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

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

, or you are older than you look.

No that's Bob. Oh wait, he looks it too. :)

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I thought shoobie was only a term for Philly residents who come to the Jersey Shore. See, I learned something here today

Very cool about the flags.

That stinks about not having prizes at the crab races. You could get them back by calling PETA.

Oh, and the Dream holds 4,000 people.

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

No prizes.  What a rip.

 

Did you see anyone with the mouth on the ice cream dispenser?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Now that's my kind of snorkeling ... few fish!  I'm terrified of those slimy creatures.

 

Once was snorkeling at Coral Gardens off Grand Cayman.  Looked down and saw a grouper beneath me that was about 5' long and at least 3 times as big around as me.  I kept whispering "stay, stay, stay!" in my mind as I quickly swam to safety.

 

Boo to the lame crab races.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

No prizes?  You don't get to pick your crab?  I'm out of here until lunch photos.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I thought shoobie was only a term for Philly residents who come to the Jersey Shore. See, I learned something here today

Very cool about the flags.

That stinks about not having prizes at the crab races. You could get them back by calling PETA.

Oh, and the Dream holds 4,000 people.

 

See, I lived close to Philly than I did to the shore, so I guess I was a shoobie,  But I never heard that term while I lived in New Jersey.

 

PETA would be all over those crab races.  They keep those poor crabs in a bucket, and then dump them out on the hot pavement.  They probably stay in that bucket until the next ship arrives.  Plus, what about naming one Dinner?  How cruel.

 

That 4000 figure includes crew.  The Dream only has 1250 guest staterooms vs. 2706 on the Allure of the Seas.  So, paying passengers on the Dream are only 2500 vs. 5000+ on those giant RCCL ships.  The Allure says it holds 6296 with crew.  So, that's a lot less crew for twice as many people.  Good luck with that.

 

No prizes.  What a rip.

 

Did you see anyone with the mouth on the ice cream dispenser?

 

Truthfully, the swag bag we saw last year wasn't all that.  It was DVC member stuff like a backpack, hats, etc.  That's nice- give DVC member stuff to guests who might not be DVC members.  Maybe that would help them sneak into the private lounge at BLT, or the River Country pool at the Fort DVC.  Oops.  Forget that I said that last part.

 

No, I didn't see anyone with his mouth on the ice cream dispenser.  You do mean other than me, right?

 

 

Now that's my kind of snorkeling ... few fish!  I'm terrified of those slimy creatures.

 

Once was snorkeling at Coral Gardens off Grand Cayman.  Looked down and saw a grouper beneath me that was about 5' long and at least 3 times as big around as me.  I kept whispering "stay, stay, stay!" in my mind as I quickly swam to safety.

 

Boo to the lame crab races.

 

Wow.  That would be cool to see a big grouper like that!

 

Supposedly, guests have seen barracuda snorkeling at Castaway Cay.  I guess those barracuda eat all the other fish?  Actually, my guess is having a few hundred people splashing around does a pretty good job scaring the fish away.

 

Yes, the crab races are lame.  But, now everybody gets a chance to pick a crab.  And there are no losers!

No prizes? You don't get to pick your crab? I'm out of here until lunch photos.

Wait.

Come back.

Lunch is served!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

After we bailed on the crab races, we hit the lunch buffet.

 

It was around 1:30, so I thought we had beat the crowds.  The serving lines were pretty empty:

 

 

But the seating area was pretty full.  But, some folks were leaving as we circled with our trays, and we got a spot.  Here we are:

 

 

You may have noticed that monogram hats are a thing this summer.  At least for the TCD girls anyway.  Next summer it will be something else, I'm sure.  Maybe captains' hats?

 

Twin #2 had the camera, and got a photo of Twin #1 and her plate:

 

 

Twin #2's plate:

 

 

Those bread looking things are pieces of banana bread- one of the best things on the buffet.

 

My plate.  Yes the photo is blurry.  Like usual.  But, it's the only one I have.  In case you can't tell, there's a burger, ribs, chicken, potato salad and banana bread on there:

 

 

That's all I have from lunch.

 

After lunch, it was back to the beach.

 

After a while, it was time for the bike ride.

 

We always ride bikes on Castaway Cay.

 

But no one wanted to today.

 

First the snorkeling.

 

Then the crab races.

 

Then the bike ride.

 

The TCD girls were not with the program.

 

Twin #1 was down.

 

So we went.

