Which ship?

[DisneyKatie1]

For a first time cruiser, which ship would you choose and why? TIA

 

[Marc D]

Unless you are a massive fan of a specific IP featured on a specific ship (Tiana on Wonder, Tangled on Magic, Marvel on Wish…), I would not pick a first cruise based on the ship but rather look at price, date of sailing and routing. The ships sail out of different ports, do different itineraries and sometimes at very different costs. For the moment, DCL charges a premium for sailings on Wish because it is their newer ship.

Veteran cruisers sometimes prefer a specific ship or chose to cruise a less desirable route in order to experience a ship they haven’t tried before, but in your case, that should not be the main focus. 90% of the experience will be the same across the fleet.

 

[Rob1872]

Agree with Marc's comment; itinerary is more important on the first cruise than the ship.

I will say that I feel we got lucky on our first cruise. We weren't sure if my kids would like it, so instead of a week on the ship we spent 3 days at Universal Studios and then a 3 night cruise on Magic. The best part was instead of a day at Castaway Cay and a day at Nassau, we had a day at Castaway Cay and a sea day. For your first time, having a day at sea to experience the ship activities puts a much different spin then if you are just on the ship in the evening for dinner and the show.

Some people will say that Castaway Cay is better on Magic/Wonder because there are fewer people on the island. But then you give up some of the big ship amenities (AquaDuck, sports simulators, etc) that aren't on the smaller ships. It really is a matter of personal preference; no right/wrong answer.

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

Also agree with Marc D. Go for an itinerary and you will adapt to the ship. For example, we love Southern Carib cruises. This Nov it will be on Dream, but next year (which we have already booked) will be on Magic. So this Nov I am focused on doing things on Dream that will not be available on Magic ie Remy in our particular case (adult mother daughter cruisers hence my name). Next year I will focus on Palo. Again this is just an example of Marc D’s suggestion in practice - YMMV especially if your cruising with more than adults.

 

[cedricandsophie]

For us, we have been on over 20 DCL cruises on all ships except the Wish. I like the fantasy and dream best because I like the adult area better. But there’s not that much different Among all the ships. For us it’s not really about the itinerary anymore. We have been to all the islands and have done several European cruises and the transatlantic both ways. We rarely get off anymore and treat it like a floating resort, We just want as long a cruise as possible. Our next cruise is on the Wonder from Honolulu to sydney Australia in October. 14 glorious days!

 

[CamColt]

For us, we have been on over 20 DCL cruises on all ships except the Wish. I like the fantasy and dream best because I like the adult area better. But there’s not that much different Among all the ships. For us it’s not really about the itinerary anymore. We have been to all the islands and have done several European cruises and the transatlantic both ways. We rarely get off anymore and treat it like a floating resort, We just want as long a cruise as possible. Our next cruise is on the Wonder from Honolulu to sydney Australia in October. 14 glorious days!

Exactly this (minus the Europe, transatlantic ,and next cruise and we have done the Wish).

We cruise DCL for the cruise/ship experience. The ports are secondary, except CC, which we love. Dream/Fantasy are our favorites and they are comparable, except length and on the Fantasy you will get the Drawn to Animation dinner which is cool. Next would be Magic/Wonder, then the Wish. With that said if you have young kids who are very much into all things Disney and want it 24/7 on a cruise, the Wish might be a good option for you.

 

[OpieDoodle]

All the ships are awesome for a first time cruise. I'd look into which ship has the itinerary you like best, cost, etc.

 

[Husker Mike]

Agree 100% with Marc's comment. Pick the itinerary first. I'd also caution about taking too short of a cruise. A 3 night cruise is actually just a 2 day cruise since the boarding process takes up most of the first day and the end of the last full day is spent packing up because you'll need to get off the ship early the next morning. Unless you are really worried about getting seasick (based on past car or other trips), four nights really should be your bare minimum. We did a 5 night on the Fantasy as our first cruise and realized we wouldn't want to do anything shorter.

 

[o&smom]

Exactly this (minus the Europe, transatlantic ,and next cruise and we have done the Wish).

We cruise DCL for the cruise/ship experience. The ports are secondary, except CC, which we love. Dream/Fantasy are our favorites and they are comparable, except length and on the Fantasy you will get the Drawn to Animation dinner which is cool. Next would be Magic/Wonder, then the Wish. With that said if you have young kids who are very much into all things Disney and want it 24/7 on a cruise, the Wish might be a good option for you.

Good news is that the Dream now has Drawn to the Magic since it does longer cruises.

 

[Marc D]

Good news is that the Dream now has Drawn to the Magic since it does longer cruises.

Has this been confirmed since she started the longer cruises? I don’t read trip reports so maybe I missed it.

 

[o&smom]

Has this been confirmed since she started the longer cruises? I don’t read trip reports so maybe I missed it.

Did it on our Med Cruise this summer!

 

[ScooterScott44]

Agree with everyone that the ships in the DCL fleet have less variety than some other lines. Also agree that the itinerary and cost might be something to consider over the specific ship for the OP.

It appears that @DisneyKatie1 is taking not only first DCL, but first cruise. If that is the case I would share that a 4-5 day itinerary might be good. It is just long enough to help get a feel if you like cruising without being too long. A three day is a good taste of cruising but might be a little too short, and having at least one sea lets you experience a day only on the ship.

Happy planning.

 

[JM_97]

I agree with the others. For your first cruise, you won't have anything to compare it to so I wouldn't stress myself out over which ship. Figure out where you want to go first and then the ship question will sometimes be answered for you.

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

For a first time cruiser, which ship would you choose and why? TIA

Disney Wish do 3 and 4 night cruises
Disney Fantasy do cruises for a full week.
These 2 ships go from Port Canaveral about an hours drive from Walt Disney World and Disney do busses from/to Port Canaveral from Walt Disney World and the airport.
Disney Dream cruise ship does sailings around Europe, transatlantic and cruises from New York and you can also get a bus transfer from Disney's preffered hotel
Disney Wonder does cruises around Alaska from vancouver and Disney offer transfers from the airport and Fairmont Waterfront hotel or other Disney preffered hotel.
Disney Magic do Bahamas cruises from Fort Lauderdale
Disney Wonder also do cruises around Australia too but seasonal not throughout the year.

 

[JM_97]

Disney Wish do 3 and 4 night cruises
Disney Fantasy do cruises for a full week.
These 2 ships go from Port Canaveral about an hours drive from Walt Disney World and Disney do busses from/to Port Canaveral from Walt Disney World and the airport.
Disney Dream cruise ship does sailings around Europe, transatlantic and cruises from New York and you can also get a bus transfer from Disney's preffered hotel
Disney Wonder does cruises around Alaska from vancouver and Disney offer transfers from the airport and Fairmont Waterfront hotel or other Disney preffered hotel.
Disney Magic do Bahamas cruises from Fort Lauderdale
Disney Wonder also do cruises around Australia too but seasonal not throughout the year.

Dream is also in Fort Lauderdale for part of the year.

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Dream is also in Fort Lauderdale for part of the year.

Yes that's right and Disney Wonder does a sailing from Haiwaii but not very often it goes from Haiwaii

 

[justme0729]

I would personally choose the Dream, Fantasy, or Wish unless the Magic/ Wonder had a unique itinerary I liked

 

[insureman]

Any ship but the Wish.

 

[DisneyKatie1]

Any ship but the Wish.

Why what is wrong with the Wish?

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Why what is wrong with the Wish?

Reasons why people avoid the Disney Wish maybe the duration of the cruise is too short or maybe the ship could be too big to get around.