Best DCL ship

[one11sgt]

I know this is a loaded question, but in general for a first time DCL cruise (not first time cruiser), which ship is the best? Not itinerary or length, just the ship experience itself. Classic, smaller Magic/Wonder or newer, larger Fantasy/Dream and then which of the 2? Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I know this is a loaded question, but in general for a first time DCL cruise (not first time cruiser), which ship is the best? Not itinerary or length, just the ship experience itself. Classic, smaller Magic/Wonder or newer, larger Fantasy/Dream and then which of the 2? Thanks!

Sorry, IMO, the best ship is the one I'm on. That being said I prefer the smaller Magic & Wonder over the 4000 guest Dream class ships, generally.

 

[KristiMc]

I agree - I like all the ships but I prefer the classic ships. I really pick my cruise based on the itinerary and what is available for our time period. You can't go wrong with any of the ships.

 

[OKW Lover]

Agree with @PrincessShmoo that our favorite ship is the one we are on. I seriously would only pick a DCL cruise according to itinerary since all the ships are really great.

 

[dclpluto]

For a first time DCL cruise you do not want a short cruise so that leaves the dream out. Now you are down to three to pick from. Have fun enjoy

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I know this is a loaded question, but in general for a first time DCL cruise (not first time cruiser), which ship is the best? Not itinerary or length, just the ship experience itself. Classic, smaller Magic/Wonder or newer, larger Fantasy/Dream and then which of the 2? Thanks!

I love both the Dream and Fantasy, just got off the Wonder last week and she was very clean and nice but I really prefer the big ships. Just my $.02

 

[anricat]

For a first time DCL cruise you do not want a short cruise so that leaves the dream out. Now you are down to three to pick from. Have fun enjoy

I'm going to have to disagree. Some people might want a short cruise to test the waters. (See what I did there?) For our first cruise we did a 3 day just to see if we would like it. We paired it with a trip to WDW and it was absolutely perfect. I don't regret booking a 3-day in the slightest.

 

[Silver Queen]

I know this is a loaded question, but in general for a first time DCL cruise (not first time cruiser), which ship is the best? Not itinerary or length, just the ship experience itself. Classic, smaller Magic/Wonder or newer, larger Fantasy/Dream and then which of the 2? Thanks!

We have sailed on all four of the DCL ships and while each of them is a great ship, our favorite is definitely the Fantasy. Contrary to some opinions, the Fantasy, although bigger, doesn't seem more crowded to us. It appears to be laid out better, especially on the pool and cabanas deck. The atrium is significantly larger and more impressive and it also accommodates the entertainment that is held there better. We love Europa, the lounge section in the aft, especially The Tube. We also like having the Aquaduck and Mid-Ship Detective Agency on the larger ships. As other posters have said, you will have a wonderful time on whichever ship you choose.

 

[Keyser]

I'm going to have to disagree. Some people might want a short cruise to test the waters. (See what I did there?) For our first cruise we did a 3 day just to see if we would like it. We paired it with a trip to WDW and it was absolutely perfect. I don't regret booking a 3-day in the slightest.

Yep - same here. The 3-day was exactly what we needed to see if we liked cruising at all. We did, and have booked longer ones since, but I haven't regretted the 3-day at all.

 

[kittylady1972]

Just adding my 2 cents here to say the same as most others...they are ALL great ships! I'll see if my opinion changes in another week or so though. We started out testing the "waters" ourselves on a 3-night Dream cruise. It was short but we did love it. Next my husband and I did 7 nights on the Wonder out of Galveston. Of course, without the kids it was different but we still enjoyed it very much and really loved the Wonder. About 5 months later we did 4 nights on the Magic, after dry dock so we had the AquaDUNK on that one...and that was fun. We also loved the size of that ship and how easy it was to get from one end to another. We head out on the Fantasy this weekend, back on the bigger ships after spending our last two cruises on the smaller ones. I'll let you know if my opinion changes but I know as of now I could go on ANY of them again and really enjoyed them all!

