How crowded or hectic will the Dream feel in Europe?

[coloradocutie]

We love the size and feel of the classic ships. We sailed the Fantasy for a Caribbean cruise and it felt was so crowded with people everywhere. We had a Northern European cruise booked but it was cancelled due to Covid. Now It appears we have missed the boat For the opportunity to sail the Magic in Europe as it is now being replaced by the Dream. As much as we would love to sail Disney in Europe (Northern Europe /Iceland /Norway , we do not want it to feel crowded and overrun like the Fantasy cruise that we took. Do y’all think it will feel as hectic as avCaribbean cruise? What other cruise lines would be worth looking at to have a smaller ship and not so hectic feeling? TIA!

 

[Flossbolna]

We were on the Fantasy twice, both times she did not feel crowded at all. It was as the week after Thanksgiving and it wasn’t a full ship, so I am sure that helped. I would assume a Caribbean cruise in the summer might be different.

On the classic ships the cruise that felt the most crowded was actually my Panama Canal cruise. I think it was because of all the adults being in the adult spaces.

So, what I am trying to say: how crowded a cruise feels has a lot to do with who is on it. Also the type of itinerary. I would imagine port heavy cruises in Europe will feel less crowded except during early breakfast at the buffet before rushing off the ship as people will spend more time off the ship and then want an early night after a long day.

 

[coloradocutie]

We were on the Fantasy twice, both times she did not feel crowded at all. It was as the week after Thanksgiving and it wasn’t a full ship, so I am sure that helped. I would assume a Caribbean cruise in the summer might be different.

On the classic ships the cruise that felt the most crowded was actually my Panama Canal cruise. I think it was because of all the adults being in the adult spaces.

So, what I am trying to say: how crowded a cruise feels has a lot to do with who is on it. Also the type of itinerary. I would imagine port heavy cruises in Europe will feel less crowded except during early breakfast at the buffet before rushing off the ship as people will spend more time off the ship and then want an early night after a long day.

Thank you so much! This is such a great perspective. Yes. Our Caribbean cruise was packed- I can imagine a port intensive cruise would be different.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

We love the size and feel of the classic ships. We sailed the Fantasy for a Caribbean cruise and it felt was so crowded with people everywhere. We had a Northern European cruise booked but it was cancelled due to Covid. Now It appears we have missed the boat For the opportunity to sail the Magic in Europe as it is now being replaced by the Dream. As much as we would love to sail Disney in Europe (Northern Europe /Iceland /Norway , we do not want it to feel crowded and overrun like the Fantasy cruise that we took. Do y’all think it will feel as hectic as avCaribbean cruise? What other cruise lines would be worth looking at to have a smaller ship and not so hectic feeling? TIA!

We sailed on the Magic in August 2022 from Copenhagen and absolutely loved it. Sadly, the Magic doesn't meet emissions laws for many countries in Europe anymore so they kept her Stateside. Great for us! It's one of the most cost effective options to sail from FL.

I would book a sailing on the Dream in Europe in a heartbeat and without hesitation. From amazing shows (Beauty and the Beast) to some of my favorite dining, (Cant go wrong with any of the MDR's on the Dream although some menu refreshes would be nice)

The ship was at about 50% capacity when we sailed in Europe on the Magic. I'd think the Dream will be about the same this year with the price increases on flights etc. While you won't have the ship all to yourself, you will not be crowded.

We sailed on the Dream first in 2018 on a full sailing in the Bahamas (4 night) and even though the ship was packed, we still had a wonderful time.

Fast forward to March 6th, 2020. We went on the 3 night sailing a week before the shut down for Covid. the Ship had 3200 guests and it already felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. Never had to wait for a lounge chair or hot tub. It was glorious. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on the Dream in Europe. We've been eyeing the 13 night Transatlantic on the FL resident rate but cant make the long amount of time work.

There may be other things included with DCL that aren't included in other lines. For example, When we were in Sweden, we had bus transportation to the walkable center of town included in the cruise faire with city guides and maps available when you stepped off the free bus.

Just some things to consider. Whatever you choose, enjoy!

 

[insureman]

We sailed on the Magic in August 2022 from Copenhagen and absolutely loved it. Sadly, the Magic doesn't meet emissions laws for many countries in Europe anymore so they kept her Stateside. Great for us! It's one of the most cost effective options to sail from FL.

