Wonder or Fantasy?

[CAmommy]

Trying to decide on a Thanksgiving cruise for 9 people (all family of ours). We did a 7 night cruise out of Florida on the Fantasy in 2014 and really enjoyed it. I was thinking maybe going out of Galveston this time on the Wonder. Some people in our group are worried that the Wonder won't be as nice, but I'm more concerned about being bored with roughly the same itinerary again. The Galveston trip is about 20% more than the Florida one, but we will likely save on airfare since we are coming from CA. Any thoughts/opinions??? What would you do?

 

[jrabbit]

wow, the Wonder costing more than the Fantasy - I'm surprised.

But at the end of the day - I like the Magic / Wonder better than the new ships. I don't mind the smaller ships with less cool tech. I'm more about relaxing (but not a sit around in the sun / by the pool person). I enjoy interacting with the crew and it's "easier" on the smaller ships - less competition from my fellow passengers.

The state rooms are just a little bigger on the Magic/Wonder. It's amazing what 6 to 12 inches here and there will give you space wise. The main broadway shows are as good or better on the classics. Animators Palate is pretty darn cool on the Dream/Fantasy, but the classic ships have been upgraded are are pretty cool too. There appears to be more personal space in the dinning rooms on the classic ships, even if you have a table for 2 on the new ships, the next table is only 3 inches away!

and on an on.

I like all 4 DCL ships. Been sailing on them since 99. You can't really go wrong on any of them

as far as costs go - Houston / Galveston have many "hidden" costs. The car rental places won't take you to the port / pick you up. One way car rentals are very expensive (even for employees!) Shuttle services between the Houston Airports (Bush and Hobby) seem to be more expensive than central Florida (they are spendy enough). Uber / Lyft can drop off in Galveston, but NOT pick up.

For my upcoming cruise on the Wonder, that last 45 miles seems to be the most expensive per mile leg of the trip from the Northwest, to Galveston, to San Juan and back home!!

 

[CAmommy]

Thanks for the info! So, the Wonder doesn't have Animators Palate? That would be a deal breaker for my 6 year old. That was his absolute favorite part of the whole trip.

 

[iivye]

Wonder has Animators Palate. The big differences I've found is the Wonder doesn't have the Mid-ship Detective Agency and the Wonder doesn't have on demand movies in the room. Other than that I found them pretty similar. Also there is no Disney transportation from Hobby (only from IAH) if I remember correctly.

Our first cruise was the Thanksgiving cruise from Galveston and we loved it. We did go on the Fantasy and back to the Wonder and I prefer the Fantasy.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Wonder has Animators Palate. The big differences I've found is the Wonder doesn't have the Mid-ship Detective Agency and the Wonder doesn't have on demand movies in the room. Other than that I found them pretty similar. Also there is no Disney transportation from Hobby (only from IAH) if I remember correctly.

Our first cruise was the Thanksgiving cruise from Galveston and we loved it. We did go on the Fantasy and back to the Wonder and I prefer the Fantasy.

Has the Wonder updated the Animator's Palate to include the drawings from the guests?

 

[Quellman]

I'm not positive you will make back 20% on airfare costs, but I'm not price shopping. What bores you about the itinerary? Just the fact there are the same ports? I have sailed the eastern Itinerary twice and have a third book for this year. There are always new things to do and try in the ports, but we seldom get off. We are in relax and enjoy mode. But I understand everyone is different and may want to see different places. There are also Eastern and Western Itineraries. So if you have 2 possible weeks to choose, the ship rotates schedules.

Sadly, the wonder is the only ship I have not sailed on and will be waiting for a Panama Canal cruise to do it.

 

[CAmommy]

We've been to San Juan two times already and I'm not a fan of St. Thomas. I am also annoyed that they don't have new shows on the ships. It will have been 3 years since our first sailing but still the same tired shows. We aren't the type of people who like the same type of trip all the time.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Trying to decide on a Thanksgiving cruise for 9 people (all family of ours). We did a 7 night cruise out of Florida on the Fantasy in 2014 and really enjoyed it. I was thinking maybe going out of Galveston this time on the Wonder. Some people in our group are worried that the Wonder won't be as nice, but I'm more concerned about being bored with roughly the same itinerary again. The Galveston trip is about 20% more than the Florida one, but we will likely save on airfare since we are coming from CA. Any thoughts/opinions??? What would you do?

Don't forget that flying in for Galveston means flying in to Houston and then finding transportation to Galveston--there isn't transportation provided by Disney. If you fly into Bush International (which is north of Houston), it can be a long drive with crazy traffic. From Hobby airport (south side of Houston), not so bad.

I don't think the Wonder is any less nice than the newer ships, but it is smaller and there are some things it doesn't have.

 

[Dug720]

I'm struggling with a similar dilemma for Presidents' Week 2018.

I was all set to book the Fantasy while onboard the Magic this year - then they announced the invasion again making what should have been a wonderful 7-night Western Caribbean (new to me) on my favorite ship one in which I'd pretty much be stuck in my stateroom for a day as I cannot stand Star Wars AT ALL (and personally don't and will never consider it Disney).

So now for a 7-night on Disney, my option is the Wonder (not going to say anything about the size as I haven't been on a Classic yet - I may find I love the size) - but Tiana's is not one iota interesting to me (personal horrid experience with New Orleans, so I am NOT into anything that remotely smells of it) and knowing that I could be stuck in there for 3 nights...ew. Plus it is an Eastern and goes to St. Maarten and San Juan - been to both, don't mind St. Maarten, hated San Juan.

