Disney Dream Aug 29 - Sept 1, 2025
Trip Report
3-Night Bahamian Cruise from Fort Lauderdale Disney Dream
Nassau, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse point
Stateroom 8098 8/4B/MID Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
3-night sailing with a weekend and holiday is perfect get away to scratch the DCL itch and maximize days off and make sure to set priorities for the sailing and maximize time like with the Royal Gathering instead of individual character meet and greets
Highlights
15th sailing, 3rd on the Disney Dream and second to Lookout Cay
Used DCL ground transfers to and from the port
At Lookout Cay took a right off the tram to True-True-BBQ, Sebastian’s Cove, Triton’s Trumpet Stage, and there were still no rental bikes available
Sailing party had a first-time cruiser Ben (Sara’s brother) celebrating 6 years sober
Discuss Friends with Bill W
Ben also had a sober friend on sailing, and they both discussed how DCL lacks the drink packages, making the sailing more enjoyable and supportive of their cause
Embarkation sit-down lunch in Animator’s Palate
Explore the new Mobile WEB area in Oceaneer Club
Ramone’s Cantina and the long lines
Palo Brunch
BBB with a deluxe package (don’t forget the shoes)
Daughter being interviewed before The Golden Mickeys
Some new menu items in Enchanted Garden and Animator’s Palate since our last sailing
Midship Detective Muppets Style
Lastly the best serving staff to date on all our sailings showing that a shorter cruise does not mean into poorer service
Pre-Cruise Stay
$15 per day to park
Hilton members got 4 bottle waters at checking in and got $20 voucher for food and drink to use at coffee bar or restaurant
Ocean villa room 3206 with view of marina area
DCL Ground Transfers gives you paperwork at check in which states bags ready by 8 am for pick up in your hotel room
Buses are split by last name alphabetically we headed down at 10:30 am to the lobby and bus departed at 11 am (first bus headed down at 10 am and left around 10:30 am)
Breakfast bar pricy but nice selection of 2 breakfast sandwiches, cereal, coffee drinks and snacks
Hotel staff called the room around 8 am asking if the luggage was ready and willing to give us more time
DCL staff called our hotel room at 9:12 to go over what time, how many bags and what bus we are on
Our stitch character upgrades us to boarding group 3 at the port instead of 4
Overall, I am very pleased with the hotel and DCL ground transfer and would highly recommend both
Embarkation
Got to port around 11:20 am
Waiting in line to check in and security took about 15 mins in the platinum Castaway Club line
Boarding group 3 got us on the ship around noon
Animator’s Palate for embarkation sit down lunch
Appetizers: Sliced Smoked Salmon, Beef Empanadas, Mixed Salad Balsamic
Minnie’s Mini Burger
Chicken Caesar Salad, Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Muffuletta Sandwich, and Pennette Pasta
Desserts: Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, Welcome Aboard Sundae,
Headed to Oceaneer Club/Lab to finalize check-in for Brooklyn and explore the new area Mobile WEB
Stateroom ready at 1:30 pm
4 luggage bags around 2 pm and started to unpack
Got a notification that one piece of luggage was down on deck 1 which was miss-scanned for the USB charger
Once back Brooklyn and I decorated our stateroom door
Pro Tip: bring some magnets to decorate the door as a way to express the family and also make it easier to find your room
Went up to the pool and soft serve ice cream time
Muster Drill at 3:30 pm Buena Vista theatre which was very nice to be indoors
Sailing away party 4:15 pm
We typically go one deck above the pool deck and are starboard side
Loves seeing a sit down only section up front on deck 11 basically next to the stage
Then headed to the front of ship to see sailing away
Dinner Enchanted Garden
Outstanding service with great pacing, recommendations, explaining each dish, great interactions with Branko and assistant server who we had on Disney Fantasy when she was earning her ears.
Highlights of the meal were the mushroom tart, ahi tuna tower, sea scallops, and the warm sticky date pudding
Of note the sea bass was replaced with the Corvina filet which was good but not great
Lastly, they explained the next day (Lookout Cay)
Branko was an expert on the menu and really enjoyed us ordering and sharing the dishes. He even saw me taking photos and brought me an empty butter bowl to tilt the dishes towards my camera as he mentioned this is how DCL professionals do it! I know it was going to be a special cruise.
