Magic or Fantasy??? Quick responses please...

[AP77]

I am planning on booking a cruise in the next day or two. We have never done a Disney cruise. Our choices are Magic or Fantasy. Which one should we do? We are planning on a 7 day cruise. We have 3 kids (age 7, 6, 4). Is there a big difference? Has anyone done both that can provide a comparison?

On the Magic we would have a room with a Verandah. The Fantasy would be a window. Prices are the same.

 

[DCLDVC1]

Fantasy hands down. It's a much nicer ship and there's more for the kids to do and the adult areas are better.

 

[AP77]

have you been on both ships?

 

[AP77]

Fantasy hands down. It's a much nicer ship and there's more for the kids to do and the adult areas are better.

have you been on both ships?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I am planning on booking a cruise in the next day or two. We have never done a Disney cruise. Our choices are Magic or Fantasy. Which one should we do? We are planning on a 7 day cruise. We have 3 kids (age 7, 6, 4). Is there a big difference? Has anyone done both that can provide a comparison?

On the Magic we would have a room with a Verandah. The Fantasy would be a window. Prices are the same.

It would depend on what the itineraries are.

I've been on both the Fantasy and the Magic (pre-reimagining). My preference is the smaller Magic class ships for the most part. And I've not been on the Magic since she got all her "bells & whistles".

I find the adult pool area better on the Magic, but there are more late night (lounges/bars) on the Fantasy. The Magic has a piano bar, the Fantasy has a "sort of" piano bar.

 

[Weedy]

With your children being younger I suggest the Magic. The Kids clubs are less crowded.

 

[WIFamily]

M

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

The Fantasy has a higher guest satisfaction rating than an other ship on cruise critic. I'm just sayin'. She is an amazing ship with tons to do gir both kids and adults. I haven't done the Msgic but have done the Wonder and greatly prefer the Dream class ships to the Classics. Just my $.02

 

[dclpluto]

i will choose the fantasy. But there is nothing wrong with the magic. But my next Caribean cruise I might go on the magic I never been to key west.

 

[tidefan]

You can't go wrong with either one!

 

[DahliaRW]

I've been on both and prefer the Magic. More personalized service, smaller (so less noisy) MDRs, less crowded kids clubs, and Frienship Rocks at the end of the cruise which was really great. It also has the new tangled show, the updated version of Dreams, which is, IMO, the best show between all the shows offered between the 2 ships.

 

[ivanp91]

I've been on both and the Magic was easily my favourite.

 

[Pens Fan]

I've been on all of the ships except the Dream and couldn't choose a favorite. They are all wonderful. I love the adult areas and satellite falls on the Fantasy, but we noticed a significant difference in service between the classics and the dream class, with the classics coming out on top. I also prefer the smaller number of passengers and more intimate feel of the classics. My son greatly preferred Vibe on the Fantasy to either of the classic's versions, but that won't apply to kids your age. The new kids space on the Magic looks awesome, but as my son is 17 I can't add any first hand experience there.

Bottom line, I agree with Schmoo - go for whatever itinerary you prefer. IMHO you will have a great time on any of the four ships, so I'd go for the one that takes you to the most interesting places.

 

[clten]

I've been on both and much prefer the Magic. I thought the service was better on the Magic -- especially at dinner where we felt we were packed in like sardines in crowded dining rooms on the Dream and Fantasy. But that's what's important to us. (Not that you'd get bad service on the Fantasy; just for us we had been sailing the smaller ships for a long time and noticed the difference -- our servers on the Dream/Fantasy that had worked on the smaller ships commented that they don't have as much time to spend face to face with guests because of the distance to the kitchen and the longer lines in the kitchen waiting to get food.)

I'd say you should look at what caught your eye about cruising with Disney. If it was the bells and whistles that only the new ships have (Aquaduck, animated art/midship detective, Satellite Falls) then I'd say select the Fantasy. If it's for the Disney characters and service (and slightly less crowded pools), the Magic might be a better choice.

 

[JimGA]

3 different family members have been on both,(Fantasy 2013 and Magic in 2014) both went on the Fantasy first then the Magic, all 3 said hands down the Fantasy is much nicer. No comparison they said

 

[shelbell77]

I've been on all 4 ships numerous times. Can't go wrong with Magic or Fantasy. But if I was picking I would pick Fantasy. I like the adult areas better, and I love Satellite Falls. We've never noticed a difference in service between the Classic ships and the Dream class ships so it surprises me to see so many cite that as the reason. We've always found just as amazing of service on the Dream and Fantasy as we do on the Magic and Wonder.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

We have been on both and prefer the Magic for the most part, but wouldn't hesitate to sail either
Magic has less crowded kids clubs and food areas, nicer adult pool area, we've had slightly better service on the Magic too. Twice now. It was also easier to navigate, without feeling crammed.
DS missed the aqua duck and the midship detective agency on the Fantasy but we were super happy on the Magic. We liked the adult nightclubs on the Magic just as much as on the Fantasy, and also loved promenade lounge where you could have your kids with you. There was usually live music in there too.
Tangled and Dreams were the best shows between both ships.

 

[anricat]

We prefer the smaller feel of the Magic. We have sailed the Dream (not the Fantasy) so I can't compare specific amenities, but based on size of the Dream class vs. Classic, we just liked the feeling of the smaller ship. Plus I'd rather have a verandah. We sailed Magic with a verandah and Dream with the large porthole and while the large porthole is still great, the verandah was a lot of fun, particularly for me in the mornings. I'm an early riser and DH and DD sleep in, so it was nice to have a place to just relax and read my book while they slept in.

You didn't mention itineraries, that would play a part in my decision, though, I would still lean heavily on the Magic. Plus, the new Tangled show! I can't wait to get back on the Magic to see it. It looks like so much fun.

 

[papertraveller]

We have been on the Magic four times, the Fantasy once, the Dream once.
First, decide where you want to go.
It's important to know that the ships are all amazing. The 'Classic' ships are smaller and have a more intimate feel. The 'Dream' class are larger, with more people, more bells and whistles, bars, adult areas, and way more walking -- and on the Fantasy, Satellite Falls and the Skyline bar are not to be beat.
I prefer the AquaDuck to the Magic's AquaDunk, but that's not a deal breaker. The Magic is our favourite ship, hands down. But our next cruise? The Fantasy.
You really can't go wrong.

 

[mlayton14]

Been on both and This one isn't even close IMO, the Fantasy by far. Bigger, newer, nicer. The restaurants better theming, more to do, much larger adult area, aqua duck and other additional water features, etc. Go on Cruise Critic and look at the ratings of the % of people that "love it", Fantasy wins by a pretty large margin.