If you can dream it , you can do it ! - Walt Disney .

Gaynor Burgess on 28 October 2013
I was lucky enough to be invited by Disney Cruise Line to a spectacular VIP trip to Orlando and cruising the Bahamas on board "The Disney Dream" cruise ship. It all seems like a "dream" now - pardon the pun, we were well and truly spoilt.

After a 9 hour flight on award winning airline Virgin Atlantic, I was whisked by private transfer straight to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Waiting to greet us was none other than "Woody and Buzz”, here I watched "Fantasmic" - a spectacular night time firework show. After having a couple of rides on Rock and Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror (a must do) we headed to The Disney's Caribbean Beach hotel for the night.

It was an early start the next day as the beautiful Disney Dream was waiting for us to board in Port Canaveral, ready to set sail to The Bahamas and Disney's own private island Castaway Cay. On the ship I was immediately blown away by the grand atrium, I knew then that a 5 star experience was awaiting.

I was given a full tour of the ship and wow she is a beauty. There are numerous restaurants, bars, Walt Disney Theatre, two swimming pools and splash zone for toddlers. Not forgetting the world's first coaster at sea - AQUA DUCK!

What surprised me most was the adult only areas - Private deck area with pool and swim up bar and a spa area with Jacuzzi’s. The District is an area of the ship dedicated to adults with bars such as "Pink" (where we had a pink champagne party) Evolution and Skyline. All these areas are to be taken advantage of whilst the kids are living it up in "The Oceaneers Club " an exclusive zone just for kids with fantastic security , so you have peace of mind that they are safe .

All of the staterooms are beautifully decorated, plenty of space for families up to 5 and 70% of the staterooms feature a balcony.

During the cruise, we visited Nassau in the Bahamas - you could see the famous hotel resort "Atlantis Paradise Island" as you are coming into port. In Nassau we did a snorkelling excursion and some shopping.

We also visited "Castaway Cay" Disney's own private island, exclusive to Disney's guests with plenty of activities. All of the restaurants and bars are included as part of the cruise and any purchases are charges to your ship board account. Here you can hire a bike, sunbathe on the fantastic beaches, use the kids facilities, perhaps have a massage by the sea or relax on the adult only beach called Serenity Bay.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CRUISE FOR ME WERE: FOOD-the dining experience is first class, you can dine in a different restaurant each night and have you waiters move with you so they can get to know you. PALO - Adult only restaurant with a $20 cover charge, eating chocolate soufflé whilst watching the moon glisten on the sea. SHOWS - World class shows every evening , equivalent to Broadway and the West End.

It was finally time for the cruise to come to an end and we finished our trip by staying at Disney's Wilderness Lodge hotel, going to Magic Kingdom, Epcot and having a private dessert party with cocktails and drinks whilst watching Disney's Illuminations - Reflections of the earth! The evening was finished off by fisting Jellyrolls on Boardwalk - a lively piano bar with audience sing-alongs.

The day arrived when we needed to head back home but not before we had time to fit in a visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom where we had a safari and saw lots of animals. We then made our way to Disney's Typhoon Lagoon for a site visit and a spot of lunch followed by a trip to Downtown Disney to stock up on lots of Disney goodies and then on to the airport for the flight back to the UK .

I will never forget the Disney VIP trip - it really was amazing and will always be remembered in my "dreams".