 

You rent the bikes from this shack.  They have always been six bucks an hour.  Free money saving tip- don't pay for more than an hour.  Nobody times you:

 

 

They had new bikes this year.  Next year, these will all be rusty:

 

 

I can't ride a pink bike, so I had to pick from one of the blue ones:

 

 

And then we were off.

 

Did I mention that it was like 90 degrees this afternoon?  I would say it was at least that.  And there ain't no shade on the big runway that you have to bike down on the way to the bike paths:

 

 

I upped my game and took a selfie while riding a bike.  Note that I am sweating like a sinner in church:

 

 

That photo cracks me up.  That is sweat dripping down my face.

 

Why was I doing this again?

 

To see some sights, I guess.  Like this airplane:

 

 

If you turn there, you will ride around a big loop.  There isn't much to see- mostly mangroves- but there is an observation tower that you can climb up.  From there you can see the big fake palm tree, the ship, and the water.  In other words, all the stuff you can see from the beach without risking heat stroke and worse.

 

We didn't go around that loop.

 

We kept on going down the runway.

 

There's a quirky sign over there that says be careful of low flying planes, and it has a bent propeller:

 

 

We still have to go all the way down this runway- that is the Serenity Bay tram there at the end.  If you want to go to Serenity Bay, there's a tram that takes you there and back from near Pelican Point:

 

 

Twin #1 kept pedaling, and so did I:

 

 

It didn't take long for us to get to the end of the runway, where there's another plane.  This is the entrance to the adult-only area of Castaway Cay, Serenity Bay:

 

 

Since the twins are 18 now, we all could have come here.  But, to tell you the truth, it looks kind of boring, so we elected to set up our base camp where we always do on the family beach.

 

If you turn right here, there is a bike path that continues along and parallels the beach.  Looking to the right, you can see the giant fake palm tree and the ship:

 

 

There are a few water stations along the way here, which is pretty darn thoughtful.  There is also a place you can pick up sails, canvas and riggings, if you need any of those:

 

 

As you go down this path, you will see the cabanas where they give massages, and then pass the private cabanas which rent out for $500 a day.  Then you come to the end of the path:

 

 

I love it here at the end of the path.  It reminds me of my favorite place at the Fort.  You can just look out and see water and sky.  There's an overlook here to do just that:

 

 

Turning to the left, we're looking all the way down the beach.  At the end is Serenity Bay, and beyond that is the crew beach:

 

 

Twin #1 overlooking at the overlook:

 

 

We were the only ones here:

 

 

You're not supposed to walk down to the water here.  But, you're also not supposed to wear shorts in the main dining rooms at dinner, so we took a little stroll:

 

 

Even though I'm a bad photographer, Twin #1 is currently using that photo for her background on Facebook.  And she is a good photographer.  So take that all you TCD photography haters!

 

The water here is crystal clear. But rocky.  And the rocks are slippery:

 

 

A look down toward Serenity Bay from here:

 

 

And now looking the other way- there's a big part of the island that is undeveloped still:

 

 

It's pretty rocky along here.  You see that little island out there, just off the coast.  I'd like to buy it:

 

 

Hey, look here- over there on the right in this photo-see those three circles?  I believe that's an unintentional, accidental, non-deliberate, Hidden Mickey:

 

 

Another group came biking up just as we finished.  They saw us walking back on to the right side of the ropes by these signs:

 

 

Then we hopped on the bikes and headed back:

 

 

That puts us right at the photo limit.

 

We'll continue our trip back, with a stop in Serenity Bay, in the next update.

 

TCD

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

No prizes for the crab races and they still don't make you go find your own crabs?

Ridiculous!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Looks like a great bike ride!

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

We always do "Serenity Bay" for lunch, never a crowd. Hit the bar and then lunch. :)

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Those burgers on the island are deceptively tasty.  They don't look like much, but they are deeeelish. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

No prizes for the crab races and they still don't make you go find your own crabs?

Ridiculous!

 

You said it!

 

But, we didn't let it bother us.

 

Looks like a great bike ride!

 

It was.

 

I highly recommend it.

 

It's the best deal on the island.

 

Well, after the free food and ice cream that is.

 

We always do "Serenity Bay" for lunch, never a crowd. Hit the bar and then lunch. :)

 

I'm sure that is very peaceful.

 

But, then Grandma has a long way to go to ride the Pelican Plunge.

 

Those burgers on the island are deceptively tasty.  They don't look like much, but they are deeeelish. 

 

You are right.

