Youth Spaces on the Disney Dream – Why Your Kids Won’t Want to Leave

Every time I tour the youth spaces on a Disney Cruise Line ship, I wish I was a kid again to hang out in these amazing spaces. It shouldn’t surprise you that Disney Cruise Line revolutionized the cruise industry with elaborately themed youth areas where a generous sprinkling of pixie dust and beloved Disney characters combine to lead children into their favorite Disney stories. On board the Disney Dream, there is nearly an entire deck of spaces designed to inspire, entertain, and spark children’s imagination. Learn more about these spaces below and why your kids won’t want to leave!

Disney’s Oceaneer Club

Disney’s Oceaneer Club, open to 3-to-10-year-old children, transports kids to the magical lands of Disney fairies, courageous Super Heroes, adventuresome toys, undersea exploration and Force-filled characters that are out of this world.

Star Wars: Millennium Falcon is a force-filled play area inspired by the spacecraft from the legendary saga. Kids can pilot this super-cool spaceship through the Star Wars universe, train like a Jedi and express their creativity through Star Wars-themed crafts, games and activities.

In the vibrantly colored Andy’s Room, the world of the Disney•Pixar “Toy Story” films comes to life. Kids experience the feeling of being toy-sized as they play among larger-than-life characters from the animated film. Children can rearrange features on Mr. Potato Head, crawl through the coiled body of Slinky Dog and get behind the wheel of an oversize, remote-controlled race car.

In Pixie Hollow, children are transported to the enchanted land inhabited by Tinker Bell and her fairy friends. A pixie tree stands in the room, its branches extending overhead with hundreds of fairy lights twinkling among the leaves and hummingbird-sized fairy houses hanging from the boughs. In this magical forest setting, children can make crafts just like a true tinker fairy while sitting on stools shaped like acorns and mushrooms or dressing up in fanciful costumes.

In the Disney Infinity Game Room, children can experience a whole new way of playing together with exciting virtual experiences and immersive activities themed to the Toy Box. For a group gaming experience unlike any other, kids take the place of character figures on a life-sized Disney Infinity Base that lights up in response to gameplay on a large screen.

The Magic PlayFloor, a cruise industry first, is an interactive floor that allows children to engage in group activities where their movements control the action. Youth counselors also use the Magic PlayFloor during activities such as a simulated tilt maze or to foray into the fantastical worlds of Disney films.

Disney’s Oceaneer Lab

Disney’s Oceaneer Lab takes 3-to-10-year-old children on a journey of discovery and exploration.

Upon entering the main hall, filled with maritime instruments and nautical artifacts, children feel as though they are embarking on a great adventure. At the main hall stage, kids can create and star in swashbuckling performances, hear stories of great expeditions and watch movies.

Animator’s Studio: Children can create original hand-drawn art and learn to sketch their favorite Disney pals.

Craft Studio: In the Craft Studio, kids can unplug from technology and make their own creation at this hands-on arts-and-crafts studio.

Media Room: This spacious play area allows kids to kick back, watch Disney movies and play video games, or take part in hosted activities from trained Disney counselors.

Playmation: After donning state-of-the-art gear, young superheroes-in-training can battle villains, complete missions and save mankind by joining forces with Marvel’s The Avengers.

The Wheelhouse: Youth can hunt for lost treasure in Tides of Fortune, a multiplayer Pirates of the Caribbean game exclusive to Disney Cruise Line, where buccaneers-to-be can steer their ship through the mysterious Caribbean Sea.

Connecting Disney’s Oceaneer Club and Disney’s Oceaneer Lab are two workshops. In these specialized areas, kids concoct creations in an interactive science lab, conduct crazy experiments, express their creativity through art projects and participate in other hands-on activities.

It’s A Small World Nursery

In the It’s a Small World Nursery, infants and toddlers up to age 3 enter a whimsical world inspired by the classic Disney theme park attraction and original artwork by Disney Legend Mary Blair. The theme’s signature fanciful style in a patchwork of pastel colors creates an inviting and comforting space for little ones.

Upon entering the nursery, parents, and children can meet and interact with counselors in a welcoming environment. Parents wishing to check on their children without disturbing them can glimpse into the nursery’s main play area through a one-way window.

In the nursery’s main play area, children are welcomed by cheerful, three-dimensional façades resembling the nursery’s namesake Disney attraction. Interactive, hands-on features, such as horns that honk, wheels that spin, and buttons to press, are sure to delight curious kids. A boat in the center of the room “floats” on a river pattern along the soft-surface floor and is surrounded by colorful, kid-sized tables and chairs for toddlers to enjoy crafts, books, and games.

At the back of the nursery, a separate room with a serene motif and a calm, quiet atmosphere is reserved for naptime.

Edge and Vibe

Catering to this basic fact of family vacation life, the Disney Dream provides ultra-cool plush pads exclusively for teens and tweens who want a little independence. These trendy and tranquil areas offer an elite getaway for teens and tweens to set their own vacation agenda, whether socializing with new friends, playing the latest video games, experiencing cutting-edge technology, or just chilling out.

Edge

At Edge, tweens ages 11 to 14 have fun, make friends, and play games in a bright, colorful hangout. Movable modular furniture, cushy beanbags, and different areas invite tweens to make the space their own, while color-pop lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows create a stimulating atmosphere for creative play under the supervision of helpful Disney counselors. Portholes and wallpaper printed with geometric Mickey heads lend a further splash of whimsy.

Edge is a haven for electronic fun, including a colorful, illuminated dance floor for tween dance parties, karaoke machines for lively sing-alongs, a separate room with a gaming console and flat-screen TV, photo booths for picture-taking fun and tablets for gaming.

Vibe

Teens rule in their own exclusive club aboard the Disney Dream with Vibe, an extensive indoor/outdoor space on Deck 5 forward created especially for guests ages 14 to 17.

Vibe has the look and feel of a hip urban night spot, with multiple areas, a secret entrance, and its own outdoor deck space. Its plush interior boasts sleek design, state-of-the-art lighting and sound, and movable modular furniture that invites teens to get situated in style.

Vibe’s hangout central is its high-tech media room, where teens can watch movies or play video games on a 103ʺ LCD screen with digital surround sound and comfortable, plentiful seating.

In a separate stage area, talent shows, karaoke contests and dance competitions let teens own the spotlight. A dance floor and video wall set the stage for day-and-night dance parties, while teens looking for relaxation can recline in their own built-in oval wall pod and game or watch a movie on a personal video screen.

Outside, teens have their own private deck area – a modern space that gives them an opportunity to enjoy some fun in the sun without ever leaving the teen club. There are plenty of mod chairs and chaise lounges for sunbathing, two wading pools, pop jets, and misters for cooling off, and deck games such as foosball for recreation.

Chill Spa for Teens

Guests ages 13 to 17 have the coolest spot on the ship to “chillax”: Chill Spa. Located inside Senses Spa & Salon on Deck 11, Chill Spa includes two treatment rooms with showers where teens can stress less and chill out with spa treatments designed just for them.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

At Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, aspiring young princess and knights become Disney royalty with the help of a fairy godmother-in-training. When the pirate deck party is on the evening schedule, the space transforms into The Pirate League, where young sailors can unleash their inner buccaneer with a piratical makeover.

Editor’s Note: Disney Cruise Line provided a complimentary cruise on the Disney Dream with special media-specific events, including tours of the youth spaces. However, as always, the thoughts and opinions about Disney Cruise Line contained in this article are entirely our own.