Dream CAME true! June 21-26, 2011 TR w/LOTS of pics! Update 8/1 Day 6, Part 4

[Leshaface]

I just returned from a 5 night Bahamian cruise on the Dream and it was absolutely WONDERFUL! So wonderful in fact, I had to share all my adventures and pictures with everyone! We stayed in a Verandah stateroom located on Deck 10, room 10508 (forward, starboard side) and it was a beautiful view!


Here is the link to my Pre-TR if you'd like to see how this trip came about. If not, that's cool too

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2647258

Here was the itinerary for the trip:

Monday, June 20, 2011: Leave LAX @ 8:30am arrive in Orlando @ 4:30 and stay the night at the Hyatt in MCO

Tuesday, June 21, 2011: Board the Dream @ 12:30

Wednesday, June 22, 2011: Castaway Cay Day

Thursday, June 23, 2011: Day at Sea

Friday, June 24, 2011: Nassau Day

Saturday, June 25, 2011: Castaway Cay Day

Sunday, June 26, 2011: Return to FL and Flight out of MCO @ 11:30



I will be linking up all my days here on this first page so it's easier to navigate (plus you don't have to read through all the chit chat that will be going on) I'll also try to include all the Navigators and any little information that was given to me on the cruise, to help those that are planning for future cruises


Let's get this party started!



Monday, June 20, 2011

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 3 cont.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Thursday, June 23, 2011
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Friday, June 24, 2011
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Saturday, June 25, 2011
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Sunday, June 26, 2011

 

[bangzoom6877]

I just returned from a 5 night Bahamian cruise on the Dream and it was absolutely WONDERFUL! So wonderful in fact, I had to share all my adventures and pictures with everyone! We stayed in a Verandah stateroom located on Deck 10, room 10508 (forward, starboard side) and it was a beautiful view!


Here is the link to my Pre-TR if you'd like to see how this trip came about. If not, that's cool too

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2647258

Here was the itinerary for the trip:

Monday, June 20, 2011: Leave LAX @ 8:30am arrive in Orlando @ 4:30 and stay the night at the Hyatt in MCO

Tuesday, June 21, 2011: Board the Dream @ 12:30

Wednesday, June 22, 2011: Castaway Cay Day

Thursday, June 23, 2011: Day at Sea

Friday, June 24, 2011: Nassau Day

Saturday, June 25, 2011: Castaway Cay Day

Sunday, June 26, 2011: Return to FL and Flight out of MCO @ 11:30



I will be linking up all my days here on this first page so it's easier to navigate (plus you don't have to read through all the chit chat that will be going on) I'll also try to include all the Navigators and any little information that was given to me on the cruise, to help those that are planning for future cruises


Let's get this party started!

YAY!! I can't wait to read all the details!

 

[franandaj]

Let's get started! What about the night before your flight?

 

[soul_power]

I'm looking forward to reading your TR, my fellow Cali girl! DBF and I are also in our 20s and we'll be sailing on the Dream in 2 1/2 months!

 

[marhs]

I'm in! As we're leaving a week from today on the same Dream itinerary! I want to hear/read/ see more!!!!

 

[dinkerbelle]

Glad to hear you had a great trip! Can't wait to hear about your it! We are sailing on the Dream next May and I am in full planning mode!

Did you find there was a lot to do on the ship for adults with no kids? I am Disney obsessed so I know I'll be fine, just curious for my DH.

Did you do any of the spa treatments or the rainforest room?

 

[ariel1025]

I'm in! I just found your pre-TR the other day and I'm so excited that you already started your TR

 

[FortWildernessLoopy]

subbing..can't wait!

 

[Leshaface]

*Sorry it took so long to report. I was finally able to scan some of my documents (one of the Navigators and Welcome Aboard papers) which you'll see on the next update*

**Also, I take two different cameras with me. One is a little point and shoot (aka crappy camera) and the other is a nicer DSLR. So some pictures have the dates on them (C.C. <---- crappy camera, not Castaway Cay )**




I went to bed SUPER LATE (12:30am) because I kept going through my mental AND my paper checklist to make sure I packed everything. All I know is, 2:30am came way to quick.

My DH and I needed to pick up my Brother (DB) and his wife (Dsil) from their house that morning, so we left our house at 3:40am, got to their house and left their house at 4:00am on the dot!

The ride to LAX from where we live was actually very quick! We parked in Lot C and made it inside security by 645! Great start, I say! We grabbed some pastries and coffee from Starbucks and sat by our gate till it was time to board.

