Wish, Fantasy or Dream?

[Peaseblossom36]

I know there are a lot of negative opinions about the Wish and the more I see the more I wonder if we should try to switch to another ship.

I have done one cruise on the Wonder (forever ago) and we’ve done two cruises on the Fantasy. I love the Fantasy, the shows, the adult area, the restaurants, or kiddo loved the midship detective agency. Our last cruise was rough, the whole family caught the flu and it took us down one by one which really soured my husband on the trip but we already had a placeholder so here I am.

I’ve seen some feedback about the little mermaid show not really being as good as the shows on the other ships and was wondering how accurate that is. I saw a video that included the final bow of the show and it looked very high school production, especially compared to Frozen. The Little Mermaid is our daughter’s (5) favorite, so this was our draw to the Wish.

I’m caught between trying something new, switching to the Fantasy, or driving to Fort Lauderdale to try the Dream.

 

[sponica]

The Wish reaction comes down to experience on the first 4 ships. I loved the Wish, but it had been 10 years since i stepped foot on a cruise ship. Newer cruisers seem to be ok with the Triton class.

I think the Fantasy is running better itineraries from PC than the Wish, so even though I like the Wish, I'd be inclined to do the Fantasy for the 5 night cruise with stops at CC, LC and Nassau and a sea day.

The Dream it would really depend on the itinerary, FLL is just more inconvenient to me.

 

[Peaseblossom36]

The Wish reaction comes down to experience on the first 4 ships. I loved the Wish, but it had been 10 years since i stepped foot on a cruise ship. Newer cruisers seem to be ok with the Triton class.

I think the Fantasy is running better itineraries from PC than the Wish, so even though I like the Wish, I'd be inclined to do the Fantasy for the 5 night cruise with stops at CC, LC and Nassau and a sea day.

The Dream it would really depend on the itinerary, FLL is just more inconvenient to me.

We’re doing the cruise after a parks trip so unfortunately we have to do a shorter one. The 5 day Fantasy is the cruise we did in February and that’s been vetoed. We didn’t enjoy Lighthouse Point so aren’t really worried about stopping there. We are driving which was the only reason I’m considering the Dream.

 

[NAB]

Does your daughter like Frozen ? Then I would go on the Wish.

It is a different layout on this ship . How much time do you spend in the adult part where the pool is. That isn’t the greatest but boy the kids clubs are pretty cool on the Wish. Who doesn’t like getting to the kids club by slide in the Great Hall . Cinderella’s dress chandelier , the whole ship is very princess like.

Not sure if they have the picture thing going again yet , you play with your phone. You look for the picture , it gives you clues to the next one and you play games within the pictures.

 

[Joanna71985]

I love the Dream

 

[holula]

I liked the Wish. But that Frozen restaurant is SO loud and I think it has the worst set of shows across the whole fleet. The version of Aladdin is worse than the one on the Fantasy, I didn’t love The Little Mermaid. However the bars are stunning and I thought the food was the best I’ve had on DCL.

If all cruises are the same length I don’t think there is a wrong answer here.

 

[EnsignBensen]

Just got off the Wish, and have done 3 Dream cruises. My thoughts:

WISH: Better food, bigger/better Rainforest Room area, better Bars (not just confined to one area). Hook's Barbery is great - IYKYK. We liked the Arendelle/Frozen show - the trio was great. We sat right next to the stage, so not sure how it played further back. Victrophonics should not be missed. BUT: Ship's layout is confusing and seems more crowded, I think due to narrower passageways. Broadway shows were underwhelming, especially you, Aladdin. Cove Cafe coffee is hard to get to, but they have other coffee options at other bars. Also, AquaMouse > AquaDuck, and the Cinderella dress in the atrium is beautiful.