 

[Flossbolna]

I think my recommendation would vary depending on the interests of those cruising. I have been on Wonder, Magic and Fantasy and find it very difficult to pick a favourite for myself. I loved all three for different reasons.

But if I was pressed to pick one ship to recommend, I would recommend the Magic. I think for a first cruise the smaller ship might be easier to get to know. I remember how overwhelmed I was on my first cruise and how nice it was to start feeling at home. Also, I think first time cruisers often are tempted to want to do it all (it is not possible, don't even try!) and therefore the smaller ship might be better. But I also think that for a first time cruiser who has seen a lot of the pretty pictures of the newer ships, the more "modern" look of the Magic might feel more in line with their expectations than the Wonder.

But really, all four are great picks! So, I would not make my decision based on which ship. I would actually pick my first cruise by cheapest price per night!

 

[Sir William]

I agree - I like all the ships but I prefer the classic ships. I really pick my cruise based on the itinerary and what is available for our time period. You can't go wrong with any of the ships.

Agree on all points! We prefer the Magic and if the dates work out are more likely to choose her over the others, but that is not our deciding criteria.

 

[ludari]

Six of my seven Disney Cruises have been on the classic ships and I have only been on the Fantasy (until next month when I am on the Dream) and personally I prefer the larger ships like the Fantasy because of the amenities on the ship. I really enjoy the pool areas, bars, dining rooms (including Remy's and Palo's), enchanted art around the ship, Muppet adventure game and the overall layout of the ship.

 

[Bear3412]

The Dream and Fantasy actually have a higher "space ratio" compared to the Magic class.

More steel per pax.

Space Ratio; Displacement divided by pax.

Dream Class ..37
Magic Class .. 34

fwiw

I say the Fantasy. Newer. More stuff. No plumbing issues. Built in Germany. Ritz @ sea. IMO

 

[OKW Lover]

The Dream and Fantasy actually have a higher "space ratio" compared to the Magic class.

Thanks for mentioning this. I often see people who think the newer ships must be more crowded because they carry more passengers. As we can see, that's only part of the equation.

 

[Sir William]

Thanks for mentioning this. I often see people who think the newer ships must be more crowded because they carry more passengers. As we can see, that's only part of the equation.

For me it's more of being a matter of perception than a mathematical equation. There are more people in the MDRs and at the shows on the new ships, and especially on the pool deck, at the elevators, and waiting to get on or off at the ports. I don't like crowds of any size and feel claustrophobic, though I can usually keep it under control for short periods. The larger the crowd the more uneasy I am. So when there are several extra hundred people present in a given space it feels much more crowded to me, even if they are slightly more spread out.

 

[OKW Lover]

There are more people in the MDRs and at the shows on the new ships, and especially on the pool deck, at the elevators, and waiting to get on or off at the ports.

Agree that there are more people. But again, with the exception of the getting on/off at ports, the facilities such as the pool deck, MDR's etc are bigger to accommodate more people.

 

[mlayton14]

If you want a more objective look at which ship's people prefer look at the Cruise Critic profile of each ship. Clearly more people "loved" the newer /bigger ship's than the classics. The fantasy wins above all by a good margin.

 

[Sir William]

Agree that there are more people. But again, with the exception of the getting on/off at ports, the facilities such as the pool deck, MDR's etc are bigger to accommodate more people.

Not disputing that the new ships are larger and can accommodate more people. What I'm saying is that since you do see more people in the public spaces, this can give a perception that the newer ships are more crowded. For example, the Walt Disney Theater on the Magic and Wonder seats 977 people. On the Dream and Magic it seats 1340 people. It is a larger space, but there are also several hundred more people. The same applies to the MDRs; the Dream and Fantasy seat about 250 more people in each MDR than the Magic or Wonder. To me the added amenities of the Dream and Fantasy do not outweigh the increased number of people in the public spaces.

 

[one11sgt]

Thank you all for your advice. I'm not new to cruising just new to DCL so its great to hear all the opinions. The only one I had was my brother and sister-in-law who sailed the Fantasy for their honeymoon and absolutely loved it compared to other lines, but had no way to compare to the Magic class. Thank you all again!