Advice Needed: Dream or Wonder?

[Ntsmith05]

We are first time cruisers and really need your advice! I'm trying to decide between the Dream and Wonder for a 2015 Bahamian cruise. We can fly into MCO or MIA with no problem so the specific port isn't a huge concern. I like that the Dream is bigger and newer but we couldn't book a single room for 5. We were able to get a single room on the Wonder, but it's a smaller, older ship that hasn't been re-imagined. One plus for the Wonder is that it has an extra port in Key West, which would be nice. Here are some details about our reservations:


Our Family = Me, DH, baby, DS4, DS7

Dream
-Cat 8c (deluxe family ocean view w/ large porthole)
-2 connecting rooms (couldn't book a single room for 5)

Wonder
-Cat 4b (deluxe family oceanview w/ veranda)
-single room for 5


What are the biggest differences between the Dream and Wonder in terms of quality of cruising experience? I really appreciate any advice / opinions you can give me! We would like to move forward and make a final decision soon.

Thanks so much!

 

[cris0809]

I'd consider the connecting rooms a bonus, not a downfall. The extra space and bathroom is worth it.

Thinking Dream for your group since you have little ones that would benefit from the Nemo's Reef splash area.

Also if the Wonder itinerary doesn't have a sea day (you say KW so that leads me to believe it doesn't) I would DEFINITELY pick fhe Dream. Sea days are probably my favorite part of the cruise experience.

Hmm I'm not normally such a cheerleader for the Dream but it seems to really work for your case in my opinion.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Connecting rooms would be a definite plus. You would have a lot more storage space, plus the extra bathroom, and just more room to spread out, especially when your baby needs a nap and your 4-yr-old is in the room.

On the other hand, we're big fans of the classic ships -- the size of the Dream and Fantasy are just too much hiking to get from Point A to Point B.

Just to throw in another idea: did you check the price on connecting ocean view rooms on the Wonder?

 

[missyp]

I have done a 4 night Dream and a 5 night Wonder. I just booked another cruise on the wonder.

I love the smaller ship, as PP said much easier to get from point A to B. much better service all around. Less crowded at the pool. Less crowded in the kids clubs, much much better character experiences ( huge lines on the Dream), on the Dream we stayed away from the characters as the lines were too long and it didnt seem worth it to us, on the wonder the lines were shorter so we didnt mind the wait and we interacted with them just walking around the ship, we even rode the elevator with Mickey! We did not miss any of the bells and whistles of the Dream. Fyi we were on the Dream off peak and we were on the Wonder on Easter. We did not miss any of the bells and whistles of the dream. We were in a 4a ( same size as a 4b) certainly big enough for 5 especially with little kids.

You will have a great time whichever ship you choose, everyone on the boards has their favorite and most would say pick the one that has the itinerary and timing you are looking for

 

[Freesia123]

I'd go for cheaper then save to go again!

 

[Ntsmith05]

I'd consider the connecting rooms a bonus, not a downfall. The extra space and bathroom is worth it.

Thinking Dream for your group since you have little ones that would benefit from the Nemo's Reef splash area.

Also if the Wonder itinerary doesn't have a sea day (you say KW so that leads me to believe it doesn't) I would DEFINITELY pick fhe Dream. Sea days are probably my favorite part of the cruise experience.

Hmm I'm not normally such a cheerleader for the Dream but it seems to really work for your case in my opinion.

Yes the connecting rooms are a bonus but it's much more expensive than a single room on the Dream would have been. I'd like to save money for excursions, photos, etc. I didn't even think about not having a day at sea on the Wonder!!! Great point! I'll discuss this with my DH for sure. Thanks

 

[Ntsmith05]

Connecting rooms would be a definite plus. You would have a lot more storage space, plus the extra bathroom, and just more room to spread out, especially when your baby needs a nap and your 4-yr-old is in the room.

On the other hand, we're big fans of the classic ships -- the size of the Dream and Fantasy are just too much hiking to get from Point A to Point B.

Just to throw in another idea: did you check the price on connecting ocean view rooms on the Wonder?

I've heard classic ships are nice because it's a lot less crowded. I didn't think about looking into connecting rooms on the wonder! Fantastic idea!! Our single room on the Wonder is much less than the connecting rooms on the Dream. Hopefully connecting rooms on the Wonder will still be less than the Dream. We shall see! Thanks!!!

 

[Ntsmith05]

I have done a 4 night Dream and a 5 night Wonder. I just booked another cruise on the wonder.

