Is it worth sailing on the "old" ships?

[happyleesh]

That's what DH asked me tonight, when we were talking about our possible fall cruise, and I said I didn't know but I'd ask! So, what would you say if someone asked you that? (and knew next to nothing about the ships/cruises)

 

[pls3399]

For those that began their DCL expirence before 2011, the majority prefer the classic ship design. With that being said, there isn't as much "top of the line technology".

All in all DCL became famous for the classic ships and you will not be disappointed.

 

[emboyles]

I came into the disney cruise experience in reverse order....I was on the pre-inaguaral Dream cruise, cruised the Fantasy last summer, and just got of the Magic last week. I will say I much preferred the new ships...just as the previous poster stated I would. I still enjoyed being on the Magic, however, the pool areas seemed SO crowded to me....I did not like the two kids pools being separated. Our family also LOVED playing putt-putt golf a lot! As far as the Edge, I would say the kids actually liked them equally well. I did prefer the newer ships restaurants, especially Animator's Palate on the Fantasy. Hope that helps....

 

[fredgirls]

Well...we come from the other direction

We sailed the Dream first, last year, and have just returned from the Wonder.

We MUCH preferred the classic ship.
We preferred the pools as they seemed less crowded to us and we like that the 2 pools were separate! Just the opposite of emboyles. Sorry
We also thought Animator's palate was much nicer on the wonder than the dream! My trip report expands on this a bit.

Being smaller we also felt the Wonder was a much more personal experience, with CMs around the ship remembering our names etc. That never happened, for us anyway, on the Dream.

Just goes to show that everyone likes different things! Sorry no help there! Maybe you can suggest to your husband that you try both and decide for yourselves!

 

[Luv2Diz]

Yep! The classics aren't too large, so you'll see a lot of the same guests and CMs throughout the cruise. And the ships are gorgeous. We love them!

 

[allears]

I sailed the Wonder back in 2000 then sailed the Magic 9 times after that. I LOVE the Magic. We were on the Fantasy last month and she was magnificent. Before we sailed we were up in the air about what to book for next year. We looked at two 5 night back to backs on the Wonder, but decided to reserve judgment until we experienced the Fantasy. It took no time at all to decide we want to spend more time on the Fantasy and really get to know her.

That being said, all four ships are awesome and have their own pros and cons. I would not hesitate to sail on any one of them. However, my biggest criteria is the length of the cruise. I don't really want to do less than 7 nights, more would be better, so that's usually my first choice. I don't think you can go wrong with sailing any of them.

 

[hasabigrock]

Just got off the Magic after a 6-day cruise. Last year we sailed on the Dream.

The Dream's restaurants are nicer, the ship is newer where the Magic is really i need of that upcoming overhaul.

However; we found that the Magic had far fewer crowd related problems that made for a better overall experience.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I honestly don't see myself EVER setting foot on the Dream again. And having done the Magic a LOT I have NEVER seen a pool more crowded then the Dream's. That family pool was a nightmare and had I had kids I would have been terrified. (I used to lifeguard and that pool met NO safety standard I have ever heard of, dangerously overcrowded. IMHO it's a miracle a disaster has not occurred, In most places that pool would have been so far over capacity that someone would have stopped more people from getting in, but... they kept wedging in and DCL certainly wasn't doing the responsible thing IMHO)

The Dream was pretty but it was just another "mega ship" and the "mega ships" other lines have cost less and have about the same experience (and in my case better service, service on Dream was pathetically bad!)

 

[omalley1118]

We have sailed on the Wonder in 2010 and the Dream in 2011. We are sailing on the Magic this November. I honestly loved both ships and would do either again. That being said, I found the "smaller" ship a little more pleasant in terms of crowds, etc. I especially noticed this at the pool and when dining at the buffets or poolside areas. We thoroughly enjoyed both cruises and did not have anything even close to a negative experience!!!

 

[poohssmum]

For me, my heart remains with the Magic. That's the ship we've spent the most time on. We've also done the Wonder once and the Dream once. I can honestly say that I don't think I will ever sail on the Dream again.

Mostly what I didn't like about the Dream was the lay-out of the ship. Especially the Adult's Only pool area. There is absolutely no way to keep kids out of that area. In my own personal opinion, the concierge gates are tacky as all get-out. I also found that with so many MORE passengers on board there were less opportunities to interact with the Cruise Staff. I felt like they were so rushed all over the ship, they didn't have as much time to learn people's names and bring that personal "Disney" touch.

That being said ... we are going to sail on the Fantasy in the fall. They added additional adults only spaces, took down those silly gates AND she sails longer than 3, 4 or 5 days. We'll see if our experience on the Dream was really the ship, or the fact that we were only there for 5 days. After this cruise, we'll know for sure if the classic ships are where we'll stay ... or if we'll just choose longer itineraries.

 

[gummdrop87645]

I have been on two 7 night cruises one on the magic and one on the fantasy. I felt you see more characters walking around the ship who will just stop and take a picture with you, on the magic. We did not have the same experience on the fantasy, there really was not many characters walking around on the decks at all.

 

[disneychic]

We've sailed DCL 13x since 2001. Have been on all 4 ships.....after cruising on The Dream last February and The Fantasy last September I have to say that is my new Favorite. I LOVE the new ships. I'm less likely to book a cruise on the classic ships anytime in the near future....unless I go back to the Med. on the Magic in 2014

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards