Disney Cruise to the Bahamas

Living in Orlando, and formally working for the mouse, a Disney Cruise has always been something I have wanted to do with Singh. I cruised a lot before Singh came a long, but that was mostly on Royal Caribbean and usually a last minute thing as the port is just an hour from my house. I had the Halloween weekend free (thank you to whomever picked up my trip from the trade board!) and I saw a fantastic deal for a 3-day Bahamas cruise aboard the Disney Dream on the Perx websites. Perx is a fantastic site for airline crewmembers and their families that has heavily discounted vacations, hotels, and cruises. I was able to snag the Halloween sailing for a veranda room for 60% the normal price! Because honestly, how else can anyone even afford a Disney Cruise?

Singh loves boats. So during the hour drive to Port Canaveral I kept reminding him all about how we were going on a “big boat.” He was thrilled when we pulled into the parking garage and he could see the towering ship out his window. He hopped on my luggage and we checked into the ship. It’s been hit or miss with this kid and Disney walk around characters, so I was pleasantly surprised when he waved at Captain Mickey as we boarded the ship.

I’ll say one thing, despite my rocky history and feelings for Disney, they did at fantastic job designing the Disney Dream. I actually worked on it while I was at Walt Disney Imagineering years ago, so it was nice to spot a few of my Mandy France signs in the spa area. Besides admiring my old graphics, the ship was gorgeous.  Designed to feel like a ship sailing in the golden age of Art Deco, the large size feels small and quant. So many more details are offered on this ship compared to the ones I had sailed on at Royal Caribbean. Our room was ready and after lunch we watched our cast off from the chairs on the balcony. We waved to those on shore as we headed out to sea to the sound of Disney songs played on the ship’s whistle.

Our first dinner was at The Royal Palace, a nice dining room right off the center atrium of the ship. Call me a classy traveler, but I thought that you dressed nicely for dinners on cruise ships? Well apparently I didn’t get the memo that cruising in 2016 means dressing sloppily and wearing flip flops and torn tanks to the dinner table. We did look a bit out of place with my nice dress and Singh’s three-piece vest and tie. The dress code wasn’t the only thing to disappoint us during our dinner: the food was terrible. Granted, I am a gluten-free vegan and Singh is a toddler. So we are beyond picky. But one thing I love about living around the corner from Disney is that their chefs on property always take care of us. They always make sure we have a good meal that’s equal if not better than what is being served to the carnivores in the restaurant. Well, our dining experience on the ship was quite a different one than we were accustomed to at Walt Disney World. They were unprepared for our dietary needs despite our communication weeks before the cruise assuring us otherwise. It was a rough start the first night and eating would become a nightmare most of the trip.

After dinner we headed to the show onboard in the Walt Disney Theater. I had been on a Disney Cruise back in 2000 and I remember the shows being fantastic. I wasn’t disappointed this time, that’s for sure. Disney hires some very skilled performers and the shows and songs are almost Broadway worthy. The show we saw that night was “The Golden Mickeys,” an award-show styled performance that showcased many of the popular Disney songs and movies. Who doesn’t love a live cast singing Lion King songs? The nicely dressed people sitting in the balcony were very impressed. And an extra thumbs up for keeping my son’s attention throughout the whole performance. (This little guy has a hard time making it through an entire Star Wars Rebels episode). After the show we skipped off to bed, a bit sea sick from the storms outside and choppy waters.

We woke early, already docked into Nassau, Bahamas. As I mentioned, I’ve cruised a lot and I’m not a huge fan of Nassau. It’s kind of trashy for a Bahaman island and very tourist-heavy. So when we looked outside and saw it was rainy I didn’t think twice about deciding to stay on the ship. They were offering an open house at the Oceaneer’s club all morning long so Singh took advantage of checking out the Disney childcare programs. There he learned how to cook, played on a replica set of the Millennium Falcon, and fought with light sabers. He wasn’t too thrilled when he was picked up, though, because it turns out this little guy is afraid of storm troopers. (You are in the wrong family for that, kid). 

The Disney Dream is a huge ship and offers fun family games to play throughout it’s many decks and long corridors. We played a mystery game that was interactive about the Muppets. It required us to walk all over the ship and collect clues from digital paintings on the walls. In the end we finally solved the mystery of who stole all the missing props from the Muppets’ storage room and thankfully it wasn’t my favorite character, Gonzo.

Dinner that night was at Artist Palette, a fun and interactive dining room with animated characters on the colorful walls. It was also pirate night, so we dressed up our attire with bandanas, earrings, and eyeliner. Singh loves makeup, so guess what his favorite part was?

