Utopia vs Disney Wish

[supercarrie]

We are planning a head to head comparison trip - Utopia vs Wish - next spring. (Myself, my husband, an almost 9 year old son.)

We are Diamond status on Royal, but my husband and son have never done a Disney cruise, and I only went on the Wonder once as a teenager in 2001. We are DVC members and are local to DL, but for cruising, Royal has always won out on price. We are massive Disney/Star Wars/Marvel fans so I'm excited to finally try out a new Disney ship. Price wise, they are within a couple hundred dollars (total) of each other. (Gone are the days of Royal being substantially cheaper!)

We are looking at doing a 3 night, spend M-F at WDW, and then head back to PC for our 2nd 3 night cruise. I'm thinking Utopia makes sense to do first (we have already been on Oasis, so know the layout well) but curious if you'd do Disney first instead (and if so, why?)

(I tried to talk my husband into just doing the Treasure 7 night but he is very excited about the idea of comparing the two in one trip.)

 

[DCLMP]

I've never been on Utopia, but I've been on the Wish and I would go on Utopia or I'd pick a better Disney ship.

 

[tink1970]

If you're going to do both...I'm no help because you could argue that doing the Utopia last would be good if y'all are tired of Disney v. doing DCL last to keep the Disney vibe going....hmmm....

I think your logic is sound-Utopia since it should be familiar, then WDW, then the Wish, which is "new." Despite some of the negative reviews here, I really enjoyed the Wish and since you've never been on a DCL, it will be different than RCL, but still, it's a cruise+ Disney so magical

Either way, I'd love to hear the comparison when you return from your trip, which sounds wonderful, albeit, maybe tiring

 

[asgur5]

I've never been on Utopia, but I've been on the Wish and I would go on Utopia or I'd pick a better Disney ship.

Disney wish is the best disney ship (until treasure comes along).

 

[Mike1082]

My wife and I just switched from a Utopia 3 night to a Wish 3 night after going through a similar dilemma. We ultimately decided Utopia was not a great fit for us after seeing a few reviews regarding the vibe and atmosphere. RCI is going for a "world's biggest party weekend" feel on that particular ship. And that's fantastic for many people! For us, though, pool deck twerk contests and silent toga parties are not really our thing which is why we opted for the Wish.

 

[DCLMP]

Disney wish is the best disney ship (until treasure comes along).

You should qualify that with in my opinion. I'm glad you liked it. The great thing is we have options.

 

[supercarrie]

Thanks all. To clarify, we are set on doing both cruises almost back to back (two weekends in a row). I'm just curious which one you would do first. I am thinking Utopia first, then Wish second, given the difference in service and overall quality level.

 

[jimmymc]

If I were doing this trip, I'd do Utopia first and end with the Wish. It feels like that would just be the better order, starting with the more active cruise and ending with a slower paced one.

 

[CamColt]

For me it would come down to the dates and how to fit in the cruises, based on their sail dates. If it works, I would do both cruises in a row as to make transportation easier with just 1 visit to the port.

I will watch for your review. Please post when the time comes. While I'm a a big DCL fan (29 cruises done, 3 more booked), I have been intrigued by what I'm seeing on Utopia videos. Since I'm not interested in sailing on the Treasure, we went with a 5 night on the Magic for next summer. Feeling 5 nights is not enough we booked a 3 night on Utopia for the day we get off the Magic.

 

[auntlynne]

Fun mission / assignment, comparing ships in one trip.

I think Utopia first. It’s somewhat a known commodity. Then enter the Disney Bubble for the remainder of your trip.

I also think Wish may be more relaxing for the finish, especially Castaway Cay over (I assume) Perfect Day.

Now, that could change your mind - maybe Coco Cay would be ending on a high note. What’s your family’s style for vacation?

 

[LordVader]

We've only ever been on the Wish but it was absolutely amazing and my family loved it. We're doing the 4 night Utopia in November because it was less than half the cost of doing the Wish again this year.

I've seen the videos on the vibe but I've also seen plenty of videos where you can easily skip the party events and it's still a great cruise for kids. I'll definitely be reviewing it and comparing it to the Wish once our trip is done.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

I love this idea and can't wait to read your report!

 

[kidnurse1137]

We are doing The Wish in October and Utopia in February. I’m interested to see the differences as well. I’ve done Dream on DCL and Allure on RCL. I’m already nervous after reading some of the reviews of the Wish. We loved the Dream

 

[WB1971]

Disney wish is the best disney ship (until treasure comes along).

Not if you poll experienced Disney cruisers it’s not.

 

[LordVader]

Not if you poll experienced Disney cruisers it’s not.

To be fair if you poll first time cruisers they absolutely love the Wish.

 

[CanucksRock]

First time Disney Cruiser .. did not love the Wish. Was wishing we went on Utopia (have been on many RCCL cruises)

I kept saying I wished that I could do a Disney themed cruise, but on an RCCL
ship. I just prefer the RCCL ships (the larger ones). I found Wish too closed off, too many dead ends. (Just got off the cruise today)

I found the service and staff no different from what I have received on other ships. I missed the Windjammer.

On the fence about doing another Disney Cruise. Only if discounted like we did with this one (VGT). Next cruise will be back on RCCL. (And I’m totally a Disney fan! Have WDW AP)

 

[WildernessMickey]

I would go with your original thought - Utopia first and then Wish.
I have been on Royal's Wonder and Harmony, which are similar to Utopia, and then Wish.
I much prefer the Wish but still had a great time on Royal.
With DCL I have been on the Magic, the Wonder, and the Wish. I absolutely loved all of them but especially the Wish. I have the Treasure and the Icon booked so I'm still enjoying both cruise lines.
Have fun comparing, and I think your break in between cruises is a good idea.

 

[supercarrie]

Thanks all! Wish first followed by Utopia ended up being a ~$700 difference versus the other order, so we are going with that. While originally the two sailings were comparable in price, when we swapped them around, RCCL was running a kids run free sale for the second weekend so it made sense to flip flop them to save the money.

To someone's question earlier, we love Perfect Day at Coco Cay, so don't mind that being our last day of the trip. It will be a lot of moving around in terms of accommodations, but we are ok with this.

I'll definitely post a report when the time comes next year!

 

[auntlynne]

$700 would make the decision for me, too!

 

[WB1971]

To be fair if you poll first time cruisers they absolutely love the Wish.

True. But they aren’t able to have an opinion if it’s the best. (With no experience otherwise)