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Magical Destinations with Jamilet, Affiliate of Global On Demand Travel

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29/04/2023

Paris!
Planning 8 days in Paris was so much fun for me, and actually experiencing it was even better!
It is literally like putting a puzzle together. I left lots of open time in case we needed down time (we did), and had a list of things to fill that time in case we were up for it (we often were). But each day had at least 1-2 pre-booked activities so that we wouldn't miss out on any of our must-do's.

Here is a summary of our trip, with tips and links in case you need them. And if you'd rather I take the reins for you and plan your Paris adventure, I'd be happy to. Just reach out!

Airport:
CDG Concierge:
[email protected]
€155 each way for up to 3 passengers, €30 per additional passenger
On arrival, the concierge waits for you as you deplane and whisks you through the airport, security, and customs. Also waits with you for your transportation or guides you to where to go for taxis or train.

On departure, the concierge meets you at the check-in area, helps you with your VAT refund process, helps with check-in and takes you through the security inspections to your gate. Ours rolled my daughter’s bag for her and waited with us while we got some breakfast and did some duty-free shopping.

We got lucky with a not too busy airport on arrival and departure, but sometimes security is a super long wait and the process can take hours - people miss their flights all the time and having the concierge makes things smoother and faster.

Transportation:
https://parisairportpickup.com/ Driver was actually about 30 min late for arrival pick up, but on time for departure pick up. €75 each way. Taxi is a viable option that would probably cost about the same. Train is an option but I didn’t want to do that after an 8 hour red eye with my 10 year old and our bags, or at 6 am on our departure day.

If you plan to stay Mon-Sun and take metro/bus/trains a lot, buy Navigo Decouverte cards (only available for Mon-Sun) need passport style pics before you buy but you can take them at the photo booths in the stations, or bring your extra passport pics to see if those work. Every metro station attendant I met spoke fluent English so there was no trouble communicating or asking questions.

Metro was very easy to figure out, especially with google maps guidance on which line to take and where to change lines. It is definitely the fastest and most economical way to get around.

Taxis are everywhere, but get pretty pricy (€10-20 each way).
G7 is an app that is supposed to be more reliable than Uber for scheduling or calling a car on demand.

Trains are easy and frequent. You can take the train easily to Versailles and Disneyland. If you have the Navigo pass, this is all included. Otherwise, prices are really reasonable.

Hotel:
Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel
Loved it. Great location right at the feet of the Eiffel Tower. 1 block away from metro station. We had a Deluxe Twin room, Eiffel Tower view from balcony.
Booked with Chase Ultimate Rewards so it was a discount. Surprised with complimentary breakfast daily and free water bottles for the room. Breakfast was buffet style - hot dishes, pastries, pancakes, waffles, crepes, yogurts, cheese and cold meats, coffee, tea and fresh juices. Also made to order eggs and omelets. Enough that you could fill up in the morning and only have one other meal each day. Great if included but probably over the top expensive otherwise.

Photos:
Olga https://okphotoparis.com
We did the “Short Photoshoot” - 30 min for €170. She gave us closer to 50 min and 30 photos instead of 20. Our location was Place du Trocodero
She was wonderful and came highly recommended. Pics turned out amazing. Book well in advance for the coveted sunrise time slot.

Eiffel Tower Summit:
I got tickets/tour through Viator. Tour isn’t needed for this but the summit tickets sell out very quickly (booking opens 30 days out and it was sold out when I checked that day), and this was the only way to get to the top during our week there. It wasn’t a private tour, and our guide was actually great and entertaining, and gave a decent amount of history. We did also skip the lines once we got past security so that was a bonus.

Louvre:
Tour guide Kotryna [email protected] €270 - includes timed tickets and separate entrance
This was a private tour with just the two of us and Kotryna. She is delightful and so great with kids. She kept Elle engaged and interested while I also learned and enjoyed the experience. The Louvre is HUGE and can be very crowded and overwhelming. Highly recommend Kotryna if you go with kids. She also does tours of Musée d’Orsay and Versailles.
My advice: do Louvre on one day and Orsay the next day. If your kids have great stamina and don’t mind a long day, you could do Louvre in the am, break for lunch, then Orsay in the afternoon. Keep in mind that Orsay is closed on Mondays and Louvre closed on Tuesdays.

