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

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Note to self:  If I ever cruise on Disney, don't eat at the buffets.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Doing rope drop for buffets doesn't seem so silly anymore, does it?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I will say based on my observations on DCL that there are lots of CM's around the buffet lines constantly replacing utensils and bringing out fresh food.  If a kid dropped a serving spoon, I bet a CM would see it and pounce.  And the food turns over so quickly that there's a good chance you can wait a few minutes and get a fresh tray brought out.  I didn't notice any unruly child behavior on our cruise...at least not any more than at any restaurant or resort that allows families. 

[Seals 111]

Really enjoying going on this cruise with youand remebering our 3-day cruise last year. When we went the week after Thanksgiving the water was pretty cold at CC so I only went in it up to my knees and stayed in until I couldn't feel my feet. I didn't get to try snorkeling. So it's nice to see what I missed. Even my hearty DSs thought it was cold and only went on Pelican Plunge a couple of times. I think the only people out were a few Canadians who probably thought it was tropical. There had been a big storm the day before so I don't know if that made a difference or if that was typical for the first of Dec. Pro: lower prices and Christmas decorations / Con: not as much water time. We did enjoy biking all over CC, within our hour allotment because we didn't find out until after we pedaled hard to get back that they really didn't enforce the one hour time limit. Island time, I guess. That's good you mentioned that so others will know.

Every time I passed the gate to Concierge I was tempted to press my face against it and put my hands through and yell "let me in." The gate does seem pretty silly.

I love the story about Twin#1 and rock, paper, scissor. I can totally relate as I am known to be horrible at that "game" too. I over think it and I'm sure she does too. But what a moment for her to pull it out in the clutch like that. She'll think of that every time she puts in those ear buds.

Cabanas is really the best. I was surprised at the variety and healthiness, if one so chose, of food available. I liked getting up early for breakfast and sitting outside to eat. Then I would clean up my table and go back through and get some more and sit in a totally different area as if I hadn't just finished one breakfast. As far as people around me could tell I was a totally newly arrived eater snarfing down those Mickey waffles. We had fewer young kids on our cruise so I didn't see any problems with unsanitary behavior.

We also had issues with table mates at dinner. I had actually called ahead and asked to be seated as just our family of 5 and they said ok. But when we got their the first night we were seated with a family of 3, who had been on many cruises. I said something quietly to the head waiter and he didn't seem to understand me and my DSs were mortified so I dropped it. Of course they didn't feel obligated to make small talk with the other family like I did. The other family ordered and ate really quickly and the wait staff seemed put out that we weren't ready to order or ready for dessert when the other family was. Finally the 3rd/last night I just ate as slowly as I wanted and they finally went ahead and ordered dessert and left. And that ended up being our most fun night since we could talk in our weird family type of conversations and we even joked around with the waiters.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I totally hear you on the parents not watching their kids, or watching them do dumb stuff and not seeming to care. 

 

i was just at Whole Foods waiting to get a rotisserie chicken.  They had them on sale today, so there was a line waiting. 

 

One of the moms watched her 8yo(?) daughter walk up to the display where they keep the hot chickens and touch the tile, right below the two signs that say "CAUTION: HOT!  DO NOT TOUCH!!"  When the daughter jerked her hand back and stuck her finger in her outh, the mother didn't even flinch.

 

:facepalm:  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Note to self:  If I ever cruise on Disney, don't eat at the buffets.

 

It's not as bad as it sounds.  The same things could happen at Trail's End or any other buffet.  There were an extraordinary number of clueless parents on our cruise.

 

Doing rope drop for buffets doesn't seem so silly anymore, does it?

 

Good idea.

 

Less germs for sure.

 

I will say based on my observations on DCL that there are lots of CM's around the buffet lines constantly replacing utensils and bringing out fresh food.  If a kid dropped a serving spoon, I bet a CM would see it and pounce.  And the food turns over so quickly that there's a good chance you can wait a few minutes and get a fresh tray brought out.  I didn't notice any unruly child behavior on our cruise...at least not any more than at any restaurant or resort that allows families. 

