The TCD Gang Sails Again!: A Four Night Disney Dream Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We made it!

 

Onto another Disney Cruise.

 

This was our sixth.  The second one on the Disney Dream.  That means we were now Gold Castaway Club members.  That means we would be lavished with special gifts and treatment.  Who doesn't like being lavished?  I could hardly wait!

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the TCD gang- there are 5 members.  TCD, Mrs. TCD, our oldest daughter and the TCD twins.  Our oldest graduated from college in May, and headed right off to grad school at Auburn University.  Literally.  Like the morning after graduation, we packed up her apartment in Tallahassee, and drove her to Auburn.  The twins followed with graduating from high school in early June.  Twin #2 started college a couple of weeks later, and we moved her in.  Twin #1 doesn't start college until this month, so she was an only child for most of the summer.

 

When our oldest graduated high school in 2009, we celebrated with a cruise.

 

We also took a cruise last summer.

 

And the plan was to celebrate this year's graduations with a cruise.  But, our oldest starting grad school so early threw us off.  We would have preferred to go in June, but there was no way.

 

So, we had to wait until she could take a break in August.  Twin #2 finished her summer session classes on August 2.  Twin #1 moves into her dorm in Gainesville tomorrow, August 10th.

 

That left us with just one week to work with.  And not even a whole week at that.

 

All signs pointed to the 4 night Disney Dream cruise that would sail on August 4.  So we booked it.  And we waited patiently all summer for our cruise time.

 

And, so, early on August 4, we loaded up the trusty TCD Excursion, and headed east.  Mrs. TCD put the Disney Cruise Line Captain Mickey antenna topper on for the occasion.  Here we are outside Casa TCD at 7:25 am on August 4:

 

 

It's about 150 miles from our driveway to Port Canaveral.  On a good day, it takes us about 2 1/2 hours to get from point A to point B.   The plan this morning was to stop about halfway and pick up something for breakfast.  But, as we cruised by the halfway point, everyone in the car but me was asleep, and the traffic was light, so I kept going.

 

Which brought us to the McDonalds at Port Canaveral at 10:06 am:

 

 

If you read last year's trip report, you may remember that there was a stop like this, as well as an unscheduled stop to pick up some new sunglasses at a t-shirt shop.

 

Once again, we were a bit early to check in, so we stopped by the t-shirt shop.

 

Twin #1 suggested that I get myself a new hat, and picked out this one:

 

 

Perfect.

 

Can't get much nerdier than that.

 

See? :

 

 

I wasn't sure, though.  They had rolled up cowboy hats too:

 

 

The captains' hat was on sale.  So, I went with it.

 

We looked around at all the other junk on display:

 

 

I really wanted one of these real alligator heads, but Mrs. TCD quashed that idea:

 

 

I said, how about an ash tray?  But I got shot down on that too:

 

 

So, it was just the captain's hat.

 

And guess what?  Captain's hats are covered under the Florida sales tax holiday, so I got the hat for $9.99.  No tax!  Sorry, but if you go back, the sales tax holiday is over.

 

It's good to be TCD.

 

It was getting to be around 10:30, so we headed to the port.

 

But, the dang bridge was up now!:

 

 

If you look over to the right, you can see one of the smokestacks from the Dream, past all those boat trailers and the guy on the bike:

 

 

Finally, the bridge came down, and we could go.

 

As we passed over the water, the girls saw manatees swimming in the water below.  No one got a photo, though.  Sorry.

 

We arrived at the cruise terminal at about 10:45, and were directed to a place where we could drop off our luggage with a porter. 

 

The girls all went inside while I parked the car.

 

The immediately took this photo:

 

 

We had beaten most of the crowds, and were checked in in no time.  Then, it was time for some fun in the terminal.  We always take photos like this:

 

 

 

 

 

Please note our brand new Gold Castaway Club lanyards.

 

I know you're jealous.

