The Disney Dream Experience

A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're aboard a 14 deck Disney Cruise ship for a 3 day voyage aptly named the Disney Dream. The majestic third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Dream set sail off the east coast of Florida in Port Canaveral with a very anxious family on deck.



All hands on deck for a bounty full beginning on the open sea to conquer all things Disney. The state of the art cruise ship afloat with luxurious amenities for young and old mimics the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom theme park on a boat. A really big boat that can accommodate over 4000 lucky guests.



My kids went wild over the Disney Dream's signature water roller coaster called the AquaDuck. Despite the long wait time in line for this water adventure, it is an aquatic experience you will never forget. Just like the Magic Kingdom, you cannot escape large crowds and never ending lines of people.



Every magical voyage begins with a culinary delight. Every night has an elegant sit down multiple course dinner at three themed on ship restaurants. The Royal Palace, The Enchanted Garden and The Animator's Palate fill my bottomless stomach for everything edible at dinner time. For breakfast, lunch and ice cream in between, the Disney Dream is a glutton's paradise with 24 hour food and beverage stations. There is no slim in SlimFast on this boat.



With endless buffets and sunsets, the ship journeyed to our first stop in Nassau, Bahamas. My family took an Atlantis Resort detour this time to pursue a "Dolphin Tale" excursion.



With a quick and gorgeous 20 minute boat ride from Nassau, the family landed on another paradise. Dolphin Encounters on Blue Lagoon Island gave my children an up close and personal encounter with a friendly dolphin named Salvador. I was just as excited as the kids because of all the glorious pictures and videos of their smiling faces. Priceless.



One paradise encounter ends, another paradise experience begins at our next port of call in Disney's exclusive island called Castaway Cay. Geared for an all day sand and surf event, beach time is family time. Of course, sandy pursuits comes with a barbeque lunch buffet and endless banana soft serve ice cream.



Almost one year old, baby Serena enjoys her very first Disney Cruise experience. Not yet walking, but butt shuffling very fast, Serena soaks up the beach time fun. Fun meaning tasting sand and floating debris around her. To each her own!



Our final night was worthy of a palace steps photo opportunity. Exchange the forever wet swimsuits for slacks, long sleeves and gown like for a royal occasion such as dress up and the Disney theatrical performances such as the "Golden Mickeys". Believe me, the semi formal attire lasted briefly with constant whining reminders of pool time and obligatory Disney gift shops. Sound familiar?



A 1080p video shot with the Canon 1D Mark IV and Powershot ELPH 300HS at 29.97fps. Edited with Final Cut Pro 6 and transcoded the h264 files with Canon E-1 Movie plugin. Used Compressor to render a 1.3gb h264 video file. For audio, I used an Azden ECZ-990 shotgun microphone and used a Manfrotto 701 hdv head on Benro 3580 tripod legs. The Canon Powershot ELPH 300HS was housed in a Canon WP-DC320L waterproof housing for the AquaDuck water roller coaster ride and underwater pool pictures in my gallery below.



Everything must come to an end, even Disney Dreams. All is not lost, the fast approaching Disney Fantasy is coming soon with its 7 night voyages and even with more luxurious splendor than the Disney Dream. A fantasy come true!



You can view more majestic photos and videos shot with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV paired with the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS and EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses in The Disney Dream Experience 2012 Gallery.



Stay updated with the latest HD DSLR gear by Becoming a Fan on my Facebook Fan Page and following me on Twitter!