

Entertainment is definitely better on HAL. They at least change out their shows and not only dont run the same shows on all the ships, they dont run the same show for years & years. We are both sick to death of the DCL shows and even back in the day when we used to attend, they were still very juvenile (due to the preschoolers and children in the audience). Same with the movies shown on DCL theyre all kid-friendly, which does not appeal to me at all. DCL does have a prettier movie theater than most of the HAL ships though.

I missed things like happy hour, hors douvres before dinner, and a library with a puzzle table. The puzzle might have come in handy on the stormy day! I also really hate that DCL cant have the staterooms ready at 11:30 when you board carrying around my stuff is not how I like to start a cruise! Also, if Id been flying home and didnt have to leave the ship til 9am on HAL I could wait in my stateroom with my stuff. On DCL Id be expected to take my stuff with me to breakfast then go wait somewhere until I left the ship.

I did really enjoy the DVC presentation, and found it much better than last years in terms of the refreshments. I know they use cheap champagne, but thats better than a mixed cocktail containing stuff I dont like (last year)! Having the little macaroons and bottled water was a really nice surprise, too.

Bottom line, Im definitely finished with DCL unless I stumble across a really great discount (FL resident??) for dates that work, and then itll be another 3-night Dream, where my only intent is to enjoy the ship & relax. In the meantime, I have HAL cruises booked for December 2016 and March 2017 to look forward to!

The photos from this trip, including the studio at Villas at Grand Floridan are located on shutterfly at
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