Advice Please!

[Jackiemarie21]

We are taking a cruise next March. We have cruised with DCL once before but it was 7 years ago and before I knew anything about researching Disney trips and before we had DD, so things are a little different.

I am having a very hard time trying to decide what cruise to take. We can do a 4 night Bahamas on the dream, or a 5 night Western Caribbean on the wonder. I am so torn between these two! Our first cruise was on the wonder (the 4 night Bahamas itinerary) and it was Amazing, but those new ships look soo neat!

So my question is, would you take a shorter cruise on the Dream or go for an extra night (and save $200) on the wonder? Are the new ships really worth it? Or would an extra day be worth it? Help me please!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are taking a cruise next March. We have cruised with DCL once before but it was 7 years ago and before I knew anything about researching Disney trips and before we had DD, so things are a little different.

I am having a very hard time trying to decide what cruise to take. We can do a 4 night Bahamas on the dream, or a 5 night Western Caribbean on the wonder. I am so torn between these two! Our first cruise was on the wonder (the 4 night Bahamas itinerary) and it was Amazing, but those new ships look soo neat!

So my question is, would you take a shorter cruise on the Dream or go for an extra night (and save $200) on the wonder? Are the new ships really worth it? Or would an extra day be worth it? Help me please!

For me, personally, I'm firmly in the "longer is better" camp. This, plus the $200 savings would head me in the direction of booking the Wonder.

 

[lanejudy]

For me, personally, I'm firmly in the "longer is better" camp. This, plus the $200 savings would head me in the direction of booking the Wonder.

me too!

 

[Nike4000]

Can't disagree with PrincessShmoo - when it comes to cruises, longer is definitely better in my book.

Also, having been on all 4 ships, my family has come to the conclusion that we prefer the smaller, less crowded ships. We have also found the service on the older ships to be a cut above the new ships.

However, like everything else in life, your mileage may vary. To each his or her own! Either way, you're on a Disney Cruise and there's nothing better than that!

On a side note, PrincessShmoo, I sent you a PM, did you get it? Just a quick question. Let me know if you didn't get it & I'll try again. Thx!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Can't disagree with PrincessShmoo - when it comes to cruises, longer is definitely better in my book.

Also, having been on all 4 ships, my family has come to the conclusion that we prefer the smaller, less crowded ships. We have also found the service on the older ships to be a cut above the new ships.

However, like everything else in life, your mileage may vary. To each his or her own! Either way, you're on a Disney Cruise and there's nothing better than that!

On a side note, PrincessShmoo, I sent you a PM, did you get it? Just a quick question. Let me know if you didn't get it & I'll try again. Thx!

No, I didn't.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

As I seem to post almost weekly on this board...

The laws of physics state that: LC > SC : DC = DH
in which LC = Longer Cruise, SC = Shorter Cruise, DC = Days Cruising, and DH = Degree of Happiness.

Therefore a longer cruise is always greater than a shorter cruise, given that the days spent cruising are directly proportional to the degree of happiness that you will feel.

(keep in mind that I'm a lawyer and not a mathematician or physicist, so don't jump on me for using incorrect symbols)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

As I seem to post almost weekly on this board...

The laws of physics state that: LC > SC : DC = DH
in which LC = Longer Cruise, SC = Shorter Cruise, DC = Days Cruising, and DH = Degree of Happiness.

Therefore a longer cruise is always greater than a shorter cruise, given that the days spent cruising are directly proportional to the degree of happiness that you will feel.

(keep in mind that I'm a lawyer and not a mathematician or physicist, so don't jump on me for using incorrect symbols)

Cute!

However, I will point out that shorter cruises may also bring happiness (any cruise is better than no cruise). Thus far, we've only done one cruise shorter than 7 nights (sorry, not DCL), and while it didn't have all the bells and whistles of the longer ones, we only took it as a long weekend getaway (no excursions and a lot of just laying around watching the sea go by). What we needed at the time.

 

[Nike4000]

No, I didn't.

I've resent it. Hopefully this time I did it right and it will go through!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've resent it. Hopefully this time I did it right and it will go through!

Got it and responded.

 

[Nike4000]

Got it and responded.

Many thanks for your always invaluable guidance!