Dinner was okay. A marinated slab of tofu and some dry bean cakes. Dessert was well received, though, because who can turn down a vegan, gluten-free chocolate lava cake? Singh enjoyed the Finding Nemo characters who talked to him from the interactive wall displays. I remember eating at a similar restaurant during my first Disney Cruise sixteen years prior but I didn’t remember being crammed in like sardines into the dining room. It made the experience less than pleasant, that’s for sure. Bonus points: we could dress up in our halloween costumes after dinner!

The show after dinner was Villains and was all about how Hades had to work with other Disney villains and attain his evil rating since he failed at capturing Hercules. It was a very good show despite Singh losing interest quickly. I guess he just didn’t get the dry humor of Hades or the stoic comedy of Ezma and Cronk. Singh ended up being restless for the remainder of the evening until his shower and bedtime.

Our last morning aboard the Disney Dream found us docked in the tropical paradise of Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. They offer a 5K run first thing in the morning on the island and I was very tempted to participate but their age limit didn’t allow Singh to join so we decided to instead enjoy breakfast at The Enchanted Garden restaurant. Another disappointing meal and probably my worst breakfast experience on my travels. The headwaiter had promised us scrambled tofu for breakfast and what we were served was bland, watery tofu with some peppers and onions. It took a lot of salt, pepper, and hot sauce to get any flavor on the plate. There is a right way and wrong way to work with tofu and I was beginning to lose my faith in the chefs onboard. They must not have the same training that ones on Disney property in Florida undergo. And I hate that I sound so stuck up and pretentious but just because I’m vegan doesn’t mean I don’t like eating. I straight up love eating and if I wasn’t vegan I’d probably be 500 pounds easily. They would have a show about me on TLC called The Five-Hundred Pound Flight Attendant. So I love eating, just not shit tofu.

After breakfast it was time to hit the island! We walked off the ship and by-passed the shuttle and headed straight for the sugary white sands of the family beach area. We scored some chairs under some swaying palm trees and jumped in the water. The freezing cold water. The hell? Yeah, it was very chilly in the turquoise Bahamian waters, so we just opted to walk around and wade a bit until we were pruney. On the other side of the beach were the snorkeling area and a kick-ass slide, both of which required you to be 40 inches tall. Singh is 37 inches. Sigh. Oh well. We were getting a bit restless on the now-crowded beach so we headed back to the ship to shower and eat.

After we changed, we walked up to the deserted buffet area called Shutters and had a fantastic lunch. Yup, you read that right, our best lunch experience and it was at a buffet. I talked with the lead in the restaurant and he went out of his way to make us two vegan and gluten-free pizzas and gave us a box of special cookies. Couple that with a nice fruity ice-tea and a happy Singh, and that seemed to be the recipe for a perfect lunch. We sat at a table next to the window that showcased wide views of the island.

Rejuvenated after our relaxing (and filling) lunch, we decided to head back to the island to hike a few of the trails. I had heard there was an observation tower on the far side near the adult beach and an old runway you could walk. An abandoned runway? Say no more. With Singh strapped onto my back, we headed out to explore.

If you do happen to partake in a Disney Cruise, I recommend checking out the walking trails on the island. As much as I love lounging by the water and sunbathing, I enjoy hiking and exploring much more. I can be lazy on layovers—Mummy and Singh trips are adventures!

We climbed up the tower and smiled for selfies. Singh fell asleep as we walked to the far side of the island until the trail ended. It was deserted on the trail so it felt like had the whole island to ourselves, it was fantastic. We headed back across the island as the sun began to set and were one of the last people to board the awaiting ship.

Our last dinner was lackluster as I had to beg them to make us some vegan mashed potatoes to serve with the Portobello mushroom on the menu. Again, just because we are vegan doesn’t mean we don’t like eating. My disappointment with the food was insane on this ship. The only silver lining was that we were able to sit by the window and watch the sun completely set over the crashing waves and watch Castaway Cay disappear over the darkening horizon.

The show that evening was an original production called “Believe.” And you guessed it, it was about an adult who had to be shown how to believe again. The songs were interesting and it kept Singh’s attention, so I’d call it a win. We hit the bed early that night as we were scheduled to be the first off this ship the following morning.

The Disney Dream was a beautiful ship and I know Singh thoroughly enjoyed himself while at sea. The customer service was impeccable even though the food wasn’t up to the Disney standards I have grown accustomed to in the Parks. Would I do another Disney Cruise in the future? Eh, probably, if they offer the steep discounts on the Perx website again. I know seeing Alaska and the Mediterranean are on our Mummy and Singh bucket list and I’d be okay with Mickey joining us as well if the price was right. But I do try and keep things as inexpensive as possible on our trips so that we can afford to do more. So for the meantime I think I will just stick to flying to our destinations on our benefits and leave the all-you-can-eat buffets to the career cruisers.

TRIP PLANNING LINKS:
Disney Cruise Line Check this site out for itineraries and destinations! 
Perx.com Check out this site if you are an airline crew member for fantastic deals on vacations!