I would book a sailing on the Dream in Europe in a heartbeat and without hesitation. From amazing shows (Beauty and the Beast) to some of my favorite dining, (Cant go wrong with any of the MDR's on the Dream although some menu upgrades were really nice.

The ship was at about 50% capacity when we sailed in Europe on the Magic. I'd think the Dream will be about the same this year with the price increases on flights etc. While you won't have the ship all to yourself, you will not be crowded.

We sailed on the Dream first in 2018 on a full sailing in the Bahamas (4 night) and even though the ship was packed, we still had a wonderful time.

Fast forward to March 6th, 2020. We went on the 3 night sailing a week before the shut down for Covid. the Ship had 3200 guests and it already felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. Never had to wait for a lounge chair or hot tub. It was glorious. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on the Dream in Europe. We've been eyeing the 13 night Transatlantic on the FL resident rate but cant make the long amount of time work.

There may be other things included with DCL that aren't included in other lines. For example, When we were in Sweden, we had bus transportation to the walkable center of town included in the cruise faire with city guides and maps available when you stepped off the free bus.

Just some things to consider. Whatever you choose, enjoy!

Could you tell me where you found the info about the European emissions issue with the Magic. I can't seem to find it. Thanks
I agree about the Dream's passenger count. They have had VGT rates out for a few months now for the EBTA in September so they probably are having an issue with bookings.

 

[Flossbolna]

Could you tell me where you found the info about the European emissions issue with the Magic. I can't seem to find it. Thanks
I agree about the Dream's passenger count. They have had VGT rates out for a few months now for the EBTA in September so they probably are having an issue with bookings.

I have been wondering this as well. I do know that some ports discuss that ships need to use electricity from the port (shore power) instead of their own engines in order to cut emissions in the port cities. But it appears that even most ports are just installing this now and none of the Mediterranean ports have it anyway. But the Magic is the only ship in the DCL fleet that can’t do that. The Wonder was equipped with that system for Alaska as it’s a requirement there.

The UNESCO worldheritage sites in Norway (two fjords) will only allow electric ships in in a couple of years. But that means currently that no cruise ship will be able to enter them then.

These are the only two things I have found so far about emissions restrictions in Europe.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Could you tell me where you found the info about the European emissions issue with the Magic. I can't seem to find it. Thanks
I agree about the Dream's passenger count. They have had VGT rates out for a few months now for the EBTA in September so they probably are having an issue with bookings.

It was actually talked about on here with several engineers etc. in a different thread. Its based on the age of the engines and the fuel types that they require for the ship. This wasn't announced by Disney. I would think if the ship is old and requires an outdated fuel, its probably much more expensive to purchase also and to get delivered in Europe. With supply chain logistics all tied up it makes more sense to send over a ship with a more easily accessible fuel.

We can't call it an emissions "issue" technically because its not a problem with the ship, its just that the ship no longer meets European Air quality standards which are far higher than US standards.

See also: The reason why the Wish and other LNG ships are based out of Canaveral is that up to a certain point (if not still currently? I'd have to research to be sure) Port Canaveral is the only US port that has LNG refueling capabilities. This is also why the other two triton ships are supposed to go to Canaveral.

 

[KayKayJS]

We are on the Dream in Europe this summer (did Magic last summer in Europe as well) and I am excited because I felt the Magic was showing her age and could use a dry dock.

As far as crowds, with how expensive flights are... I don't expect it to be at capacity. We paid over 5 grand for 3 people.. (just regular economy) it was painful. We almost cancelled and I imagine many did.

 

[bcwife76]

We're going to be on the 11 night Dream through Northern Europe this August and judging by now many rooms are still available I am not expecting our cruise to be crowded at all. Airfare, as others have mentioned, is also a huge deterrent this year. We have been trying to do this cruise since 2020 so even high airfare hasn't deterred us

 

[Flossbolna]

We're going to be on the 11 night Dream through Northern Europe this August and judging by now many rooms are still available I am not expecting our cruise to be crowded at all. Airfare, as others have mentioned, is also a huge deterrent this year. We have been trying to do this cruise since 2020 so even high airfare hasn't deterred us

Good luck!!