 

[belac]

Longer cruise/vacation always = Better IMHO

 

[mdvlprof]

longer cruise - definitely. Classic ships are much more intimate. I've done classic ships and newer ships, and I like classic ships better. There's still lots of stuff to do.

 

[Four Swampers]

For me, personally, I'm firmly in the "longer is better" camp. This, plus the $200 savings would head me in the direction of booking the Wonder.

Agreed.

I also prefer the Wonder to the Dream. See my take on the four Disney ships, below.

Also, as your daughter is only 2, she will not be riding the Aquaduck. I think the longer cruise on the Wonder is great now, and save the stuff like Aquaduck and mid-ship detective agency for when she is older.

My Take on the Four Disney Ships

Wonder: hands down best service. All of the castmembers, from bridge officers to servers, are eager to please.

Magic: great dinner service, really good general service. I have had some special requests denied on the Magic that were offered to me without my asking when we were on the Wonder, so it does not get the over-the-top marks I give the Wonder. This has been consistent on four Wonder cruises and three Magic cruises over the past four years.

Fantasy: A simply amazing ship. Technologically fantastic, excellent adults-only areas, good service. Almost as good service as the Magic. Staff may actually be more eager to please than on the Magic, but hampered slightly by the size of the ship.

Dream: Great for technology, especially Aquadunk and Mid-Ship Detective Agency. Suffers from a rushed and overworked crew. Frankly, even many of the passengers seem more hurried, less friendly, less caught up in the "spirit of Disney." I suspect this stems from an overall vibe from the crew and from it being a bit of an entry level cruise.

Of note: the backstage hallways on the Dream, used by the castmembers to get everywhere, were horribly designed according to a number of castmembers who have worked there. That bad planning makes it more difficult for servers and other CMs to do their jobs. In fact, the poor design was so quickly apparent that the backstage area was redesigned for the Fantasy. A much smoother flow plus a seven day turnaround makes for a much nicer experience on the Fantasy.

Would I cruise the Dream again? Yes, but only on a really cheap fare, and with the intent of enjoying the Aquaduck, the quick service restaurants, Goofy's golf, Palo, etc.

 

[the_bUg]

As I seem to post almost weekly on this board...

The laws of physics state that: LC > SC : DC = DH
in which LC = Longer Cruise, SC = Shorter Cruise, DC = Days Cruising, and DH = Degree of Happiness.

Therefore a longer cruise is always greater than a shorter cruise, given that the days spent cruising are directly proportional to the degree of happiness that you will feel.

(keep in mind that I'm a lawyer and not a mathematician or physicist, so don't jump on me for using incorrect symbols)

This is the kind of math I can get behind. As a wise man once said about "cold ones", "The oneitude of the one is directly proportional to the colditude of the one, as a one which is not cold is hardly a one at all."

 

[missyp]

I did both of the cruises you are debating. Hands down I would do the 5 night Wonder. Aside from more days is always better than less, we had less crowds, more personal attention, friendlier crew, overall much better experience. Don't get me wrong I loved the Dream but I liked the Wonder much better! The thrill of the new bells and whistles last only a few moments ( IMHO)

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice ! I think it has been decided we are doing the 5 nighter! I was worried we would retgreat missing the neat stuff on the new ships, but it looks like we will be happy with the wonder!
Thank you!

 

[Ikaikalani]

I think you made a good decision! I love all the ships, but ranking #4 would be the Dream. For the newer ships, the Fantasy is just much better , especially the adult areas.

 

[The Sasquatch]

i guess i am one of the few that would prefer a day shorter cruise on a newer boat?

Sounds like you made up your mind but the new ships are very impressive! I am in the newer is better camp.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

i guess i am one of the few that would prefer a day shorter cruise on a newer boat?

Sounds like you made up your mind but the new ships are very impressive! I am in the newer is better camp.

I appreciate all advice! Thank you for the input. We did decide to go with the older one this time, but I hope before too long we will find ourselves on the newer ones too!

 

[bksaffle]

We just got off a 9-night Wonder cruise...and the ship is just WONDERful. We have been on all four ships now and my family agrees that we kind of like the classic ships better. The Dream is definitely on the bottom of the list. The lines to see the characters are so much more manageable on the smaller ships (obviously because of the less amount of passengers). You can't go wrong with the choice you made.

Enjoy, you may get hooked. If you want to go on one of the newer ships, try the Fantasy first.