Disney Wonder Vs Carnival Fascination

[SpaceSquirrel]

We cruised on the fascination a couple years back and really didn't enjoy it. our daughter was only two and we were very limited in the things that we could do, the shows were more for adults and we didn't even try to take her. (We don't/won't leave her with strangers)
The food was Ryan's quality for the most part and it was a bad time of year weather wise.

It felt like big party ship with young people running around drinking not really our thing.

We decided to give cruising one more chance and sail on the Wonder this spring.

Have any of you sailed on both ships?
How do the two lines compare to each other?

I'm really hoping for a better experience with Disney than we had with Carnival

 

[GatorMomInNC]

I believe I did a short cruise on the Fascination -- could have been a sister ship, maybe the Fantasy? I went out of Jacksonville . Tiny rooms, older ship? I think it had a nice water slide. The shows were like musical reviews and not the best for kids.

Generally, Carnival ships are colorful to the point of garishness . The Wonder is a classic style ship with beautiful, classy art nouveau designed and amazing attention to details. Your room, unless you had a suite on Carnival, will be much bigger. There will be a bathtub in your room. One thing that may be the same on both is that the kids pool(the Mickey pool) will probably be very busy. But unlike Carnival, there are lots of other things to do with a small child.

All shows in the Walt Disney theater at night are family friendly, and the big production shows, which you will have 1-3 of depending on the length of you cruise, are actual shows, with a plot etc. I love them, and love going with my kids to them.

There are family friendly activities scheduled all day, and with Disney they CATER to little ones, you won't feel out of place with a child in tow, except:adult only pool and cove cafe, where kids aren't allowed, and the bars, of course, and late night adult only shows. Of course, "adult only" on DCL is the equivalent of PG13 in the rest of the world.

With Carnival, I feel like the "heart" of the ship is the casino and you can't go anywhere without passing by it (which I hate). On the Wonder, there is no casino, and the "heart" it is the lobby atrium, which is often filled with character greets, baby races, golf competitions, etc.

Your daughter is too young for the kids clubs, but DEFINITELY take her to the open houses (there is an hour or two every day) as there is lots you can do with her. I don't know if the nursery has open house hours, but if they do check it out... You might even decide to use it for an hour or two!

Check the navigators every night as a lot of activities for younger kids are earlier in the morning... Like a Disney Junior event I think is held every morning. Your two year old may get a little ansie at dinner as they run a little long. At that age you will probably want to do some character meets, and if she likes Anna and Elsa get tix as soon as you get on board for her to meet them, and get "warm hugs" from Olaf.

Oh, and the movie theater shows movies all day, and there are lots of kid friendly shows on tv.

 

[SpaceSquirrel]

Thank you for your reply! My DD is almost 5 now, after reading your reply I think she'll (and we'll) get a lot out of this cruise.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Thank you for your reply! My DD is almost 5 now, after reading your reply I think she'll (and we'll) get a lot out of this cruise.

Oh 5 is the PERFECT age for a first Disney cruise! I have 2 boys, and when I see how the little girls love to dress up and see all the princesses on the cruises it makes me wish I had a daughter!

How long is the cruise? Is it out of Galveston or Miami? We just did 5 nights on the Magic, which is the sister ship to the Wonder, out of Miami. It was a whirlwind, but we had a blast! We've done two cruises on the Wonder and we thought the crew was great!

 

[Daisy'sMama]

It will be like shopping at k-mart vs shopping at Nordstroms. I have never been on a carnival cruise because of the descriptions I have heard like yours, but we are going on our 4th Disney cruise next month. Last time we took my nephew, who is 5. The servers made sure he got his dinner with our appetizer and as soon as he was done eating he begged to go to his club. We had to pry him out to go to show, go swimming, etc. he loved it! The food is always fabulous, the entertainment top notch. I really hope you give it a shot.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Night and day. my friend. Your daughter will have a FABULOUS time on the wonder. If you don't mind the upcharge, schedule her at BBB, and get her a character meet and greet. She will be beside herself with joy.

You are correct that the carnival ships are largely a younger / party crowd. The Disney ships cater to kids (although don't let that fool you, DW and I go alone without our kids and still have a great time). There are drinks to be had, but few drunks if you understand my meeting, and few 'parties' (except maybe the teen club - i've never been in there..).

Put your mind at ease.

 

[princessmommyx3]

Don't forget to get free tickets for the Princess gathering and Anna/Elsa/Olaf meet & greet as soon as you board the ship. Your daughter will LOVE it!

 

[SpaceSquirrel]

Thank you all for taking the time to answer and for your great advice!

 

[bovioask1]

I've gone on both Disney and Carnival, not those boats in particular but if you're bringing the kiddos i'd say disney is the way to go. This thread is fantastic, my kids are 7 and 2 and i'm definitely considering taking them on their first disney cruise soon!

 

[SpaceSquirrel]

Night and day. my friend. Your daughter will have a FABULOUS time on the wonder. If you don't mind the upcharge, schedule her at BBB, and get her a character meet and greet. She will be beside herself with joy.

You are correct that the carnival ships are largely a younger / party crowd. The Disney ships cater to kids (although don't let that fool you, DW and I go alone without our kids and still have a great time). There are drinks to be had, but few drunks if you understand my meeting, and few 'parties' (except maybe the teen club - i've never been in there..).

Put your mind at ease.

Thank you!
I don't think they have BBB on the Wonder which is unfortunate because as much as I'd like to do that with her I never spend time on park days doing it.

