Get Ready to Board the Disney Dream!

The Disney Dream

In 2011, Disney Cruise Lines will start sailing a new ship called the Disney Dream. This ship will be 50% larger than Disney’s current ships, the Magic and the Wonder!

Disney will continue their rotational Dining with 3 restaurants. The Enchanted Garden will have a glass ceiling that will change from day to night and flower lights that will bloom in time with the change. The Royal Palace will be upscale and feature designs from the Disney princess movies Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. Animator’s Palette will transform from an animators studio to an under the sea fantasy featuring Crush and other characters from Finding Nemo who will drop by for a visit!

Remy on the Disney Dream is an intimate Adult Exclusive restaurant located on Deck 12, Aft that serves the finest in French-inspired cuisine for dinner. Offering the most upscale dining experience on board, Remy features spectacular ocean views and a warm, sophisticated décor—the perfect romantic setting for Guests 18 years of age and older.

On Goofy’s Sports Deck, the magic tees off on deck 13 with Goofy’s Golf – a miniature golf course where “lessons” featuring Goofy and his son, Max, lead guests through nine themed holes of wacky fun. Each hole offers special golf instructions – with a goofy twist. Also on Goofy’s Sports Deck, two digital sports simulators provide a variety of virtual game experiences such as soccer, tennis, basketball, golf and more. With the simulators, guests can kick, swing and throw, participating in favorite high-action sports without the hassle of chasing the ball. Max’s Courts are two mini-sized sports courts for little ones to enjoy soccer, basketball or group play. There’s full-court basketball that may also be transformed into a mini soccer pitch or volleyball court, plus table tennis and foosball tables. A walking track rings Goofy’s Sports Deck.
Another exciting feature is the new Aquaduck, a water roller coaster on board the ship!! You will be sent 13 ft over the edge of the ship and 150 ft above the water in an acrylic tube before you return to the deck of the ship. It is sure to be an exciting ride!

Little ones discover oceans of fun at this fanciful water-play area overflowing with pop jets, bubblers and lovable underwater friends like Nemo, Dory, Marlin and other favorites from the Disney•Pixar film, “Finding Nemo.” Shaded for protection from the sun and featuring a soft wet-deck surface, the 1,500-square-foot Nemo’s Reef is a place for children to cool off and play among colorful, interactive figures that move and spray water. Children will delight as they splash alongside Nemo swimming in a sea anemone, glide down a pint-sized water slide shaped like Mr. Ray and frolic near Pearl the octopus who “inks” herself with a mist of water. Kids can even get soaked in a water curtain that undulates back and forth like the EAC (East Australian Current).
Nemo’s Reef is surrounded by a glass enclosure, with a main guest entrance and a wheelchair-accessible entrance.

An element guests who book inside staterooms can look forward to is virtual portholes which are an industry first. The portholes are actually high definition video screens that will be linked to a camera on the deck to give you a view of the outside, even when you don’t have a window! And look out! Some characters may pay you a visit from time to time, and been seen from your virtual porthole, right inside your stateroom!

There are many more reasons to book a cruise on Disney’s newest ship, including in-depth interactive experiences for kids and adults, and an expanded Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island). The ship will sail both 4- and 5-night Bahamian cruises, starting January, 2011.

Try Visiting Atlantis Resort when in Nassau!

If you are lucky enough to be on a Disney Cruise with a 3 or 4-night itinerary then Nassau, Bahamas will be your first port of call. This is the capital city of Bahamian New Providence Island, and as such there is no shortage of activities to fill your time ashore with. Some of the many choices of shore excursions that can be booked through Disney Cruise Line include the Nassau Harbor Cruise, the Caribbean Queen Snorkel Tour, the Blue Lagoon Island Dolphin Encounter, the Ardastra Gardens and City Tour, Blackbeard’s Stingray Adventure and Scuba Diving at Stuart Cove. We decided to forgo all of those on our recent sailing aboard the Disney Wonder and spend the day at the iconic Atlantis Resort. With a wealth of activities to choose from, including many upscale shops, restaurants and a full casino, Atlantis promises a day to remember!

If you decide to book your Atlantis shore excursion through DCL, then there are four options for you to choose from. First there is the “Atlantis Aquaventure”. Included with the price of the excursion is transportation to and from the Port and full use of the 140-acre water park that Atlantis is famous for. There are nine thrilling water slides and a mile-long lazy river with underground tunnels, rapids and waterfalls. The minimum height requirement for all of the slides is 48”. Also included with this package is a lunch and towel use. The cost is $160 per adult and $110 for children between the ages of 3 and 9.

The next excursion offered through DCL is the “Atlantis Beach day”. This includes transportation to and from the resort, a reserved spot on the pristine beach just for you, a light lunch, and use of the casino but does not permit use of the water park, pools or aquarium. The cost is $82 per adult and $55 per child.

One of the most popular excursions you can choose is “Dolphin Cay and Aquaventure” combination. In addition to full use of the water park and pools, you will also experience an interactive 2-hour Dolphin encounter where you will play with the Dolphins that call Atlantis home. It is for ages 3 and up and the cost is $295 per adult and $245 per child.

For those who aren’t interested in the sun and surf, the best choice would be the “Discover Atlantis” excursion. It includes round-trip transportation to Atlantis, where guests will receive a guided tour of resort and aquarium. You are then welcome to explore the grounds on your own and return whenever you like, as there are shuttles back to port every half hour. This excursion costs $52 per adult and $35 per child.

