Classic v larger (dream class?) ships

michellekcm · Jul 1, 2015

All of our DCL cruises (5) have been on the Classic ships. We are starting to plan our next cruise, and are wondering about maybe trying the Dream or the Fantasy. However, I'm a bit apprehensive about moving to a larger ship. I'm not really sure what I'm worried about - that's it's too big, too many people, a more "party" ship...it's just a general feeling of being unsure.

So - just wondering what people who cruised the Classic ships first and then the larger ones thought. Was it "too big" after the Classics? Any advice? Thanks.

DISNEYFAN3260 · Jul 1, 2015

I cruised on the Wonder four times before sailing on the Dream and Fantasy. Now I don't want to go back to the classics because I LOVE the bigger ships! They seem more open to me and I notice the motion much less. IMO, they feel the same otherwise - no more "party like." They're just as magical!

mlayton14 · Jul 1, 2015

Same boat as you, only sailed the magic and quite frankly thrilled to try the fantasy. Seems like so much more to do, the dining rooms seem much more Disney level theming , the aquaduck, golf, detective agency, etc. More people yes, but a MUCH larger ship. If it's worth anything cruise critic reviews from hundreds of people gave fantasy a 96% "loved it" rating, far higher than the classics who are in the 70s and 80s %.

sharksfinatic17 · Jul 1, 2015

We went on the Wonder first, then the Fantasy, and just last week off the Wonder. I would say there are differences, but they aren't negative. I wouldn't hesitate to go on the Fantasy again, but I would really like to go on the Magic some day. Not that interested in the Dream, but that is because of the shorter cruises.

asunutgirl · Jul 1, 2015

We've been on all four ships and love them all. But I am partial to the Dream and Fantasy now. Love the AquaDuck. The mid-ship detective agency is a blast for the kids. I really wasn't bothered by the extra people. I say - go for it!

DisneySisters · Jul 2, 2015

I haven't been on the Dream yet, but loved all the other ships. Although the big ships do have pizazz, I am kind of partial to the classics. Just because they seem more intimate.

Flossbolna · Jul 2, 2015

I have done two cruises on the Wonder first, then one cruise on the Fantasy and finally one cruise just last month on the Magic. I really can't say which of these ships I liked best. I think both the classics and the Fantasy had their advantages and disadvantages. I never found the Fantasy to be too crowded or the distances too far (even though our stateroom was all the way forward). The only two things where I felt that the size of the Fantasy had a negative impact for my enjoyment was Cabanas (it is just so large and seems to go on for ever and at the same time every time we were there, it was really crowded) and deck 4 as it is deeper than on the classics, so if you are sitting in a deck chair there, you are further away from the water. But at the same time there are other areas where the size was a plus. I especially loved the atrium that had a lot of seating and the Vista Cafe. I really enjoyed having a coffee there and watch what is going on in the atrium.

Give the new ships a try! There is plenty to like about them, even if you end up preferring the classics.

jdb in AZ · Jul 2, 2015

Different strokes -- you need to try both sizes and decide for yourself.

Some people prefer the classics. Others prefer the larger newer ships. The Fantasy is very modern with all the bells and whistles. And more people, so I especially noticed the noise factor of more screaming kids. And it takes much longer to hike from one end of the ship to the other. Besides, the Magic and Wonder have much better itineraries.

Kelly Gutierrez · Jul 2, 2015

I would say there are differences, but they aren't negative.

com_op_2000 · Jul 2, 2015

Different feel to all the ships even in the same class. I prefer the classics but that is just me.

Jule · Jul 2, 2015

I've sailed on the Wonder 3 times, the Magic once (before the refurb) the Fantasy once and the Dream once.

Personally I prefer the smaller ships, only because there's less people. As someone mentioned there is more noise on the larger ships and if you like the character meet and greets the queues for photos are a lot longer on the bigger ships.

I will say that the larger ships do have a lot more choice when it comes to the merchandise though as there are a few more shops on the bigger ships.