Next went to explore the shops, in particular Mickey’s Mainsail and Sea Treasures (needed to add the atrium statue of Admiral Donald to my collection)
Off to the Golden Mickeys
45 minutes roughly in length
Lots of action in the aisles therefore try to side by one
Pro Tip: They do interviews before the show starts in the lobby area that are played on the screens in the Walt Disney theater. Kids get asked a few questions name, where you are from, favorite character and more. It was awesome to see Brooklyn during the interview. She really shined. Of note because it is live you either need to record it there locally or send someone in the theater to record it on the big screen. Then once we entered the theater people were saying hi Brooklyn, great job and more like she was a celebrity,
Off to pool deck for late night pizza and ice cream
For some reason the pizza hit really well with me late at night on this cruise (maybe a little left over from our Royal Caribbean sailing where we at pizza all the time)
After that we headed back to the stateroom to watch a movie and bedtime
We placed the continental breakfast card on our door to start the next day
Disney on demand has an updated collection of movies and shows compared to previous sailing which was nice
You can view your ports of call information on the tv with a summary of the port and arrival and departure times
You now can view your cruise photos on the tv
Day 1 Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and Pirate Night
Ordered continental breakfast to the room for 7:30 am the night before
Coffee on the verandah yes please
Docked on the port side of the ship, therefore we had an excellent view of the pier
Got breakfast from Cabana’s and brought it to room to enjoy
Get there a little before 10 am, which at first the ship must get cleared and then the cast members bring everything needed from the ship and set up the island
I wish we got there earlier in the day
Lookout Cay open at 10 am
It was not too hot so the lack of coverage or shade on the pier was not an issue
Headed to tram
Once off the tram remember to grab towels, it is the only spot!
Headed over to the beach right in front of True-True BBQ which was nice and quiet early on.
We got a front row of chairs and spent time in the ocean. Seeing lifeguards on jet skis patrolling the area.
Ate lunch around 11:30 at True-True BBQ enjoyed ribs, burger, hot dogs, rice bowl and replaced yuca fries with fried plantains. I had soft serve ice cream and soft drinks.
As far as the signs they only describe what is offered because every 2 windows basically had the same food and then the final windows on each side of the building had rice bowls, fried okra, fried plantains.
After lunch explored areas, we did not last time
Reef and Wreck bar, Tritons Trumpet Stage, Play-Play Pavilion and Sebastian’s Cove kids’ area
Then back in the ocean and then some shopping at Disney T’ings, Treasures of Eleuthera and First and Last Chance
Then we walked back to the ship, which at that point was very hot and enjoyed the cold water in route. It was funny to see how they transport the red wagons all hooked up and dragged by golf carts to the end of the pier they are needed.
Back to the room to shower and relax a little
Dinner in Royal Palace
Highlights included escargot, fried brie, French onion soup, roasted filet steak, strawberry shortcake, crème brulee and soufflé
Branko asked Brooklyn what is one of her favorite things and she mentioned watermelon, therefore for tonight and next night he brought her a plate of freshly sliced watermelon. I mean a full plate and have the plate covered and did a grand reveal. Little things like this are added to best serving staff to date.
Pro Tip: Branko starts to talk about Cabanas and recommends starting in the back first and then working your way forward. Start with sushi, carving station etc.
Pirate night drink mug that lights up and costs extra
Branko got us the Mickey Churro Waffle recipe which is a regular waffle then cinnamon sugar cinnamon then fry then cinnamon sugar. Very short fry
Beauty and the Beast watch in our stateroom
In order to stay up late for the pirate show, we rested in the stateroom and watched the Broadway show on the television
Pro Tip: remember all Broadway shows can be seen in your stateroom tv just might not be that current cast could be a previous one.
Buccaneer Blast and Club pirate show with fireworks deck 12 starboard side
Deck 11 pool area was a sit down only section and no strollers or wheelchairs
Pro Tip: For the best spot head up before the 8:30 Broadway show gets out there 9:45 pm
Day 2 Nassau
D23 occurred during this weekend
Surprised nowhere on the ship to watch D23 and really no mention of it anywhere in the Navigator App
I would have thought that maybe in Buena Vista Theatre or Pub 687 or even your stateroom
Micky Churro Waffle Day
Placeholder purchased today
Pro Tip: Purchase the placeholder at the end of the sailing because then you have a few more days or itineraries to look at when using the place holder in the future.
Palo brunch
We had no issues even though when booking it only allowed me to make the reservation and I could not add Sara or Ben, but when talking with DCL the smallest table is a 4 top therefore I should not have any issues, which they were correct.
Dropped Brooklyn off at Oceaneer club/lab
Pro Tip: Inform the staff at drop off that you are doing an adult dining experience and they will document it in the profile and keep an extra eye on your child to make sure happy and to not need to reach out to you during your meal.
Sasha Croatia Palo manager photographer expert (we had him on the Fantasy last year and we chatted about photography)
Antipasti seafood and meats
Bellini and Palo Bloody Mary
Cheese and ham frittata
Flat bread, half grape and gorgonzola and goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes
Chicken Parmesan, Veal saltimbocca, Wild mushroom ravioli
Warm amaretto chocolate fondant, Italian zabaglione, Chocolate raspberry tart
During Palo brunch saw a twister or water twister tornado like (check out the photos)
Back to room to relax and get ready for BBB
It is very rainy in the distance with lightning therefore all pools and slides are closed all afternoon
Ordered room service for Brooklyn since we did not head up to pool deck for pool time
This spot is much smaller than ones on the other ships.
