Anxiety-does size of ships matter?

[lynnfitz]

Hi, we were going to go on the Disney Wish this August (never cruised before). My son started getting some anxiety about the crowds and room in restaurants etc. We usually do DVC so we're use to room. I had 3 days to decide if we wanted to cancel-at that time I'd loose the money for the insurance, but was still eligible for a full refund. I didn't want to take a chance and not cancel, then closer to the date his anxiety kicked in and we would loose a lot of $. Our feeling was we can always rebook if we decide to go again, DCL wasn't going anywhere.
So my question is-do you think the smaller ships would be a better option? We could sail from Ft Lauderdale or Port Canaveral. I thought also instead of summer months we could try more off season to help maybe with crowds. I see the Magic is available, the Dream is also available, but from what I read it's another large ship.
Then I also had read that The Wish was set up a little different than their previous ships, so maybe a different ship altogether would be better?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated! Just wanted to look at other options, if he is still uncertain, we'll just hold off, but it's funny, he does want to go but the anxiety kicks in and then he gets nervous.
Thank you!!

 

[Travel60]

You don't say how old your son is or if he has anxiety in other situations. Does he get anxious after WDW? I find cruising much more relaxing than WDW.

Perhaps try a short 3-4 day cruise and don't over plan. You don't have to do everything on the ship. I personally like the two smaller ships, the Magic and the Wonder. And yes, off-season is less crowded.

 

[Erica1016]

We have been on all the ships and (maybe in the minority) enjoyed the Wish. That being said, I do think the Wish felt more crowded than the ohter ships due to spaces just being smaller. The dining rooms are especially tight, in my opinion. If this is something that would bother him, I'd suggest one of the other ships.

I do not think you'd run into an issue of feeling particualrly crowded with people on any of the other four ships. Especially if you can travel at a less-peak time. We have sailed in mid-early May and early December and loved it.

 

[lynnfitz]

Ok thanks! He's an adult (30 years old). I think when we're at Disney, he said he know he can walk away if the crowds get to him. It's not a huge problem, but I didn't want to have us go and he'll feel uncomfortable. To be honest, even though we haven't ever cruised, I would think once he got on board he'd be ok-if I was going by my motherly gut reaction ,lol.
I know he still wants to try it, just thought if we "tweaked" the plans a bit, he might feel more comfortable going.

 

[Erica1016]

Ok thanks! He's an adult (30 years old). I think when we're at Disney, he said he know he can walk away if the crowds get to him. It's not a huge problem, but I didn't want to have us go and he'll feel uncomfortable. To be honest, even though we haven't ever cruised, I would think once he got on board he'd be ok-if I was going by my motherly gut reaction ,lol.
I know he still wants to try it, just thought if we "tweaked" the plans a bit, he might feel more comfortable going.

And he'll still have plenty of space to walk away and find "room to breathe". I think I would recomend one of the other ships besides the Wish, though. The dining room situation on that ship is CLOSE. Otherwise, I'm guessing he'll be fine! I hope it all works out and you all love it!

 

[nancipants]

I've never had a hard time getting away from crowds on a ship. The promenade deck usually is not crowded and is a great place to walk or relax on a lounge chair. During the day, the bars in the adult areas tend to be less crowded unless there's an activity going on. Plus, the nice thing about a cruise ship is you're never that far away from your room.

 

[Geomom]

Do you have a verandah room? We started cruising on DCLs smallest ships--Magic/Wonder, and were fine in an Oceanview. We chose a verandah for our Fantasy and Dream cruises as they're bigger ships with more people so that we'd have a private place outside if we felt crowded. If it was a child I'd probably suggest switching, but as an adult your son can basically walk to any adult spaces, back to room, etc if he feels anxious. Maybe ask these boards if anyone who has cruised the Wish knows of any quieter/less crowded spots on the ship that an adult can go to get away from crowds.

 

[Rex1993]

Just got off the Wish last week for our first time on DCL. I have no idea about the other DCL ships but I can say that the Wish felt packed. The restaurants and bars were like sardines. It sounds like this is an issue with the Wish more than the other ships so it sounds like you made the right choice. If he gets really anxious in crowds the last thing I would choose is a cruise.

 

[Erica1016]

Just got off the Wish last week for our first time on DCL. I have no idea about the other DCL ships but I can say that the Wish felt packed. The restaurants and bars were like sardines. It sounds like this is an issue with the Wish more than the other ships so it sounds like you made the right choice. If he gets really anxious in crowds the last thing I would choose is a cruise.

I have only ever felt that way on the Wish. On other DCL cruises, I felt there was plenty of space and plenty of places to wander to if it did feel crowded.

 

[lanejudy]

I don't know that it's specifically the size of the ship, but the layout of the Wish seems to result in a lot of reports of crowding. That ship has smaller spaces than the other ships and with a larger capacity. The MDRs in particular have been called out as very tight. So a different ship may be a better fit for your family.

