This summer, our family vacation included a cruise on the gorgeous Disney Dream on her first summer in Europe, from Rome to Barcelona with stops at ports in Italy, Greece and France along the way.
Our adventure began with an overnight flight from Washington, D.C. to Rome and two days to explore the city from a large rental apartment that overlooks the ancient Roman Forum and sits just a few blocks from the Colosseum. Seeing the historic sites that I had learned about over the years was beyond thrilling. With our kids in mind, we booked a walking food tour in and around the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood and got to try so many delicious Italian foods – would recommend a food tour for travel parties with older kids and teens!
After such a beautiful start we eagerly anticipated boarding the Disney Dream at the port of Civitavecchia, about a 40-min ride from Rome. We arranged to take Disney Cruise Line transportation there, which automatically put us in boarding group #2, a nice perk. Disney sent our luggage to the ship earlier that morning so that when we arrived, we could immediately bypass the lines and begin the boarding process, which was very quick and easy.
Disney Dream: what a beautiful ship! She is newer and larger than our ship last summer, Disney Magic, and it was fun to compare them. All the Disney ships celebrated the line’s 25th anniversary this summer with special decorations, a “Shimmering Seas” cocktail hour, and Disney characters donning anniversary costumes.
The chandelier in the atrium is particularly gorgeous! Upon boarding we were welcomed, like all guests, with the announcement of our family name in the Atrium and enthusiastic applause from the entertainment team members. Fortunately, we boarded early enough (around 11:30 a.m.) to have a choice between lunch at the full-service restaurant or the buffet, Cabanas. We could also have grabbed food from the quick service counters on the pool deck. My preference for lunch on embarkation day is the full-service restaurant. The lunch menu on that first day, which is the same on all Disney ships, is a favorite of many guests.
After lunch we explored the ship to see where everything is located: the kids’ clubs, the teen clubs, the theaters, the three main dining restaurants, the specialty dining restaurants, the adults-only zone, the spa and fitness center, the pools and Aqua Duck waterslide (soooo fun!!), the mini-golf, and sports simulators.
Shortly afterwards, the staterooms became available, and we checked into ours: a Deluxe Family Oceanview on Deck 6 Aft (rear of the ship). This 241 sq ft stateroom was plenty spacious and comfortable for a family with two teens. As you enter the stateroom, there is a large closet on one side and two bathrooms on the other: one has a shower/tub combo and toilet, and the other has a sink and toilet. Having two separate bathroom spaces makes getting ready much more efficient for four people! Next is the queen bed with nightstands on each side. The second segment of the stateroom, which can be separated by a curtain from the first segment, includes a couch (which can be turned into a twin-sized bed in the evening) and coffee table along with a murphy bed. The opposite wall features a desk with chair and cabinets, one of which houses a mini-fridge, and plenty of vertical shelving. While windows can vary, our stateroom included a large porthole with a padded window seat that made for a wonderful perch for quiet moments.
This adventure took us to many ports, and countries, that we had not visited before. Given the length of the trip I’ll just offer a quick highlight from each:
Messina, Sicily: We took a DCL Port Adventure called, “Taormina on Your Own,” which was a scenic bus ride to the unbelievably gorgeous town that was the setting for a season of “White Lotus.” I pre-booked a lunch reservation for us using The Fork app, which is similar to OpenTable.
Athens, Greece: Took an early morning bus from the port to the Acropolis and enjoyed seeing the Parthenon as well as the Acropolis Museum which is nicely organized and comfortable. Had a delicious Greek lunch at a taverna nearby. That evening we saw the “PremEAR at Sea” of the new Indiana Jones movie – one of the fun features of a Disney cruise is that if a Disney movie is opening in theaters during your cruise, they are often able to show it in the Walt Disney Theater onboard the evening prior the official opening on land.
Santorini, Greece: This breathtaking island takes a little bit of advanced planning as guests need to take a tender (small boat) from the ship to the island. Our Port Adventure was pushed back from first thing in the morning to mid-day, so we canceled it and made sure to line up early to be on the first tender. The tender brings guests to the shore, but the towns of the island are several hundred feet above accessible by cable car. Heading out early or taking a Port Adventure offered by the cruise line, are both good ways to avoid waiting in long lines. We took a bus from the town at the top of the cable car, Fira, to Oia – and really soaked up the remarkable architecture and views of the caldera from the island of Santorini.
Mykonos, Greece: Famous for its windmills and narrow alleyways, we enjoyed meandering through and discovered a wonderful café/bakery in the middle of the maze. This is a great island for a beach day! The next day was a day at sea.
Naples, Italy: This was the hardest port to plan for because there are SO many things to choose from to do. We opted for a small group, full-day tour with Mondo Shared Tours by Rick Steves that took us to Sorrento, Positano (on the Amalfi Coast), and Pompeii for a guided tour. If I could possibly choose a favorite day of the trip, it was this one. On the ship that evening there was a July 4th / 25th Anniversary of DCL fireworks show after dark! The next day was a day at sea.
Livorno, Italy: We split up and one of us took the train from Livorno to Florence and the rest visited Pisa, also by train. Though a bit cliché, the bright white marble buildings of the Field of Miracles, including the tower, are remarkable to see in person. Delicious picnic lunch from an Italian deli was also a highlight. That evening back on the ship was Pirate Night, including pirate-themed menu in all the main dining rooms, a pirate show on deck and fireworks after dark (unusual to have two fireworks shows in one cruise)!
Toulon, France: We walked into Toulon to see the famous naval maritime museum which was incredibly impressive, and also enjoyed the large open air market in the center of town. A classic ham, butter, and brie on baguette sandwich for lunch was delicious.
Barcelona, Spain: The cruise ended in Barcelona, and we were fortunate to spend a couple days there visiting several sites designed by architect Antoni Gaudi and dining on lots of tapas and sangria (for the adults). What an amazing city!
This adventure is one we will always remember. From the amazing crew of the Disney Dream to the natural and historical beauty of the Mediterranean region and the wonderful people we met onshore. Such a great way to travel with children and teens and provide a survey of many historical sites that they have studied in school.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg of all we saw and did, but I hope it provides enough information to give you an idea of what this type of trip entails!
Thanks for following along! If you are considering a cruise for your family either in Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, or Alaska, reach out and I will help you plan where/when/how so you can just show up and start exploring! Sign up for the monthly newsletter for tips and tricks, discounts and ideas for new destinations.