We just returned from a Disney cruise to the Bahamas aboard the Disney Dream. I’ll be writing a series of posts about our trip, so stay tuned for more!
Our stateroom was outstanding in every category: clean, comfortable, roomy, stylish. We stayed in a verandah stateroom on Deck 10. Before we departed, I had read some people complain about Deck 10 because it is right beneath the very busy Deck 11, which is home to the pool, hot tub, and other busy areas of the ship. However, noise was not an issue at all in our stateroom. I actually thought the location was very convenient. We could run up a quick flight of stairs and be at the pool or at one of the casual lunch/breakfast spots. We were also only a floor away from the frozen yogurt station, which is of course of the utmost importance.
We didn’t know our room number or what deck we would be on until just a few days before the cruise. That’s because we booked a special rate through disney.com. Disney describes the rate like this:
What are Category GTY staterooms—or restricted-fare staterooms? Category GTY (Category VGT, OGT, IGT) staterooms — also known as restricted-fare staterooms — are available on a limited basis, although the following terms and conditions do apply when booking these rooms:
This category guarantees you a stateroom within the selected stateroom type: Inside, Oceanview and Verandah. Disney Cruise Line will assign the stateroom at a later time, based on availability. Staterooms are assigned run of house, and location requests are not accepted. Category VGT staterooms may feature a whitewall verandah. Full payment is required at the time of booking for all Guests and is non-refundable. Sail date and stateroom category changes are not permitted. The stateroom offer cannot be combined with any other discounted or promotional offer. Full legal names of all Guests are required at time of booking as no name changes are allowed.
In other words, we were able to book a verandah stateroom at an inside-stateroom price. This might not always be the case, but this was our experience with the Category GTY rate. We were very happy we took advantage of this reduced rate and loved having a verandah. Since we booked our cruise only two months ahead of time, many of the restrictions didn’t bother us, since we knew we wouldn’t need to request name changes, refunds, etc.
We thought the stateroom was very spacious. We had two little bathrooms: one with a toilet and sink, and the other with a sink and shower. This made getting ready in the morning much easier, since two people could be getting ready at once. We also had a “sitting area” with a couch and a bunk bed that pulled down from the ceiling. E. slept in the bunk bed rather than the pull-out couch and thought it was so much fun to climb a ladder to bed each night.
Our stateroom gets an A+ for cleanliness. Housekeeping came by once a day, and we received turndown service each night, which included preparing the bunk bed. (It had to be stowed away during the day.)
The verandah was great. There was enough room for two chairs and a small table. Waking up each morning was like being a kid on Christmas. We’d rush out to the verandah and take in the new view before getting off the boat.
I would absolutely recommend a verandah stateroom, and if given the choice, I’d stay on Deck 10 again. Here are some photos, so you can see the room for yourself:
Note: All opinions are my own. I was not given any discounts in exchange for writing this post.
I’ve always wanted to go on a Cruise! I look forward to hearing about the whole trip in future posts. My one concern is motion sickness. was this a problem for you at all?
Thanks for stopping by! I was concerned about motion sickness too, but none of us had any problems. There were some moments when I could feel the boat moving, but it didn’t really bother me. I think it helped to have a verandah…I’ve heard that looking out the window can help with motion sickness.
That said, I did feel a little weird for a day or two after we got home. I kept feeling like I was swaying even if I wasn’t. I think some people call it “land sickness,” and a mild form of it is pretty common among people who have just returned home from a cruise.
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I’m curious how you found your deal and what port you left from?
We booked directly through Disney Cruise Line. The GTY fare came up with all of the other standard rates when we searched for cruises to the Bahamas. I don’t think Disney has a search function that allows you to search specifically for GTY fares, so you could pick a few cruises you’re interested in and keep an eye on the rates. For ours, the GTY rate didn’t appear until about two months before our sail date. (I have no clue if this is typical or not.)
You can also try calling the Disney toll-free number. I called twice with questions, and they were very helpful. They can probably give you more specific information.
We sailed out of Port Canaveral.
Okay, so we took one last Dec and were also on a Deck 10 verandah and LOVED it. We are planning another this Dec on the Dream again and I was looking into the VGT special that you did. With all the restrictions, I’m so afraid that we’ll be stuck in a really bad place or one of the worst rooms. It does not sound like that was the case with you guys. We are traveling with other family members so there would be 2 other cabins with our group (3 total). Other than the obvious, that we will probably not be located near each other, would you recommend doing that special? Thanks for your input!
Hi, Maya! I was glad we tried the VGT rate and would do it again next time if it’s available. I was hesitant about it at first, since this was my first time cruising and I was worried I was making a rookie mistake! I know some people are very particular about being on a certain deck, but we didn’t really have a preference. We were very happy with our room.
I do think some of the restrictions are worth thinking about, since this rate can be less flexible in terms of cancelling/modifying the reservation. Make sure you read the fine print before you book. If you have questions, I’d call Disney. I did at one point, and they were very helpful.
Feel free to stop back and let us know what you decided. I’m curious to hear what other people think of the VGT rate.