Disney Dream 7 Day Mediterranean Cruise
If you are wondering about taking a Disney Dream 7-Day Mediterranean Cruise, read our review. The “Greek Isles from Civitavecchia” Disney Mediterranean cruise has an itinerary that begins and ends in Rome. It features stops in Naples, Athens, Mykonos, and Chania. There are also two days at sea.
This post will examine the highlights and challenges of our Disney Mediterranean cruise. For reference, we cruised on the Disney Dream in the month of June (2024). Our party included 4 adults and 2 children.
DISNEY DREAM OVERVIEW
The Disney Dream cruise ship launched in 2011. The ship has 1,250 staterooms with a maximum capacity of 4,000 passengers and 1,458 crew.
Overall, we feel that the Disney Dream 7 Day Mediterranean cruise exceeded our expectations. After sailing on the Dream, we would eagerly embark on a second Disney cruise.
We found the Disney Dream cruise ship to be a pleasing combination of elegance and classic Disney fun. Those things that Disney traditionally does well, creating magic and crowd control, were done well onboard. Those areas that can be somewhat annoying in the Disney theme parks, technology and nickel-and-diming, we also found to be true on the cruise.
Highlights: Esthetically, we enjoyed the color and rich storytelling of the Disney Dream décor. The onboard entertainment and activities were robust and high quality for all ages. The ship rarely felt crowded. There was space to escape from others – especially on Decks 3 and 4. If we stood in line, it was only for short periods. Onboard cleanliness and staff service was excellent.
Challenges: Deck 11 was the exception to the rarely felt crowded statement (above). In our opinion, the pools and hot tubs on Deck 11 (and 12) were too small for the ship. The entire area was chronically overcrowded to the point of being unenjoyable. A second Deck 11 exception was the AquaDuck slide. The amazing ride was hit with the whole family, but the lines were so long (60 to 90 minutes) that we largely avoided it.
PRE- & POST-CRUISE TRANSFERS
Flights
Disney will make flight arrangements; or guests are free to schedule their own flights. Click here to explore flights from a city near you to Rome.
Hotels
Disney will book hotel accommodations near airports and ports of departure if need be; or, guests are free to book their own accommodations. Click here to price hotels in Rome.
Transfers to/from Ship
In some locations, Disney will arrange ground transportation between airports, hotels, and the cruise port. TIP: If you book Disney transport, you are likely to be on the earliest embarkation and debarkation schedules. Guests are also free to book their own transfers. While in Europe, we often book transfers through GetYourGuide.
7-DAY MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE ITINERARY
Embark Civitavecchia Rome – Naples, Italy – At Sea – Piraeus (Athens), Greece – Mykonos, Greece – Chania, Greece – At Sea – Disembark Civitavecchia, Rome
7-DAY MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE SHORE EXCURSIONS
In each port Disney offers a generous selection of excursions (called Port Adventures). Typically, these include heritage sites and immersive activities (cooking classes, 4-wheeling, and helicopter rides). Some of the popular excursions on this Mediterranean cruise included outings to Pompeii, the Parthenon, Delos Island, and Chania Old Town. Excursion pricing was comparable to other cruise lines we have experienced.
Highlights: The debarkation procedures for going onshore were well organized and efficient, as was returning to the ship. All motor coaches, tenders, and shuttles used for transport were clean and in good working order. On excursions, a Disney representative accompanied each group.
Challenges: The Disney system of booking excursions puts the date that frequent cruisers are able to book excursions well ahead of less experienced guests. This means new cruisers are likely to find no slots available for some excursions, and/or be in excursions scheduled at the least desirable time slots (such as touring Pompeii in the mid-afternoon heat).
If you do find yourself blocked out of desired excursions, or if you prefer to book your own activities, consider these GetYourGuide tours:
ONBOARD COMMUNICATIONS
Once you have booked your cruise, all reservations and check-in activities will occur via the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App. Onboard, the Navigator App is the primary communication tool Disney uses to impart information.
Guests are able to use the Navigator app to “chat” with others in their group while off-line. There is a fee for Internet service. TV, including Disney on-demand movies, is free.
Highlights: Technology-buffs will love the comprehensive Disney Cruise Line Navigator App.
Challenges: Technology-phobs will dislike the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App. The app is not terribly intuitive. It took me until the end of the week to feel fluent. I also found the “chat” function was unreliable (sometimes messages would not ‘send,’ and then come in a bundle hours later). A more affordable Internet plan would also be helpful.
