As y’all now know, we spent our Thanksgiving week on board the Disney Dream for a Very Merrytime Cruise!!! It was probably the best, most magical week of the year! The littles knew we were going to Disney World, but had nary a clue that we would be continuing on for a Disney Cruise! In spite of the fact that they woke up to find their Duffy bears dressed in sailor outfits and their Mickey anchor shirts laid out, they didn’t put it all together until we were literally staring at the boat from the car…it was a priceless moment.
We spent most of our days poolside on the top deck. When they weren’t in the Oceaneer Club, the littles swam, splashed around in Nemo’s Reef, watched movies on the big screen, played mini golf, ping pong and basektball, and did countless trips down the Mickey slide and around the Aqua Duck water rollercoaster.
The pool deck was also the site of loads of fun events, including Pirate Night, the Sail Away Celebration…
(my arm of the family was in hysterics over seeing the rest of the family on the big screen multiple times)
…and the Deck the Deck Tropical Holiday Party. I mean, where else can you be watching a Disney movie on a big screen in the Bahamas and have Mickey leading a conga line next to your pool chair?!? Or limbo under candy canes with Chip and Dale?! Or hula hoop with Goofy and Pluto?!?! Magical!!!
There were so many special events and activities going on for Christmas, and boat was more beautiful than ever decked out in its holiday finery. We came out of dinner the first evening to find hot chocolate and cookies for the grand tree lighting…
We loved examining every nook and cranny of the huge gingerbread house – baked and constructed right there on the Dream!
And we decorated (and promptly consumed) our own gingerbread houses too!!
We sang Christmas carols by candlelight on our last night…
(and I spied Mother having an animated convo with Christian the Cruise Director – who she adored on BOTH of our voyages on the Dream)
We saw loads of characters with almost no wait time. The fab 5, Disney Junior, princesses, you name it!
As usual, Peter Pan was a hit. The littles loved it when he asked them if they could show him how to walk like a zombie.
We were so excited to have the chance to meet Belle in her Christmas gown…a rare opportunity!
And of all the character we met, the best was this. Our little Cinderella meeting Cindy. LOL
It pretty much went down like this every time. Meeting Minnie, Mickey, etc. was ok. Princesses, however, were not happening.
The littles spent countless hours in the Oceaneer Club. They built and exploded volcanoes, played freeze tag with Mickey, had a pajama party with Pluto (and decorated pillow cases), watched movies, and did so much more. Most of the time it was like we were on two separate vacations :-) (Pictures taken during open house on the first time…parents are not normally allowed inside)
While the little were happily enjoying the kids club, the girls had the chance to do something we’ve always wanted to do at Hollywood Studios – take an animation class!
While the ten of us didn’t spend a lot of time together during the day, we loved our big, silly family dinners each night! Like last time, the food was all plentiful and yummy and the service was impeccable. I mean, they bring the littles food out first thing, cut it for them, and have them in the kids club (if they want…and they did) before our entrees come out. So it’s like half family dinner, half just adults!!
(it took days for the baby’s eyeliner from the Pirate’s League to wear off)
The dinners were delish, but the breakfasts and snacks were amazing too. I could hardly believe my eyes when I found the cream cheese filled pretzels I loves so much in the parks!!
If you’ve ever wondered what the best birthday ever for a nine-year old might look like, it has to be on the Disney Dream! After he went to sleep, we decorated his bunk and laid out a birthday pin and snorkel gear as a surprise.
We got off at Castaway and had the very best time! It was so fun to see the tropical island all decorated for Christmas.
The littles were excited to go to the kids club on the island while the adults ran (most of us, lol) the Castaway 5k!!
Afterwards, we retrieved them for a day of characters, swimming, sliding, snorkling and sand castle building. Oh, and a yummy BBQ lunch right there on the island!!
At dinner that night, we loved surprising John with the most divine Mickey cake that will ever cross your lips.
He wanted an entire ear as his slice and we were happy to indulge :-)
And, before heading to kid’s club until midnight, Mother and Sister took him shopping for new pins as his birthday gift. He was in heaven.
Not only did we celebrate a birthday and enjoy all of the Christmas festivities, but we also spent Thanksgiving Day on the Dream! John spent the whole day in the Oceaneer Club while Whit hung out with us watching football and eating countless cones of ice cream by the pool.
Between games we did another round at the Mid-Ship Detective Agency. (similar to Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom)
That evening we enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and loved hanging with the characters in their pilgrim get-ups.
Since it was our last night and the littles wanted to stay until kid’s club closed at midnight, we spent the evening in The District… watching more football. While Thanksgiving is not the happiest of holidays for me, this was hands-down the best one I’ve had in a long time.
When we weren’t doing some sort of activity, meal or family gathering, we were soaking up other fun sights and scenes around the boat.
And, before I wrap this up, I thought I’d share our stateroom. Again this time, we went with the cheapest, smallest interior staterooms that would get us on the boat. It’s plenty of room and the littles still loved the magic port hole.
Since the littles were in kid’s club every night while Honey and I got ready for dinner, we had a cheese plate sent up. (room service is included) Yum!!
While at dinner each night, the sofa “magically” turned into a bed, and a bunk came down from the ceiling.
I will treasure this magical week spent together, celebrating a birthday, Thanksgiving, the start of the Christmas season and FAMILY. And I will be back this week with more tips & tricks!!