Only had 7 chairs but had all the dresses plus captain Minnie and Mickey
With the deluxe package they did not let us change the T-shirt to the BBB ears
Other BBB on other ships did allow it therefore it does not hurt to ask.
It took about 45 minutes to do hair, nails, and makeup.
Excellent service as usual
Pro Tip: I learned early on that they cannot accept money, or tips therefore snap a photo of the name tag or remember the name and mention them at the end of cruise survey.
Pro Tip: Because they might not have all the sizes and dress recommend bringing one to either use or have encase of a backup. Also don’t forget the shoes!
We had a table right in front of the large screen therefore we realized it might be the first time we got to interact with Crush.
Crush talks to the tables in the area when the ceiling turns reddish orange.
Highlights: Bora Shake (extra charge), Black Truffle Pasta, Beef Tenderloin, Apple Crumb Rice Pudding, Crunchy Walnut Cake, Cookies n Cream Sundae,
Misses Pork Chop was very dry which I did hear on other podcasts but no solution like I have for the Worlds of Marvel Chicken Schnitzel and Ricotta Gnocchi
Handed all the staff the gratuities and said our goodbyes.
We have yet to make it to sit down for breakfast.
Got photos with Branko and told him he has been the best server to date!
Packed luggage to put outside our staterooms to pick up.
We did the Muppets.
Pro Tip: remember you can save time and just do all the aft stops and then forward spots rather than back and forth.
Pro Tip: take photos of important things to glance back at.
Skipped Disney Believe Broadway show.
Late night pizza and ice cream and back to the room to sleep.
Disembarkation
With our flight early since the airport is 15 minutes from the port, we skipped breakfast both sitting down and buffet
We watched the Disney character tags announced on the television and once Ariel called we walked off the ship
Going through customs was quick and easy and on the DCL ground transfer bus to FLL airport
Stateroom 8098 8/4B/MID Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah Notes
Notice the extra room with a chair and table and extra storage at the end of the room next to the verandah.
Verandah does have a curved section on the left side that blocks a full view, but the plexiglass is clear therefore can see out
Really not missing much with the blocked view
6 drawers in the office area with 3 closing cabinets varying in size, all with shelves
So much storage!
Hanging closet has lots of hangers and one side is full size and other size is a half with the safe and 3 shelves. Plenty of storage for the 3 adults and 1 child.
Split bathroom has a circular tube/ shower which has plenty of room with 3 products including shampoo, conditioner and body wash. There is also hand cream in the bathrooms.
Room is located very close to midship elevator, but I did not hear anything.
I would absolutely like to book again. Only 3 flights up to pool deck and cabanas and down a few flights to kids’ club and adult lounges.
Notes and lessons learned:
Cabanas
Start in the back for the daily specials like sushi or tacos or the meat carving station and then work your way forward
Animator’s Palate
Talking with Crush, when the ceiling close to the tv in your area turns reddish orange that means that Crush is about to enter your tv and start talking and interacting with the tables in your area
The Golden Mickeys
Prior to the show starting in the lobby area there is a camera and interview set up so that if you or someone in your party is interested, they can be interviewed like a celebrity
They will ask basic questions like name, where you are from and some of your Disney favorites
Now the trick is either to stay there and video or send someone into the Walt Disney Theater to record it while on the TVs
Lots of actor/actresses using the aisle during the show therefore I recommend trying to get an aisle seat
Shorter cruise does not parlay into poorer service
Deck Parties
Both sail away and pirate deck party had the area right in front of the stage a sit only area with no strollers or wheelchairs
Stateroom TVs
Now show you your cruise photos
Ports of call and each one explained
Updated movie offerings
Branko how to make a Palo Steak
Steak full tenderloin cover in yellow mustard and roll in ground pepper then cover in vegetable oil fully refrigerate for 2 days then take out rest and room temperatures before searing it
What is Friends with Bill W.
Who Is Bill W. Bill Wilson is the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
“Friends of Bill W.” serves as a discreet way for members to identify themselves to each other for support in public settings, such as airports or cruise ships, without revealing their AA membership to the world.
Why the Code? The name is designed to respect the privacy of people in recovery
Passengers who need support will know what it means, but others who have never had any interaction with Alcoholics Anonymous will probably skim past.
What Happens at a Bill W. Meeting? “Friends of Bill W.” meetings are a safe, confidential space for cruisers in recovery to meet up.
They follow the same principles as AA meetings on land. They are often organized in a quiet lounge or conference room on board.