 

I agree.  Disney ain't the Golden Coral.  They do keep things clean, and there are plenty of CM's around.  But, they can't immediately catch everything, and it's a shame that they have to.

 

Really enjoying going on this cruise with youand remebering our 3-day cruise last year. When we went the week after Thanksgiving the water was pretty cold at CC so I only went in it up to my knees and stayed in until I couldn't feel my feet. I didn't get to try snorkeling. So it's nice to see what I missed. Even my hearty DSs thought it was cold and only went on Pelican Plunge a couple of times. I think the only people out were a few Canadians who probably thought it was tropical. There had been a big storm the day before so I don't know if that made a difference or if that was typical for the first of Dec. Pro: lower prices and Christmas decorations / Con: not as much water time. We did enjoy biking all over CC, within our hour allotment because we didn't find out until after we pedaled hard to get back that they really didn't enforce the one hour time limit. Island time, I guess. That's good you mentioned that so others will know.

Every time I passed the gate to Concierge I was tempted to press my face against it and put my hands through and yell "let me in." The gate does seem pretty silly.

I love the story about Twin#1 and rock, paper, scissor. I can totally relate as I am known to be horrible at that "game" too. I over think it and I'm sure she does too. But what a moment for her to pull it out in the clutch like that. She'll think of that every time she puts in those ear buds.

Cabanas is really the best. I was surprised at the variety and healthiness, if one so chose, of food available. I liked getting up early for breakfast and sitting outside to eat. Then I would clean up my table and go back through and get some more and sit in a totally different area as if I hadn't just finished one breakfast. As far as people around me could tell I was a totally newly arrived eater snarfing down those Mickey waffles. We had fewer young kids on our cruise so I didn't see any problems with unsanitary behavior.

We also had issues with table mates at dinner. I had actually called ahead and asked to be seated as just our family of 5 and they said ok. But when we got their the first night we were seated with a family of 3, who had been on many cruises. I said something quietly to the head waiter and he didn't seem to understand me and my DSs were mortified so I dropped it. Of course they didn't feel obligated to make small talk with the other family like I did. The other family ordered and ate really quickly and the wait staff seemed put out that we weren't ready to order or ready for dessert when the other family was. Finally the 3rd/last night I just ate as slowly as I wanted and they finally went ahead and ordered dessert and left. And that ended up being our most fun night since we could talk in our weird family type of conversations and we even joked around with the waiters.

 

Our first two DCL cruises were right around Thanksgiving. The water was cool, but definitely not too cold to go in.  Of course, those were the years (2004 and 2005) that there were tropical storms and hurricanes even in November, so the water must have been warmer for us than it was for you.

 

We didn't really have problems with our tablemates. They were very nice.  And we did have conversations every night. They were planning to go to WDW after the cruise, and the daughter fancied herself as a Disney expert. The boy cousin had never been in his life.  And the thing was- he didn't even seem to care.  He just didn't seem to be interested.  In talking to them, we found that the boy had been on a real African safari, and on a cruise in the Mediterranean, and had visited some very nice Caribbean islands.  I can understand how he might think Disney wasn't his cup of tea.  My objection is that I would rather be having conversations with my family about them, not hearing stories from some people we have never met and will never see again.

 

I totally hear you on the parents not watching their kids, or watching them do dumb stuff and not seeming to care. 

 

i was just at Whole Foods waiting to get a rotisserie chicken.  They had them on sale today, so there was a line waiting. 

 

One of the moms watched her 8yo(?) daughter walk up to the display where they keep the hot chickens and touch the tile, right below the two signs that say "CAUTION: HOT!  DO NOT TOUCH!!"  When the daughter jerked her hand back and stuck her finger in her outh, the mother didn't even flinch.

 

:facepalm:  

 

Poor kid.

 

I honestly fear for what our world will be like in 15-20 years.  What I see out there is quite unsettling.