Musée d’Orsay:
Largest collection of impressionist paintings in the world, and a beautiful setting.
You can book your timed tickets here: https://billetterie.musee-orsay.fr/en-GB/products?famille=1933737738230400130 - free on first Sunday of every month but you still need tickets (usually opens up 4-5 weeks before)
Made the mistake of doing this without a tour guide. Would be okay with no kids if you know your art. But if you’re going with kids, get a guide.

Versailles:
Food and Palace Bike Tour with https://www.boutiquebiketours.com
€145 per adult, €99 for 4-18, and €37 for under 4
You meet the guide in Paris at the train station. They give you your train tickets and accompany you on the train. It’s a really short ride (maybe 10-15 min). Across the street from the train station, you pick up your bicycle. Kids get helmets, and they are optional for adults. Everyone is sized for the right bike, and you bike single file THROUGH THE CITY of Versailles (yes, cars, traffic, pedestrians) about 10 min to the Palace. Then you tour the palace with the guide (lots of interesting stories and she brought it all to life). You walk a bit through the gardens then bike again THROUGH THE CITY to a huge open market with lots of vendors. You get about 15 min to shop (cheese, meats, lots of fresh fruits/veggies. Literally the best strawberries I’ve ever eaten), then you bike to the Grand Canal of the Versailles gardens for a picnic. This was lovely and the other families were really fun. After lunch you bike around some more through the gardens and you get to see Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet and a few less-visited areas. Finally, you bike back THROUGH THE CITY to the train station. You return your bikes, the guide gives your return tickets, and you ride back to Paris. We got back in time to change and have dinner.
*This was Elle’s favorite day of the whole trip. I thought we were going to die weaving between cars and pedestrians, but we made it.
Versailles is closed on Mondays

Galerie Dior
Gorgeous museum displaying original designs and history. And you’ll have amazing photos! If you love style/fashion at all, this is a must-do. Purchase timed tickets ahead of time - €12 for adults, €8 for kids and students with ID. I think it’s closed on Tuesdays.

Disneyland Paris
I bought date-specific tickets online. If you know you’re doing Disney, buy these well ahead of time because they do sell out. There were signs all over that the park tickets were sold out for the day when we arrived.
We added the Premier Access passes which gave us “fastpass” access to the most popular rides. I highly recommend this during busy times or if you want to do it all in one day like we did. Parks opened at 9:30. We left our hotel around 8 - took metro to the station with RER-A train access - then RER-A to Marne-la-Vallée Chessy (the final stop on the line). The station is literally at the Disney gates.
We got through security and to the park gates around 9:20, and through the gates at 9:30 when they opened.
Started at Walt Disney Studios for all the big rides and grabbed lunch there. Then headed to Disneyland Paris for the rest of the day and had a sit-down dinner at Walt’s Restaurant on Main Street (food and service were good).
Did some shopping and then had to go to the Disney Fashion store in Disney Village to collect our VAT refund paperwork - this is the only location where they can do this. You need your official passport for this.
Got on the train back around 10:15 pm
We are Disney people so we had to do Disney while we were there. If you are not a Disney person, you can definitely skip this. Food and most rides are better in the US, but there were a few unique rides and it was a cool experience overall. I wouldn’t spend more than a day there, and even though some of the Disney hotels looked fun, you can absolutely do this as a day trip from your hotel in Paris.

Catacombs:
Purchase timed entry tickets exactly 1 week ahead. Closed Mondays. Sells out. €27 for adults. If you have kids, they are €5 but can’t be pre-purchased - when you check in with your timed entry ticket, you can buy theirs at that time. Must be able to go down and up stairs and don’t recommend if claustrophobic. Once you’re down there, you can’t really get out except by going through to the exit point. Otherwise, it’s a really interesting place to visit.

