Disney Dream June 27-July 8, 2023 - 11-night Med cruise

[DisneYE]

Haven't seen one created yet so I'll start it.

This would be our 13th or 14th cruise, depending on how life goes.
It'll be the last cruise before our DD goes to college in 2023 so it's kind of a send off gift for her.
We're excited to go on this cruise as we had to cancel our July 2022 one due to conflicting with the Wish MV.
Can't wait to visit all the wonderful ports on this sailing - And I'm really happy it's the Dream, I love the extended verandahs.

Who else is going on this cruise?

 

[o&smom]

Happy to see someone started a thread! This will be our 11th, 12th or 13th cruise depending on life. This will be our first cruise with one of our children being an “adult”. Too many cancelled cruises that were supposed to celebrate his graduation last year. Congrats to your daughter! We have been many amazing places on DCL, but I have been dreaming to return to the Med. Cannot wait to cruise!

 

[mom4mad]

Hi everyone! This will be my 16th, dh’s 15th, and dd’s (14 and 17 years) 14th Disney cruises. It is our first time to Europe!!! We are so excited!

 

[DisneYE]

Hi everyone! This will be my 16th, dh’s 15th, and dd’s (14 and 17 years) 14th Disney cruises. It is our first time to Europe!!! We are so excited!

Cool! Time's flying and this cruise is near the horizon isn't it.
PIF is Feb 27 which is real close - after PIF it gets real imo - We plan on booking flights and hotels right after that.

As we get closer we should get our DD's to exchange IG addresses or whatever else kids use these days
She'll be 17 on that sailing.

 

[DisneyConvert]

Similar deal here. Just got off the Magic (my 11th; DW's 14th) and our son will be graduating college in early June (whoo-hoo! No more tuition). Plus, he majored in Latin/Greek and is going to Greece w. his Professors and fellow students this January. But post-grad plans may interfere.

This would be a treat for us, and even with the recently-applied PHolder, the total cost (incl. flights and 2-4 extra days in Rome) is ambitious. We still love DCL, but Covid has taught us to be more flexible. As the Magic8Ball might say, "Reply hazy, try again".

 

[o&smom]

Cool! Time's flying and this cruise is near the horizon isn't it.
PIF is Feb 27 which is real close - after PIF it gets real imo - We plan on booking flights and hotels right after that.

As we get closer we should get our DD's to exchange IG addresses or whatever else kids use these days
She'll be 17 on that sailing.

How has your flight and hotel booking been going? I have been reading about ridiculous pricing for both. We booked our flights when we booked the cruise with frequent flyer miles. We have Rome and Barcelona stays booked with Home Away and VRBO. Europe with 4 has always been crazy for hotels.

 

[DisneYE]

How has your flight and hotel booking been going? I have been reading about ridiculous pricing for both. We booked our flights when we booked the cruise with frequent flyer miles. We have Rome and Barcelona stays booked with Home Away and VRBO. Europe with 4 has always been crazy for hotels.

Got all our flights. Prices were horrible but not as insane as I thought. I find Xmas prices are way worse.
We're flying into Rome and that will be our "base". Getting there a week before the cruise and driving around Italy.
At the end of the cruise we're taking a train to Madrid and then fly to Rome for our flight back home.
Haven't got a single hotel booked yet. Horrified about the prices. Nothing half decent for less than $300/night but we see it as the trip of a lifetime so it is what it is. Should be all booked this week.
Are you staying a few days in Rome before sailing?
Let's see if we can do a Disboards meetup on the ship.

 

[MICKEEP]

Hello everyone, glad I found this thread. This will be our 4th Disney cruise, each time on a different ship.

We have our flights and hotels booked and beginning to work on Pre/Post cruise excursions for Rome and Barcelona.

 

[o&smom]

Hello everyone, glad I found this thread. This will be our 4th Disney cruise, each time on a different ship.

We have our flights and hotels booked and beginning to work on Pre/Post cruise excursions for Rome and Barcelona.

