Loved following your review. I completely agree with you. We cruised the Dream last May for the first time and had an absolutely amazing vacation. My mother was so jealous that she booked a trip and took us along this May so she could experience it. I wanted to try out the Magic after reading about all of the hype on here and I have to say that it didn't quite live up to the Dream. We still had an amazing vacation and my mom is ready to cruise the Magic again but if I had my choice for next time, I'd pick the Dream again.
Stateroom Host - On the Dream we had amazing service and she was always there greeting us and asking if there was anything she could do. On the Magic, we bumped into her once by accident and she didn't even introduce herself. She excused herself from the room so we could have some privacy (changing to head up to the pools) but it just wasn't what I was expecting.
Dining Experience - I think the quality of the food was very comparable but the servers were amazing on the Magic. We didn't have bad servers on the Dream, but the Magic ones provided over the top service and were fantastic with my 4 year old daugher & niece.
Castaway Cay - I absolutely love this place! I didn't feel crowded when we cruised the Dream but I could definitely tell a difference on the Magic. There was a lot more space. It also could have been due to the fact that it rained heavily that morning and I think a lot of people gave up on heading out as the ship scheduled more indoor activities. But it turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon and we stayed on the beach until "last call" to return to the ship.
Entertainment - I think they were equal. Loved the shows on each boat and my daughter liked the kids clubs equally.
Size - I am with you here. The Dream was breath taking. The Magic is gorgeous but just not as impressive after cruising the Dream last time. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I entered the atrium on the Magic. I don't feel like we walked too much or that the Dream was crowded. I knew the Magic would be smaller and that's exactly why I wanted to experience it but it just wasn't the same. And the elevators... eek! Definitely missed the space there.
Pools - In my opinion, both ships pools are too small. And I felt more crowded on the Magic's pool deck as I didn't feel there was enough deck space for walk ways without bumping into people or stepping over someone who was trying to sunbathe. The Dream definitely had more space to move though.
We saw a movie on the Magic which we didn't get to experience on the Dream which was fun and we still had an awesome time. My mom is ready to book again and said she would go back to the same ship. My daughter missed Goofy Golf and the Midship Detective game from the Dream. She didn't miss the actual game per se as she is too young to really experience the game piece of it but she missed the animated artwork. Two things that we definitely enjoyed on the Dream but I knew going into the Magic that we wouldn't have those two things and they were certainly not deal breakers.
To anyone trying to decide what ship to cruise, best of luck to you. I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter your choice. You'll have as much fun as you allow yourself to