3rd cruise...Decisions

[BigTex1986]

Hi Everyone! DW and I have been on 2 previous DCL cruises, both the 7 day Merrytime cruises on the Wonder out of Galveston to the Bahamas, 2013 and 2015 (We are from Dallas). We are ready for a new itinerary. We love the Wonder but are curious about the Fantasy and the Magic. Aren't so much interested in the Dream, we like the 7-8 day itineraries. So questions..
-Is Alaska worth the premium? (I know this is on the Wonder, but we like the itinerary).
-Fantasy 7 day Merrytime EC in 2017 or Magic 8 day from NY with a stop at PC for a day at WDW?
-Anyone ever used a TA to book, for OBC or discounts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Shanti]

Hi Everyone! DW and I have been on 2 previous DCL cruises, both the 7 day Merrytime cruises on the Wonder out of Galveston to the Bahamas, 2013 and 2015 (We are from Dallas). We are ready for a new itinerary. We love the Wonder but are curious about the Fantasy and the Magic. Aren't so much interested in the Dream, we like the 7-8 day itineraries. So questions..
-Is Alaska worth the premium? (I know this is on the Wonder, but we like the itinerary).
-Fantasy 7 day Merrytime EC in 2017 or Magic 8 day from NY with a stop at PC for a day at WDW?
-Anyone ever used a TA to book, for OBC or discounts?

Thanks in advance!

Never been to Alaska, but I would recommend the Fantasy EC over the Magic NY any day. Unless you're cruising in summer, the weather cruising out of Port Canaveral will be warmer than cruising out of New York. There will be more interesting ports (you can always add a WDW day at the beginning or end of your Fantasy cruise, since it sails from Port Canaveral). The Fantasy as a ship has more bells and whistles: Aqua Duck (rather than the super-short & somewhat scary Aqua Dunk that's on the Magic), Mid-Ship Detective Agency, miniature golf, sports simulators, on-demand Disney movies in all staterooms, magical portholes in the inside staterooms, Remy, and so on.

The only things that might tilt you toward the Magic would be if you're a big Marvel comics fan & it's a Marvel-themed sailing, if you like drop-down box waterslides, want a slightly larger inside stateroom, or put a premium on a less crowded ship or Castaway Cay. You really can't go wrong with a Disney cruise, though, so follow your own instincts. We loved our Disney Magic cruise.

I like having full control over my cruise bookings, so never use a TA, fyi.

 

[moosecrouse]

Magic will be very similar to the Wonder but will have the Marvel Day at Sea. If you're looking to try one of the newer larger ships then the Fantasy is the call. Have done NYC 2x and Eastern 1x and both itinerary are great.

 

[dragynally]

I'll be honest. If you don't live near NYC or love sea days the NYC 8 day cruise might not be a good choice. I live in NJ and adore sea days so I'm stoked to be on the November 18th cruise. The fantasy ec was my honeymoon and that was fabulous. A lot of fun stops.

 

[scootch]

Love the Fantasy and both the Eastern and Western itineraries. I would have some concerns about enjoying the pool deck on those October Magic sailings. Yes, have used TA for onboard credit.

 

[SDJEL]

We did the Alaska cruise on the Wonder a few years ago and absolutely loved it. Alaska was beautiful! We loved all the excursions. It was a great taste of a beautiful place and I'd love to go back and see more of Alaska. We've also done the EC on the Fantasy. That was wonderfully relaxing and was a whole different feel. I'd make the choice depending on what you are looking for in a vacation.

 

[jdb in AZ]

DCL's Alaska itinerary isn't the best -- if you're going to pay the premium price, it should include Glacier Bay. It's a national park with limited permits, and DCL hasn't been able to secure a permit. Princess and HAL have been cruising Alaska longer, and have a lot of the permits. Also, there's more to Alaska than just the tiny ports the ships visit. I would look for a one-way itinerary that begins or ends in Anchorage, then spend time in the interior, especially Denali.

And yes, we've used a travel agent who gives us great onboard credit, and reliable recommendations of pre/post cruise hotels in foreign countries. Otherwise we would book our own cruises.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts to consider for Alaska....

• You will be missing Glacier Bay with DCL
• You may be paying double or triple the cost compared to other cruise lines sailing that same week without the pixie dust.
• Are you happy with a 7 day return
• There is a late July special sailing that offers a 9 day, following by a 5 day abbreviated trip. I recommend 7 days or longer.

 

[Lunarias]

Alaska was my first cruise ever and it spoiled me, honestly, nothing compares. I second the notion of Glacier Bay, it really is spectacular, the whole day going in and out of the fjord is breathtaking. You can see the coast the entire cruise so the scenery is unmatched. (bring binoculars ) The ports are fabulous , but it really does feel like a tease, if you can, adding a few days to explore the interior would be immensely worthwhile and is on my list when we go back (hoping for next year). So my vote is soundly Alaska , but not for DCL :/ no matter what, have wonderful vacation !

 

[rwthompson82]

We are from the Toronto area and chose NY partially because of flight times/cost, but mostly because it gives us a reason to go to NYC again. A couple of days before and after And you have an amazing trip with 3-4 days in NYC, a day at WDW, and a day at CC, plus 4 days to sit back and relax.

We really loved sailing on the re-imagined Magic, and we are looking forward to Tangled the musical.

 

[apple9117]

We've been on the Wonder, Dream and Fantasy. We LOVE the Dream and Fantasy. The newer ships have a much different and bigger feel than the Wonder.

 

[Aby]

We've taken 3 cruises to Alaska with DCL so as you can tell, we absolutely love it and we would do it again in a heartbeat. We also love the Wonder!

Aby

 

[saxmangeoff]

We've taken 3 cruises to Alaska with DCL so as you can tell, we absolutely love it and we would do it again in a heartbeat. We also love the Wonder!

We are taking our 2nd DCL Alaska cruise next year. Some friends looking at our photos from our trip asked if we'd do it again. We gave the same answer as you -- "in a heartbeat." They said, "How about with us?" So, we're taking some friends!

 

[BigTex1986]

Thank you all for your responses and opinions. I think we are going to go with a Princess Cruise for Alaska in 2018, and do the NY Merrytime cruise in November 2017 and stay for a couple of nights before the cruise. Happy vacationing everyone!