Disney Dream Cruise | Family Affairs and other matters

BOB IGER, CEO OF DISNEY MEETS THE UK BLOGGERS

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

One of the major highlights of my recent trip to attend the christening of the new Disney cruise ship, the Disney Dream was our one-to-one meeting with Walt Disney Company President and CEO Bob Iger and Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Our meeting with him proved to be the “hot ticket” [...]

“DISNEY DREAM” OVERVIEW – STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF

Monday, January 24, 2011

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SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE I have seen white sand and clear turquoise water. I have snorkelled with sting rays and barracuda's and collected sand dollars from the sea bed. I have sat in a chair at the water's edge reading my book and drinking Conk cocktails at Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay in glorious sunshine. I have watched fireworks and kissed Mickey Mouse. I have talked to Crush, everybody's favourite turtle in the interactive restaurant and I have over-eaten delicious food served by the smiliest most helpful people imaginable. I have had pre-dinner drinks in the cool bars, during-dinner drinks in the impressive restaurants and post-dinner drinks in yet more bars and then danced inappropriately for someone my age in the nightclub with all my new friends and I have spent several days laughing at everything and nothing. I have felt happy and safe and secure and excited. I have watched the new show "Disney's Believe" and for a minute...believed. I have stood on my balcony and marveled at the enormity of the sea and the smallness of me. I have wished upon a star. Listened to the waves. The wind. Watched the sunset. It all felt luxurious. Everything that one could possibly want was provided for and more. I chose mostly relaxation, others chose mostly stimulation. Real life, in grey, wet London seemed like a million miles away and I felt as if I was literally floating on a shiny happy cloud. That is the beauty of a cruise of this nature. You can pick and choose to your hearts content. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble. Everything was easy. This aspect particularly appealed to me because when I am on holiday with my children I don't want to have to worry about how I'm going to get somewhere by myself with them, that is the bit that I find most difficult and on a Disney cruise holiday you are most certainly paying for the privilege of relinquishing all responsibility - both for yourself and your family to highly trained professionals who will try and cater for all your specific needs. So what would be a typical day spent on the Disney Dream cruise ship for someone like me? Obviously, this is the best, best, best age - this is the stuff dreams are made of:- But as a single parent with three children of significantly different ages and gender who don't want to do anything together there is still much to be enjoyed. The beauty of a holiday like this is that instead of the family being looked at as one single unit, Disney recognise that each individual has different requirements. There was literally something for everyone. Lots of somethings for everyone. Everywhere you looked. If we weren't on Disney's private island then this was the area I liked best:- Which housed the adult pool and bar and spa area where we sampled several different cocktails whilst lounging around on the top deck:- But my children would have preferred to be here in the "Vibe" teen section: Their own private sun deck:- Media room:- Main room with TV/dancefloor, moveable furniture:- For more information on teenage facilities please look at my specific post in the travel section of this blog: http://www.familyaffairsandothermatters.com/facilities-for-teenagers-on-the-disney-dream-cruise-ship/ We might all meet for lunch and dinner in one of a variety of restaurants OR if they were busy with their friends I might choose to eat in one of the adult only restaurants. See my specific post on restaurants for more details: http://www.familyaffairsandothermatters.com/disney-dream-cruise-ship-restaurant-review/ We might all then go and watch a show in the splendid Walt Disney Theatre. More than 20 of Disney's most beloved characters take to the stage in the new "Disney's Believe" and it includes such famous songs as "Never Had A Friend LIke Me", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (I've always wanted an excuse to write that down), "Bear Necessities", "Circle of Life" and many more and it was surprisingly moving and uplifting:- Then my children might go back to their respective clubs whilst I take a stroll down to "The District", the evening entertainment area for adults which was very cool . A selection of bars that all intertwined. The Skyline - a chic, metropolitan bar where the view changes every 15 minutes to another city - I took a very bad photo of Hong Kong without a flash - but you get the general idea:- "Pink" an intimate cocktail bar - which in an all too brief period of time became our favourite. Here is a picture of it earlier in the day before it got busy:- Then hopefully at some point I will remember that I have children, go and collect them (or vice versa) and sleep peacefully in luxurious beds dreaming of how we are all going to do it again tomorrow. Thank you to Disney and Virgin Holidays for inviting me out there to check it all out. I loved every minute. Especially the silly game of Crazy Golf we played with champagne in one hand and a club in the other:- For prices and further information please read my blog post review:- http://www.familyaffairsandothermatters.com/the-disney-dream-cruise-review-with-prices/