Welcome! Glad you are joining us! Do you have kids? Need any tips on Barcelona? This will be our third time enjoying the wonderful city.

 

[o&smom]

Got all our flights. Prices were horrible but not as insane as I thought. I find Xmas prices are way worse.
We're flying into Rome and that will be our "base". Getting there a week before the cruise and driving around Italy.
At the end of the cruise we're taking a train to Madrid and then fly to Rome for our flight back home.
Haven't got a single hotel booked yet. Horrified about the prices. Nothing half decent for less than $300/night but we see it as the trip of a lifetime so it is what it is. Should be all booked this week.
Are you staying a few days in Rome before sailing?
Let's see if we can do a Disboards meetup on the ship.

We arrive in Rome five days before the cruise. We have some tours planned, and ideas of exploring on our own. We visited with a Port Adventure on our first cruise. Will be nice to spend more time there. We have a week in Barcelona after the cruise. DS will be flying home after a couple of days by himself. Almost 20 is too old to spend that much time in Europe with your family. We love Barcelona, and are looking forward to returning to La Sagrada Familia, Tibidabo and Cosmo Caixa. Just learned they have a Joan Miro museum. Plan on adding that to our list. We are staying one block from La Sagrada Familia in a two bedroom apartment for $200 per night. Highly recommend VRBO or Home Away. Have you spent time in either Rome or Barcelona before? We are all very excited to be back on a long cruise. DD is constantly saying she can’t wait to get on the ship.

 

[MICKEEP]

Is there any way to find out or does anyone know what are the live shows, deck parties and entertainment and which nights they scheduled on.

 

[MICKEEP]

help with shore excursions in Toulon and Mykonos. When we went to book the Port Adventures at 90 day mark our choices were either sold out or had disappeared entirely. Can anyone recommend some good independant tour companies we could take a look at for these ports.

There is only one Port Adventure left in Toulon. Disney drastically underestimated the popularity of tours in this port

 

[DisneYE]

help with shore excursions in Toulon and Mykonos. When we went to book the Port Adventures at 90 day mark our choices were either sold out or had disappeared entirely. Can anyone recommend some good independant tour companies we could take a look at for these ports.

There is only one Port Adventure left in Toulon. Disney drastically underestimated the popularity of tours in this port

Not much to see in Toulon compared to Marseille, imo.
I wanted to book a PA to Marseille as there's lots to do there but all were sold out on the second night of platinum booking window when I went to check. So we're on our own in Toulon but also interested to hear of any independent tours that go to Marseille or Arles - two towns I've always wanted to visit.
Mykonos I've no idea what to expect - hopefully someone chimes in here with comments.

 

[MICKEEP]

We booked a guaranteed oceanview stateroom for 2. We have not received our cabin assignment yet.

We are considering moving up to a veranda if available. Are there any tips or tricks to get the best rate.?

Also when is the best time: right now, when we get our cabin assignment, just before we cruise or after we are onboard?

 

[Grech]

help with shore excursions in Toulon and Mykonos. When we went to book the Port Adventures at 90 day mark our choices were either sold out or had disappeared entirely. Can anyone recommend some good independant tour companies we could take a look at for these ports.

There is only one Port Adventure left in Toulon. Disney drastically underestimated the popularity of tours in this port

I ended up booking a private excursion through Viator. Reputable company used many times. There are no excursions left at all in this port. I was very disappointed. Ended up booking the Aix en Provence, Marseille and Cassis Private Tour. This is the exact tour that I was hoping for through Disney.

 

[Grech]

Hi everyone!
We recently cruised on Disney Fantasy for 7 night Western Caribbean. This cruise was booked first, and we made a last minute decision to cruise for Spring Break. We are new to Disney Cruises but experienced with other cruise lines. Absolutely loved our experience on the Fantasy.

I've done 2 prior Mediterranean cruises with Royal Caribbean. The shore excursions offered through Disney are basically the exact same. If anyone needs any advice, please let me know.

