Disney Dream Guest Review: Non-Alcoholic Specialty Drinks

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Disney Dream Guest Review: Non-Alcoholic Specialty Drinks

May 20th, 2011 by AJ. Welcome guest author James Dolan with a thirst-quenching review of mocktails aboard the Disney Dream!

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There is a big market for “adult beverages.” That is a euphemism for drinks containing alcohol. Those of us who are adults who don’t consume alcohol are left with the routine fountain sodas, plain fruit juices and occasionally a decent bottled root beer. If you’re lucky, you might actually get a Shirley Temple made correctly (with ginger ale), and if you’re really lucky it might have a cherry for garnish. Of course, there is always the standard, uninspired non-alcoholic pina colada or strawberry margarita.

Meanwhile, our alcohol-consuming friends are choosing from lengthy lists of “adult beverages” and receiving brightly colored drinks in fancy glasses with artfully placed garnishes. These drinks usually cannot be ordered in a non-alcoholic version because they consist of (big surprise) mostly alcohol.

Fortunately, if you are cruising on the Disney Dream, these woes are a thing of the past! Non-alcoholic specialty drinks abound! With descriptive and whimsical names such as the Passion Cream Freeze (orange passion fruit juice, vanilla ice cream, grenadine) or Parrot Song (banana, coconut cream, pineapple juice), I was thrilled at the wide variety of choices! Just about every bar or lounge had it’s own special non-alcoholic drink, and some even had several.

Mocktail Tour of the Disney Dream

The highlight of non-alcoholic specialty drink menus was the D-Lounge, which is the family nightclub. Not only did the D-Lounge have its own menu with 7 different drinks, the menu itself was very clever!

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What appeared to be an index card unfolds to reveal a picture of 2 drinks with descriptions. Continuing to unfold the card reveals more sets of drinks. These “Mocktails for Little Disney Dreamers” were made with as much care as any alcoholic cocktail, and each was a visual delight as well as a party for your taste buds.

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While my finances did not allow me to sample every drink on my 4-night cruise, I did manage to order 8 different drinks. The Bon Voyage Freeze, Lava Smoothie, Bora Shake, Princess Delight, Northern Garden, Passion Cream Freeze, Brer Bear’s Berries N’ Cherries, and Goofy’s Ooey Gooey all contributed to the 6 lbs I gained on the cruise. Here are my top three:

1. The Passion Cream Freeze — the orange passion fruit juice blended with vanilla ice cream was surprisingly light and refreshing, but what made the drink was the layer of grenadine at the bottom of the glass. Not only did it add visual appeal, the flavor combination really made the drink “pop.”

Passion Cream Freeze

2. Northern Garden — This drink contained a mixture of pomegranate syrup, Harmony herbal tea, and Sprite. Although I love pomegranates, I’m not a fan of pomegranate syrup and I know from experience that it doesn’t taste so good with Sprite.

I also had no idea what Harmony herbal tea was, so I was hesitant about ordering the Northern Garden. It turned out to be great! The combination of ingredients toned down the acidity of the carbonation, resulting in a very “soft” drink. The initial sip hit me with the tartness of the pomegranate but quickly mellowed into a floral flavor.

Northern Garden served at the Enchanted Garden on the Disney Dream.

3. Brer Bear’s Berries N’ Cherries — I’m a sucker for a good berry drink and I love cherries, so as soon as I saw the name of this drink, I knew I had to try it.

The best way to describe it is as a smooth and sophisticated cousin to the virgin strawberry daiquiri. Served in a squat glass and garnished with a lime and cherry spear, the deep red color promised a rich, fruity flavor and it did not disappoint. In my enthusiasm to fully experience that flavor, I ended up drinking it too fast and suffered the sharp pain of brain freeze.

Finally, I have an honorable mention — The Parrot Song. I didn’t bother trying it, as it contains banana and I truly detest bananas. But my wife sampled all the drinks that I ordered and rated the Parrot Song as the best.

As far as I could ascertain, every non-alcoholic specialty drink cost $3.95 + gratuity. Each drink is certainly worth the price in my opinion. Kudos to Disney Cruise Line for raising the bar (pun intended) for these types of drinks!

The Bora Shake at the Animators Palate on the Disney Dream

James Dolan is the creator of MousePlanning.com and specializes in planning daily itineraries for people visiting Walt Disney World for the first time.