 

Mrs. TCD was guarding our carry-on luggage, so she is MIA from these first photos.  But she was there, and there will be some photos of her later in case you don't believe me.

 

After our surprise Mickey Ear photos, we headed out to the balcony of the terminal to take a look at our home for the next four nights.  We would be back on deck two again for this trip.  Our cabins were on the starboard side, and you can see our portholes here.  They are the last two on the right bottom row:

 

 

All of this would be above us:

 

 

There were two other big ships in the port along with the Dream.  You can see the Royal Caribbean ship on the right in this photo: 

 

 

Me with two of the TCD girls (Twin #1 took this photo) :

 

 

Please note my snazzy anchor shorts.

 

The TCD DD's:

 

 

When we first started cruising on Disney Cruise Lines, the DCL fleet consisted of just the Magic and Wonder.  The new ships, the Dream and Fantasy, carry many more passengers, which means that the terminal feels very crowded.  Look at all the folks waiting to board:

 

 

No worries for us, though.  DCL issues boarding numbers when you check in.  The earlier you check in, the lower you number.  We had a six, which is good:

 

 

Captain hat selfie:

 

 

You can tell I took that one, because it's a little blurry.  Actually, that's a good selfie for me.

 

Twin #1 took this one:

 

 

She wins.

 

At this point, we were standing in line to meet Captain Mickey, who usually comes out about a half hour before they start boarding.  But he was late:

 

 

We were all checked in a ready to board, and it was around 11:38.  There were tons of folks just arriving and now waiting in long lines to do the same.  DCL rope drop, baby.  It's the only way to go:

 

 

Mrs. TCD was parked over here to the side of the terminal waiting with our stuff.  By stuff I mean my big duffel bag full of beer.  The folks you see in the long line in the foreground of this photo are all waiting to check their kids into the kids' clubs.  We don't have to do that anymore.  We don't have anymore kids:

 

 

It was getting to be near that time.  So we had to abandon our place in the Mickey line.  They had started to call out boarding numbers, and we knew it wouldn't be long for us.

 

Of course, Mickey came out like one minute after we left the line, but that was OK, we would rather be on the ship.  We could always find him later.

 

The TCD twins have gotten in to pin trading, so Twin #1 took a moment to organize the pins she planned to trade.  We think this pin is the King from Alice In Wonderland.  Twin #1 intended to trade it, but wanted to make fun of the King before she did:

 

 

They had just called out boarding number five when I took that photo.  That meant we were next.  We gathered up our stuff, and got ready for one of the most exciting points on each cruise, boarding the ship!

 

We will pick it up there in the next update.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

First!

 

Now I gotta go read it....

 

EDIT...ok, done reading the update.  Guess I didn't need to rush as no one else found the report yet. 

 

About this photo...

 

 

 

 

 

Did you let that DCL bus full of fools ahead of you into the terminal??

 

Also...about the lines to check into the kid clubs.  Just so readers understand, you do not need to stand in that line if it is long.  You can always register for the clubs on board the ship, at the open house or probably anytime afterward.  If the line is short and you are just standing around waiting for your boarding group to be called, do it in the terminal.  But I wouldn't miss my boarding group call to stand in that line. 

 

Ok, onward!  I want to find out if you hit Cabanas first or rode the AD first (which is what we did).  The smart folks wear or pack their bathing suits in their carryons!  Ha! 

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Second!

[Beckers 1,136]

Dave is a cheater!!! I read before posting. No fairrrrrr

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Dave is a cheater!!! I read before posting. No fairrrrrr

 

But....even after reading and updating my post, it was still the only response.  YOU SLOW!!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I'm here! I'm here!

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Wow TCD that's great you got another family trip in before the new school year!

 

Looking forward to this trip report!

 

WBI

[Beckers 1,136]

But....even after reading and updating my post, it was still the only response. YOU SLOW!!

I'm still pondering yellow plums and wieners

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

FPBR!

 

Looking forward to late night platters of Mickey Bars!!!!

