Differences Between Ships/Itineraries?

[miguelgar83]

Hi All!

First post ever here: I'm a big fan of Disney parks (just did a lightning visit to Epcot during a work trip to Orlando a couple of weeks ago!), but I've never been on a Disney Cruise. I'm thinking of finally going for it. My wife and I have done two brief escapes to Disney parks without the kids (while they're off RVing with their grandparents), and I wouldn't mind trying that for my first Disney cruise either. I'm curious what are the differences you all see between ships and itineraries? The closest port to us is Galveston, but I'm not wedded to that option. I'd like to know what you think are the pros and cons of different option in the case of two adults going without kids.

Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi All!

First post ever here: I'm a big fan of Disney parks (just did a lightning visit to Epcot during a work trip to Orlando a couple of weeks ago!), but I've never been on a Disney Cruise. I'm thinking of finally going for it. My wife and I have done two brief escapes to Disney parks without the kids (while they're off RVing with their grandparents), and I wouldn't mind trying that for my first Disney cruise either. I'm curious what are the differences you all see between ships and itineraries? The closest port to us is Galveston, but I'm not wedded to that option. I'd like to know what you think are the pros and cons of different option in the case of two adults going without kids.

Thanks!

There are various different itineraries. It's best for you to peruse the DCL website and look at the different offerings. Based on what ports may be of interest to you, will help determine which ship.

Basically, the DCL ships are all pretty similar in what they have, but with different décor choices.

We've done the Caribbean (Eastern, Western, Southern), Bahamas, Mexico (both coasts), Panama Canal, Mediterranean, Hawaiian, and Trans Atlantic itineraries. They all have different ports, and have different excursion options, although some of the excursions are available in more than one port.

 

[miguelgar83]

There are various different itineraries. It's best for you to peruse the DCL website and look at the different offerings. Based on what ports may be of interest to you, will help determine which ship.

Basically, the DCL ships are all pretty similar in what they have, but with different décor choices.

We've done the Caribbean (Eastern, Western, Southern), Bahamas, Mexico (both coasts), Panama Canal, Mediterranean, Hawaiian, and Trans Atlantic itineraries. They all have different ports, and have different excursion options, although some of the excursions are available in more than one port.

Thanks for the reply! Would you say that in the case of a trip with no kids, that there's anything that would tip the balance in a certain direction?

 

[lanejudy]

Thanks for the reply! Would you say that in the case of a trip with no kids, that there's anything that would tip the balance in a certain direction?

Really it boils down to:

• where would you like to go?
• when would you like to go?
• what port can you get to?

There may be trade-offs. Such as if you want to cross the Panama Canal, it's only offered on the Wonder on very specific dates from very specific ports; if you want to do a Mediterranean cruise it's only offered in the summer on the Magic. But if you want to go to the Caribbean or Bahamas, those are offered year-round and you'll usually have multiple options of ports/ships.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Thanks for the reply! Would you say that in the case of a trip with no kids, that there's anything that would tip the balance in a certain direction?

The two larger ships (Dream and Fantasy) have more adults-only dining options if that's something you'd want to do. These dining rooms are an extra surcharge on top of your cruise fare. The Main dining rooms are included in the price on all of the ships.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Hi All!

First post ever here: I'm a big fan of Disney parks (just did a lightning visit to Epcot during a work trip to Orlando a couple of weeks ago!), but I've never been on a Disney Cruise. I'm thinking of finally going for it. My wife and I have done two brief escapes to Disney parks without the kids (while they're off RVing with their grandparents), and I wouldn't mind trying that for my first Disney cruise either. I'm curious what are the differences you all see between ships and itineraries? The closest port to us is Galveston, but I'm not wedded to that option. I'd like to know what you think are the pros and cons of different option in the case of two adults going without kids.

Thanks!

We don't have kids but LOVE Disney cruises. It all depends on what you prefer for your destination. If you want to go to Mexico/Western Caribbean then Galveston is your best bet. Sailings out of Port Canaveral will traditionally go to the Bahamas/Castaway Cay. I always encourage people to do a sailing with Castaway as their first DCL cruise since its one of the things that really makes the DCL experience for us however, you can't really go wrong with any of the ships/itineraries. All 4 ships have adult exclusive spaces. We tend to find that we prefer the Magic over the Dream/Fantasy (we haven't sailed on the wonder yet) because the adult pool is bigger and there is more space for the hot tubs.

I have seen some really great pricing on the Wonder sailings from Galveston so just analyze your options and pick what's best for YOU. Hope you enjoy your sailing which ever cruise you end up on!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Do you want to be around other families with kids or not so many kids?
Trans Atlantic and Panama canal (which are limited in cruise dates) have the least amount of kids due to the long duration. Alaska and the Mediterranean have fewer kids because of the cost. The Bahamas and the Caribbean have the greatest amount of families with kids.
Like @lanejudy said: where, when, and what's your budget?

 

[soniam]

Castaway Cay is almost a must for us on DCL. Some Galveston itineraries do it, but most don't. It may not seem like that important, and I assumed it was overrated on our first DCL, since we had been to other cruise line's "private islands". However, Castaway Cay is really worth it for such a beautiful, easy, relaxing, and included, day at the beach.

 

[miguelgar83]

Do you want to be around other families with kids or not so many kids?
Trans Atlantic and Panama canal (which are limited in cruise dates) have the least amount of kids due to the long duration. Alaska and the Mediterranean have fewer kids because of the cost. The Bahamas and the Caribbean have the greatest amount of families with kids.
Like @lanejudy said: where, when, and what's your budget?