 

TCD

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

If you are an even number in your family say 4 or 6, do you have a better chance of having your own table verses families of 5 or 7?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

If you are an even number in your family say 4 or 6, do you have a better chance of having your own table verses families of 5 or 7?

 

I don't think so....I think many of the tables seat 8.  We were alone last year, as they could have only fit one more.  I'd say a party of 6 or less has more chance getting a couple, or another family, with them.  Although I imagine they would not seat a couple with a family with young kids.  I think they pair up multiple couples if possible. 

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

I don't think so....I think many of the tables seat 8.  We were alone last year, as they could have only fit one more.  I'd say a party of 6 or less has more chance getting a couple, or another family, with them.  Although I imagine they would not seat a couple with a family with young kids.  I think they pair up multiple couples if possible.

When there has only been the 4 of us(Linda's sister and friend) we have always had our own table.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

There were an extraordinary number of clueless parents on our cruise.

 

 

Clueless parents SMB.  But I don't agree that they're clueless.  I think they just don't care about their children or about others.  They're all in it for themselves.  A sad commentary on today's society.

[devores 382]

I don't think so....I think many of the tables seat 8.  We were alone last year, as they could have only fit one more.  I'd say a party of 6 or less has more chance getting a couple, or another family, with them.  Although I imagine they would not seat a couple with a family with young kids.  I think they pair up multiple couples if possible. 

On our first cruise, it was our honeymoon, and we were seated with 3 other couples who were also celebrating their honeymoon. One couple was the straight relax and do nothing, another wanted to have fun but didn't know how, and the third was a nice couple from Japan. We talked about our days at dinner, polite small talk, but it seemed DW and I were the only ones who did anything fun (except the Japanese couple, but I was the only who talked to them because they did not speak English and I was the only one who spoke even a little Japanese). The couple who didn't know how to have fun kept saying they should have done this or that, but didn't. Like pirate night when we dressed like pirates and had a great time.

 

The second cruise, we had our daughters with us and had our own table.

 

The third cruise, just DW and I, we were seated with another couple. They showed up the first dinner, then opted out of the dining rotation all together and we never saw them again. So we basically had our own table.

[Beckers 1,136]

Clueless parents SMB. But I don't agree that they're clueless. I think they just don't care about their children or about others. They're all in it for themselves. A sad commentary on today's society.

They expect everyone else to take care of/look after their kids. There were mom's like that in Adam's playgroup. I finally got to the point that unless a kid was going to get seriously hurt, I wasn't stepping in anymore. By breaking up fights and keeping them from minor injuries was just enabling the moms to keeping running their mouths and ignoring their kids.

[Beckers 1,136]

KFK but another thought that Devores made me think of.

Brian used to work for a greenhouse supply company and every year they had a Christmas trip for the employees and they could bring one person. The one year was a day trip to NYC and a sunset dinner cruise. We had like 6 hours a free time where we packed in as much as we could, at dinner we were talking to other people and they did nothing. They had never been to NYC and had no idea what to do or where to start. I just don't understand not planning ahead and doing some research? Maybe because I'm crazy compulsive about planning I just can't imagine not making the most of your trip.

especially on a cruise when they give you a print out of what's going on.

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

Finally caught up.

 

I agree the height requirements need to be changed if kids keep getting stuck.

 

Clueless parents do in fact SMB.

 

I may be showing my ignorance here, but who was the character you guys had your picture taken with that looks like a cross between Goofy and Mickey's toothless cousin?

[Beckers 1,136]

Max, Goofy's son. Rent A Goofy movie, it's cute.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Max, Goofy's son. Rent A Goofy movie, it's cute.

 

That always confused me.  Who's Goofy's wife?

[Beckers 1,136]

That always confused me. Who's Goofy's wife?

