Disney Dream Mediterranean Summer Cruise: Trip Report

Image 1: Grand Foyer on the Disney Dream; Image 2: Cinderella in the Grand Foyer

The ship:

If it is in your budget, I highly recommend Concierge class for the extra stateroom space, generous amenities — a lounge and private sun deck — and quiet location. Other than Concierge class, Room 6688 — Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, Category 6B — is my favorite as it is a quiet room on the back of the ship and has little foot traffic or noise.

Regardless of your stateroom type, avoid deck 10 which is loud from the pool on the deck above, or the staterooms around the kids’ clubs on deck five which have a lot of foot traffic. Try and find a stateroom away from the stairways and elevators or laundry areas to cut down on noise.

Dining:

Most of the dining onboard is very casual and has kid-friendly menus for even the pickiest eaters. The rotational dining restaurants on the Dream are all excellent; your wait staff rotates among the three restaurants with you, so they will quickly learn your expectations and quirks. For this European trip, we dined off the ship for most breakfast and lunches, so I can really only speak to dinner which was excellent.

Entertainment & activities:

The onboard entertainment is top-notch, as you would expect for Disney. I will say that the line starts early for the Broadway-like theater shows, as seats are first come, first served, so if possible, send someone in your party to hold a spot. I was always able to find seats, but often in the back — people leave early — and not together. The movie theater and “Funnelvision” on the pool deck are much more casual. The Cruise won’t publish the plays schedule ahead of time, but you can always check the times on the app.

There are kid-friendly activities and entertainment for all ages — the ship is literally built for kids. In my opinion, the Disney website undersells the ship-board amenities, so you have to explore the ship to see everything from mini golf, shuffleboard, games, scavenger hunts and false doors. The pools, slides and Nemo’s Reef splash pad are all exceptionally well designed.

The Oceaneer’s Lab and Club has a great setup for kids ages three to 12, and your little ones will have a blast. They do not feed your kids snacks or meals though, so you need to take that into consideration. Their hours are super accommodating though and are open until midnight most nights, if you have a late dinner or show planned.

Essentials to bring:

Pack light on the clothes, as there are washing machines on each floor in the fore or aft section. Definitely pack essentials like sunscreen, medications and laundry detergent because they are marked up on board. Disney ships are fairly casual but for Mediterranean or European cruises do consider some smart casual outfits for touring cities as Europeans dress up a bit more.

For the number of locales we wanted to visit, this cruise ended up being more economical than traveling between cities and staying in hotels. This sailing was less crowded than average, since it was a longer cruise — with a higher price point — which was a bonus for my extended family party.

I always advise clients to arrive the day before your cruise departs — even with travel insurance, it’s not worth the stress of worrying you might miss the boat. Bring cash. Download the Disney Cruise Line app, and make sure you connect with your party if you are in separate staterooms. My other recommendation is if you’ll have children at the Oceaneer’s Club or nursery, prearrange a password as that is required to pick up your child.

Before you book shore excursions, I recommend checking the Disney site and Google Maps to see where the cruise will dock. This is especially important for cruises in Europe — or abroad — as the port may be 45-60 minutes away from the city. In Santorini for example, you could walk to nearly everything, but Santorini tendered boats to shore which caused a bottleneck to debark. In Athens, Pisa and Rome, there was bus and train access to the city center but in hindsight, I wish I had pre-booked a shore excursion to save time.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Barcelona. In need of further inspiration? Check out Lacey Hayes’s guide, Disney Fantasy Caribbean Cruise: Trip Report.