After three consecutive cruises aboard the Fantasy, would the Wonder be ...

[anricat]

Sounds like you value my opinion and want to hear more!! while we can have a good time anywhere, there is significantly more to do on the larger ships. We never find ourselves "looking" for things to do on the dream or fantasy... unlike on the smaller ships. Our kids are absolutely not as excited about the smaller ships. They havr told us they would rather go to a theme park than the smaller ships. They love the large waterslide, golf, detective agency, superior kids clubs, etc. If you look at disney marketing almost all is on the larger ships. Obviously everything I write on here is my opinion!! I am sure there are folks with other opinions on this topic. That's a great thing!

This is a much more informative answer. Thank you for expanding.

It's funny about the kid's club, my daughter liked the club on the Magic much more than on the Dream. I think perhaps she felt overwhelmed with the bigger club. I think it does come down to the personality of the child.

 

[tidefan]

Are you going to Castaway Cay? If so, you'll find the experience immensely better on the Wonder than the Fantasy...

 

[traveln4fun]

We've sailed on the Wonder 5 times and just got off of the Fantasy on June 4 and we both agreed that the Wonder felt like home. We found the Fantasy to be crowded and Castaway Cay was much more crowded than when we cruise on the Wonder but we would gladly take the Fantasy again. Try the Wonder, you might surprise yourself. I think any Disney ship is an experience of a lifetime. Enjoy!

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Thank you each and every one ... your opinions have been quite helpful. Good to know about the recent cabin refurbishments ... it's been many years since we've cruised on a smaller ship ... we are currently looking at the Anthem of the Seas for a Canada/New England itinerary but the opportunity to spend two weeks on a Disney cruise through the Panama canal is also very alluring ... with both itineraries ones we have yet to experience.

We did take a look at the Canada/New England one aboard the Disney Magic but the fares are unbelievably high for a 7-day so we had to rule that one out especially with the CAN/US exchange rate. I know it'll be different if we decide non-Disney ... I still remember a few years ago when we stayed at PORS for a week followed by a B2B aboard the Fantasy ... when we spent a week at Universal right after the B2B, it was quite a shock to experience the difference believe me.

But the allure of Disney service, rotational dining, Animator's Palette, Disney theatre and movies, FE's, Castaway Cay and the cabanas if you are so fortunate (no CC on Panama Cruise itinerary ) ... if only DCL offered rates at par ...

 

[hanscarlet]

I was worried going from the Dream to the Wonder and I was pleasantly surprised and booked my next cruise on the Magic as a result. The Wonder was our first kids club experience and after been on the Magic, the club on the Wonder would have been a disappointment because the Magic's refurb was wonderful!... also I will say we loved the AP refurb on the Magic.... and all that being said, there's just something special about the wonder, hard to put my finger on it but I just love that ship!

 

[missyp]

a "bit" less enjoyable due to its smaller size and things to do ...

I know that the Wonder is due for dry dock renos this year so quite a few of the venues will be updated etc ... but any opinions on the differences between the cabins aboard the Wonder vs the Fantasy ...

• are the bathrooms smaller?
• is there an indoor-movie theatre like the Buena Vista on the Fantasy?
• does the Wonder offer a scooter parking area similar to the one aboard the Fantasy?
• are the range of adult activities offered similar as we will not be travelling with any children
• are the cabins also scheduled for refurbishment during dry dock ...

Thanks for any info!

The Wonder is our favorite ship by far!

-I think the bthrooms in the cabins are bigger on the Wonder, I believe there is more counter space, but that could vary by room category. We have only stayed in 4a's on all our cruises
-there is a buena vista theater
- not sure about scooter
- comparable adult activities
- the cabins were just re-done last year, they are beautiful!

Warning-you may never want to go back to a big ship after you are on the Wonder, much more intimate experience. We were just on the Fantasy after 3 cruises on the Wonder, I wouldn't say I was disappointed with the Fantasy, but I still prefer the Wonder by far

 

[mlayton14]

If you want to get a more unbiased feel for the numbers on a much larger scale than a few posters on here , many more people "loved" the fantasy than the wonder according to cruise critic based on many hundreds of reviews. I haven't sailed the wonder but have sailed the reimagined magic and the fantasy, no way our family would sail the magic again if we could sail the fantasy for the same itinerary. The fantasy was just better on all fronts. Bigger, newer, better themed, more places to go, etc.

That being said we would consider the smaller ships for special itinerary because you have the same service , good shows etc

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Personally, I prefer the shows on the Wonder/Magic over the shows on the Fantasy/Dream.

I find the Fantasy/Dream too big. We prefer a "smaller" ship. It has a much more small town feel about it. I like being able to recognize others onboard during the cruise.

Don't think any of the ships are "better themed" than any of the others. Each ship is unique. Although, I agree getting rid of the Chihuly chandelier on the Magic was a mistake. And I like the variety of the Main Dining Rooms on the Magic/Wonder (1 more fancy - Lumiere's/Triton's; 1 more casual - Animator's Palate; and one more middle of the road - Parrot Cay/Carioca's). On the Fantasy/Dream there seems to be 2 more fancy and 1 less so. Added to that the size of the MDRs on the Dream/Fantasy are so much bigger, with the tables sooooo close together, I much prefer the smaller ones on the Magic/Wonder.

All that being said, I think a cruise on any Disney ship is a good experience. But purely subjective as to whether one ship is better than another.

 

[Agent 86]

I've only been on two cruises - three nights on Fantasy and seven nights on Wonder.