Origins

The first appearance of Goofy's son was in the 1951 theatrical short Fathers Are People. He is referred to as Goofy Jr or simply Junior. He later appeared in a few other shorts such as Father's Lion (1952), Father's Day Off (1953) and Aquamania (1961). In these earlier films, Goofy was also portrayed with a wife, though she is always nameless and faceless. When Goof Troop was created, Goofy Junior evolved into Max, and Goofy's wife was no longer on the scene.[1]

[Beckers 1,136]

That's from wiki.

I think it's Daisy Duck.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Way to rock the Rock Paper Scissors, Twin #1!   :)

[lglblonde 2]

I've not cruised Disney, but just did Carnival in March.  Previously had done one Carnival and two RC YEARS ago.  I have to say, we really enjoyed Carnival's flexible dining.  You basically just show up and tell them you want a table for 2 and it's just like a restaurant.  If you show up peak time, you may wait to be seated 20-30 min, but some other days, little to no wait.   You get to sit just the two of you and you aren't locked into times.  I wonder why Disney doesn't go to that with one of their dining rooms... Carnival still has early and late seating as well in a different dining room, so it's nice to have the option. 

[lglblonde 2]

I've not cruised Disney, but just did Carnival in March.  Previously had done one Carnival and two RC YEARS ago.  I have to say, we really enjoyed Carnival's flexible dining.  You basically just show up and tell them you want a table for 2 and it's just like a restaurant.  If you show up peak time, you may wait to be seated 20-30 min, but some other days, little to no wait.   You get to sit just the two of you and you aren't locked into times.  I wonder why Disney doesn't go to that with one of their dining rooms... Carnival still has early and late seating as well in a different dining room, so it's nice to have the option. 

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

I've not cruised Disney, but just did Carnival in March.  Previously had done one Carnival and two RC YEARS ago.  I have to say, we really enjoyed Carnival's flexible dining.  You basically just show up and tell them you want a table for 2 and it's just like a restaurant.  If you show up peak time, you may wait to be seated 20-30 min, but some other days, little to no wait.   You get to sit just the two of you and you aren't locked into times.  I wonder why Disney doesn't go to that with one of their dining rooms... Carnival still has early and late seating as well in a different dining room, so it's nice to have the option. 

 

You can do A la Carte dining in Cabana's at night. 

[Beckers 1,136]

Jason are you saying you can order the dining room food there?

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Jason are you saying you can order the dining room food there?

 

I believe they have a separate menu for that but I will try to find out. 

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

I just did a quick look around. So far I have found a menu from a couple of years ago on the Dream for dinner at Cabana's

 

http://allears.net/cruise/ships/dream/dining/menus/cabanas_din.htm

 

 

Cabanas Dinner 
Disney Dream
Deck 11 Aft
Full Service

Menu Date: February 2011
Items Change Often

Appetizers

Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower - with crispy noodles and Wasabi dressing

Romaine Wedge - Fresh crisp Romain topped with a creamy Romano dressing and homemade spiced croutons

Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup - with bacon bits and chives

Wild Mushroom Risotto and Porcini Twist - served with Parmigiano-Reggiano

 

Entrees

From the Grill: Grilled Chicken Breast, Marinated Rib-Eye Steak, New York Strip Steak, Salmon Steak - all grilled items served with fresh garden vegetables, choice of mashed potatoes, fingerling potato and

Cabanas Salad Bowl - arugula leaves and grilled vegetable salad topped with sliced beef tenderloin, marjoram, bacon, and Ranch dressing

Glazed Portobello Mushrooms - with brown lentil and parsley sauce, and sun-dried tomato cream drizzle

Pan-seared Sea Bass - with saffron and fennel risotto with a sweet chili glaze

Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes - scented cheese and coasted with a delicate champagne sauce

 

Children's Selection

Cream of Tomato Soup

Tropical Fruit Cup with Orange Strawberry Drizzle

Mickey Mac n Cheese
Chicken Tenders

Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake
White Chocolate Cheese Cake

 

Dessert

No Sugar Added Strawberry Cheesecake - with whipped cream and fruit coulis

Sacher Chocolate Torte - with apricot sauce

Cabanas Sundae - pineapple, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and caramel sauce