Our first full day aboard the beatify Disney Dream—and I’ll tell you how I really feel! Nassau, Palo brunch, and Pirates of the Caribbean… oh my!
We woke up this morning as we made our final approach into the dock at Nassau. Joining us throughout the morning were four other ships: Carnival Freedom, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Summit, and Holland America Eurodam. While Nassau remains one of the most visited ports in the Bahamas and Caribbean, we often find ourselves wondering… why? I have a feeling somewhere it’s contractually obligated—buried in the fine print each cruise line has tied to their respective “private island destinations.” Logistically, it’s also the closest stop from coastal Floridian ports like Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, and Miami. So I guess there’s that? Scott actually did an article on this very topic recently.
Why Cruise Lines Continue to Call on Nassau and Freeport Despite Low Guest Satisfaction
Disney Dream in Nassau, Bahamas
There isn’t a great variety of shore excursions to be found, as around half of them involve activities at the Atlantis Resort. Other than that, there are a few beach trips and some land-and-sea tours—nothing too spectacular. Since we live in the Sunshine State, going to Atlantis to experience a water park or a generic beach trip sounds like an average Tuesday.
As far as local shopping and flair go, there’s the newly renovated Prince George Plaza just steps from the ship, filled with all those overpriced souvenirs that say “Nassau, Bahamas” — made in Taiwan. A few blocks up from the port is Bay Street, which is lined with plenty of Diamonds International and other jewelers for those shiny things. If you’re willing to do some haggling, there are deals to be found, but go in knowing everything is marked up drastically to make those “half-off” specials seem like a steal. Give a bottom-line number and prepare to walk—you’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll “consult with their manager” and magically meet your price.
We feel this port separates the men from the boys, so to speak—or more directly, the cruise veterans from the newbies. Generally speaking, if you’ve been here more than twice, you’re most likely to treat this as a stationary sea day and never leave the ship. That premise definitely held true today, as about half the ship disembarked to explore, while the rest of us found a spot to kick back and relax.
For those keeping track, we had an all-ashore just after the posted time of 8:30am, with an all-aboard at 5:30pm.
Brunch at Palo on the Disney Dream
Since we didn’t intend to go ashore, today was the perfect opportunity to book brunch at Palo. Palo, along with Remy, are the two adults-only upcharge restaurants aboard the Disney Dream. Seating is limited, and brunch always books up quickly once the reservation window opens. One lesson we’ve learned: inquire upon boarding to check for openings if you missed out on advance reservations. Many cruisers adjust their dining plans once onboard—whether it’s finding out their MDR (main dining room) rotation or finalizing shore excursions—which often results in some prime seating becoming available.
Palo Brunch is a flat fee of $50 per person (not including alcohol) and is all you care to enjoy. If you don’t go into this with a strategy, you’ll be sorry! The best advice we’ve received—and always pass along—is to order as much as you’d like and share it family-style so you can try a little bit of everything.
To start off our culinary journey, we received a plate of assorted pastries, bread service, and ordered both antipasti selections.
A few bites of sweet, a salty selection of meats, nibbles of cheese, and delicious morsels from the sea—a little of everything to jump-start the palate.
Once our stomachs were sufficiently woken up, we moved on to the breakfast course and shared a strawberry Mickey waffle and a three-cheese omelet.
Thankfully, we had a little time to relax and let our stomachs settle before our main entrées were presented. The crowd-pleaser is easily the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breast, which we paired with the Veal Saltimbocca and a Grilled Sirloin.
While my wife ordered the chicken I was able to sneak a few bites. Pounded thin yet still full of flavor. A nice rendition of a classic.
On our New Year’s Eve Cruise on the Disney Fantasy, I had the veal and noted that the sauce overpowered the flavor of the meat a bit too much—so this time, I requested the sauce on the side. Game changer! I’ll definitely be ordering it that way in the future. As for the sirloin, it was a decent medium rare, though a little tougher than expected. Still good, but it fell short of great. The surprise star of the meal? The Barolo Wine Potatoes that accompanied the sirloin. Lightly crisp on the edges and covered in caramelized onions—simply delicious.
And just in case we didn’t have enough to eat… they brought a dessert menu. Ok, twist my arm!
We wanted to try some new options and went with the Limoncello Torte and the Warm Apple Sticky Cinnamon Bun. I’m not a fan of lemon, so I left that one for my wife to enjoy. The apple cinnamon bun was a twist on an apple fritter and cinnamon roll—a solid combination, a little on the sweet side (shocker!). The downside was the caramel sauce, which was just a tad burnt. Not enough to ruin it, but just enough to notice. Our waiter also brought out a Panna Cotta for us to try, which offered a lighter, creamy finish to assuage the taste buds.
As Platinum Castaway Club members, we each receive a $50 credit toward brunch or dinner, covering our meal. With the exceptional service provided by our server, Anthony, we made sure he was justly taken care of.
The afternoon was spent relaxing on the sun deck, reading and writing while flirting with a full-on food coma.
Enchanted Garden Dinner on the Disney Dream – Pirate Night!
One of the most popular Disney attractions turned Hollywood blockbuster is Pirates of the Caribbean, so it’s only fitting that Disney Cruise Line incorporates a themed night aboard sailings through the Bahamas and Caribbean.
As Captain Jack and his mates take over the ship, you’ll see and hear the transition—pirate-themed music plays throughout the public areas, festive decor pops up all around, and most of all, crew and guests alike dress in their best pirate garb. Your room steward will leave pirate bandanas in the stateroom for you to wear (and keep!) as a souvenir. A special Caribbean-style menu awaits in all the main dining rooms before heading up to the pool deck for a high-energy pirate dance party—and of course, fireworks over the sea!
Since I was still feeling the effects of brunch, I went with a light dinner and ordered the Lime-Marinated Shrimp for an appetizer. Then I did a little mix-and-match by ordering the Shrimp and Scallops but paired them with the sides from the Grouper plate. Sometimes you’ve just got to switch it up a bit!
We can’t forget about dessert—after all, isn’t that why we have to eat our vegetables first? The Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Torte made sure our sweet cravings were fully satisfied.
Since the presentation in the Walt Disney Theater was another showing of the newly released live-action Snow White, we decided to head back to the room for a little while and relax before heading up for some pirate shenanigans. I can neither confirm nor deny that I dozed off while “resting my eyes!” One of the perks of sailing Concierge is a special viewing area for the fireworks on the sundeck, so we stopped by the lounge to grab a beverage and made our way out.
There are a few pros and cons to this setup. From here, we can’t see the Funnel Vision or pool deck to view the pre-show and deck party. On the other hand, it’s much less crowded and not nearly as obnoxiously loud.
Unfortunately, we were met with a very chilly breeze that quickly became more than we cared to endure. Since we’ve seen the fireworks display numerous times, the comfort and warmth of our bed started sounding a lot more appealing—so we bailed.
If you’d like to see some pictures and video of the festivities, check out my post from January aboard the Disney Fantasy.
Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean NYE Cruise Review – Day 4: January 1, 2025
We’re now making our way to the island of Eleuthera, home of Disney’s Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, for tomorrow’s port of call.
Be sure to check back as we dive into what Disney’s newest exclusive destination has to offer. For now, it’s time to dream about why the rum is always gone. Savvy?