 

That is my #1 reason for wanting to go on a DCL cruise.

 

We have never been on a cruise.

 

I always love the fake Mickey ear pics in the lobby.

 

Props for wearing the embarrassing Captain hat.

 

Will there be pink light ice cubes in this TR?

 

If not, let me know so I can stop reading now.  (not really)

 

Better yet, did you bring yours along with you?

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Still get first page bragging rights.

[Specularius 102]

I here! looking forward to living a cruise through your eyes.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Here.... Not promising much beyond that

[caveat lector 181]

Gold lanyards......that's how TCD ROLLS!!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I am going to break TCD tradition here for just a moment and post the next update before responding to the comments from the first.

 

I do not want to leave Dave hanging on some photos of the Cabanas food.

 

So, on with it!

 

At about 11:50, or so, they called for boarding group 6. 

 

We had to fight our way through all the ding-dongs with much higher boarding numbers who like to stand in front of the gangway.  I don't know why they do that, but they always do.  No biggie, I tell them to make way, and they do. In defense of the ding-dongs, it's not entirely their fault- they terminal was not designed to hold this many waiting passengers.  Plus, they're ding-dongs.  Being dumb is what they do.  Whatever. They will still be standing there while I am fixing my plate at the buffet in a couple of minutes.

 

So, here we are heading toward the gangway. And the first photo of Mrs. TCD in this report- that's the back of her head there in the center:

 

 

They have a lot of security technology that they keep kind of quiet about on the ships.  They had our photos stored in the system from the last cruise.  As you board the ship, they scan your Key to the World Card, and your photo shows up on the screen.  I tried to get a photo of mine, but the next group was coming through before I could.  The door you see in the back of this photo is the door everyone comes through to board.  The door on the right is the door everyone will be sadly passing through on the way out in four days:

 

 

Those Disney folks are smart- these signs are double sided.  The front:

 

 

And the back:

 

 

Here we are on the gangway!:

 

 

And, then we were on board!  They announced our family name, and we marched right in to the lobby.  The girls would not stop to let me take photos- they knew we needed to head right to the elevators and get to Cabanas for lunch- the longer we waited, the more potential that we might have to wait.

 

I was able to snap a couple of photos as we passed through.  They had a guy playing steel drums.  I don't remember this from our last cruise.  I love the sound of steel drums:

 

 

The big chandelier in the middle of the atrium- don't miss the hidden Mickeys up near the top:

 

 

We headed right to the elevators, went straight up to the 11th deck, and headed right in to Cabanas.  It wasn't crowded at all.  We found a table near a starboard window, and we had a great view of the DCL terminal and parking garage.  For some reason, I enjoy sitting here and eating while watching guests arriving below:

 

 

I volunteered to guard the table and the beer while the girls fixed their plates.  I knew where I wanted to go on the buffet line, and I had no problem waiting.  We were the only guests in our section for a few minutes:

 

 

See that castmember standing there?  His name was Yuri.  It says so right on his name tag.  He isn't my cousin, though, thank goodness.

 

The girls soon arrived at the table, and I was able to go and fix my plate.

 

I remembered that at the back of Cabanas, they have the guys carving roast beef and turkey.  Sneaky Disney.  All the pizza and chicken nuggets are at the front.  They're hoping you never make it to the back.  Take it from me, and do as I do- start at the back.

 

I was the first customer at the roast beef station, and got the very first slice!:

 

 

It doesn't get any better than that!

 

I also got a slice of turkey, and then stopped by here:

 

 

The girls at the table:

 

 

My plate:

 

 

That's roast beef, turkey, shrimp, steak fries, one piece of broccoli (I have to set an example for the kids) and some horseradish and cranberry sauce for good measure. 

 

Oh man, I could go for a plate of all of that about now.

 

An artsy shot of my gold lanyard:

 

 

We ate like kings and queens!

 

What a way to begin a great trip!