See ya real soon, Disney Dream!
xoxo
As an independent consultant with Glass Slipper Concierge, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, I offer concierge travel planning for Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland® Resort, Adventures by Disney®, Aulani and other delightful destinations.
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The young man who played Peter Pan is one of my dearest friends son. He's a great guy!
That is SO cool. He was amazing! The most interactive of any of the characters. He even took my nephew off on a hunt to find Tink!
Swoon!! I've been wanting to take a Disney Cruise for a while now, and I've been rather hesitant to do it. Now I feel like it's just a floating Magic Kingdom! I'm going to work on getting the Hubs on board now! (Ha! See what I did there?)
I have 2 questions though: 1) How long a trip did you take? We'll likely do just a cruise (not land and sea since we already have a weeklong Disney trip planned for next year), so I wonder what a good length of time would be for a first cruise, and 2) Where did you get your glitter Mickey (Minnie?) tank? Did Tricia make it?
Hi! We did the four night Dream cruise. It is the perfect length! That Southern Chick did it for me. She's here: http://www.thatsouthernchick.com/
Your photos are amazing…what a wonderful trip!!
PS-Are passports required? We don't have them yet for the kids and I need to get on that pronto!
On our trip to castaway and nassau they were not. Mine is still current so I took it. Honey's had expired so he just needed a birth certif and drivers lic. Both boys just needed birth certifs.
Wow! What gorgeous AND fun photos!
I do believe scrolling through this was better than watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade! :-)
Jane ~ San Diego
mwah
I'm hyperventilating now wanting to book a Disney cruise! I do have to ask, did you feel the ship move or feel sea sick? We've never done a cruise because my husband jokes that I get motion sickness backing out of our driveway. (I do wear sea acupressure bands whenever I fly or travel long distances in the car & they work). Our children would LOVE going on a cruise, but I'd be afraid I'd be begging to get off the ship. Your family is absolutely precious & I know you had a fantastic time!
Heeeey Teresa :-) I did feel the boat move some this time but it didn't bother me at all. I am prone to feel nauseous driving in the car though. Sister, however, was bothered by it and had to wear the sea bands. She wore them two nights and said that helped tremendously. It didn't seem to detract from her fun!
I have never wanted to go on a cruise. Like never, ever. But this post makes me want to go on one right this second!! So much fun!!
Where did you find that cute long sleeved Mickey shirt you are wearing the pool deck? Amazing trip report!! We love the Dream, too!!
I have been toying with the idea of wanting to take a Disney Cruise and this post just totally sold me on the idea. I loved seeing all of your pictures with your sweet kids and your whole family. It looks like it was fun for everyone!
The young man playing Peter Pan is one of my dearest friend's son. Great guy! Glad your boys enjoyed meeting him.
OMG i love this post!!!! i miss going on a cruise! i would love to go on a disney cruise one day! it looks so nice and i love how family friendly it is! i love all your lilly outfits too you look fabulous! definitely will be looking into disney cruises for the future- thank you for sharing! Xoxo miss G
We are planning a disney cruise for next fall and your pictures have me even more excited!!! And can I just say that all of your outfits are just adorable?!
Hi there, Im so glad I found your blog. You are so inspiring in everyway. And I agree your outfits are sooo cute. I just have to ask this….
Can you give a little more detail on:
1. That black/white stripe skirt and button down shirt detail. What brand is that?
2. That beautiful halter long dress with the gold rope design.
Please share =)
Are Anna and Elsa on the ship?
No they aren't. :-(
I'm just re-reading this as I prep for our cruise, and just laughed out loud at the picture of Minnie in her Pilgrim dress. SUCH a funny story about your sister and the dress… dun dun dunnnnn. ;)
Love!Love! The "bubble gum" Mickey necklace…could you please share where you got it? I've seen different vendors on etsy…would love to support your creator if possible.
I am also re-reading this as we prep! Did Cece use the nursery on the boat? Also, did you rent the wagon that y'all used on CC? We just booked our second Disney cruise (5-night Dec on the Magic) but this is the first time we with an infant, our daughter then age 16mths. Our son was nearly 4 on the last cruise and loved the kids club but we never checked out the nursery since we didn't need it (little did we know that our daughter was with us… found out she stowed away the day after the cruise! Guess this will be her second disney cruise too.) I would love to know how all that went with Cece on board! Thanks and you are hands down, my favorite blogger!
Awww, thank you!! Ok – CeeCee did not use the nursery. We had enough hands between the adults and with the other kids gone so much of the time she wasn't an issue at all. That being said, it does look nice and I would definitely look into it! The wagons on CC are there for the taking! I honestly am not sure where she found it, but I saw multiple people with them. I hope that helps. Have fun!!
Hey That looks like you guys had so much fun. We’ve contemplated Disney cruises as my husband and I love cruising, but didn’t know how well kids would handle the dinners and such. Was the Kid’s club an extra cost to use?
They are wonderful!! Our kids were fine at dinner – we usually do the main (early) seating. I want to say it’s around 5:30ish. We’ve done the late but both prefer early. Your waiters will ensure a great experience for all of you. They are happy to bring the kid’s food out early and then one of you can run the kids up to kids club and you can enjoy your meal! Kids club is included!!