DISNEY DREAM INAUGURAL CHRISTENING CELEBRATION

Sunday, January 23, 2011

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I really don't know where to begin regarding giving you all an update about my fabulous press trip to check out Disney's latest cruise ship. The Christening Celebration took place on January 19th 2011 and after two nights at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hotel (which I loved) we were taken to Port Canaveral where the ship was waiting for us. Here is virtually our first sighting from the red carpet with me and Jennifer Howze (@jhowze):- They certainly know how to put on a party at Disney - the christening ceremony for the new Disney Dream cruise ship was a match for any of the parades in the Orlando theme parks. There were familiar characters by the score, from Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, through a collection of princesses, to the Incredibles, and a dazzling display of fireworks which lit up the bright Florida morning sky. There were marching bands and Pirates of the Carribean and dancers and some of my favourite Disney characters:- Bob Iger President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company and Tom Staggs, the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts introduced us to the ship and Jennifer Hudson christened the new ship in her role as Godmother. I took a picture of Mickey Mouse:- and then another one just as he turned round to face me, but missed it as he disappeared in a puff of smoke:- Following the christening celebration we went into the terminal to have a champagne toast whilst we waited to embark:- Eventually each and every one of us got welcomed on to the ship by personal announcement and clapped enthusiastically by members of the crew into the Atrium Lobby - Deck 3 that spans three decks. We were on the largest ship I have seen. Designed in the USA, made in Germany, captained by a Scandinavian, registered in the Bahamas, crewed by 1,458, 14 decks high with a capacity of 4,000 passengers and staying in one of the 1,250 staterooms with one of the 901 balconies. Our latest Disney experience had begun.

BACK TO LIFE….

Saturday, January 22, 2011

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I really shouldn't do that sort of thing again.... go away without my children to a desert island in the Bahamas, have an amazing time and then step off the plane and expect to effortlessly slip into the domestic demands of life on terra firma in the real world. I have come back with many tales to tell and photos of me with Disney characters and nobody seems to want to listen to my adventure stories. I can't think why. AND WHERE ARE MY PRINCESS DRESSES? Where is my spotless house? I had to rush from the airport to my son's school to pick him up from his exam, laden with bribes - mostly from Hollister (primarily because by the time I'd finally got to the front of the queue to pay for the clothes, my very precious limited shopping mall time was nearly over). My mother has done an amazing job holding the fort and the kids all seem calm and happy. I am hoping that my decision that life is too short to miss "once in a lifetime" opportunities that come my way won't come back to haunt me. I have to hold my breath now until mid February to find out if he's passed his exam. Fingers and toes crossed then. How bad a mother will I feel if it goes wrong. But. I have come back with the Disney faith. It will not go wrong. His dreams (and my own) will come true. ANYWAY. Home. Cold. Rainy. Grey. How can everything already seem like a fabulous blurry dream? I will write about the experience in due course. But in the meantime I wanted to say a big thank you to the lovely Sarah from Disney for including me on the trip and to Dave and Kate on her team and also to Phil from Virgin Holidays for co-hosting the event. I am still completely mystified as to why I was invited, but once I've read through the notes I took whilst meeting THE BIG CHEESE of Walt Disney (no, not Mickey Mouse) then I will perhaps have a better idea. Here is a photo of some of the team sitting in a teacup for dinner (as you do) that made the trip so much fun. I will have to try and find a picture of all of us, but in the meantime:-

DISNEY DREAM CRUISE TO CASTAWAY CAY

Friday, January 21, 2011

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This ship is HUGE. Haven't had much time to upload any photos yet or write about what has been going on. Yesterday we spent most of the day on Disney's private island in the Bahamas "Castaway Cay", which as you can imagine was extremely hard work. From my balcony the island looked like this:- From the beach, the island looked like this:- Occasionally interspersed with attempts from our group of UK journalists to master the art of flippers and walking in shallow water:-