 

After we finished, we were called to order by Twin #1 for the revealing of the official List of Fun for this cruise.

 

The List of Fun is something that we started doing a few cruises back to make sure that we don't forget to do something.  We talk it up for the weeks leading up to the cruise. I used to be in charge of making it, but that honor has been passed down to Twin #1, as her desktop publishing skills greatly exceed mine.

 

The envelope please:

 

 

 

And here it is!  This was our first time seeing the 2013 edition:

 

 

There were a few revisions.  But, the same basic list.  That photo at the bottom left is Jerry aka Jer-Bear, the TCD girls' favorite castmember from our last cruise.

 

In addition to having desktop publishing skills, Twin #1 also possesses rug-dar.  She can spot a bad toupee a mile away.  It was right here that she did a fake "cough-cough Rug!" and motioned to the guy walking next to our table.  I got the message, and immediately snapped the photo:

 

 

If you like to wear a bad toupee and were offended by that last comment and photo, please accept my apologies.  And don't wear your rug around Twin #1, or you will end up in a TCD trip report.

 

Now, where were we?

 

Oh yes, still at lunch.

 

Looking at our LOF's.

 

Bad rug over shoulder shot:

 

 

The TCD twins:

 

 

A rare Mrs. TCD sighting:

 

 

As we wrapped up our lunch meeting, we made plans for the early afternoon.  Mrs. TCD and I would be heading out on deck with our beer.  The girls planned to explore the ship.  The rest of the photos in this update show what the girls did while Mrs. TCD soaked up some rays and sipped our Coronas.  Don't worry, there are some sipping Corona photos coming up, but not until the next update.

 

The girls stopped by the ice cream machine on the way out of lunch.  Free ice cream.  All day long.  Another reason to love DCL:

 

 

Twin #1's photo of the big chandelier:

 

 

The girls met Goofy:

 

 

And (South of the Border) Ariel:

 

 

(no offense if you're from south of the border- I was merely making an observation- the young lady portraying Ariel was beautiful, but definitely was not from this land)

 

And then they headed off to the kids' clubs.  They never got to play in these, as they were past kid age when the Dream began to sail.  But, on the first afternoon of the cruise, the clubs are open for anyone to come in and take a look:

 

 

 

 

 

I have never seen any of that in person.  And, if it's sunny outside when we board, I never will.

 

My butt was in a chair poolside, next to Mrs. TCD, with a cold beer in my hand.  You couldn't pry me from there. 

 

I have some photos of what was going on topside while the girls were exploring below in the next update.  We need to stop this one here, as we have reached the photo limit.

 

There are still a few places for first page bragging rights, if you are so inclined.  Act now.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

There are 20 spots on page 1, and with this post I have used 3 of them. 

[ajcjmom 8]

I'm in and still trying to get DH on a cruise!

 

Maybe when son #2 graduates from the Academy!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Actually, make that 4 spots.  I just wanted to say that the last time TCD wrote a DCL trip report, it cost me thousands of dollars.  I'm not falling for that again. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Spots are filling up fast, people!  You better hurry to get on page 1!!!

 

Oops, that makes 5.  :rofl2:

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

Anchors Aweigh!

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Count me in. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Did I make it?

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

It's official. I hate Dave now.

 

I'm trying to figure out a way to talk Jason into a cruise. I even have one picked out for Spring Break. This report could get me in big trouble.

[caveat lector 181]

Two entries in one day....nice

[alexwyattmommy 181]

If I could talk them into a cruise, it would be a Disney cruise.  We don't gamble and we don't drink, so any other cruise line would be a complete waste of money.  It would be all about the food.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Cold beers on the deck of the dream with your favorite lady at your side.

That's hard to beat.

If you had a platter of Mickey Ice Cream bars next to you on dry ice that would be cool.

I am looking forward to see who gets the most checked off on the LOF and I am prognosticating Twin#1 as the LOF champ.

Looking forward to more as always.