DREAM: MUCH better shows (Golden Mickeys, Beauty & the Beast, Believe) - and we really enjoy the shows so this was big for us. Adult area is nicer on the bow of the ship (the small pool in the Wish adult area was packed with the "Let's drink to being away from the kids" crowd). Enjoyed Palo more on the Dream than on the Wish. I think the Ent Team on the Dream had more energy which made trivia, etc. more fun. Seemed easier to get around/less crowded.

 

[Disneyworldlocal]

A lot of people seem to think the Beauty and the Beast production on the Dream is one of the best DCL shows. I saw it in 2017 which was so long ago I don’t remember. If you liked the general concept of the Fantasy the Dream is the one to choose. I do however love the Wish and think you can’t go wrong with all it does offer. I don’t think your daughter would notice that the Little Mermaid show was of lesser quality than other Disney stage shows.

 

[Peaseblossom36]

A lot of people seem to think the Beauty and the Beast production on the Dream is one of the best DCL shows. I saw it in 2017 which was so long ago I don’t remember. If you liked the general concept of the Fantasy the Dream is the one to choose. I do however love the Wish and think you can’t go wrong with all it does offer. I don’t think your daughter would notice that the Little Mermaid show was of lesser quality than other Disney stage shows.

That's true. I just have the moment where Elsa made it snow and she gasped "WOW" in absolute awe stuck in my mind. I think I will be chasing how that made me feel forever.

I'm still considering but it's a cruise so can't really go wrong.

 

[RedHead0186]

I personally don't think I would change cruises just because of the ship. There's lots of people who enjoy the Wish. I say go in with an open mind and see what you think. I've done the Wish and it was 'meh' for me, but it was also a weird sailing (I wasn't feeling great and we had an itinerary change), so I'm trying it again in September. And while the Fantasy is my favorite ship, my second favorite is the Treasure, another Triton/Wish class ship.

 

[FrancisK7]

I sailed the Fantasy last year (6 days) and I am sailing the Wish right now until Friday (4 days)

The Wish has better pools and better pool deck food. No contest there.

The Fantasy has better adult areas and a better overall layout.

Both have a lackluster restaurant (Enchanted Garden and Marvel) and a highlight restaurant (Royal Court and 1923).

The lack of central elevator shafts on the Wish is definitely annoying and can be felt during popular events like the sail away party and pirate night events. To make it worse I’ve never met as many uncivilized cruisers who have no idea about proper elevator etiquette as I have during this cruise. If you are first to board walk to the back and make room. So many rude people just park themselves at the door and expect people to maneuver around them as if we were on a parkour challenge. We use the stairs as much as possible to avoid using the elevators.

We are sailing the Treasure next May and we will definitely change our stateroom to be better situated so we are closer to the staircase. Walking to aft staircase to have to walk back midship is annoying.

The better pool deck and food more than make up for the weird ship layout and elevator issues imho. It is a beautiful ship and is definitely worth sailing. If you adjust expectations accordingly you will have a fantastic time.

 

[yowcruiser]

A lot of opinions already. Shows aside, once the Fantasy goes to drydock this Fall, the Dream and Fantasy are pretty much interchangeable (they already are, but the drydock will fix some of the minor differences between the two). Food is the same, layout is the same, theming of the adult venues are slightly different but location is the same. Currently, one big difference between the two is that the Fantasy has historically been more prone to vibrations due to a problematic propulsion system - something that the drydock hopefully resolves once and for all.

The Wish is a fine ship. Some of the long time DCL cruisers have difficulties adapting to the concept of the Triton class which takes the classic ocean cruise liners that the first four ships are, versus the "castle at sea" with the Wish. Yes, there are a number of things that the more classic ships offer that DCL fans have come to really appreciate that are not on the Wish... but I have heard from many people who have sailed with DCL where there first cruise was on the Wish - and loving it - as they did not come with pre-conceived notions of what a DCL ship should be like.

In the end, you will be on a Disney cruise where you will experience excellent service, great entertainment, really good food and form memories for a lifetime.