We have a family Oceanview stateroom on the 10th floor.
My son is 12 years old and an only child. He has high functioning ASD, but is very friendly
He desperately wanted to join the activities at the Tween club Edge on the Fantasy. However, he did not want to go in alone without a peer. He had difficulty finding a peer to go on the Aqua duck slide as well. I went on with him, but I do not enjoy closed in spaces.

If anyone has a kids close in age that would be interested in meeting up, please let me know

 

[Aonelmom]

So happy to have found you all and to get your advice! This will be the 3rd Disney cruise for me, my husband, and 15 yo daughter, and the first ever cruise for my 23 yo daughter. We’re very excited! Thank you for the tip about booking our own excursion in Toulon. Very disappointed everything there was booked so quickly.

I could use help with our plans in Naples. The one thing I was really looking forward to was visiting Positano, but we were only able to grab 2 spots for that excursion (and it’s pricey). Now I’m torn. Do I pay the extra $ for the Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii tour and be split up; or do I skip Positano and all 4 of us go together to Sorrento and Pompeii. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Looking forward to to more conversation, tips, and finally meeting you all in a few months!

 

[Aonelmom]

Hi everyone!
We recently cruised on Disney Fantasy for 7 night Western Caribbean. This cruise was booked first, and we made a last minute decision to cruise for Spring Break. We are new to Disney Cruises but experienced with other cruise lines. Absolutely loved our experience on the Fantasy.

I've done 2 prior Mediterranean cruises with Royal Caribbean. The shore excursions offered through Disney are basically the exact same. If anyone needs any advice, please let me know.

We have a family Oceanview stateroom on the 10th floor.
My son is 12 years old and an only child. He has high functioning ASD, but is very friendly
He desperately wanted to join the activities at the Tween club Edge on the Fantasy. However, he did not want to go in alone without a peer. He had difficulty finding a peer to go on the Aqua duck slide as well. I went on with him, but I do not enjoy closed in spaces.

If anyone has a kids close in age that would be interested in meeting up, please let me know

I’d love to connect and get your insights on some of the excursions. Lmk if you’re open to text/email - thanks!

 

[Aonelmom]

Hi everyone!
We recently cruised on Disney Fantasy for 7 night Western Caribbean. This cruise was booked first, and we made a last minute decision to cruise for Spring Break. We are new to Disney Cruises but experienced with other cruise lines. Absolutely loved our experience on the Fantasy.

I've done 2 prior Mediterranean cruises with Royal Caribbean. The shore excursions offered through Disney are basically the exact same. If anyone needs any advice, please let me know.

We have a family Oceanview stateroom on the 10th floor.
My son is 12 years old and an only child. He has high functioning ASD, but is very friendly
He desperately wanted to join the activities at the Tween club Edge on the Fantasy. However, he did not want to go in alone without a peer. He had difficulty finding a peer to go on the Aqua duck slide as well. I went on with him, but I do not enjoy closed in spaces.

If anyone has a kids close in age that would be interested in meeting up, please let me know

Hi! My daughters are 15 and 23 but always up for making new friends and my 15 yo is very excited about the aqua duck. If he’s open to hanging out with older girls we can connect!

 

[Aonelmom]

I ended up booking a private excursion through Viator. Reputable company used many times. There are no excursions left at all in this port. I was very disappointed. Ended up booking the Aix en Provence, Marseille and Cassis Private Tour. This is the exact tour that I was hoping for through Disney.

I ended up booking a private excursion through Viator. Reputable company used many times. There are no excursions left at all in this port. I was very disappointed. Ended up booking the Aix en Provence, Marseille and Cassis Private Tour. This is the exact tour that I was hoping for through Disney.

Thanks for the tip about the private tour. After reviewing it, I’m interested in booking for my family of four. If there’s another party of four who’s interested we can fill up one private van and save on the per person cost and ensure the tour isn’t canceled! If anyone else is interested let me know and we can explore booking as a party of 8.