Hi Elizabeth!
I am so excited that you will be going on a Disney Cruise Line vacation coming up! I know you and your family will have just the best time and make some of the most special memories while onboard the Disney Dream and I am so very excited for you to experience it all.
As a mom of two littles, I totally understand your concern about the hustle and bustle of embarkation day and wanting to make it as calm of an entry as possible. On embarkation day in addition to Cabanas, one of the main dining rooms will be open for a seated lunch service. Check your Navigator to see which restaurant will be open and what hours they will be serving lunch.
Flo’s Cafe is also an option for food after you board the ship, but I will say that the pool deck is usually a pretty busy place on embarkation day. If going to the main dining room isn’t a good option for your Mouseketeer, I would recommend heading to your stateroom when it becomes available (usually around 1:30PM) and grabbing some quick serve from Flo’s and bringing it back to your stateroom to eat!
You may also want to consider choosing a later Port Arrival Time which will reduce wait times and all around busy-ness at the port before Guests are invited onboard. Then when you arrive at Port Canaveral for embarkation you will have little wait time (if any) to board and reduce some of the hustle and bustle of it all!
So much fun awaits you onboard but sometimes it can be a little much for everyone – adults included! So, when things get a little overwhelming, just retreat back to your
cozy stateroom and enjoy some down time! There will be plenty more opportunities for the fun later.
Happy Sailing!
Stephanie