Eastern Caribbean - Fantasy vs Wonder

[OffToDWD]

We are thinking of trying out the Eastern Caribbean cruise in March 2019. The itineraries hasn't been released yet but I see that for 2018, they have 2 ships doing that route. The Fantasy and the Wonder. That's the pros and cons with each? Which would you recommend? TIA!

 

[erikawolf2004]

Following along, this is the route we would like to take also.

 

[dcassetta]

The Wonder is my favorite ship, and every time I've sailed on her I've always gotten excellent service. Because she's a little smaller, that may make visiting some of the ports slightly easier because there will be less guests on board. She doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that the Fantasy has, like the waterslide, but she is a wonderful ship. I heard an interesting story on my last Dream cruise. My server in Palo very much wanted to shift to one of the classic ships. But he says there's never any contracts available on them, because the crewmembers on the Wonder and Magic enjoyed being there so much.

 

[abuck75]

When we had that choice this year the same category room on the wonder was about 2/3rds the cost, which helped make our decision.

 

[dtrain]

I think sharing the demographics of your traveling party will help us to help you better. We've sailed both and love both, but they are very different experiences.

 

[OffToDWD]

I think sharing the demographics of your traveling party will help us to help you better. We've sailed both and love both, but they are very different experiences.

Thanks! It'll be 2 adults and 2 kids - 6 and 11 year olds.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Honestly it's really about finding the ship you think will best suit your family and your budget. If you base it others experience regarding service, you'll be all over the place. Our cruise on the Wonder was the exact opposite of @dcassetta, our servers were average at best, the retail shop people were boardering rude and it wasn't a good experience for us. The shining stars on the cruise were our stateroom hostess and the activities staff. We like the bigger ships better for our family but our kids are older than yours. Either way, you won't make a wrong choice, you'll have a great time on either ship.

 

[ACDSNY]

My grandson and nephew love the Fantasy, but if we're traveling with just adults we prefer the classic ships.

 

[Shanti]

We are thinking of trying out the Eastern Caribbean cruise in March 2019. The itineraries hasn't been released yet but I see that for 2018, they have 2 ships doing that route. The Fantasy and the Wonder. That's the pros and cons with each? Which would you recommend? TIA!

The Fantasy is bigger and newer, with more bells and whistles. Some things it has that the Wonder doesn't:

• Mid-ship detective agency game
• Miniature golf
• Virtual sports
• Aqua Duck
• On-demand Disney programming on stateroom TVs
• Virtual portholes in inside cabins
• Remy upcharge restaurant
• Its Rainforest Spa has an ocean view

Some special things the Wonder has that the Fantasy doesn't:

• Frozen (this is reportedly one of DCL's best shows)
• Tiana's Place restaurant
• A family hot tub on the pool deck
• A more attractive Animator's Palate, imo

As for my personal experience/opinion: I've sailed on the Magic (a "classic" ship, like the Wonder, & her twin in many ways), and the Fantasy. I much preferred the Fantasy, because there was a lot more to do on board, in terms of the magical extras listed above, and being able to have on-demand entertainment in the stateroom during our downtime (the classics have Disney channels on their stateroom TVs, but you can't choose what to watch or when- you're limited to whatever happens to be playing, which is not my cuppa). During our particular cruises, we got better service and food on the Fantasy, and my son's gluten-free diet was better accommodated on the Fantasy. My son's kids' club experience was better on the Magic, though. (Since he spent minimal time in the clubs, this wasn't much of an issue for us.)

That said, we'll be sailing on the Wonder in June, because we want to cruise Alaska. I'm looking forward to the Frozen show while we're on board!

 

[rcchello]

Another question where the answer is it depends.

If you are in love with the larger ships, the classics may be a disappointment. It is hard to say how non-disney fanatics will like Magic Kingdom vs Disneyland, all the basics are there but the layout and the exact rides are different.

The port experiences will be very similar, crowds depending on what other ships are in port.

The cost for the classics will be less because people prefer the bigger ships.

If you aren't biased toward the larger ships the classics won't disapoint!

 

[Trera]

We always have the toughest time deciding as we love each ship for its own reasons. Sometimes it just simply comes down to which is the cheapest for us or which dates are better. The Fantasy is almost always a Sat to Sat cruise and the Wonder tends to start on Sunday or Thursday which can be harder for us sometimes. (Dream in Port Monday and Friday)

 

[ciniminis]

We LOVE Fantasy the ship, but face it - she pretty much always sails the limited few itineraries, which can get boring. I'd say if you plan on doing more cruises later, save Wonder for some of her much more interesting itineraries, and do Fantasy for the Eastern Caribbean.

 

[OffToDWD]

Super helpful! Thank you!!

 

[Quellman]

The wonder is the only ship I haven't sailed. But for the Eastern, you have 3 sea days. We liked the extra deck amenities for sea days on the Fantasy vs the Magic. Having the adults area up at the front of the ship with satellite falls is really enjoyable. The oceaneers club and lab were redone on the Fantasy this May too with new Marvel and Star Wars stuff. So if you have kids that is a benefit too.

 

[pearljammer]

I've been on all the ships. I have NOT been on the Magic since it was revamped, BUT...for some reason, the Wonder was my least favorite. I did LOVE Tiana's place. The slide on the Wonder seemed smokey from the smoke deck up there where you stand to get on.

If the difference in money isn't an option, go Fantasy! Not to mention, I think the Pirate Show, etc. was different on all the ships, the best being the Dream, where characters came out of the floor. Simply put. Fantasy. Hands down! The detective agency alone is worth it!

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

We have been on both and love both. But not equally. We love the Fantasy because it's bigger and it affords different experiences. When you are going to Castaway though, the island gets packed....
The Wonder is great. She's small and more intimate. We were married and honeymooned on the Wonder. The staff is equally as good on the Wonder as it is on the Fantasy. We also really like the Magic!! I'd say classic ships if you are going to Castaway and the dream class ships if you're feeling adventerous and like crowds!