I love the smaller ship, as PP said much easier to get from point A to B. much better service all around. Less crowded at the pool. Less crowded in the kids clubs, much much better character experiences ( huge lines on the Dream), on the Dream we stayed away from the characters as the lines were too long and it didnt seem worth it to us, on the wonder the lines were shorter so we didnt mind the wait and we interacted with them just walking around the ship, we even rode the elevator with Mickey! We did not miss any of the bells and whistles of the Dream. Fyi we were on the Dream off peak and we were on the Wonder on Easter. We did not miss any of the bells and whistles of the dream. We were in a 4a ( same size as a 4b) certainly big enough for 5 especially with little kids.

You will have a great time whichever ship you choose, everyone on the boards has their favorite and most would say pick the one that has the itinerary and timing you are looking for

These are all very, very good points! My kids LOVE all the character interaction at WDW and would be disappointed if they didn't get the same while on the ship. We used touring plans for WDW so we never waited in line long to see characters. Everything was well planned and stress free!

 

[Ntsmith05]

I'd go for cheaper then save to go again!

Lol! You sound just like my DH! He thinks we should go on the wonder because it's cheaper, smaller and a good starter cruise for newbies. I can't help but think of how awesome that large porthole with window seat would be on the Dream! Plus I always think newer is better although I know that isn't necessarily true!

 

[mlayton14]

Lol! You sound just like my DH! He thinks we should go on the wonder because it's cheaper, smaller and a good starter cruise for newbies. I can't help but think of how awesome that large porthole with window seat would be on the Dream! Plus I always think newer is better although I know that isn't necessarily true!

We sailed on the reimagined magic in off season and the lines and crowds were not short at all , 45 minutes to see princesses even while ship was in port , the pool areas were claustrophobic but that's probably the case on all the ships. I would go with the newer ship.

 

[snarfieca]

Wonder fan here. We've only sailed on the Wonder and so are biased. The crew are awesome, very friendly.

Brenda
from MB

 

[katiefried]

I haven't been on the Wonder to compare but just got off the Dream. What swimming/water options would be available for the baby on the Wonder? My DS3 isn't potty trained so Nemo's Reef absolutely made the cruise for him! He had so much fun splashing around and barely even noticed the pool that he wasn't allowed to swim in. Just something to keep in mind if you think the baby would like it, I'm not sure what they have on the Wonder.

 

[RHSTigerMom]

We've done both the Dream (Dec 2012) and the Wonder (April 2014) and we love the Wonder! It's smaller and more intimate. A big plus, like a PP said, it's not a long hike from Forward to Aft.

 

[Goofydisneyfan]

We have been on both ships - I would take the wonder also !
Just with teens who loved the vibe more on the larger ships, we would prefer the smaller ones.

 

[MPS516]

We have done both and agree with all Wonder positives. While some people like the grandour of a larger ship, we find everything on the classic ships to be to our liking. The biggest and most important difference to us is the service. The staff of the Wonder consider her their home and treat us like a special invited guest. Never, never have we been disappointed with the service. Dream just felt less personal.
.

 

[ptcbass]

We just got off the Dream for our first cruise and it was great! We really really enjoyed it and thought the ship was so beautiful. Since it is your first cruise and you really don't have anything to compare it to go with the one that will work best for your budget and family. You won't be disappointed either way!

 

[holula]

We have sailed the Wonder twice and the Dream twice.

The Dream was much more crowded, frantic and rushed. The Wonder has less people and was definitely less crowded in the pool area and has shorter character lines. I love KW but I also love sea days so they cancel each other out. PC is a nicer terminal than MIA. We found that the service on the Wonder is better and more personal than the Dream. The MDRs are not as crowded on the Wonder.

The Wonder is really your last chance to see a "classic ship" before she is reimagined in the future. She is my favorite ship and would never hesitate to recommend her.

 

[dclwonderprincess]

We've sailed the Wonder twice & Dream once. The Dream is beautiful; however, much more crowded. I missed the service level of the Wonder. I would gladly cruise any of the DCL ships but for a first cruise I would recommend the Wonder.

 

[zoom8942]

I have been on both, and my vote is for the Dream. I did not notice a difference in crowds, and We actually had better wait staff( and exccellent roome attendant) on the Dream. Really it's hit or miss on staff regardless of the ship. Your young kids will LOVE NEMOs reef. I found DS,2 at the time, didn't have anything to do on the Wonder. My Neice and nephew who were 1.5 had much more fun a couple years later on the Dream. We never felt crowded or rushed. Rode Aquaduct several times. Both cruises were in the summer.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Definitely the Dream. Better storage in rooms, better food because the Wonder doesn't have the kitchen space that the Dream has, therefore food quality suffers. Love Cabanas. No difference in crowds, more people, but more space EXCEPT on Castaway Cay. Beach will be more crowded with the Dream. Dream has more ice cream options!

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