Art lesson with a French artist:
Edwige was lovely and very patient. €145 per adult and €100 per child under 12 for 2.5-3 hours with the materials provided. She offered coffee, tea, juices, and cookies. https://meetafrenchartist.com/

Montmartre walking tour:
Booked through Viator. It was fine - shared some interesting history and walked us through the area, ending up at Sacre Coeur. Not a “must-do” but fun addition if you’re there long enough.

Shopping:
You can stroll Champs Elysées for the experience, but many of the larger name stores (LV, Chanel, Dior) have queues to enter. The stores near Galerie Dior had no queues so we did our actual shopping at those after our Galerie Dior visit.

Bateaux Mouches Seine Cruise:
This is the largest Seine Cruise with an upper open deck. No frills - it’s just the boat. They do sell some snacks and drinks at the dock before you board. You can pre purchase tickets online and then just show up whenever it works for you. Leaves every 45 min during the early day and every 30 min after 3:30pm. Sunset is a great time because you get the sunset and then the city lights.
https://www.bateaux-mouches.fr

Jules Verne (Eiffel Tower) Dinner:
A Michelin star restaurant with amazing service, food, and views. And the price tag to match. Very expensive but it was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. They were also very accommodating for my gluten-free needs. Don’t recommend with kids unless it’s something they really want to do or they're older with mature palates/appetites - there is no difference in price or menu for kids. Elle requested this experience and I think she really got a kick out of the service and attention, but she didn’t appreciate the food.
Book 90 days out, payment for the 5 course meal is taken at the time of booking. If you choose the 7 course meal or any wine pairings, the upcharge will be billed after dinner. https://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/en/jules-verne-restaurant.html

Other Noteworthy Restaurants:

Cafe Marly - Inside the Louvre palace gates with views of the pyramid and courtyard. Great food and service, pricey, beautiful restaurant. Great to do before or after your Louvre tour. Reservations recommended.

l’Avenue - Fancy-ish French restaurant across from Galerie Dior. Beautiful restaurant, great service, delicious food. Great to do right before Galerie Dior. We had a reservation but did not need it that day.

Tasca - Dedicated gluten free Italian restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. Great food, okay service. Highly recommend if any member of your party has celiac or a wheat allergy. Reservations recommended

Noglu - Dedicated gluten free bakery. Serves lunch and closes at 4pm. Go early if you want pain au chocolat, croissants, or eclairs. They were all sold out when we went. Our lunch was great though. If you can eat gluten, I suggest going to a regular patisserie though!

Mun - High end Japanese/Asian fare, wonderful service and great food. Beautiful space. On Champs Elysées. Was able to get same-day reservation for that night.

19/07/2022

🛳 Disney Dream 4-Night Bahamas Cruise Overview and Tips! 🧜‍♀️
Miami - Nassau - Castaway Cay - At Sea - Miami
This was my first time on the beautiful Disney Dream. If you are traveling on the Disney Fantasy, the ship is very similar but the itineraries are longer on Fantasy.
My prior experience on a Disney Cruise was on the smaller Disney Magic, so this was a treat and a new experience.
Here’s a summary of our trip with some helpful hints I learned along the way:
Prior to embarkation:
First rule is complete your check in process on the DCL website or app AS SOON AS YOU ARE ABLE - this opens up 30 days prior to your sailing date and you should try to do it that day to have the most choices available for port arrival time (this applies to any Disney Cruise, not just Dream). The only exception is if you use Disney transportation to the port (offered from the airport and other select hotels/resorts). If you use DCL transportation, you can arrive as early as the buses start running.

They actually do take your assigned time seriously and if you arrive much earlier than your assigned time, you will be asked to sit and wait. An earlier time is of course best to get the most out of your time on the ship.

That said, you can plan to arrive 30-45 min prior to your scheduled port arrival time, as that is about as long as it takes to get through the pre-boarding process before they actually check your boarding group, just prior to boarding.

To check in, you will need everyone in your party’s passports handy (you need to upload a picture) and a picture of everyone from the shoulders up that they use for security purposes.
You will also need a card to put on file (you can use different cards for different members of your party if you choose to), and other details such as everyone’s DOB, etc. You will also be able to register your kids ahead of time for the kid’s clubs, which saves time the first time you drop off.
Next rule is you need to register on the Safe Passage website (they will send you the link as soon as it is open to you). Upload your COVID vaccine cards as soon as able (everyone 5 and over is required to be vaccinated with at least 2 doses), and then do your COVID tests when required (the details will be available prior to your sailing), and make sure to upload your official results before MIDNIGHT on the night before your sailing. We had to do our tests no more than 48 hours prior to sailing. I found an online telemedicine service that does an observed home test, so I didn’t have to leave my home to get it done. If you fail to do these steps, your embarkation process will be delayed/prolonged, and you may be required to retest at the port. If you choose not to do your COVID test prior to port arrival, you will need to pay for a test at the port.
Final rule is to prebook any ship activities or port adventures once you are able - timing depends on your Castaway Club member level. Many of the popular activities and adventures will sell out quickly. Take a look at all the options with enough time to pick out your favorites and get them booked.
Day 1 - Embarkation day:
Vacation begins!
Rooms are available to guests at 1pm. If you arrive earlier, make sure to have a “first day bag” packed with sunscreen, hats, and anything else you need to have on you for the afternoon. If you check your bags, they will be delivered to your room around 4-6 pm. We arrived after 1pm so we carried on all our bags and went straight to our stateroom. I suggest coming dressed already in your swimsuit with cover-up, so you can drop your stuff off, put the sunscreen on, and head out.
The buffet lunch at Cabanas is open on day one until about 3:30 pm. Save some room for some food - it’s on Deck 11 where the pool is, so you can eat and then swim, or swim, and then eat. Even though we arrived after having eaten lunch, we had an afternoon snack from the buffet and lounged poolside for the afternoon.
Sail Away Party happens around 4:30 pm on the pool deck - a great way to kick off your vacation!
Muster Drill - you have to complete this before the ship sets sail, and it’s a really easy process now. Your stateroom key has the letter of the area you report to. Gather your whole party, and head to deck 4. You then check in with one of the crewmembers under your letter, and watch a short video on your phone or in your stateroom.
Youth Clubs - more on these below, but just note that on the first day, the Youth Clubs for ages 3-12 (Oceaneer’s Club and Oceaneer’s Lab) have an open house until around 6 pm. You can walk around and see everything during this time, or skip it if you’ve seen the area before. Don’t schedule any adults-only activities prior to 6pm on day one unless you have someone to watch your kids, because you won’t be able to check them into Oceaneer’s Club/Lab until after 6 pm.
You will need the DCL Navigator App downloaded on your phone. This is where all your daily activities can be found, including your location for dinner and times for the shows. You can also text members of your party on the app using the ship’s WiFi at no additional charge.
Day 2 - Nassau
We had already pre-planned to stay onboard for this port since the cruise was so short and I wanted to spend more time on the ship. I had planned a pool day but the weather did not cooperate - it was a day of torrential rain and thunderstorms. SO we pivoted and my daughter hung out at Oceaneer’s Club/Lab much of the day, and I enjoyed some quiet time on the adults-only deck, watching the rain and reading a book. I also had a massage booked so I had a leisurely spa experience.
If you’d like to get off the ship in Nassau, do book your port adventures early (your date depends on your Castaway Club status - first-timers’ booking date opens up last). If I had been on this ship before, I would have probably done a half-day at Atlantis, but I’m glad I didn’t because the weather was awful.
Day 3 - Castaway Cay
(Pronounced Castaway “Key”)