I'd suggest trying them out and seeing which you like the best

mevelandry · Jul 2, 2015

michellekcm said:
All of our DCL cruises (5) have been on the Classic ships. We are starting to plan our next cruise, and are wondering about maybe trying the Dream or the Fantasy. However, I'm a bit apprehensive about moving to a larger ship. I'm not really sure what I'm worried about - that's it's too big, too many people, a more "party" ship...it's just a general feeling of being unsure.

I haven't tried a classic ship yet (Startd with the Dream and will try the Wonder in march)... But I experienced my first cruise on a sold out Dream. The only moment it felt crowded was on Nassau day in the Quiet Cove, the adult only pool was full and we couldn't find a seat. But that was the only place that felt crowded during all trip.

The restaurants were at max capacity (except Palo and Remy those were really quiet I highly recommend) but it was ok. The spa was empty.

I would invest in a room with a balcony, just in case, for more privacy.

Castaway Cay was a bit crowded but everybody had chairs and serenity bay was half-empty.

tidefan · Jul 2, 2015

Castaway Cay is the biggest difference. It's fine on the Dream/Fantasy, but the difference is noticeable on the Magic. You can get a chair pretty much anywhere, anytime.

Other than that they both have their pluses and minuses. We really liked Satellite Falls and Cabanas on the Fantasy, however, we liked the bigger rooms on the Magic, though all are fine...

RebelHawk · Jul 2, 2015

Our first cruise was on the Wonder for an Alaska sailing. We loved the ship and quickly learned our way around. Our second cruise was on the Dream and we didn't come close to finding all the nooks and crannies by the end of our three night sailing. We have already booked two more sailings on the Dream so we will have it mapped out soon.

As far a preference between the two I would give the nod to the larger Dream over the classic Wonder. There is just more room for people to spread out and more options to keep you busy. Also the dedicated concierge areas on the larger ships is very nice and almost makes the justification for the extra cost of concierge justifiable (almost).

Fluffypants · Jul 2, 2015

I prefer the Classic ships, but I don't "dislike" the larger ships. They are still great.
And I know plenty of people who prefer the larger ships over the classics.
There's only one way to find out which you prefer, and that's to give them a try! I am sure you won't be sorry!

BuzzLightyearInTampa · Jul 2, 2015

We cruised on the Magic (before the "re-imagining") 3 times before we tried the Fantasy. Then we did Alaska on the Wonder. I had the same apprehensions about the larger ships the OP has so I booked a balcony room on the Fantasy (we had always done inside staterooms before and the Fantasy has a much smaller price difference between an inside and a balcony), with the idea that if I disliked the rest of the ship, at least I'd have my own balcony to hang out on. Well, we loved the Fantasy. It is much bigger, but it still has that same DCL "feel" we always loved about the Magic. The on-demand movies in your stateroom, the setup of Cabanas (vs. Topsiders on the Magic or Beach Blanket Buffet on the Wonder), the Aquaduck, and the Midship Detective Agency are all definite improvements over the classics. However, I'd still give the edge to the classics with the adult pool, the gym (love the view out the front of the ship and the dry sauna in the locker room on the classics, while the Fantasy only had a steam room in the locker room), and how un-crowded Castaway Cay is now with the expansion to support the bigger ships. We also loved the Wonder after taking the Fantasy. I'm a little iffy on trying the Magic now, but I wouldn't hesitate to re-book a cruise for either the Wonder or Fantasy, in fact we're booked for next April on the Fantasy (Western Caribbean) but will most likely look into booking the Wonder again after that.

ahain · Jul 2, 2015

Prior to our June, 2016 Alaska cruise on the Wonder, we had only been on the Dream & Fantasy. We have not yet sailed on the Magic, so the Wonder is our only classic ship reference point. Although we really enjoyed our cruise on the Wonder and would (will) certainly sail on the classic ships again, we find that our favorite ship is the Fantasy. Granted, there are pluses and minuses to both sizes - for example, for us on the plus side was the Wonder was much more "intimate," it was quicker to get from one end of the ship to the other, and we really liked Parrot Cay dining room...on the minus side, the atrium was MUCH smaller and less "grand" feeling, the elevators were MUCH smaller, the shops were smaller, Animator's Palette was a bit disappointing compared to the same dining room on the Dream/Fantasy, we prefer the adult area "up front and up top" like on the Dream/Fantasy, and we didn't like the "buffet line" compared to the food stations on the Dream/Fantasy.

