I know this will probably seem like a stupid issue for most but it's important to me. We will probably be going on a 4-day cruise and destination is not an issue at all. I mainly just want the Disney experience since we have never sailed with Disney. We love DW but have yet to sail with Disney. I have read so many of the forums and I still can't decide on whether to try Magic or one of the newer larger ships. Since we have sailed on various sizes of ships in the past we actually prefer the larger ships. But in Disney's case, I understand that larger is not necessarily better. We would like to sail out of Galveston since that would be closer for us to drive. But as I have been reading here I have discovered that really a lot of people prefer the smaller ships but I also am discovering that many people prefer the MDR experiences on the larger ships. Again, we're in it for the overall Disney experience so with this in mind, would you stay with the Magic or go to the larger ships? We don't care about the Aqua Duck so that's not an issue. Just looking at the MDR. Hopefully I don't sound like a nutcase but I love the way Disney totally goes all out with their decor to create the perfect experience. I know some will say that since I haven't sailed Disney before that I wont be missing anything and that's true except for all the pictures that people post and they really have helped to put me in this dilemma. Please help me decide which way to go. I love totally immersion.
Thank You
OK, here's my take on this.
I have only been on the classic ships thus far, so I don't have first hand knowledge of the new ships.
Since you want cruise out of Galveston, that would mean the Magic or Wonder would be your only choices. As you said you don't particularly care about the AquaDuck, that works out.
I like the size of the classic ships. And, while we are planning on doing the Dream class ships in the near future, I'm nervous about having more people to deal with onboard.
As to the MDRs. I think the themeing in the MDRs on the new ships seems a bit too much the same. I mean on the classic ships each MDR is definately a different experience (AP - cartoony; PC - tropical; Trion's/Lumiere's - fine dining). On the new ships it seems that, other than AP, the other MDRs will have the same feel to them, more in the fine dining experience line.
Now the adult lounge area, I feel is going to be a better experience on the new ships. Except for the fact that there's no piano bar (a place DH & I tend to go on the classic ships nightly), there are more experiences available on the new ships.
I'm also worried about the size of the MDRs on the new ships. I understand that the rooms are larger, and the tables closer together. I feel that the tables on the classic ships are pretty close together to start with.
The staterooms on the new ships (while still larger than comparable rooms on other lines) are smaller than on the classic ships.
The adult pool area on the new ships has a less than ideal setup compared to the classic ships, and an elevator coming up in the middle of the buffet (new ships) seems a bit awkward to me.
All that said, the classic ships are older and don't have all the bells and whistles that the new ones do, no virtual porthole in the inside rooms. Fewer verandahs. No on demand movies (they do show movies in the rooms, but it's on a schedule). Buena Vista Theatre seats are uncomfortably close to each other (no knee room).