Weather was also finicky on this day, but we got a good bit of time on the beach before an afternoon storm. We headed out early and jumped on the tram to the closest family beach, where we found several open beach chairs under an umbrella. The later you go out, the fewer options you’ll have for beach chairs, but they were plentiful. There is a family beach further out, but we had my mom with us so we picked the closest to limit how much walking she had to do. From this home base, we swam, and then walked to Pelican Plunge - the water slide on the beach. After some more swimming, I checked my daughter into Skuttle’s Cove - the youth club on the island. She played there for about an hour before we all had lunch together. The storm was coming fairly quickly after lunch so we called it and headed back to the ship, just in time to avoid a downpour and some thunder/lightning. Several cast members warned of the storm timing beforehand and they were spot on.
The island has two snorkeling areas and snorkel equipment for rent. You can also bring your own. We didn’t snorkel due to time and the impending storm, but I hear there are not-to-be-missed “shipwrecks” to see.
Also available for rent: bikes, inner tube floats, and cabanas (cabanas need to be booked way ahead of time and sell out quickly). You can also schedule massages on the island, but I would recommend actually doing this at the spa on the ship instead for a more relaxing experience.
You can rent inner tube floats and do other water activities like kayaking and parasailing. There is a stingray adventure that is supposed to be great as well. Some of these need to be booked ahead of time.
There is an adults-only beach called Serenity Bay as well, if you choose to drop your kids off at Skuttle’s Cove and jump on the tram to some adults-only relaxation.
Lunch was decent, BBQ style food, and there are coke/drink machines outside all the dining areas, as well as free soft-serve ice cream. If you’re not on the island for lunch time, you can still eat on the ship.
Day 4 - Day at Sea
This was our pool/relax day we hoped for. My daughter was done with swimming by mid-morning, so she asked to go to the Oceaneer’s Club/Lab. We enjoyed lunch on the pool deck and then hung out at the adults only area of the ship until it was time to get ready for dinner. This night we ate dinner at Remy - the amazing French dining experience. It was a 5-course meal with wine pairings (definitely a splurge), that was worth every penny of upcharge. I can’t say enough about it, so I’ll just say it was extra special and some of the best food I’ve ever had. If you have questions, send them my way.
Day 5 - Disembarkation
Don’t forget to fill out the cruise survey beforehand and drop it in the designated spots. Our servers and stateroom host both reminded us to consider giving them “excellent” ratings.
If you don’t want to carry out your luggage, you need to place all bags you’re checking outside your room before 8pm the night before. Obviously keep with you anything you need for that last night and morning. We carried our bags out ourselves as I didn’t even want to think about packing until the morning of disembarkation.
My advice for your last-day breakfast is to order room service for this morning. They will have a designated dining room for you to eat breakfast if you choose to do a sit-down meal (but you may need to have all your stuff with you for this, since you won’t be able to go back to your room. You can also go to Cabana’s but they shut that down promptly at 8:30 am so arrive early. Room service would have been a better choice for us so we could have eaten, and even enjoyed our coffee on the verandah, between packing up our bags.
Disembarkation was really simple. Have your key card available to walk off the ship, then gather any checked bags and head through customs. Quick passport check and we were back to the real world.
A few special things to mention:
Youth Clubs
These are a highlight of a Disney Cruise and one of the things that makes DCL very special for kids (and parents).
Youth Clubs are well-run, with great security and lots of activities to keep your kids happy and busy. This gives you well-deserved adults-only time while your kids are safe, happy, and entertained. And don’t feel bad, kids will generally ask to go to play at the youth clubs and often prefer it to any other activities on the ship.
Oceaneer’s Club and Oceaneer’s Lab - For ages 3-12. These are located on Deck 5, and have separate check-in areas but are connected in the back. Most of the time, kids can go back and forth in between the two areas, and most kids will find their favorite spots. My daughter was usually on the Lab side. You can check in/out at either location as long as they don’t have it open for an open house (these happen intermittently throughout the cruise, but aside from day one, it was only ever one side that was closed off, so drop-off was always available. They have scheduled activities such as crafts, making slime, character encounters, and games.
FYI - kids over 3 can only be dropped off at Oceaneer’s Club/Lab if they are fully toilet trained. If not yet, they can go to It’s a Small World Nursery.
Edge - For kids 11-14, and they can come and go on their own without an adult to check them in and out. This didn’t apply to us on this cruise, but we cruised on Disney Magic when my son was 12, and he spent his entire time at Edge or elsewhere on the ship with kids he met at Edge.