 

They grill all the stuff right there in front of you.  It smells and tastes great.  All of it.  One of the best meals of the cruise.

 

TCD

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

I'm sure that is very peaceful.

But, then Grandma has a long way to go to ride the Pelican Plunge.TCD

Nope she's got her "scooter" which they will load on the tram. (But over her dead body to ride Pelican Plunge) :)

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Yes, the monogrammed hats were big all summer. They're much cuter than some other trends, like the super high waisted shorts. Who brought those back?

 

You are brave to selfie and ride.

 

Walk on those rocks, you rebel!

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

That 4000 figure includes crew.  The Dream only has 1250 guest staterooms vs. 2706 on the Allure of the Seas.  So, paying passengers on the Dream are only 2500 vs. 5000+ on those giant RCCL ships.  The Allure says it holds 6296 with crew.  So, that's a lot less crew for twice as many people.  Good luck with that.

 

 

Sorry to tell you this but you are wrong on the capacity of the Dream. Kelly's right. 

 

Taken from the DCL website. 

 

The Disney Dream is the majestic third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. Boasting 14 towering decks, a ship length of 1,115 feet and a maximum width of 125 feet, the 130,000-ton vessel includes 1,250 staterooms and has the capacity to comfortable accomodate 4.000 passengers- along with the over 1,458 Crew Members who tend to the needs of every cruise Guest each and every day. 

 

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/dream/

[GOBA Mom Lynn 18]

I've been really enjoying this trip report, as usual.

It really is making me want to do a cruise!

We've done 2 cruises over the years, but never a Disney one.

I've even done a Mississippi cruise with my mom, now that's a different experience.

 

Anyway, I just received the AllEars newsletter, and wouldn't you know it, one of their News Bites for this week says that 

Shorts are now allowed at dinner in the 3 main dining rooms.  I guess those guys on your cruise were just ahead of the curve. :)

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

So much to do or not do. I would love CC day.

[dvccamper 32]

Anyway, I just received the AllEars newsletter, and wouldn't you know it, one of their News Bites for this week says that

Shorts are now allowed at dinner in the 3 main dining rooms. I guess those guys on your cruise were just ahead of the curve. :)

Yesterday there was a piece on our local news about this and I immediately thought of this trip report!

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

The biking does look like fun....probably mostly because I have not been able to partake in those type of activities much lately.

 

Next time another group of people catches you in a restricted area.....ask them to take a picture of you while you're still there.

 

Then snap a picture of them.

 

Afterward....tell them they are now an accessory to the crime.......and just walk away without telling them anything else.

 

Then, try to find them again a day or so later on the ship and thank them for helping you get rid of the evidence and offer to buy them a Mickey Bar or beer.

 

Secretly videotape the response.

 

Share here so we can all laugh later.

 

PS:  Maybe not

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes, the monogrammed hats were big all summer. They're much cuter than some other trends, like the super high waisted shorts. Who brought those back?

 

You are brave to selfie and ride.

 

Walk on those rocks, you rebel!

 

I like the super-super high waisted shorts- they move my muffin top up to near my man boobs, and it all kind of blends in.

 

Yes, I am brave.  It's a wonder I made it back from that bike ride alive.  I guess it's good that I did- that would have been the last photo of record of me.

 

I figure that I was allowed to walk on those rocks, since I wore a suit to dinner on dress up night while a lot of other men wore shorts.  I think that earned me a get out of jail free card.

 

Sorry to tell you this but you are wrong on the capacity of the Dream. Kelly's right. 

 

Taken from the DCL website. 

 

The Disney Dream is the majestic third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. Boasting 14 towering decks, a ship length of 1,115 feet and a maximum width of 125 feet, the 130,000-ton vessel includes 1,250 staterooms and has the capacity to comfortable accomodate 4.000 passengers- along with the over 1,458 Crew Members who tend to the needs of every cruise Guest each and every day. 

 

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/dream/

 

OK, then please alert those scholarly sources Cruise Critic and Wikipedia to correct their charts, because that's where I got my numbers from:

 

Cruise Critic:

 

 

Wikipedia:

 

 

These charts use double occupancy for their passenger capacity figures.  The DCL site uses 3.2 guests per stateroom to come up with 4000 guests.

 

OK, what does Royal Caribbean say about the Allure of the Sea's capacity?

 

Here's the fact sheet:  http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/20/allure-of-the-seas/

 

They say capacity is 6318 guests.  That's only 2.3 guests per stateroom. 

 

How accurate are these numbers?