I wonder how full the planes will be… are people paying these prices and planes fly full or will they be half empty?

 

[bcwife76]

Good luck!!

I wonder how full the planes will be… are people paying these prices and planes fly full or will they be half empty?

I know when we booked (end of January) there were a LOT of empty seats but of course, it's still months away and some people don't bother picking their seats right away. Half empty plane is fine by me but again, who knows. I just booked our commuter flight this past weekend (we are flying round trip Vancouver to Gatwick on BA and then from Gatwick to Copenhagen on Norwegian) and again, not many seats taken. But seeing as it's a commuter flight of less than 2 hours I'm assuming 'locals' won't book as far out as we did.

 

[Flossbolna]

I know when we booked (end of January) there were a LOT of empty seats but of course, it's still months away and some people don't bother picking their seats right away. Half empty plane is fine by me but again, who knows. I just booked our commuter flight this past weekend (we are flying round trip Vancouver to Gatwick on BA and then from Gatwick to Copenhagen on Norwegian) and again, not many seats taken. But seeing as it's a commuter flight of less than 2 hours I'm assuming 'locals' won't book as far out as we did.

Flights within Europe most people don’t bother getting seat assignments as most fares make you pay extra. You either pick your seat at check in or the airline assigns seats at the opening of the check in window. So checking in at the opening of the window is important as you can still make changes. But any DCL cruise veteran knows everything about watching atomic clocks etc.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Good luck!!

I wonder how full the planes will be… are people paying these prices and planes fly full or will they be half empty?

What happens is they book out this far and then consolidate flights down to full or near full flights. It happened to us last year on our trip where our last flight home got moved to an earlier time (3 hrs earlier! we almost didnt make it through Customs/Security. Had to run to the gate).

They don't typically take any kind of loss on transatlantic flights.

 

[coloradocutie]

We sailed on the Magic in August 2022 from Copenhagen and absolutely loved it. Sadly, the Magic doesn't meet emissions laws for many countries in Europe anymore so they kept her Stateside. Great for us! It's one of the most cost effective options to sail from FL.

I would book a sailing on the Dream in Europe in a heartbeat and without hesitation. From amazing shows (Beauty and the Beast) to some of my favorite dining, (Cant go wrong with any of the MDR's on the Dream although some menu refreshes would be nice)

The ship was at about 50% capacity when we sailed in Europe on the Magic. I'd think the Dream will be about the same this year with the price increases on flights etc. While you won't have the ship all to yourself, you will not be crowded.

We sailed on the Dream first in 2018 on a full sailing in the Bahamas (4 night) and even though the ship was packed, we still had a wonderful time.

Fast forward to March 6th, 2020. We went on the 3 night sailing a week before the shut down for Covid. the Ship had 3200 guests and it already felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. Never had to wait for a lounge chair or hot tub. It was glorious. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on the Dream in Europe. We've been eyeing the 13 night Transatlantic on the FL resident rate but cant make the long amount of time work.

There may be other things included with DCL that aren't included in other lines. For example, When we were in Sweden, we had bus transportation to the walkable center of town included in the cruise faire with city guides and maps available when you stepped off the free bus.

Just some things to consider. Whatever you choose, enjoy!

Thank you for sharing this! I realized I was really tainted by the Caribbean experience but this sounds great. I never thought about the other shows to see- I am so glad you had a great experience on your cruises!

 

[bcwife76]

What happens is they book out this far and then consolidate flights down to full or near full flights. It happened to us last year on our trip where our last flight home got moved to an earlier time (3 hrs earlier! we almost didnt make it through Customs/Security. Had to run to the gate).

They don't typically take any kind of loss on transatlantic flights.

This is why we have given ourselves several days on either side of the cruise in case British Airways does something like this with our flights.

 

[FastPasser.]

I wonder how full the planes will be… are people paying these prices and planes fly full or will they be half empty?

Our Barcelona flight is about four months away and 3/4 of the seats are already assigned so this flight will not be half empty.

 

[Hubie]

The airfares are high, but the dollar to euro exchange once you over there is a lot more favorable this year than in the recent past. You should have a great time on the Dream -- though we did love our two cruises across the pond on the Magic.