That's really useful information to know! I haven't settled on a budget or time precisely because I haven't been sure where to start. This helps!

 

[miguelgar83]

Castaway Cay is almost a must for us on DCL. Some Galveston itineraries do it, but most don't. It may not seem like that important, and I assumed it was overrated on our first DCL, since we had been to other cruise line's "private islands". However, Castaway Cay is really worth it for such a beautiful, easy, relaxing, and included, day at the beach.

Oh, that's good to know.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

That's really useful information to know! I haven't settled on a budget or time precisely because I haven't been sure where to start. This helps!

For a first cruise, probably try something you are familiar with (climate, temperature). Caribbean cruises are very easy-going and pretty much at your own pace or an easy shore excursion.
Alaska can be cold and rainy at times and the excursions are anything from walking the port town to mega airplane/helicopter, dog sledding, halibut fishing, etc. Expensive.
Mediterranean are all-day buses, tours, walking, on the bus, next point of interest, hot, and overwhelming educational. All-day 10+ hours.
Trans Atlantic are pretty much just sea days (think pilgrims). Panama Canal is a 14-day cruise. Neither one would be fun if you figured out by day three "this is not where I want to be".
Start exploring the Caribbean for a starting point.

 

[iloveeeyore]

DH and I are in our 50's, essentially empty-nesters, and we just got back from our 2nd Disney cruise as a couple (we were hooked after 1 and would have done our second sooner if not for Covid). We wish we could afford to bring our adult kids along because we think they'd love it, too! When our kids were growing, we always priced out a cruise vs parks and parks always seemed cheaper, but that doesn't really seem to be the case anymore. Remember, food and softdrinks are included in the cruise price.

We have cruised on other lines, where we could afford to bring our kids (Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity), and honestly, we loved those, too. DCL just offers something a little extra, I know it sounds corny, but it's elevated to another level of magic, luxury and service for us. Castaway Cay is special (before I experienced myself I was like, what's the big deal, it's just an island in the Bahamas!) Where else can you see fireworks and Disney-level Broadway shows at sea? The Disney ships have amazing adult-only areas, too. We personally perferred the larger ship (Fantasy/Dream) over the classic (Magic/Wonder), but that is very subjective and many prefer the classic. We sailed on the Magic during the pandemic and maybe we would have enjoyed it more with slightly more passengers?

I recommend trying DCL once to see how it works for you! I promise you will not be the only adults cruising without kids!

 

[Lillebelle]

Our first Disney cruise did not include Castaway Cay but we still had an amazing time. We've done Alaska and Baja without children and enjoyed both, but I honestly don't think I'd recommend Alaska for your first cruise. I feel like with Alaska, the ports become a much more dominant part of the vacation, vs the Caribbean ones you can focus more on enjoying the ship itself. I've only done the smaller ships so far (Magic/Wonder) but the footage of the adult-only spaces on the big ships (Fantasy/Dream) looks pretty cool.

 

[JM_97]

If you haven't been on any cruise before, I'd recommend doing a 4 night. It will give you a taste to see if it's for you or not. 3 nights are too short IMO. You can do 7 if you want but if you end up not liking the cruise scene, you will be miserable.

For 4 nights, Disney has Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral constantly. It's their bread and butter and has been since Day 1. They go to Nassau, Castaway Cay and then the final day is a sea day. This was my first cruise and it was amazing. Miami and Galveston have similar itineraries. Galveston probably doesn't have short cruises to the Bahamas bc of geography, but they have short West Caribbean trips. You won't get Castaway Cay, but the ports out there are better than Nassau.

As mentioned before, your ship will depend on where you sail to and from. They change schedules somewhat often, but know that the Magic and Wonder are almost identical. Dream and Fantasy are the same way. So if you are deciding between Magic vs Wonder or Dream vs Fantasy, it's a wash. Magic vs Dream would be a different story.

Back when I went on my cruise above, DCL only had two ships (Magic and Wonder) and they both sailed from PC. So the options were limited. But now DCL has grown so much that they have much more options now. You just have to go on the website and do some exploring. Some of the decisions will take care of themselves.

 

[miguelgar83]

Neither one would be fun if you figured out by day three "this is not where I want to be".
Start exploring the Caribbean for a starting point.

That makes a lot of sense!

 

[Geomom]

Contrary to a lot of the advice here, we did a 7nt cruise to Alaska as our first. We weren't sure we would like cruising but wanted to see Alaska and we love all things Disney. Alaska was supposed to have less ship movement due to traveling the inside passage...that part is true, but plenty of movement on the way to/from the inside passage, lol. My oldest daughter (then 16) was very queasy. They have free samples of adult dose chewable meclizine outside the health center. That helped her a lot, and now we buy Bonine (brand name of meclizine non drowsy) before a cruise since we know she's susceptible to sea sickness. We loved our first cruise on the Wonder, had a good amount of time both on the ship and in ports.

If you have no preference, I would probably pick a cruise out of Galveston since you can drive there--DCL tends to be there late Fall-February? Pick a week that isn't during a school vacation week/non holiday weekend and then you'll have fewer children on board and prices will be lower.

We tend to like deck 2 Oceanview on the Magic/Wonder--sometimes thousands of dollars cheaper than a verandah on those ships...but deck 2 is currently being used as a quarantine area, so if the cruise is in the near future, you'll be moved, probably to a forward Oceanview on deck 5/6, etc.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Contrary to many people’s advice we took a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise as our first cruise, the a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy and then a 10 day Alaskan. Our next cruise (and first with kids) will be a 7 day Alaskan. With the ages of our kids (will be 2 and almost 7) I never even considered other lines