tidefan · Jul 2, 2015

ahain said:
Prior to our June, 2016 Alaska cruise on the Wonder, we had only been on the Dream & Fantasy. We have not yet sailed on the Magic, so the Wonder is our only classic ship reference point. Although we really enjoyed our cruise on the Wonder and would (will) certainly sail on the classic ships again, we find that our favorite ship is the Fantasy. Granted, there are pluses and minuses to both sizes - for example, for us on the plus side was the Wonder was much more "intimate," it was quicker to get from one end of the ship to the other, and we really liked Parrot Cay dining room...on the minus side, the atrium was MUCH smaller and less "grand" feeling, the elevators were MUCH smaller, the shops were smaller, Animator's Palette was a bit disappointing compared to the same dining room on the Dream/Fantasy, we prefer the adult area "up front and up top" like on the Dream/Fantasy, and we didn't like the "buffet line" compared to the food stations on the Dream/Fantasy.

If you sail the Wonder and Magic now, you will find that they are very, very different since the Magic's refurb. The Magic ditched Topsiders and put in a version of Cabanas. Also, the Magic gutted Studio Sea and redid that area to be identical to the D Lounge on the bigger ships. The Oceaneers Club and Lab were overhauled and the Club entrance was moved from the Atrium to the hallway.

Parrot Cay was remade into Carioca's (visually better, but food a push...) and Animator's Palate was upgraded so that it has the same shows as the Dream/Fantasy. On deck, the main waterslide got a big upgrade with the new Twist-n-Spout slide and they added the Aquadunk trapdoor slide.

To us, the Magic is right there with the Fantasy as our favorite...

jlynch924 · Jul 2, 2015

I don't know if I'm just unusual, but I don't really prefer one over the other. I'm always just happy to be on the cruise! We've been twice on Dream, and once each on Wonder and Magic. All of the ships have something special and I can't say that I really notice that much of a difference in the amount of people (since the bigger boats also have more space, it isn't like any of them are particularly crowded).

MickeyD · Jul 2, 2015

I was very apprehensive to try one of the Dream class ships, since we had only sailed the Magic and Wonder numerous times, and I hate crowds. We sailed this last Feb on the Fantasy and I would say overall these are my thoughts on large vs classic: Fantasy is absolutely beautiful from bow to stern. Loved exploring everything from the public bathrooms (sounds weird but they are fabulous) to the various "hidden" corners of the ship. As others have said, the Fantasy and Dream have all the bells and whistles (and they play Disney songs! LOL), but along with that comes higher numbers of cruisers. I don't care what people say, you notice MORE people on this ship. Not all the time, but certainly around the pools, on deck 11 food areas, in the atrium before dinner and during character events, and even at dinner when winding through enormous dining rooms. Did I notice a huge influx of people all the time? No, we could get away from the crowds just as easily on the larger ship. We always found a seat at Cabanas, we were able to (somewhat) gracefully step over all the little ones flopping around on the floor in the atrium, and we always had a sunbed up on deck 13. As for Castaway Cay, we hung out at Serenity Bay and I did not notice any difference in the amount of people either on the beach or at the bar b que. So to answer your question (finally! ) did I think the Fantasy was too big after sailing the classics? No, not really, but do i think all the bells and whistles make it more appealing, no. Would I sail on her again, definitely, but only if the itinerary appealed to me. It was a nice change of pace over the smaller, older, ships. However, I am looking forward to sailing the Magic again to see the new make over. One more thing, on the smaller ships I noticed that we were able to bond better with the CM's. It was more impersonal on the Fantasy, not bad...we still had great Disney service, but impersonal nonetheless.

Classic v larger (dream class?) ships

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