DISNEY DREAM STATEROOMS
Our party booked a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom and Oceanview with Verandah Stateroom. The rooms were well-designed with a split bath (toilet in separate room from shower), and bunks innovatively tucked into walls. One had a good sized verandah and the other a large porthole with window seat.
Highlights: Both staterooms were comfortable and tastefully decorated. There was lots of storage, ample outlets, and everything was in good working order. A housekeeper serviced our room twice a day. It was immaculately maintained.
Challenges: Our Deck 8 room was in the back third of the ship. Every time we pulled in or out of port the room rattled loudly from engine noises and physically shook. TIP: Book a room mid-ship.
PASSENGER MAKE UP
On our 7 day Mediterranean cruise there was a mix of age groups ranging from infants to seniors. Passengers traveled as couples, families (large and small), and groups. Most guests were English-speaking.
CRUISE DRESS CODE
During the day, tee shirts, shorts, and flip flops are appropriate.
In the evening, the dress code varies. On our weeklong cruise there were four casual nights (no swimwear or tank tops); one pirate night (costume appropriate); and two semi/formal nights (suits for men and dresses or pantsuits for women). At the specialty restaurants, Palo and Remy, guests were expected to dress in a “polished” manner.
Highlights: Pirate night was good fun with many cruisers breaking out elaborate pirate-wear.
Challenges: None. On semi/formal nights some guests “dressed up,” while other simply wore sundresses and collared polos – and everyone seemed fine with this.
DISNEY DREAM RESTAURANTS
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in the basic cruise fare. Onboard there are three full service Disney Dream restaurants (Animator’s Palette, Royal Palace, and Enchanted Garden); Cabanas Buffet; Flo’s Café; beverage stations; and a soft serve ice cream station where guests can get food at no extra charge. Room service (24 hour) is also included in the basic fare.
For the dinner meal, Disney Dream passengers follow a rotational dining schedule where guests “rotate” to one of the three main restaurants each night. Wait staff also rotates (you have the same waiters every night). Guests are able to choose either an early and late seating.
For an extra charge, there are two adult-only specialty restaurants to pick from (Remy’s serves French cuisine; Palo serves Italian). In addition, there are snack bars, bars, and lounges where guests can purchase alcohol, bottled water, canned soft drinks, and food for an extra fee.
Highlights: The rotational dining concept was fun. Each day the dinner menus changed and the food was excellent. The wait staff was helpful and attentive at all restaurants and the Cabanas buffet.
Challenges: The Cabanas buffet lacked atmosphere (I likened it to a noisy school cafeteria). Also, all of the free beverage stations were located on crowded, chaotic Deck 11 (and served in small paper cups). TIP: Bring a water bottle for fill-ups. Lastly, the nickel-and-diming onboard, like for popcorn at a movie, began to irritate by the end of the week.
DISNEY DREAM ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES
Disney excels at entertaining. The Disney Dream kept a robust calendar of shows and activities for children, tweens, families, and adults. All of these activities are included in cruise fare including:
Live Shows
Deck Parties
Movies
Youth Clubs
Entry to Nightclubs & Lounges
Pools & Water Fun
Sports & Recreation
Games & Activities
Character Meet & Greets
Highlights: The Disney Dream offers Broadway-caliber shows, early-release movies, high-quality kids programming, and a full schedule of kids, family, and adult-only entertainment – all included in the basic cruise fare. A talented cast of performers combined with Disney décor, parties, and characters make for a really fun and immersive onboard experience.
Challenges: As noted above, we found the overcrowded pools and hot tubs to be unappealing, and possible unsanitary (there were frequent closings). Also, more attention should be given to line control at the AquaDuck slide.
WHAT’S INCLUDED (AND ISN’T) ON THE DISNEY DREAM
Included in the Disney cruise fare:
Stateroom
Rotational dining program, buffet, some snack bars, and room service
Live shows and movies
Youth Club (children, tweens, and teens)
Pools, AquaDuck Water slide, Pools, Sports
Entrance to Nightclubs and Lounges
Character meet and greets
Taxes and Port Fees
Not Included in the Disney cruise fare:
Shore Excursions (Port Adventures)
Internet
Onboard Shopping
Spa, Salon Services, & Bibiddi Bobbidi Boutique
Onboard Photography Services
Nursery Services
Ship-to-shore phone calls
Arcade games
Alcoholic beverages, bottled water, drink packages, and many snacks
Adults-only specialty dining at Remy’s and Palo
Staff Tips
We hope this review helps you decide whether a 7 Day Mediterranean cruise on the Disney Dream is right for you. Sweet cruising, Laura and Randy
For more information on Mediterranean travel read our travel blog post on:
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