Benefits of 7 night cruise?

[orangecuse]

Hello!

We currently have a 5 night Magic and 7 night Fantasy we are debating between. I have heard some things are exclusive to longer sailings (7+). Could anyone shed light on what those benefits/activities are?

Bonus Q- what is your preferred ship between these too!

 

[Marc D]

The only thing I can think of that’s exclusive to a 6+ nights cruise is the ‘draw your character’ show in Animator’s palate. There used to be a reception for Gold/Platinum guests but not anymore unless you are a longer cruise.

I’ve done 4 cruises on each of those two ships. There are advantages to both, depending on the cruise theme (if any), the time of year, your group composition, etc. If you have young active kids, Fantasy could be a better choice because of the detective game and the Aquaduck, but Magic would be a better choice if they like Marvel and your cruise is a MDAS cruise. I would go for the longer cruise if given the choice, regardless of the ship.

 

[diablodancer]

The only added activities tend to be on cruises longer than 7 days (usually 10-14) with numerous days at sea. So this would generally be the Panama Canal, Hawai’i and Transatlantic sailings. Some of these routes have special guests (such as Disney voice actors or Broadway stars) who’ll do talks/performances, Q&As and signings or activities related to the destination (such as hula classes on the Hawai’i sailings or ‘swim the Panama canal’). You also get fun things like ship-wide hide and seek with the officers on the Panama Canal sailing which feels like being on a game show lol.

 

[Geomom]

Pre-covid, 7 nt or longer cruises had a free character breakfast that you could book. Caribbean cruises had Disney Jr characters while Europe and Alaska had Mickey/Minnie/Goofy/Pluto. As was already mentioned with a 7 nt cruise in Animators Palate, 1 nt you get to draw a character and see it animated,, the other night is Crush on the Fantasy or Sorcerer Mickey on the Magic/Wonder.

I have only been on the Wonder and Magic. I know there are more activities (mini golf, midship detective agency, etc) on the Fantasy, but it also has more people.

Generally longer is better, you have more time to learn where everything is on the ship and have more time to relax. No matter how long the cruise is, you never have the same menu twice in a restaurant. Longer cruises will have more variety entertainment. Both cruises would have their specific 3 stage shows.

 

[Cheburashka]

Hello!

We currently have a 5 night Magic and 7 night Fantasy we are debating between. I have heard some things are exclusive to longer sailings (7+). Could anyone shed light on what those benefits/activities are?

Bonus Q- what is your preferred ship between these too!

The biggest consideration is the itinerary. Castaway Cay is a huge attraction on DCL, and some of DCL's 4 and 5 night cruises out of Galveston don't go there. Imo if you're shelling out for a Disney cruise (that isn't going somewhere as special as Alaska or Europe), you should get a stop at Disney's wonderful private island, which really is a different experience from other Caribbean/Mexican/Bahamian ports. So if your prospective 5-night doesn't go to Castaway Cay, that makes the 7-night cruise a lot more attractive.

With the 7-night you traditionally get a character breakfast which imo isn't in the same league as the character breakfasts at Disney World or Disneyland: fewer characters, less character interaction (they made you stay seated even before Covid) & the food is middling at best (you'll get a much better breakfast at an MDR or Cabanas).

You also get to participate in Animation Magic at your second night at Animator's Palate, which is really cool. Your server will give you a template to draw & color a figure on, and then will take it away. Toward the end of dinner, a show on sections of the walls of Animator's Palate will combine traditional Disney cartoons & your figure, which will be moving and dancing. Every person at the table gets to make one- it's real Disney magic imo.

Other than that, it's mostly just the fact that 7-night cruises are two days longer, so you will have more time to spend doing activities onboard / at ports, or just relaxing. My son and I actually prefer 5 night cruises to 7 night cruises, unless it's a very special itinerary like Alaska, because I tend to get bored after about 5 nights and my son starts to get homesick. 5-night cruises are actually perfect for us. But others have different perspectives on this.

In answer to your other question, we prefer the Dream & Fantasy over the Magic & Wonder, due to more activities & features on the Dream class ships: Aqua Duck water coaster (Magic only has Aqua Dunk, which is a drop down slide that is too intense for many), Midship Detective Agency virtual scavenger hunt, magical portholes in inside staterooms, round tubs with rainfall showers in family staterooms, miniature golf, virtual sports & virtual golf, a view out to sea in the Rainforest Room & a hot tub in the Rainforest Room, satellite falls, a young kids' splash area, two family pools instead of just one, an upcharge sweets shop that is very good, etc. We've also had better service on the Dream class, but that isn't universal, probably just coincidence as quality of servers varies widely even on the same ship. Also, the Dream's Beauty and the Beast is the best show we've seen on DCL. The Magic's Tangled is in second place for us, though.

 

[jenmiller114]

We really enjoyed the Dream andFantasy but I would pick a classic ship (Magic or Wonder) any day of the week. I like the smaller size, the restaurants and shows better. But I will always pick 7 days over 5 days. The one exception would be if it was a Marvel cruise because that was probably one of the best cruises we have ever been on (and we love Marvel). As others mentioned you will miss the Animation Magic show on the 5 day and that would be disappointing because it is a fun show. But that is the only major difference, other than length of the cruise and itinerary.