That said... you say you are used to DVC and more room. Cruise staterooms are not large. Depending on what you typically book DVC, even the verandah staterooms may seem small. That said, there are usually quieter spots to be found onboard any of the DCL ships where he can get away from the hubbub and busy-ness.

 

[msmama]

Both my son and I have anxiety in crowds. I prefer the smaller ships. We're doing our first trip on the Dream this summer and I'm a little nervous about the bigger ship being more crowded, honestly (but it's the Transatlantic so hopefully fewer people means it feels less crowded?).

I also think itinerary can make a difference, along with the things you like to do. If you're a pool person and want to be on the pool deck, if you're doing, say, a Bahama's cruise, it's going to be pretty crowded on the pool deck. I've never done Bingo, but it looks like there are a lot of people that like to do that. Sometimes certain trivia's can get packed (depending on where on the ship they're done).

Off season will definitely help, as will picking "non-themed" cruises (Xmas, Halloween, Marvel, SW, Pixar days at sea for example). The themed cruises often have events which cause people to congregate. However, one thing I will note about off season cruises, in my experience, is that they tend to have more adults, so sometimes the adult areas get a little more crowded.

But I've never been able to NOT find a place to escape and feel comfortable away from people.

 

[warrenz1963]

I thought I would throw my hat in the ring here, as I live with anxiety. I will be sailing on the Fantasy in October, and am worried about the same issues, but have been reassured by my nephew (who works on the Fantasy!) and others that there are plenty of spaces on the ship to get away to. I also have the advantage of taking mild medication (better living thru chemistry!) to help with stressful situations. It might be worth talking to your doctor about possible short-term assistance. I hope you find a solution that works for you!

 

[Erica1016]

I thought I would throw my hat in the ring here, as I live with anxiety. I will be sailing on the Fantasy in October, and am worried about the same issues, but have been reassured by my nephew (who works on the Fantasy!) and others that there are plenty of spaces on the ship to get away to. I also have the advantage of taking mild medication (better living thru chemistry!) to help with stressful situations. It might be worth talking to your doctor about possible short-term assistance. I hope you find a solution that works for you!

He's not wrong, there were so many places to get away to on the Fantasy in May. DH (dobball23) mentioned that you said Warren was your nephew - he was great and won't steer you wrong!

 

[warrenz1963]

He's not wrong, there were so many places to get away to on the Fantasy in May. DH (dobball23) mentioned that you said Warren was your nephew - he was great and won't steer you wrong!

Thank you so much for passing along the compliment, I will let him know!

 

[lynnfitz]

Thanks everyone! What a supportive group of Disboard folks, really appreciate it! I thought the Wish might not have been the best choice from what I read of how it is set up. We were only going to do 4 nights. We also realize the areas that would be crowded. I know I read even the Wish's gift shop is tight. We'll revisit it-look at more off season, and I think I would actually prefer a smaller ship myself. We did have a room with a verandah booked on the Wish, I would definitely get the same type of room if we move forward with this. We went through getting passports and I had been reading this cruise board since we had booked this past winter. We'll start checking out videos, I think the Magic sails from Florida. Thank you all so much!

 

[lynnfitz]

Thanks everyone! What a supportive group of Disboard folks, really appreciate it! I thought the Wish might not have been the best choice from what I read of how it is set up. We were only going to do 4 nights. We also realize the areas that would be crowded. I know I read even the Wish's gift shop is tight. We'll revisit it-look at more off season, and I think I would actually prefer a smaller ship myself. We did have a room with a verandah booked on the Wish, I would definitely get the same type of room if we move forward with this. We went through getting passports and I had been reading this cruise board since we had booked this past winter. We'll start checking out videos, I think the Magic sails from Florida. Thank you all so much!

 

[lynnfitz]

So I just checked, looks like Dream and Magic sail from Florida-suggestions of which ship would be a better choice??

 

[Calantha]

So I just checked, looks like Dream and Magic sail from Florida-suggestions of which ship would be a better choice??

The Magic is smaller. When we were on it a few weeks ago, it didn't ever feel too crowded. To me though, it feels old, and I prefer the Dream/Fantasy. For the slightly larger ships, I think there are a lot of nooks and crannies to go hang out in where it might not be too busy depending on the time of day.

 

[Erica1016]

I don't think either will matter (Dream/Magic) for what your concerns are. We prefer the Dream-class, but lots of people love the smaller ships.

 

[Marthasor]

My DS has an anxiety disorder and has done better on the smaller ships - the Magic is our favorite- smaller, less crowded-feeling, easy to navigate. The Dream was a little overwhelming for him. I went on the Wish in October and there is no way I would take him on that ship - it was an overcrowded nightmare.

You may even want to consider other lines. Windstar is a super quiet, low-key experience. For a mass market line, consider Celebrity.