If you opt to “go it alone”, as we did, you will be responsible for your own transportation to and from the port. Taxis are readily available and cost $4 per person each way. If you want to do a tour of the aquariums and sea life exhibits you can do so for $25 per day for adults and $19 for children. This gives you all-day access but doesn’t include use of the water park. To secure use of Aquaventure, you must book a room at either the Atlantis resort or nearby Comfort Inn, which supplies bracelets used to gain entry into the water facilities. Atlantis resort is a large compound, with accommodations available in six separate buildings. There are the Royal Towers, Coral Towers, Beach Towers, the Cove, The Reef and Harborside Resort. Because the water park is centrally located in the middle of them all, any one of these accommodations will afford you the opportunity for easy pool and water park access.

We chose to book an ocean suite in Atlantis’s newest addition, the Cove, on our recent visit. It was a beautifully appointed room with an open floor plan and step-down living area. The spacious bathroom, with it’s marble floors and granite vanities was fit for a king. Although we didn’t spend much time in the room, it was nice to come back to for a hot shower and quick bite before heading back to port. Standard rooms at Atlantis start at $269 per night, so booking a room can yield significant savings over booking the excursion if there is more than one person in your travel party. The suites, like the one we booked, start at $399- but at 700 square feet with a kitchen, they are a great value.

There are so many recreational activities available at Atlantis. We tried the snorkeling and fed the sea life. The pools were awesome. The main pool has a great multi-level kids area with lots of bridges and slides for those who don’t meet the height requirement for the larger slides. My daughter wanted to stay there all day! We wanted to try the rock climbing wall, but were so busy with everything else that we didn’t get the chance. They also offer something called “Snuba” which is a hybrid between Scuba and snorkeling that doesn’t require certification. It combines the simplicity of snorkeling with the wonders of breathing underwater. Guests must be eight years old to take part in the Snuba adventure. Since our daughter was trying snorkeling for the first time, we decided to stick to that for the day. But the Snuba sounded like a lot of fun, and we hope to try it on our next trip!
Snacks and drinks at Atlantis can add up quickly, and many people choose to bring some things ashore with them to enjoy throughout the day, which is what we did. It was worth the trouble to bring our lunch off the ship since we didn’t plan to sit down in one of Atlantis’s restaurants. We did splurge on some Starbuck’s though before heading back to port aboard the shuttle. Nothing like a little caffeine to perk you up after a long day of sun and surf!

You can book a room at Atlantis, or one of the many shore excursions offered by DCL through your travel agent or directly through the Atlantis website. It is a great way to spend a day in Nassau and will surely leave you hoping to visit again in the future. With so much to do there, I highly recommend you disembark the ship as soon as you can to allow as much time as possible to enjoy the resort and it’s wonderful amenities.

Nassau, Bahamas & Disney Cruise Line

The first Port of Call on our 3 night Disney Cruise was in Nassau, Bahamas. Cruise line ships dock at Prince George’s Wharf which can accommodate up to 7 cruise ships at one time. As you exit the ship you will be diverted through the building that houses the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. Here you can get information, transportation and maps.

On a previous trip to Nassau, my husband and I did some of the local tourist attractions. After leaving the Ministry building we took a horse drawn Surrey ride around the main part of the city. The colors and architecture are really beautiful. The driver gave us a little history lesson as he pointed out some of the main attractions of the city. After our ride we went to the Pirates of Nassau Museum. It was really amazing. There were full sized ships inside as well as the history of some of the most famous pirates of Nassau. There were rooms with pirate flags, replicas of famous battles all along with information on the history of pirating. There was a courtyard area as well with weapons and what museum doesn’t have a gift shop? The gentleman who was working the gift shop was dressed as a pirate and spoke in character as well.

After the museum we walked a few blocks over to the Queen’s Staircase. Built in early 1900’s the stair case made of coral sandstone boasts 66 stairs built by slaves to honor Queen Victoria’s help in the abolition of slavery in the Bahamas. Next to the staircase is a large waterfall. The whole area is almost hidden by stone walls that frame out the two sides of the staircase and waterfall. After climbing to the top, we were steps away from Fort Fincastle which was built in 1793. The Fort is shaped like the bow of a ship and is sometimes referred to as a “battle embankment” rather then a Fort. While not large, the Fort does have some wonderful water views and some of the original stones from when the Fort was built still remain.

Next to the Fort is a 126 foot water tower built in 1928. You can either walk to the top or take an elevator. The views are breathtaking.

After our little tours we went back down to Bay Street to do some shopping. Bay Street has a mix of high end stores such as Gucci and Fendi and little tourist shops with T shirts and Magnets. Do not over look some of the side streets that head back towards to wharf. Some of the best finds in Nassau are in these little shops and eateries. My favorite discovery was the Tortuga Rum Cake shop. Laced with aged Tortuga rum, these cakes are moist, flavorful and memorable.
No visit to Nassau would be complete without a stop at the famous straw market. The original market burned down a few years ago and has yet to be rebuilt. The current straw market is housed in a very large tent like structure. It is filled with local vendors peddling everything from designer bags to cigars, jewelry and of course, straw goods. The aisles are extremely narrow and the interior can be very hot. As you browse the aisles, the vendors will be asking you if you want to “make a deal”. Deals can be found and most will negotiate the price with you. Many of the vendors will have that same Coach bag you saw a few aisles back and love so don’t buy the first you see. Your best bet for a really good deal is to negotiate for more then one item. If a vendor has 2 bags you like, you will have a better chance of getting a great price on the 2. Barter a little, if you still don’t like the price, move on. Whether you buy that designer bag or not, be sure to get yourself a souvenir made by the locals.

It was interesting to see the attractions we did and we enjoyed the shops, the food and the overall experience. When the Disney Wonder docked in Nassau on my cruise in July 2009, I went back to the straw market and had to stop at Tortuga Rum to get my rum cake.