 

[orangecuse]

The biggest consideration is the itinerary. Castaway Cay is a huge attraction on DCL, and some of DCL's 4 and 5 night cruises out of Galveston don't go there. Imo if you're shelling out for a Disney cruise (that isn't going somewhere as special as Alaska or Europe), you should get a stop at Disney's wonderful private island, which really is a different experience from other Caribbean/Mexican/Bahamian ports. So if your prospective 5-night doesn't go to Castaway Cay, that makes the 7-night cruise a lot more attractive.

With the 7-night you traditionally get a character breakfast which imo isn't in the same league as the character breakfasts at Disney World or Disneyland: fewer characters, less character interaction (they made you stay seated even before Covid) & the food is middling at best (you'll get a much better breakfast at an MDR or Cabanas).

You also get to participate in Animation Magic at your second night at Animator's Palate, which is really cool. Your server will give you a template to draw & color a figure on, and then will take it away. Toward the end of dinner, a show on sections of the walls of Animator's Palate will combine traditional Disney cartoons & your figure, which will be moving and dancing. Every person at the table gets to make one- it's real Disney magic imo.

Other than that, it's mostly just the fact that 7-night cruises are two days longer, so you will have more time to spend doing activities onboard / at ports, or just relaxing. My son and I actually prefer 5 night cruises to 7 night cruises, unless it's a very special itinerary like Alaska, because I tend to get bored after about 5 nights and my son starts to get homesick. 5-night cruises are actually perfect for us. But others have different perspectives on this.

In answer to your other question, we prefer the Dream & Fantasy over the Magic & Wonder, due to more activities & features on the Dream class ships: Aqua Duck water coaster (Magic only has Aqua Dunk, which is a drop down slide that is too intense for many), Midship Detective Agency virtual scavenger hunt, magical portholes in inside staterooms, miniature golf, virtual sports & virtual golf, a view out to sea in the Rainforest Room & a hot tub in the Rainforest Room, satellite falls, a young kids' splash area, two family pools instead of just one, an upcharge sweets shop that is very good, etc. We've also had better service on the Dream class, but that isn't universal, probably just coincidence as quality of servers varies widely even on the same ship. Also, the Dream's Beauty and the Beast is the best show we've seen on DCL. The Magic's Tangled is in second place for us, though.

Both go to Castaway Cay which is great! Our kids will be either 2 and 4 or 3 and 5 (they both have a birthday between the 2 sailings). My youngest being 3 I feel like gives him access to more to do as well, but if we did the 5 day we would tack on 2 park days (the 5 night is Miami so not too far to come back up to Orlando since we have to pass it anyway to go home).

 

[Geomom]

Both go to Castaway Cay which is great! Our kids will be either 2 and 4 or 3 and 5 (they both have a birthday between the 2 sailings). My youngest being 3 I feel like gives him access to more to do as well, but if we did the 5 day we would tack on 2 park days (the 5 night is Miami so not too far to come back up to Orlando since we have to pass it anyway to go home).

You might want to do the cruise that occurs after the youngest turns 3. In order to go to the kids club by himself/with the 5 yr old, he has to be 3. If he is under 3 you can pay for time in the nursery or go with him to clubs during open house time. With kids that young the Magic might be preferable, smaller ship, less people. But the 7 nt should get you the free Disney Jr character breakfast which your kids are the right age for. It is just a quick stop by to take pics while the kids stay seated...but it is free!

 

[OpieDoodle]

Both go to Castaway Cay which is great! Our kids will be either 2 and 4 or 3 and 5 (they both have a birthday between the 2 sailings). My youngest being 3 I feel like gives him access to more to do as well, but if we did the 5 day we would tack on 2 park days (the 5 night is Miami so not too far to come back up to Orlando since we have to pass it anyway to go home).

For us we took my youngest on our last cruise when he was almost two and we will be going again when he's almost 4. We were on a shorter cruise so it wasn't a huge deal but if we were on a longer 5+ days it is something to consider. The kids club they have to be 3+ and fully potty trained. So if you're wanting to do Palo or the spa you'll have to pay for the nursery if they're younger. Also no pools unless they're potty trained (no swim diapers).

One thing we love about the Dream which I believe is also on the Fantasy is the Finding Nemo spray pool! All three of my kids love it.

Another thing is if your kids are anything like mine they'll be chomping at the bit to ride the water slides. The Magic has the "AquaDunk" but you have to be 48" to get on it. The AquaDuck is on the fantasy which has a 42" height requirement. My 3 year old (turned 3 in March) is already almost tall enough for the Aquaduck! He's thinking tall thoughts hoping he'll be tall enough for our cruise.

Animators is something we REALLY want to do on a longer cruise so our drawings can get in the show!

 

[person]

For us we took my youngest on our last cruise when he was almost two and we will be going again when he's almost 4. We were on a shorter cruise so it wasn't a huge deal but if we were on a longer 5+ days it is something to consider. The kids club they have to be 3+ and fully potty trained. So if you're wanting to do Palo or the spa you'll have to pay for the nursery if they're younger. Also no pools unless they're potty trained (no swim diapers).

One thing we love about the Dream which I believe is also on the Fantasy is the Finding Nemo spray pool! All three of my kids love it.

Another thing is if your kids are anything like mine they'll be chomping at the bit to ride the water slides. The Magic has the "AquaDunk" but you have to be 48" to get on it. The AquaDuck is on the fantasy which has a 42" height requirement. My 3 year old (turned 3 in March) is already almost tall enough for the Aquaduck! He's thinking tall thoughts hoping he'll be tall enough for our cruise.

Animators is something we REALLY want to do on a longer cruise so our drawings can get in the show!

We went on a cruise; it was only for a few days; sounds like a short cruise suited you guys also...