The Disney Dream is an enormous cruise ship, and even if you’ve cruised with Disney before on the Magic or Wonder, you’ll find the Dream a bit overwhelming and hard to navigate at first.

So, let us take you on a brief tour of the ship…

Just before we start, for anyone who hasn’t cruised before, there are three areas on each deck, Aft which is the back of the ship, Midship, and Forward, which is as obvious as it sounds.

Let’s start on Deck 1. Hopefully the only time you’ll need to visit this deck is for the tender lobby, where you leave and return to the ship when in port. The only other thing on this deck is the Health Center, and like I said, hopefully you won’t need to go there!

Next up, on Deck 2 is Enchanted Garden. One of the rotational dining restaurants, you’ll dine here on at least one night of your cruise, and may also eat breakfast and lunch here too if you choose. There are a few rooms Midship on this Deck. All room numbers begin with the number of the deck they are on, so rooms on this deck begin with 2***.

You’ll see much more of Deck 3, which is the first part of the ship you’ll see when you embark and walk straight into the atrium lobby. Take a look upwards and you’ll see the stunning crystal chandelier, sparkling with thousands of crystal beads and glowing with colorful glasswork. Crafted in Brixen, located in Northern Italy, the chandelier is 22 feet diameter at the ceiling plate and comes down 13 feet from the ceiling. It is 24kt gold plated with a total of 88,680 Swarovski crystal beads ranging in size from 6mm to 12mm. The lobby not only plays host to character dance parties and character meet and greets, but is also a “plan B” for the deck parties in case of inclement weather. The audio and lighting necessary are hidden by friezes and other architectural adornments.

Walk up a couple of steps past Admiral Donald and you’ll enter Royal Palace, the second of the rotational dining restaurants, all of which we’ll be looking at in more detail in future articles.

Also to be found in the lobby are the Bon Voyage Bar, and Guest Services, along with some comfy seating areas.

Take a walk down the corridor along the side of Royal Palace, past artwork featuring some familiar Disney characters, to the Aft of the ship and you’ll find the third restaurant, Animator’s Palate.

Let’s do a quick turnaround and head back through the lobby to the Forward end and the shops. There are three shops located here – Mickey’s Mainsail, Whitecaps and Sea Treasures. They’re a good place to spend some time (& money) either before or after seeing a show in the Walt Disney Theatre which is just beyond the shops.

Up in the elevator or stairs and you can access the upper balcony level of the Walt Disney Theatre, great if you want a different view of the shows!

Start heading back towards Midship on Deck 4 and you’ll pass the Buena Vista Theatre which shows movies, many of them first-run. Midship are Vista Cafe, and Shutters Photo Gallery. You can look down on the lobby from this Deck, and get a closer look at the magnificent chandelier.

Walking Aft-wards you’ll pass the Vista Gallery, where you can view a selection of unique artwork, and D Lounge, home of family entertainment events.

Deck 4 Aft is where adults can find the District, the adult entertainment part of the ship. Featuring Pink, 687, Skyline, Evolution and District Lounge.

Up to Deck 5 Aft where the main staterooms begin. Disney’s Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab take up a large part of the area between Aft and Midship, with the It’s a Small World Nursery tucked away Midship. The upper level of the Buena Vista Theatre is Midship on this deck.

Deck 5 Forward houses more staterooms, with Vibe teen club right at the very front of the ship.

Decks 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are where the main bulk of staterooms are, with both interior and exterior staterooms here. There are a set of elevators on each deck at Forward, Midship and Aft, along with staircases. As you exit each stairwell, you’ll find a sign on the wall (both port and starboard) showing where you are on the ship and pointing the way to the stateroom numbers.

Deck 11 is very much the leisure deck. Senses Spa & Salon, Fitness Area and Rainforest occupy much of the Forward area, along with a few of the larger staterooms. Midship plays host to Mickey’s Kids’ Pool, Donald’s Family Pool and the Quiet Cove adult pool and bar, and the adults only Cove Cafe.  Little ones can enjoy splashing around in Nemo’s Reef water play area, while the more adventurous can climb the stairs to the Aquaduck entrance. Grab a quick snack at Flo’s V8 Cafe, featuring different counters, offering a selection of menu items, from burgers to salads. The 24 hour beverage station is located between the pools and Cabanas. Two merchandise locations are on this deck, Whozits and Whatzits, and Quacks.

Cabanas takes up all of the Aft end (apart from a small part taken by the Arr-cade). This is the buffet restaurant where you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Two sides of the restaurant serve the same items, and seating is all around, with both inside and outside seating available.

We’ll take the elevators or stairs out of Cabanas up to Deck 12 for the only entrance for Palo, Meridian and Remy, the adults only restaurants and bars. This is the only way you can access them, as there is no access from Midship or Aft on Deck 12.

The rest of Deck 12 is just open deck on Midship, where you can sunbathe or look down on the pool areas (a good place to view the deck parties from), and the larger staterooms at the Forward end.

Up on Deck 13 is Goofy’s Sports Deck, Aft. Those feeling sporty can play basketball, 9-hole mini golf, or use the sports simulators. The only thing found Midship is Edge tween club.

Forward on Deck 13 is more open deck, Currents Bar and the private sundeck for Concierge guests.

Want a view from the highest point on the ship (apart from the Aquaduck)? Visit the Outlook Bar on Deck 14 for a quiet drink!

And that concludes our tour of the Disney Dream. Obviously, a written tour is no substitute for the real thing, but I hope it will give you some idea of the layout of the ship before you embark on your voyage. You can view a map of the ship here (pdf), and take a look at our brief video tour which shows a selection of places onboard.

Deck plans, showing staterooms can be viewed in this pdf file.

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