Going on the Classic ship after the New ships

[Mickeyismyman1]

Looking at the possibility of taking a cruise on the Wonder next year. It has been 9 years since I have been on that ship.Since the new ships have come out we have exclusively cruised on them. I am looking at cruises for next year and the prices are $500 cheaper then the Dream!

I have already thought of a few pros like new shows, less people, and Tiana’s place. Just wondering what everyone’s experiences have been. TIA!

 

[DisneyConvert]

We like the Classic ships more, but mostly because of the more interesting itineraries. There is not that much difference in the boarding, dining, show, deck experience that I noticed ...

Ok, the sports deck and pools on the newer ships is better. I actually like the bigger theatres too, but I like the MDR's on the classic ships more. Have never done Remy, but love Paolo, so what do I know?

 

[apple9117]

We've been on both classic and new ships...and we prefer the new ships. Newer ships are bigger and seemed to have more activities and things to do. Classic ships felt a bit outdated on board...but that's just us.

 

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

We just got the magic after 2 dream cruises. Over all I didn’t find much “size” difference just the lay out is a bit awkward. I found on the dream the pool deck is much better organized everything is right there, where as on the magic it’s all spread out, it’s a walk around to get drinks then meal or from pool to water slide etc. Stateroom- I did find magic bathroom to be smaller but had better storage options, actual stateroom had less shelving etc but not lacking in any way. MDR- I would rate them the same just different themes same with shows. We did enjoy the magic but I think we preferred the dream only because the pool deck is much better and prefer aqua duck.

 

[Shanti]

We liked Animator's Palate much better on the Magic than on the Dream class ships. The family game shows we participated in on the Magic were more fun than on the Dream class ships, imo. I also like that it had two functioning hot tubs on the family pool deck. The Dream's family deck hot tub wasn't working when we sailed her last month, and the Fantasy no longer has a family pool deck hot tub. My son also liked the kids clubs better on the Magic than on the Fantasy, saying there were fewer kids & that the counselors cared more. Lines for Pelican Plunge on Castaway Cay will be shorter when cruising on a classic ship.

Pros of the Dream class ships include the Aqua Duck, Midship Detective agency, mini-golf, golf & sports simulators, the "Royal" restaurants which are very pretty, a better Rainforest Room, etc.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We have been on the Dream, Fantasy and Magic and the Magic is, by far, my favorite! I love that it's smaller than the newer ships. I never felt like it took forever to get anywhere and it never felt overly crowded.

 

[kuhltiffany]

So much quicker getting around on the older ships, but for me the biggest and most obvious was how less crowded CC was!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We prefer the Classic ships mainly because there are fewer people.

 

[lcaserta]

We've been on the Fantasy, and this winter cruised the Wonder. We preferred the Wonder.
Crowds were pretty much non existent on the Wonder. The biggest crowds we saw were exiting the theaters. We had no problem finding a chair on CC, but could barely find one when we cruised on the Fantasy. Getting on/off the Wonder in ports again were much easier and less crowded then on the Fantasy.
The dining room service was mediocre at best on the Fantasy. On the Wonder, we had the best service we ever had on a cruise.
We did miss the Midship detective agency and the Aqueduct, but I remember the kids spending a long time on lines (around 45 minutes at a time) just to get on the Aqueduct. Alternatively, the kids loved the twisty Mickey slide on the Wonder, but even more so, loved that they would only wait 10 minutes or so to get on it.

Our recent cruise on the Wonder was literally the best cruise we ever had. It was the perfect vacation in every way possible. We can't wait to sail her again!

 

[5lilfish]

We were on the Wonder in August. It had been 7 years since the last time we were on that ship. We had a fantastic time onboard. No 'let down' at all from the newer/bigger ships. Since we love all the ships, it's not so much a which do we like better thing for us, as much as what things to we enjoy on each ship. I like the old Animator's Palate (like the new too, but it was nice to see the old again). We loved Tiana's Place. I like the more intimate Cove Café. We didn't use the pool deck much (we were in Alaska), so I can't really say much about how we felt about the differences.

We sailed the Magic a couple years ago, also after a long break. We enjoyed every minute on that ship too.

Jess

 

[dtrain]

We were a little underwhelmed going from The Fantasy to The Wonder. I'd have preferred going from Classic to Dream because the wow factor would have been so much better. Still a great ship, just didn't make our jaws drop like The Fantasy.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We’ve been on all 4 and definitely prefer the Dream class and the Wonder is our least favorite of the 4. I wouldn’t say you’d be let down on the Wonder. We’ll be back on her in June for Alaska and I’m looking forward to trying Tiana’s Place. If I had a choice between the Dream and the Wonder, I’d spend the $500 for the Dream - the Aquaduck alone is worth it to me.

 

[tlprice]

Just did the Wonder after doing the Dream twice and the Fantasy once. I really liked the Wonder. It was just overall a more relaxing experience. I didn't feel let down at all. I think the first day and a half my daughter was a little disappointed, but she got over that quickly and ended up loving the Wonder. It just seemed so much less crowded, easier to get around, and a more personalized experience with the crew.

 

[Sunshine2U]

We're booked on the Wonder in 2019. It's our 2nd time on a classic. At that time we will have sailed 4 large ships (various cruise lines) in a row. I'm looking forward to going back to a smaller ship with smaller crowds - especially on Castaway Cay. It's a 4-day cruise with our grandsons 5 and 9, so the smaller ship fits well.