Showing their age?

[MillbrookMom]

OK, I'm hoping someone here can answer my question. If you were on either ship back in the early days 1998 -2000 and you've been on again recently...do you think the ships are showing their age at all? I suspect DCL probably does a good job keeping things updated during drydock....but are we going to be at all disappointed because this is an "older" ship compared to some of the new ones other lines have brought out in recent years.

 

[LindaBabe]

but are we going to be at all disappointed because this is an "older" ship compared to some of the new ones other lines have brought out in recent years.

No. It's classic, tastefully done, and beautiful.

 

[allears]

We have cruised 6 times in the Magic since 2002 and the ship always looks beautiful! We most recently sailed the week of 2/9/08. They do an awesome job of maintaining the ships, inside and out. I honestly can say we never notice a difference from one time to the next, they always look great.

 

[Joan1]

OK, I'm hoping someone here can answer my question. If you were on either ship back in the early days 1998 -2000 and you've been on again recently...do you think the ships are showing their age at all? I suspect DCL probably does a good job keeping things updated during drydock....but are we going to be at all disappointed because this is an "older" ship compared to some of the new ones other lines have brought out in recent years.

They are still in good shape, however, if you are comparing them to the new ship amenities some of these new cruise ships have you really can't. Disney really can't compare. Mostly because they are almost 10 years old. I am sure the new ships will offer a lot more

 

[MillbrookMom]

They are still in good shape, however, if you are comparing them to the new ship amenities some of these new cruise ships have you really can't. Disney really can't compare. Mostly because they are almost 10 years old. I am sure the new ships will offer a lot more

Not really asking about "extras". I totally get that the current Disney ships don't have all the "bells and whistles" that some of the newer ones do.....I was more concerned with whether or not the ships looked their age.

 

[mommasita]

I have been cruising DCL since 2003, and last sailed in Oct, and I think they do a marvelous job on upkeep and everything else. I honestly can not say anything has gone downhill in the 5 years we have been cruising.

 

[KensJen]

I think they have kept the ships in great condition. They look just as good as they did almost 10 years ago. I always look around the cabin, as I'm expecting the carpet or curtains or SOMETHING to look a bit older...but no, they never do. They must replace all of these things quite often or keep them really clean.

The ships do seem much smaller now, though...after seeing the newer RCL ships and others. But sometimes that is what I like about the Magic or the Wonder. I don't think you will be disappointed as long as you aren't looking for the wave pool, ice rink, rock climbing wall, etc etc.

 

[Jeanne B]

We cruised on the RCI Navigator in December which is only 3 or 4 years old and IMO the Wonder (only one we've been on) looks just as new as the Navigator, maybe newer.

 

[Deb T.]

We cruised both ships in their inaugural years (on The Magic in November 1998 and on The Wonder in October 1999) and as recently as The Magic in July 2007 and The Wonder in April 2007. The ships both have always looked clean and beautiful! The crew is constantly cleaning and repainting so the ships always look brand new.

 

[CraftyMouse]

We sailed on the Magic in 1999 and most recently in December. We sailed on the Wonder in 2000 and most recently in January. While the Magic really seems to have held up great, I thought that the Wonder showed a bit more wear and tear. Perhaps it is because it does the shorter trips and has more turnover in the staterooms.

That said, I don't think you'll be disappointed in the ships themselves. They are absolutely beautiful! They won't have some of the amenities that newer ships have but they do have a classic charm that is missing elsewhere.

 

[MCourtney]

Interesting.... I do think they are both in great shape considering their age, but I definitely thought the Magic showed its age more than the Wonder having cruised both in '07. The upcoming drydock for the Magic I think is timely, if not a bit late. Nothing really that bad, just things like carpet replacement (not just cleaning) in the main lobby areas, and other time consuming maintenance items. Magic also seems to have more rust issues on deck, at least to me. We were lucky enough to have the Walt suite during our Magic cruise and it needs things like countertop polishing, cabinet repair, verandah refurbishing - just some items that can't really be done in the few hours between cruises.

 

[Joan1]

We sailed on the Magic in 1999 and most recently in December. We sailed on the Wonder in 2000 and most recently in January. While the Magic really seems to have held up great, I thought that the Wonder showed a bit more wear and tear. Perhaps it is because it does the shorter trips and has more turnover in the staterooms.

That said, I don't think you'll be disappointed in the ships themselves. They are absolutely beautiful! They won't have some of the amenities that newer ships have but they do have a classic charm that is missing elsewhere.

I agree with most of this - I, however, disagree that the charm is missing elsewhere. If you look at the classic cruise ships like HAL, Celebrity, and Cunard you will find that charm there too

I agree you won't find the charm on NCL, Carnival or RCCL but that is not what they are about.

 

[n0pa]

I agree with others that Disney does an excellent job of keeping the ships looking beautiful. However, when we cruised in December, the magic started to show its wear from not going in dry dock (Railings need to be refinished, pool linings looked worn, carpet was stained, etc...). I don't believe these things took away from the experience, but it was noticed. I do worry that when we go in Sept the ship might really be in need of repair as that is the last cruise before the dry dock.

 

[Hygiene99]

I agree with others that Disney does an excellent job of keeping the ships looking beautiful. However, when we cruised in December, the magic started to show its wear from not going in dry dock (Railings need to be refinished, pool linings looked worn, carpet was stained, etc...). I don't believe these things took away from the experience, but it was noticed. I do worry that when we go in Sept the ship might really be in need of repair as that is the last cruise before the dry dock.

Come join us on the 5 night cruise meet thread.
We are also on deck 8 with you.
8530 I think!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1709991

 

[Steven41782]

I've only been on one cruise, but just wanted to add that we were amazed at how much maintenance was going on while we were on ship. We constantly saw people painting, cleaning, scrubbing everything. I don't think we ever went to the atrium when someone wasn't cleaning glass on the railing or in the elevator. They really keep the ship up and most no one would be disappointed with it.

 

[trekygirl26]

I think the ships always look great! I know that they replace carpet, deck boards, and other things on a pretty regular basis. Plus when you are on the cruise you will always see guys in yellow suites painting everything from the stacks, to the walls, to the deck. Also, whe you are docked, they repaint the outside of the ship. It's pretty cool to see. So, even though the ships are 10 years old, they keep them up very well and are constantly working on them!