There's a 5-night Western on the Magic out of Miami - just goes to Grand Cayman and CC, which isn't bad, but I think I lose a lot of the onboard benefits since it's just a 5-night.

Ugh!

 

[SleepyDeb]

Our first Disney cruise was on the Fantasy. When we got on the Wonder I was very disappointed. It seemed so dark and small next to the Fantasy and I was very unhappy for a day or so. Then I got used to it and had a lovely time.
I still prefer the Fantasy, but my husband liked the Wonder better.

 

[Shanti]

We've been to San Juan two times already and I'm not a fan of St. Thomas. I am also annoyed that they don't have new shows on the ships. It will have been 3 years since our first sailing but still the same tired shows. We aren't the type of people who like the same type of trip all the time.

Is San Juan even on the Fantasy's EC itinerary next year? When we sailed the Easterm last month, it stopped at Tortola, not San Juan.

 

[whistlinmickey]

Trying to decide on a Thanksgiving cruise for 9 people ... Some people in our group are worried that the Wonder won't be as nice. ... The Galveston trip is about 20% more than the Florida one, but we will likely save on airfare since we are coming from CA. Any thoughts/opinions??? What would you do?

We just sailed on the Wonder last month. We loved it! We sailed on her in Alaska a few years ago as well. The recent reimagining is wonderful!

I would recommend pricing out flights still. With Orlando being a more popular tourist destination, flights might be more of a commodity value to there than into Houston.

as far as costs go - Houston / Galveston have many "hidden" costs. ...
For my upcoming cruise on the Wonder, that last 45 miles seems to be the most expensive per mile leg of the trip from the Northwest, to Galveston, to San Juan and back home!!

^ This!! Sadly, yes, Houston/Galveston does not seem to be very affordable for out-of-town visitors. For our party of 6, it would have been more than twice as expensive to fly as it was for us to drive. So we opted to drive. It was over 23 hours of driving time, one way, not including stops for breaks, meals, and hotel stays. I find it telling that we would opt for that "experience" over the expected extra expenses that would be required had we flown into Houston. Make sure you price it ALL out to be sure for your needs and budget.

Has the Wonder updated the Animator's Palate to include the drawings from the guests?

After the recent dry-dock, the Wonder does have the Animation Magic show, where guests draw their own characters that are then magically animated on the large screens. It's really fun. The Wonder does NOT have the Undersea Magic show with Crush, like the Fantasy has.

 

[NoodlesMom]

I vote for the Fantasy. I'll sail her for the first time in May but I have sailed the Dream. I sailed the Wonder for the first time last month and I didn't love it. I think the bigger ships have more to offer. My 12 and 16 year old did not like their clubs as much as they did on the Dream. I live in Houston so the Galveston cruises are very close but honestly, I would rather go out of Florida for the Dream or Fantasy before taking another Wonder cruise. We've also sailed the Magic twice and for some reason, we also liked the Magic better.

 

[undertheradar]

We sailed the Wonder in December and are booked again for this December. We find service to be better on the classic ship, the smaller crowds makes for better experiences.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

After 2 cruises on the Fantasy and 1 on the Wonder, my vote is for the Fantasy.

I found her much prettier, 1 small example is in the halls to the staterooms. On the Fantasy the entire length of the halls the walls are wood, on the Wonder they're only wood at the door area. Not a huge deal but the white walls just made the Wonder to be less elegant. Also, the atrium seems so much smaller on the Wonder and the elevators there are ridiculously small.

I didn't find service to be better at all on the Wonder, in fact it was the worst we've ever experienced, including our most recent cruise on Carnivals new Vista.

We actually enjoyed our second cruise on the Fantasy more than the first because it felt like we went back home, we were so used to the ship.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Myself, 7yo DD and MIL have sailed on both the Fantasy and the Wonder. For us our choice hands down was the Fantasy...sailing on her again in 29 days! Woot!!

For activities we enjoyed the Aquaduck and Mid-ship Detective that are not offered on the Wonder.

We had a great trip on both ships but if asked our preference it would be the Fantasy for all 3 of us but truly it's a personal decision.

 

[Shanti]

Another vote for the Fantasy. We loved sailing on her last month. The service and food were better than what we experienced on the Magic last year. We did enjoy the Magic, but the Fantasy was even better. After enjoying all the extras that the Fantasy has to offer, I can only see us sailing on a classic ship for the sake of a unique itinerary that the Dream class ships don't provide. (This is especially the case for the Wonder which lacks a major water slide.)

I'm a lifelong Texan yet have little desire to sail out of Galveston- that part of the Gulf of Mexico isn't very clean or pretty, and it is colder there in winter than is coastal Florida.

 

[scrappinginontario]

[QUOTE="Shanti, post: 56973040, member: 566966]This is especially the case for the Wonder which lacks a major water slide.[/QUOTE]

Thankfully during last year's dry dock they did add a new water slide but like you I really enjoy the Aquaduck!

 

[Shanti]

Thankfully during last year's dry dock they did add a new water slide but like you I really enjoy the Aquaduck!

Yes, but the new water slide (Twist 'n' Spout) is small, not a major draw like the Aqua Duck or Aqua Dunk. There is a Twist 'n' Spout on the Magic in addition to the Aqua Dunk, and my son and I both tried it and regarded it as just a kiddie slide. But it is good they at least added that.

 

[kiapepito]

Our first Disney cruise was on the Fantasy. When we got on the Wonder I was very disappointed. It seemed so dark and small next to the Fantasy and I was very unhappy for a day or so. Then I got used to it and had a lovely time.
I still prefer the Fantasy, but my husband liked the Wonder better.

Completely agree with you!!