The plane left right on time at 8:30, with no issues at all in the air! I got to watch the newer movie with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler "Just Go With It" and it was pretty cute!

We landed in MCO at 4:15, 15 minutes ahead of schedule (i'm LOVING my trip so far! ).

Our TA put all of us up in a room the night before the Cruise at the Hyatt in MCO, so we went and checked in and I must say, this is a pretty nice hotel!


Seriously, DH can never move out of the way when I need to take pics!

Looking out into the middle of the airport:

We were all STARVING at this point, so we decided to go eat at the hotels restaurant called McCoy's. It was very good! Sorry no food pics, but i'll make up for it on the Cruise

But i'll show you the first thing we did order though....

AHHHHH....we LOVE Yuengling! Every time we come to the East Coast, we HAVE to order this delicious beverage!

After dinner, we walked around the airport where I just had to take a picture with the mouse:

After we grabbed some dessert, aka Krispy Kreme doughnuts , we headed back to the hotel where I watched the boys puff on their cubans.

My DB liked this picture, so figured I'd share with you all:

We went to bed early! 9pm! I haven't gone to bed that early in sooooo long and it felt great!


Not much to report on this day, since it was a travel day and not much went on. However, the next day was going to be absolutely spectacular!!!!

 

[Leshaface]

YAY!! I can't wait to read all the details!

Hi Bonnie! Good to see ya!

Let's get started! What about the night before your flight?

Hola Alison! Haha, yeah we just convinced my brother and his wife that it would literally only take us 2-2 1/2 hours to get to LAX from Tulare, so we ended up not staying in a hotel the night before. And I'm super glad we didn't...more money for BOOZE!!

I'm looking forward to reading your TR, my fellow Cali girl! DBF and I are also in our 20s and we'll be sailing on the Dream in 2 1/2 months!

YAY! You guys are seriously going to have a blast! It should be illegal for the amount of fun we had!

I'm in! As we're leaving a week from today on the same Dream itinerary! I want to hear/read/ see more!!!!

Extremely jealous right here but happy for you! I'll be getting up some of the navigators so you'll be able to plan ahead of time what you'll want to do! That's kinda one thing I regretted not prepping for before the cruise. I wish I could have looked at the navigators better to plan for what we wanted to do on each day, even though I know they switch them up a bit.

Glad to hear you had a great trip! Can't wait to hear about your it! We are sailing on the Dream next May and I am in full planning mode!

Did you find there was a lot to do on the ship for adults with no kids? I am Disney obsessed so I know I'll be fine, just curious for my DH.

Did you do any of the spa treatments or the rainforest room?

Oh my goodness, there were LOTS of things for adults to do! I was so sad that that there wasn't another Sea Day to do some of the things we missed! Not sure if your DH is into Sports Bars, but there is a very nice sports bar on the ship called 687. It's very chill in there with tv's and big comfy couches/chairs.

Unfortunately, there was no time for us to do any spa treatments but next time for sure!

I'm in! I just found your pre-TR the other day and I'm so excited that you already started your TR

Welcome, welcome!

subbing..can't wait!

Thanks for coming!!!

 

[Cheryl726]

Sounds great so far! Thanks for sharing your Hyatt MCO pics, we'll be staying there for our Dream cruise in July and we're very excited!

 

[princessnpirate]

subbing in!

 

[Leshaface]

PART 1

SAIL DAY!!!

I was too excited to stay asleep, so I finally got up out of bed around 6am and went to the Fitness Room to workout before I stuffed my face full of fabulous, fatty foods!

The night before, the front desk told us to leave any suitcases we want on board the ship, to put the tags on them, and bell services would come get them out of our rooms and deliver them to the bus so we didn't have to hassle with it!

So around 9:15am we took our carry-on stuff with us down to the Magical Express check-in where we waited in a HUGE line. Here's a tip: Get there early! This also gives you the opportunity to get a good Boarding Pass number to board the ship. The woman that checked us in, took our pictures and gave us a piece of paper with the Disney character 'Tigger' on it and whenever they start boarding the busses, they'll yell out for your character and put you on a specific bus. We waited maybe 5 minutes after we checked in to be put on a bus, so don't leave anywhere after you check-in

The ride from MCO to Port Canaveral is about 50 minutes. But they do show a little movie to keep you entertained along with a few short Disney cartoons and Disney trivia.

My first glimpse of the ship!

Getting CLOSER!

And we finally made it into the port area!

