Crush on the Magic

I recently returned from a 7 night Southern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Disney Dream. This was the first time the Dream had ever made the southern voyage.

This sailing was prior to the Dream’s transition to Disney’s new permanent terminal in Fort Lauderdale. The Disney Dream kicked off sailings from Disney’s second permanent cruise terminal in Florida on November 20th when it arrived in Fort Lauderdale following a brief three night journey from San Juan to Fort Lauderdale.

My sailing began and ended in San Juan, Puerto Rico with ports of call being St. Kitts, St. John’s, Antigua, Aruba and Curacao. This is a rare itinerary for Disney Cruise Line, with usually only a one or two opportunities to experience it each year.

What was the experience like sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico?

Easy! The airport is smaller and the Uber and Taxis are readily available and affordable. There are a variety of hotels very accessible and for all budgets near the Port. Old San Juan is minutes away from the port and Distrito T-Mobile has a lot of things to do and eat.

Arriving at port in San Juan is similar to the experience in Port Canaveral, except it’s a temporary port so the signage wasn’t as defined. The biggest takeaway is be mindful to arrive at your port arrival time and don’t arrive to early. If you arrive early, you will be standing around waiting or will be turned away.

If you have never sailed with Disney Cruise Line, you upload all your documents (Passports, photos, etc.) before you arrive to the port and you are given a port arrival time to time and control the volume of people arriving at the ports at the same time. Your arrival time is impacted by a variety of things, such as your mode of transportation to the port, Castaway Club status and if you are staying Concierge.

Once through security and on board, you are free to roam! Staterooms are not open right away as the stateroom hosts are preparing them and getting your luggage to your room.

What do you do? Explore the ship! You can go enjoy the buffet on the top deck, enjoy sit down table service, swim, go down the slide, visit the gym or the spa, check out the kids club during open house, there is plenty to keep you busy and get you excited about your sailing.

I typically enjoy walking around and taking in the ship and then sit for leisurely meal before getting into my room. After your mandatory Muster Drill, you can head up to Deck 11 for the Sail Away Party and your sailing is in full swing!

In my next article, I will be sharing our excursions and on board experiences! (Hint: Broadway Shows, Movies, Bingo, Hiking and Spa visits!)