Vibe - For Teens 14-17, and they can come and go on their own.
1820 Society - For young adults 18-20 years old, there are special activities and events available for this group as well!
It’s a Small World Nursery - For infants and toddlers 6 mo-3 years. This is by reservation only and at an additional cost. More details and rates can be found here: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/its-a-small-world-childrens-nursery/
Aqua Duck
This is an at-sea water coaster that is lots of fun. My advice - ride it when you can. If it’s open and you’re there, go. On our two bad weather days, the Aqua Duck was closed down. They also shut it down periodically for maintenance. We got to go on it twice - first and last day.
There is also a water slide and 2 family pools for other water fun.
Dining
You have the choice of early (6 pm) or late (8:15 pm) seating for dinner in the main dining rooms. Your servers will follow you every night on your dining rotation through 3 dining rooms. They will do their best to get to know your family. Your table number can be found on your DCL Navigator app. We picked late seating and that worked well for us.
For breakfast and lunch, you can choose to eat from an a la carte menu in one of the dining rooms (see your DCL Navigator app for available location and time), or from the buffet at Cabanas. You can choose to eat dinner at Cabanas as well, though I really enjoy the dining room experience with your dedicated servers.
On deck 11 near the pool, there are also a few options that are open pretty much all day into the late night - these offerings include chicken tenders, burgers, hot dogs, salads, sandwiches, and wraps. You won’t find many of these kinds of offerings at Cabanas, so if your kids prefer chicken tenders or burgers, you’ll want to head there for their food.
Soda machines, water, coffee and tea are available 24/7 on the pool deck.
Premium restaurants - On the Dream, there are 2 options for premium dining. Palo, an Italian restaurant, and Remy, a French dining experience. Both have dinner available every night, as well as brunch and dessert seatings on select days. These are adult-only dining experiences and are an upcharge.
We ate dinner at Remy and it was amazing - though pricey. We did the 5-course meal (plus a cheese course so technically 6 courses), with optional (additional) wine pairings. There was an á la carte section of the menu for those who want to dine here but don’t want 5 courses. However, the 5 course dining experience was really special and I feel that it was worth the splurge.
Food allergies
I have to avoid gluten due to Celiac disease. Disney is great with food allergies and they were very accommodating. However, be prepared for extra waiting time for the special prep. When having breakfast and lunch at Cabanas (buffet), walk up to the podium at the Aft elevators entrance and ask for a head server for a food allergy order. It is helpful if you do a walk-through to see what food they have to offer before you order. Let them know your allergy and what you would like. When able, they will accommodate or provide an alternative. But it will take time. The rest of your party may be done eating by the time your food arrives.
For the main dining - your servers will take care of accommodating your allergy - and they will try to take your order for the next day. Several items can be altered to accommodate your allergy if ordered ahead of time. Take a look at your next day’s menu and pick out what you like - they will make it work. Your server may also take your breakfast and lunch order for the following day - this can speed things up but you still have to check in at the podium when you’re ready to eat and they will start preparing it then.
At Remy, they did an excellent job keeping me safe, even using a different vodka for my apéritif.
Entertainment
There is a broadway-caliber show at 6pm and 8:15pm every night except for Pirate Night. You can watch the show opposite of your dinner seating time.
On Pirate Night, there is a show on the pool deck at 7:15, and then another show at 10:45 pm that ends with fireworks. People get pretty decked out for Pirate Night - full pirate garb can be seen all around. But if dressing up isn’t for you, you won’t stand out. Your whole party will get a pirate bandana that you can wear however you’d like. We bought a cute pirate dress from Amazon pre-cruise and my daughter wore it proudly with her bandana.
Movie theater - there is a full-sized movie theater on board that plays newly released movies throughout the cruise. Don’t miss this if there is a movie you haven’t seen! Our sailing had “Lightyear,” “Dr. Strange” and the new “Thor.” Both the movie theater and the theater for the live shows sell popcorn at an added cost. You can choose to buy the refillable popcorn bucket at the beginning, or forgo the popcorn altogether, and bring your own snacks from up on deck 11. I was determined not to spend too much extra money (aside from our huge splurge at Remy and a few purchased drinks), so we avoided the popcorn this time.