 

Bottom line is that there are 1250 staterooms on the Dream, but 2706 on the Allure.  More than double the staterooms.  That means about double the guests, no?

 

 

 

I've been really enjoying this trip report, as usual.

It really is making me want to do a cruise!

We've done 2 cruises over the years, but never a Disney one.

I've even done a Mississippi cruise with my mom, now that's a different experience.

 

Anyway, I just received the AllEars newsletter, and wouldn't you know it, one of their News Bites for this week says that 

Shorts are now allowed at dinner in the 3 main dining rooms.  I guess those guys on your cruise were just ahead of the curve. :)

 

That news about shorts in the dining rooms for dinner was broken right here on ff.net but our travel agent extraordinaire, Jason.

 

No word yet on whether they have removed the rock walking restriction, which is of greater concern to me.

 

So much to do or not do. I would love CC day.

 

That's the truth.  There's a whole menu of activities and excursions that I haven't even mentioned.  We don't have time for any of that.

 

Yesterday there was a piece on our local news about this and I immediately thought of this trip report!

 

Really?

 

On the local news?

 

Must have been a slow new day.

 

Please let me know if they mention anything about lifting the walking on the rocks restriction on Castaway Cay.

 

The biking does look like fun....probably mostly because I have not been able to partake in those type of activities much lately.

 

Next time another group of people catches you in a restricted area.....ask them to take a picture of you while you're still there.

 

Then snap a picture of them.

 

Afterward....tell them they are now an accessory to the crime.......and just walk away without telling them anything else.

 

Then, try to find them again a day or so later on the ship and thank them for helping you get rid of the evidence and offer to buy them a Mickey Bar or beer.

 

Secretly videotape the response.

 

Share here so we can all laugh later.

 

PS:  Maybe not

 

Wow, that is too complicated for me.

 

I'll just by myself a beer, and skip the rest.

 

TCD

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

No disagreement here on the much larger Allure and Oasis. Just wanted to share the fact that The dream "can" carry 4000. And they probably use a count based on actual room occupancy amounts. I know some of the Dream cabins only sleep 3.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

No disagreement here on the much larger Allure and Oasis. Just wanted to share the fact that The dream "can" carry 4000. And they probably use a count based on actual room occupancy amounts. I know some of the Dream cabins only sleep 3.

 

Who knows?  it's interesting to see what the cruise lines say is capacity.  I wonder how that number relates to how many passengers they will allow on a ship.  I also wonder how often these ships sail at capacity.  Disney always seems reluctant to release actual attendance numbers at its parks, and I imagine they are just as secretive about the Cruise Line.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

No disagreement here on the much larger Allure and Oasis. Just wanted to share the fact that The dream "can" carry 4000. And they probably use a count based on actual room occupancy amounts. I know some of the Dream cabins only sleep 3.

 

If I had to wager a guess, I would say that more DCL cabins are booked with more than 2 people than any other cruise line.  Double occupancy typically means a "couple".  I bet there are more families booking DCL as a percentage of available cabins than the industry average. 

[devores 382]

If true, come on?

Both ships at 1115 feet long, are longer, and actually have quite a bit more tonnage, 130k vs 105k, than a 1092 foot long Nimitz class carrier.

 

PS, ACCs are much wider.

Lou is both correct and incorrect.

 

Yes the Disney Dream is 23 ft longer than a Nimitz carrier (which is the one I was on), but the beam of the carrier is 137 ft more. For those wondering, the beam of a ship is maximum width of the ship. So the carrier is wider, and therefore, larger than the Dream. The Dream also has 16 decks while the carrier has 18. So the carrier is taller than the dream as well.

 

The reason for the tonnage difference is the carriers are hallow insides in order to carry more weight. When fully loaded with aircraft, the carrier will out weigh the Dream. The dream is laden down with all the plush luxuries for the guests so it will weigh more.

 

 There's more to measuring a ship than length.

Type: Aircraft carrier Displacement: 100,000 to 104,600 long tons (100,000–106,300 t)^[1] Length: Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m)

Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m) Beam: Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m)

Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m)

 

Class & type: Dream-class cruise ship (Disney) Tonnage: 129,690 GT Length: 1,115 ft (340 m) Beam: 137 ft (42 m) Draft: 26 ft (7.9 m)

[Lou... 3,118]

It's all about the max tonnage and whatever the average number of people they fit into a stateroom in order to achieve that tonnage.

DCL was one of the first to design their staterooms especially for families, and they use that fact on their promos.