We’re sharing a recap of our 7-night Mediterranean (Italy & Greece) cruise on the Disney Dream! This is not sponsored (I wish it was, lol), but I’m excited to share our experience.
They have a neat trick if you’re on board a Disney cruise ship: you have the option to book a placeholder for a future cruise at a small discount. This way, when you get off the ship, it’s a little less depressing because you know you’ll be on another ship soon. We got off the Disney Dream in Rome a few weeks ago and we already can’t wait for our next Disney cruise.
This was Disney cruise #4 (we did Alaska, Bahamas/Caribbean, and Mexico), the first in Europe, and it was our favorite (so far! – this was written before our recent Disney cruise from Barcelona). It was a combination of the destinations plus the larger ship, which was a literal dream full of Disney magic.
(We also got to enjoy Rome on both sides of our cruise! You can read about our Rome adventures here.)
7 night European Disney Dream cruise
We arrived at Civitavecchia port via a private car the hotel booked for us, and it was the quickest and most seamless boarding experience. At 1:30 PM we were at the pool watching the kids swim and drink cocktails with friends. (A pro tip from one of our good friends: put your swimming gear in a tote bag and check everything else. Your room isn’t ready yet, so you can go straight to the pool. It’s the least crowded of the entire trip and after a few hours your room will be ready and all your luggage will be waiting for you at the door.)
We had lunch at Cabanas (the buffet) and ate it poolside, checked out of our room and then got dressed for the Muster Drill, Sail-A-Wave party and dinner.
On Disney cruises you are on a dinner rotation. You get the early (6:00 PM) or late (8:00 PM) seating and alternative restaurants every evening. You may choose to forgo your more formal dinner and have a quick bite or room service instead, but no matter what, your table will be ready and waiting for you. You also have the same server and assistant server every night. We had the early seats and dined at all the major restaurants. The menus were all very similar to previous cruises and were the beautifully plated Disney fare we love. 🙂
You can also order whatever you want. You can choose from their four-course menu, or if you prefer, order two appetizers, two entrees, etc. In a Disney Cruise Facebook group, one suggestion was to ask the server to ask the chefs if they would mind making a family-style meal from their home country. They said they had the best Indian food and curries of their lives this way, along with naan and rice. We haven’t tried this yet – I’m sad to bother them – but I was curious to try it.
Our favorite is Animator’s Palate, which they have on all the ships we’ve seen (Dream, Wonder, and Magic). You draw a person on your placemat and during the meal there is a *show* where all the animations come to life on big screens in the restaurant, dancing to the music, and added to famous Disney scenes and Disney characters.
On this particular cruise, we stopped at several ports of call for great shore excursions: Naples, Mykonos, Santorini and Chania, and we had excursions planned in Naples and Mykonos. The rest of the time we enjoy exploring the ports on our own and living our best cruise life on the ship.
Excursion 1: Positano, Sorrento and Pompeii
This was about a 10 hour excursion, which was definitely long for the kids, but so worth it. We were also treated to an epic 4-course meal with wine pairing halfway through, overlooking the ocean. It was one of the best port adventures.
Positano
Positano is one of my favorite places in the world, so of course I couldn’t wait to show it to the girls. I only wish we had more time there! We had the chance to get a chocolate croissant and coffee, put our feet in the ocean (it was so warm and delicious) and do a little shopping. (I highly recommend Luisa Positano! Liv and I both bought dresses there and they are so beautiful and unique.) It was probably a good thing we were short on time because I wanted to buy everything. 😉
Sorrento
After Positano we were back on the bus for a longer stop in Sorrento. It was my first time here in one of Italy’s beautiful historic towns, and although it had the Positano feel, it was a bit busier, especially on the main street. We shopped and walked around, grabbed some gelato and then met up with our tour group for an Italian meal I will never forget. The whole family loved it.
Here we ate the famous zucchini pasta, together with chicken, salad, bread and a dessert with chocolate-hazelnut mousse.
The meal was paired with sparkling wine, white wine, red wine and a dessert wine. Almost everyone in our tour group slept the entire drive to Pompeii.
Pompeii
Pompeii was so cool. It was fascinating to see such a well-preserved ancient city, alongside the different aspects of Pompeii life such as the bakery, bathhouses, etc. At this point the kids were quite tired, but they bounced back! We learned a lot on the tour, and from here it was only 45 minutes back to the cruise ship.
