We have been on the Wonder a couple of times and really like that ship. The first time in a balcony and the other an inside cabin. This trip on the Dream we had a CAT 5A, deck 9, with a balcony.
On the bright side. The AquaDuck is really cool, and really fun at night. Do this ride while the ship is in port at
Our cabin was nice, but is was across from a service elevator, need I say more. The "bath and a half" lay out is great. You get two free wireless phones to use while on the ship. The service is a great idea, but we couldn't get the phone to ring and vibrate was not the best. I guess Disney doesn't want 2000 phones ringing all day. (Big fine for mis-placing one) Plenty of storage and suitcases went under the bed with ease. Cabin was kept clean by a great steward and we loved the balcony views of
My son liked the "Edge" club, but he liked playing chess with me in the 687 club better. He went to the edge a few times and seemed to like the large screen TV with the Play Station and Wii games. For my wife, the quite place to get sun was deck 13 forward. The main pools, Donald and Mickey were packed up until nap time. After 5 pm the crowds thinned out. There were plenty of chairs, but the books, towels and diaper bags that held prime areas wake up early.
Dinner at the 3 main restaurants was good. Not over the top, but good. Selection was fine and the wait service was nice. A couple of times, the help had trouble finding our table, but overall not bad. Our assistant server is not cut out for life at sea and it showed in her attitude. Our head waiter was fun and made us feel welcome. We all felt that food on the smaller Disney Wonder was better.
Room service was fast and the order correct. We did not eat at the adults only Palo or Remi. We take our son (age 12) everywhere, so if he is not allowed to go, we opt out. The Cove has a great coffee shop offering teas and coffee drinks ($) this is located on deck 11 forward. As dumb as it is, I locate the coffee shop (espresso, latte etc.) and then find a cabin in the same section of the ship. In this case, we, or I, the coffee runner, was just 2 decks below, which is nice in the A.M.
The spa area looked nice and the gym has enough equipment to service everyone. I went late afternoon to run the "Dread Mill" (4pm) and the place was empty. I couldn't afford the massage treatment this trip so I hit the Cove hot-tub to have my adult recovery drink.
For the ports of call, Castaway Cay is still a great place to get beach time. Lots of activities, which most will cost you a few bucks. Bikes, floats, snorkel rentals are all there, but for a price. These types of things should be at no cost in my opinion. The better snorkeling is by taking the catamaran. ($$) No reef fish in the general lagoon area only a sunken Mickey to find. The adult, teen and family sections are all nice. The small shopping area is cool, but no deals to be had. The "BBQ" lunch is good and enjoyable.
Next was the Pirate Party. Not at all what I thought it was going to be. The fireworks are great...but I can only hope the show was "updated" because of the release of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This production was strange and in my opinion, not for young children. Unless we missed them, there was no Mickey, Minnie, Goofy or any other of the classic characters. Not like the Pirate Party on the Wonder when we sailed in January 2009 where Mickey is the hero and saves us all from the evil Capitan' Hook. This had strange costumes, choreography and the set was well just plain bad.
The last thing is the beer and wine prices. ($$) Although you can take on bottles of wine or spirits for "consumption in your cabin," wink, wink, (take a adult sippy cup with you for the pool) the prices for beer, mixed beverage and wine are a little steep. Be advised to watch the bar tab, it can add up quickly. Although we didn't, (we still had vodka we brought with us to consume) it seems you can buy from the duty free shop and take it back to your cabin and drink it. Prices at the duty free were not bad. Last note, if your not over loaded with luggage, keep it in your cabin on the last night. Take them with you when you disembark in the morning. Skip all the chaos of people trying to fine theirs in the customs area.
Over all, not bad. It is a nice ship, and the crew was great. Not the best value for the money, but not the worst either. I would rate the Dream 7 out of 10. Our family voted and we like the Wonder better and when or if we sail Disney again, we will take the Wonder over the Dream.