By the time we got off the bus it was about 11am. As soon as you walk in there are "Welcome Aboard" newsletters available that tell you what's going to be happening with luggage, lunch, etc. And on the back it has a breakdown of the decks and shows you where everything is located at.


(sorry that these scans are crappy)


1st half:

2nd half:

Backside 1st half:

Backside 2nd half:

After browsing the newsletter over, we just sat and chatted:

And I took a picture of the ship from where we were sitting, realizing now, that you can actually see our room! We are on the very top deck of Verandahs and it's the 7th room, going from left to right.

Around 12:00 they started calling the boarding groups. Our group got called about 10 minutes later, so it really didn't take that long to board. But before you board, they take a picture of you (which I have, just need to scan it) and when you walk into the actual ship, they announce your family and the cast members clap for you as you walk on! What a welcome! A cast member pulled us to a side and told us what we can do for right now, since our rooms won't be available till after 1:30 and suggested going to lunch at Enchanted Garden, located 1 deck below where we boarded.

So we went to Enchanted Garden, where I only took two pics

Lame pics, I know


Afterwards, we went back up a deck to where this beautiful mural/picture was to take some pics!

As you can see, my hubby already started drinking

And my DB is enjoying a cocktail as well!

Then we decided to go up to the top deck! Some pics making our way up:

 

[drewsgirl34]

I am excited to read about your trip!

 

[Leshaface]

We go up to Deck 11, where the pools are and decide to check out the adult pool..

Another Lesha tip! Pack your swimsuit in your carryon! The pools (as you can see from the adult pool) were EMPTY! We had the entire pool to ourself for about 2 hours! And check out that bar! Goodness that bar made our trip! Same with the servers that actually go up to the side of the pool and take your drink order! While we were in the pool, we met a super awesome couple from Michigan named Andrea and Ryan. They were on their honeymoon and were super nice! The six of us all sat and chatted for a long time. You'll see a picture of them later on.

It was now after 3:30, and we REALLY wanted to check out our rooms! So make our way down one deck to Deck 10 and walk in.

And the view from the balcony:

Bathroom areas:

A fruit plate when you book with AAA (which is pointless, cus who in the world wants fruit on a cruise?! Give me DESSERTS!!!)

And this is what you will see on your bed each day:

And some pictures as we were leaving the port:

So it was now after 4 and we still haven't received our luggage yet. They do say, you may not see your luggage until 5:30 but we had a reservation at 6:00pm here:

My DH, Dsil, DB, and I sat outside on the balcony and just talked and watched the water. It was so peaceful. We sat for a good half hour, and DH started to freak out (he can be a very dramatic person sometime) because he wanted to start getting ready for Remy at 6! Just as he opened the door to see if our luggage was outside our room, our room Host (who you'll get to know VERY well, by the way) was just about to knock on the door to bring in our luggage!

I took a shower, took my make-up off, and rushed the entire time (while somehow finding the time, to hang all my clothes up, and put all my clothes away in drawers Super-woman I guess, no big deal )

It was now 6:01 and we were still in the ROOM!!! I HATE being late for anything! I didn't have time to do my hair how I really wanted it, so I just left it down, and we ran out of the room! We thought we'd be there in like 2 minutes, considering it's on deck 12 (only 2 decks above us)....well being first time cruisers, we had no idea what starboard, forward, aft, port sides meant. We just figured if we went up to the 12 floor and walked the entire floor we would run into it eventually....no.

So we didn't know what else to do, except go down to the 4th Deck (why the 4th deck, I have no idea!) and start over....so we start walking to where there should be elevators and we couldn't find ANYTHING! Just bars and lounges! UGH! I definitely needed a shot, but I was wearing 5 inch heels, so that combo wasn't going to help. We FINALLY ran into a cast member to help show us the way, and we finally arrived there at 6:20!! I was so embarrassed. But they greeted us so warmly. AND we were the first party there!

Cont...

 

[Leshaface]

Sounds great so far! Thanks for sharing your Hyatt MCO pics, we'll be staying there for our Dream cruise in July and we're very excited!

You'll LOVE the Hyatt! It's very nice and the rooms are super comfortable and spacious!

subbing in!

Hello there!

I am excited to read about your trip!

Hi and welcome to the Dis!

 

[Toria]

Enjoying your TR! I am trying to read up and study where everything is, so hopefully we won't run into the problem of being lost. Can't wait to read more.

 

[LuvEeyore]

On board for your trippie...waiting for more

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I'm double-dipping next year and joining in for ride!

 

[mousetravel]

Coming over from your PTR! Can't wait to hear more!