Obviously the longer stay could be influencing my answer, but I probably preferred the Wonder. It was nice being able to learn the layout of the ship within a couple of days and not needing to consult a map before heading off to a restaurant, activity, etc.

But, I was a little disappointed by the evident "wear and tear" on the Wonder. Not very disappointed, but still a little surprised that the stateroom seemed to be in rough shape and furniture, etc in public areas also needed repairs or replacement (e.g. I noticed one rug in a common area with very frayed edges and the chandelier in the atrium needed repairs). But, some of that could be due to the fact that the Wonder is getting a refurbishment soon.

 

[tnshsms]

As others have said, it depends on your family but for us, after cruising all 4 ships, we prefer the bigger ones. We like the additional items that the larger ships provide. And what's funny is I felt like the larger ships were less crowded feeling than the smaller ones. I felt like I was constantly having to step out of the way while in line for a character because someone needed to get past us or had to weave in and out of people to get to the stairs or hallways. With the ship being bigger I just didn't have the same issue on the larger ships. More places for people to be. BUT we enjoyed our cruises on the smaller ships and it wouldn't stop me from going on them again if its the right ports. We only did the wonder because it went to Alaska. I wouldn't have gone on it if it hadn't been to Alaska.

 

[RedSox68]

I've been on all four ships -- and while the new ships are sparkly and big and have a lot more bells and whistles and new technology (like the moving pictures and spy game), we still prefer the two classics. Yes, they are about half the size, but boy is it easier to get around and less people in line and to get off and on.Don't get me wrong, we loved our experiences on the Fantasy and Dream and thought the decor and layout was wonderful, but the classics were our first home and our very first cruises and they hold special significance. They still offer plenty of activities onboard and all the shows and first run movies, etc. The only difference really would be the restaurants (I don't think Animator's is as high tech as on the new ships -- unless they updated it). The rooms are pretty much the same except the new ships have huge seats in their large oceanview rooms.

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

One of the refurbishments coming for the Wonder is the conversion of Beach Blanket Buffet to Cabanas ... on the last Fantasy cruise, noticed that dinner at Cabanas is a set-menu ... I swear I thought it used to be buffet style for dinner on our previous cruises ... am I right?

 

[OKW Lover]

We've been on all four ships. The OP's specific questions have been well answered above. To the question of the ship being less enjoyable because of its size we would say no, that's not at all the case. Once you get over the fact that its not the Fantasy (i.e. you stop saying we used to do this on the Fantasy) you'll quickly start appreciating the features of the classic ships. Many appreciate that there are fewer people on the classic ships as compared to the Dream-class ships.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

We have been on the Magic three times (pre-refurb), the Fantasy twice and the Wonder once. I had no problem going back to a "classic" after being on the Fantasy. IMHO, the only things the Fantasy has over the classics are the Aqua Duck, the Midship Detective Agency, Cabanas, and the on-demand movies in your room. But the classics have a more segregated adult area (too many families and kids passing through the one on the Fantasy, IMO), much larger adult pool (that you can actually swim in), and fewer people (which equals easier time boarding and disembarking, and at Castaway Cay). Our next cruise will be back on the Magic to check out the changes there.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

One of the refurbishments coming for the Wonder is the conversion of Beach Blanket Buffet to Cabanas ... on the last Fantasy cruise, noticed that dinner at Cabanas is a set-menu ... I swear I thought it used to be buffet style for dinner on our previous cruises ... am I right?

No. The buffet (whatever it's called) has always (well, at least since we've been cruising on DCL) been a sit-down table service for dinner. EXCEPT on certain cruises, on specific nights with late port times. They serve a limited menu of selected items from the menus available that evening in the other dining rooms (so you don't really "skip" a menu by going there) plus a salad bar and carving station. And it's not open for dinner the first and last night of the cruise.

 

[sturner324]

I've been on the Wonder twice (CA coast & Hawaii) and Dream (Bahamas) once. I enjoyed both for different reasons. Fantasy is up next! I have them all on my bucket list.

I would say it depends on where you'll go on the Wonder? Many people (like me) end up on the wonder for its itinerary, and if that's important to you then I don't think you'd be disappointed. If you want to try it on its similar Bahamas/Caribbean area route that you've already done on the fantasy... then you may find some things less appealing. But maybe not. I say go for it! But I would go for one of the wonder's unique itineraries.

 

[Bear3412]

We prefer the larger vessels for all the bells and whistles, Aquaduck, newer feel, and other features.

I often point out in these threads the Dream Class vessels have a higher space ratio than the Classic ships.
Displacement divided by pax equals space ratio.

Magic Class 34
Dream Class 37

That's 3 tons of steel more per pax than the Magic Class.
Admittedly some of that is for crew and kitchens, but that's still a big # IMO.

Just sharing a technical observation.

Please enjoy either Class.

 

[xavier2001]

Our first cruise was on the Fantasy and we just got off the Wonder. Definitely the Wonder hands down. Its smaller, less crowded, more intimate. I didn't miss the bells and whistles at all. My kids spent way more time in the kids club on the Wonder, I think because it was not as crowded, they didn't miss the bells and whistles at all. I liked that by Day 2 everyone knew our name.

 

[Bear3412]

Our first cruise was on the Fantasy and we just got off the Wonder. Definitely the Wonder hands down. ....

This is significant because I have felt the first vessel sailed is often the preferred one.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We have been on the Wonder, the Fantasy, and then back to the Wonder. There are differences, yes, but were we disappointed when we boarded the Wonder after the Fantasy....absolutely not!

We did this also, just got off the wonder yesterday. Had a wonderful time and did not miss the fantasy at all. Adults and kids in our party had plenty to do, hardly any down time actually.