 

[disnygirl55]

Just a quick note about

(We don't/won't leave her with strangers)

You are the parent, and you have the right to do what you would like, but I wanted to try to put your mind a little at ease regarding stranger danger. In my experience, the childcare in the Oceannear's Club is fantastic. Kind of like taking your daughter to preschool or kindergarten part time, but I feel it's even safer. Our son had just turned 5 on his first cruise, and wanted to be with us doing activities much of the time, but I also feel he would have missed some really fun stuff if we had kept him with us all the time. There are activities in the kids clubs with the counselors that happen outside of "open house" time - and you won't be able to be there with your daughter if there's an activity she really wants to do with the other kids. So if it feels right to you and to her, I don't think there's any reason to fear leaving her for an hour or so now and then, if that's your concern - based on the activities she may want to do. Rest assured that it is very secure in there. Children cannot wander in and out, and neither can adults (which is why you won't be able to go in at a whim, other than during Open House hours). You will need a special password to remove her from the Club when you pick her up, as a matter of fact.

This is going to be such a treat for the whole family. I don't think it can compare to the Carnival experience at all - it's going to knock your socks off how much fun you're going to have!

 

[MunFam]

Just a quick note about


You are the parent, and you have the right to do what you would like, but I wanted to try to put your mind a little at ease regarding stranger danger. In my experience, the childcare in the Oceannear's Club is fantastic. Kind of like taking your daughter to preschool or kindergarten part time, but I feel it's even safer. Our son had just turned 5 on his first cruise, and wanted to be with us doing activities much of the time, but I also feel he would have missed some really fun stuff if we had kept him with us all the time. There are activities in the kids clubs with the counselors that happen outside of "open house" time - and you won't be able to be there with your daughter if there's an activity she really wants to do with the other kids. So if it feels right to you and to her, I don't think there's any reason to fear leaving her for an hour or so now and then, if that's your concern - based on the activities she may want to do. Rest assured that it is very secure in there. Children cannot wander in and out, and neither can adults (which is why you won't be able to go in at a whim, other than during Open House hours). You will need a special password to remove her from the Club when you pick her up, as a matter of fact.

This is going to be such a treat for the whole family. I don't think it can compare to the Carnival experience at all - it's going to knock your socks off how much fun you're going to have!

I agree 1000% Our daughter (4 1/2 on her first cruise) favorite part of the whole cruise was the club. She wanted to be there the whole trip. We actually missed her. She wanted to leave the pool to go there. She wanted to skip excursions to go there. She wanted to skip character meet and greets to go there. The clubs are so much more than a babysitting service. Infact, almost a year later, she still brings up "Remember when we went through the Panama Canal and you wouldn't let me go to the club, you made me stay on deck with you instead!" She's still mad, but we wanted her in our family pictures. Haha

As I mentioned, we were on a 14 night Panama Canal Cruise, so I know they do things a little differently, but...characters came in and did things like Mickey Mousecateer training and Captain Hook activities and I can't even think about all of things they did, but they were special character interactions and activities that she got to experience because she was in the club (they are listed in the Navigator) and they are only for kids. Parents cannot stay during closed sessions. The clubs are the best and only reason we will ever sail on DCL again. We prefer Princess for the actual cruise experience.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Thank you!
I don't think they have BBB on the Wonder which is unfortunate because as much as I'd like to do that with her I never spend time on park days doing it.

Oops. My bad. You're right. The wonder hasn't had her refurb yet. Something to look forward to on your next cruise! (After you do one, you will be planning for your next one - guaranteed! They are strangely addicting).

 

[ilovetexas]

You're comparing apple to oranges. I am a Carnival cruiser and I hated the Fascination. Sailed her twice just to give her a fair shake (since I've sailed two others in that class and liked them) but still don't like that ship. Anyway, if you want to sail on a CCL ship that is more comparable to DCL, try one of the newer ones. The decor is toned down (they changed designers), the outside areas are fantastic, the food options are heads and tails above Disney. Guys Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Cucina del Capitano (free at lunch), etc. My husband has never been a huge Carnival fan, he preferred Disney and Celebrity. BUT, this past summer we went on the Carnival Breeze and he said that's his favorite to date. My favorite to date is the Carnival Sunshine. My kids have always preferred Carnival over Disney. I can't wait to get on the new Vista!

Your child is the perfect age for Disney but keep an open mind to other possibilities. Unless the Disney characters are a must have, there are plenty of other options out there!

 

[samily]

I had to chuckle when I read this because the Fascination was our first cruise (with 2 kids ages 5, 2) and the Wonder was our second cruise (with ages 6,3).

The two do not compare AT ALL! We still laugh that we even tried another cruise after that first one. I'm glad we did because cruising has become our family's favorite vacation. The kids are now 17, 14 and 11.

That first try on Carnival turned my DH off so much that he won't even consider Carnival again. It's disappointing because some of their new ships look like a lot of fun.

So no need to worry, you will have a great cruise on the Wonder!

 

[NCPAWPAW]

Our first cruise was on the Fascination out of Jacksonville and while it was nice (we had a suite) there really is no comparison with Disney. We have sailed on the Disney Dream and Magic, actually in my opinion nothing compares to Disney!

 

[KT2038]

Hi I am a youth activities Counselor. Everyone is right, your daughter will love spending time with us in the Oceaneers club and lab. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have regarding our programming. Have a magical cruise!

 

[SpaceSquirrel]

Thank you everyone for your replies!