Movies on the pool deck - these are playing almost all day and night. You can see family friendly Disney and Pixar movies while lounging in the sun.
Detective game - On deck 5 there is a card you can pull to play a detective game, which involves going all over the ship to get clues and solve a mystery. Do this early in the cruise so you don’t end up like me, the last night after Remy, super full and exhausted, running all over the ship to play this game because “we haven’t done this yet!” But my kid loved it and it did allow me to walk off my 5-course meal just a bit.
Character greetings - These are generally scheduled for 15-min slots and the times and locations for each character are available on your DCL Navigator App. If there is a must-see character for you, check out the schedule and plan around it.
Other entertainment - These include musical performances, trivia, bingo, and other games. There is also Goofy’s Sport Deck on deck 13 - with miniature golf, basketball, shuffleboard, a running track, and virtual sports simulator (at an added charge).
Senses Spa
Book your spa services ahead of time, as they do book up. At sea days are the best time, but if you have a port where you choose to stay on the ship, that’s another option. They are excellent, though priced high. You can add the “Rainforest” experience as well (or do this á la carte), which includes several sauna/steam room experiences, cool showers, a quiet sitting room with heated lounge chairs, and exclusive whirlpool bath spas with an awesome view.
There is also a gym at Senses with lots of nice work out equipment.
Alcohol
Carry on alcohol - Each adult over 21 can bring 2 bottles of wine or a 6-pack of beer in your carry-on luggage at embarkation or per port of call. We brought champagne (6 bottles as there were 3 adults), and some nondescript insulated refillable bottles. Every afternoon as we sat in the adults only deck area, we may or may not have had champagne in our refillable bottles and poured into cups. Technically, these carry on drinks are to be enjoyed in your stateroom only.
On the ship, all alcoholic drinks, and some specialty drinks like lattes, smoothies, and virgin cocktails, are available at an additional charge.
There are wine packages available for your dinner seatings as well.
Beverage tastings - these are available throughout the cruise for $45-55 per person, and do sell out so it’s best to book them ahead of time. Some examples are Wine tasting (excellent in my past experience), Champagne tasting, Tequila/Margarita tasting, Rum tasting, Cognac tasting, and Bourbon tasting. I tried to do a Rum tasting but when I showed up and said I had to avoid gluten, the beverage host said he could not guarantee that a couple of the rums were safe so he advised that I cancel. On past cruises, I have been able to do all the tastings with substitutions/accommodations to make each flight work.
Packing for your Disney Dream Cruise
All I can say is do not overpack. I thought I packed light and still had stuff I didn’t need or wear.
I recommend bringing the following:
🛳 2-3 swimsuits (you can wash and hang to dry in the stateroom shower)
🛳 2 swim cover-ups. Mine was a dress-style that I wore all day until dinner time and I just re-wore these after hanging them to dry each day.
🛳 One evening outfit for each night of your cruise. General dining is fairly casual. One night will be Pirate Night (so pack for this if you wish to dress up), and you do need to dress nicer if you do a premium dining experience (for ladies, a dress or nice pants and a top. for men, slacks and a collared shirt).
🛳 1 pair of water shoes like flip flops
🛳 1 pair of nicer sandals/shoes for dinners. I wore my same nice sandals every night.
🛳 1 pair of sneakers if you think you’ll work out or want to do some of the sports activities (I brought some but didn’t use them)
🛳 Work out attire if you plan to exercise
Maybe 1 daytime casual outfit like shorts and a T-shirt in case you don’t want to hang out in your swim/cover-up attire
🛳 1 refillable water bottle per person to refill at the beverage stations
🛳 1 small cross-body or fannie-pack to keep your phone and key card (or have pockets for these)
🛳 1 bag you can use for pool time and time off the ship (to keep your sunscreen, a book, water bottle, and other essentials)
🛳 And of course your toiletries and meds. You don’t need a lot. They provide soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion.
Reach out to me anytime with questions! And I would of course be happy to book your next Disney Cruise for you! Booking through me is no extra cost to you, but you get the added benefit of my help with all the details! 😎

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