Dream vs Magic

dieumeye

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 17, 2019
There’s been a lot of Wish posts lately, but I’m hoping someone can provide insight on two of the older ships.

Years ago I did a cruise on Dream. I liked it and thought the ship was great.

I’ve got a cruise coming up on Magic and have been told that Magic is “much smaller with less amenities” than Dream.

I tried to look into what the different offerings on the ships are, but other than the generally smaller size, I’m still seeing a lot of the same stuff - rotational dining, shows, spa, split bathrooms, etc.

So, what are the major differences? Is there anything that’s “missing” on Magic that is only on the larger ships? Will we be disappointed cruising on the smaller ship after having experienced the larger one?

Any thoughts are appreciated.
 
The Magic/Wonder and Dream/Fantasy are more similar to each other than they are to the Wish.

The staterooms are similarly designed but slightly larger on the Magic than on the Dream.

The Dream has the Midship Detective Agency activity and Goofy’s mini-golf; these are not on the Magic,

The Dream has Remy and Palo for adult dining; the Magic has just Palo.

There is 1 more lounge in the adult entertainment area on the Dream than on the Magic.

There are a few more differences, but basically, if you liked the Dream, you should also like the Magic.
 
Dream/Fantasy have midship detective agency, mini golf, sports simulator, Aquaduck, balconies in the theaters, satellite falls, etc. Magic/wonder do not, but Magic does have aquadunk waterslide where the bottom falls out from under you.

We just did the Fantasy after previously cruising Magic/Wonder. We actually prefer the smaller ships. They have shows in one of the MDR-s--Rapunzels on the Magic, Tianas on the wonder. They have the classic animator's palate show vs crush. I preferred the adult clubs on the smaller ships. Also loved the theater shows on the Magic.
 
The Dream-class ships also each have a shop that sells ice cream, gelato, and candy. They're quite good, too!

They have the classic animator's palate show vs crush.
The 7-night Fantasy cruises also have the class animation magic show.
 


The Dream-class ships also each have a shop that sells ice cream, gelato, and candy. They're quite good, too!


The 7-night Fantasy cruises also have the class animation magic show.
I meant the sorcerer Mickey/color change vs the crush show. I know all the 7 nt cruise have drawing animations.
 
There’s been a lot of Wish posts lately, but I’m hoping someone can provide insight on two of the older ships.

Years ago I did a cruise on Dream. I liked it and thought the ship was great.

I’ve got a cruise coming up on Magic and have been told that Magic is “much smaller with less amenities” than Dream.

I tried to look into what the different offerings on the ships are, but other than the generally smaller size, I’m still seeing a lot of the same stuff - rotational dining, shows, spa, split bathrooms, etc.

So, what are the major differences? Is there anything that’s “missing” on Magic that is only on the larger ships? Will we be disappointed cruising on the smaller ship after having experienced the larger one?

Any thoughts are appreciated.
They're both great ships. The Magic has a better adult pool deck and a better Animator's Palate (don't skip dinner there- make sure to do Animation Magic). The Magic's Fathoms is a better-designed Bingo location than the Dream's D Lounge. Tangled is one of DCL's best shows, right up there with Beauty and the Beast.

The Dream has some bells and whistles the Magic doesn't:
  • Aqua Duck water coaster (Magic has Aqua Dunk drop down slide)
  • Midship Detective Agency (Magic has a paper scavenger hunt)
  • Miniature golf
  • Sweets shop
  • Remy (Magic does have Palo)
  • Inside staterooms with magical portholes (Magic staterooms are slightly bigger than Dream class)
  • View of the ocean and a hot tub in the Rainforest Room
  • Sports simulator
Other than that, they have pretty much the same amenities. The line for Pelican Plunge on CC is usually shorter with the Magic because there are fewer guests. The Magic and Wonder used to not have Disney on Demand, but they both have it now.
 
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The Magic also has the new Internet system, but the Dream doesn't, yet.
 


There’s been a lot of Wish posts lately, but I’m hoping someone can provide insight on two of the older ships.

Years ago I did a cruise on Dream. I liked it and thought the ship was great.

I’ve got a cruise coming up on Magic and have been told that Magic is “much smaller with less amenities” than Dream.

I tried to look into what the different offerings on the ships are, but other than the generally smaller size, I’m still seeing a lot of the same stuff - rotational dining, shows, spa, split bathrooms, etc.

So, what are the major differences? Is there anything that’s “missing” on Magic that is only on the larger ships? Will we be disappointed cruising on the smaller ship after having experienced the larger one?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

You know what you won't be missing? The guest count of the Dream onboard and at Castaway Cay! :smickey:
 
Dream/Fantasy have midship detective agency, mini golf, sports simulator, Aquaduck, balconies in the theaters, satellite falls, etc. Magic/wonder do not, but Magic does have aquadunk waterslide where the bottom falls out from under you.

We just did the Fantasy after previously cruising Magic/Wonder. We actually prefer the smaller ships. They have shows in one of the MDR-s--Rapunzels on the Magic, Tianas on the wonder. They have the classic animator's palate show vs crush. I preferred the adult clubs on the smaller ships. Also loved the theater shows on the Magic.
I miss Animators Palates OG show!!!!! So excited our kids will get to experience it on the Wonder. Although they love the Fantasy!
 

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