Excursion 2: Super Paradise Beach Day in Mykonos
This was our favorite excursion, one of the highlights of the trips. Super Paradise Beach is a private beach club with relaxing lounge chairs, umbrellas, a full menu and a quiet beach with clear, turquoise water. It is also partially blocked from the intense winds that can hit Mykonos. If you take this or any other cruise in the Greek Islands, it is worth the stop.
The funny thing was that our excursion to Naples was so time-specific – we knew exactly when to get back on the bus or at a certain meeting point – and for this beach excursion the guide said, “Eh. Have fun and I’ll let you know when we need to get ready to leave.” 
We ended up being there for about 3 hours, which was the perfect amount of time. We all swam, the girls played in the sand and waves, and we then ordered half the things on the menu.
(My favorite Vuori suit)
Our excursion included a sandwich, but I’m pretty sure our Greek friends would disown us if we ate a turkey sandwich in their home country.
Before we left, they gave us a list of everything we needed to order while we were in Greece. The pilot wrote everything down phonetically so we could pronounce it like, “Gotta lotta booty yo.” I think we made them proud; we tried almost everything they suggested between our time in Mykonos and Chania. The food was out of this world incredible. So fresh, vibrant and delicious. I highly recommend the pastitsio, which is like a spaghetti lasagna with cheesy foam on top.
(We also had grilled octopus, salad, cooked garlic vegetables, stuffed grape leaves, beef patties and small donuts)
Santorini:
We didn’t end up doing much in Santorini. It’s on my itineraries, where you can see the famous white buildings with the blue domes in Oia, but it was so hot and the kids melted. It is also a rather unusual port. You take a smaller tender boat to the foot of the harbour, where you take a cable car up the steep hill to the town of Fira (lots of shops and restaurants). You can also walk up a flight of stairs, but there are more than 400, which may not be realistic for small children or people with mobility problems. Our plan was to take the cable car UP, but walk down the stairs at the end of the day.
The cable car line is usually extremely long, without much shade. The line was easily 200+ when we got there and moved very slowly. The girls wore theirs neck fans and we poured water on them constantly, and they were too hot, so we went back. We will have to discover the natural wonders of this island on our next visit.
If you stop in Santorini in mid-June or July, I recommend booking an excursion with bus transportation so you don’t have to deal with the cable car. Or take lots of water + an umbrella, or brave the stairs!
(I had an iced tea at the cafe at the bottom of the harbour. I mentioned this in a previous post, but the iced tea in Greece is INSANE. Whether brewed in-house or in a can, it really is something special. Many flavors are infused with lemongrass, ginger or fruit, like cherry, and slightly sweet and refreshing. Who would have thought I would dream about Greek iced tea forever and ever??)
The owner also brought us shots of ouza with our bill, ice creams for everyone, and sent us back to the ship with a giant piece of baklava to take away.
Chania:
In Chania we ended up exploring on our own, which was ideal. We followed a group of guides into the Old Town, which was full of small shops, kiosks, restaurants and beautiful views of the bay.
We bought souvenirs and jewelry and had another legendary lunch + more of the best idea teas.
(The sardines were SO spicy and flavorful)
Disney Cruise Dream dining and activities
On the ship we enjoyed all the usual Disney cruise offerings: the live shows – Beauty and the Beast was phenomenal – movies, character greetings, bingo, gym, kids club, swimming, endless ice cream cones and Mickey bars, whiskey tastings and all the great restaurants.
The best part was that we traveled with friends. The girls had built-in buddies, and so did the adults 😉 It definitely makes the experience even more fun!
Disney really goes above and beyond when it comes to guest experience, cleanliness and food quality. If you guys have any questions about the Disney cruise experience, let me know! I have tons of other great tips, like a hassle-free disembarkation (departure) to make your Disney fantasy on the high seas come to life.
(the best cruise ship magnets are on Etsy!)
So tell me, friends: are you a cruise fan or not so much? Have you done a Disney cruise?
I’m trying to figure out which one we should do next!! We’d still love to see Spain, Iceland, Athens, Florence, Norway, England, Ireland, France… the list goes on! So many potential incredible trips (not to mention so many options inland like Germany or Northern Europe).
xo
Gina
*All dresses in this post are from Nuuli! I’ve had mixed experiences with them, but the dresses for this trip were all great
#7night #Disney #Dream #cruise #Mediterranean #Italy #Greece #Fitnessista