I cruised last summer on the 4 night Dream. It was my first cruise and I fell in love with the Dream and cruising in general. I have been itching to go back ever since! I'm looking into April 2015. For those of you who have sailed new ships and older ships, do you think I'd be disappointed going from the Dream to either the Magic or the Wonder? I realize they are very different in size. We just absolutely loved the luxury of the Dream... The highTech feautures, cleanliness, newness, etc. I don't want to set myself up for failure but I'm looking a 600 savings to sail the Magic instead of the Fantasy. I'd love to hear opinions from others who have been in the same boat (ha, pun intended) we are adults only by the way.
Different for different people. We first sailed the classic ships, and we prefer them to the Dream, but about equal with the Fantasy. The new ships are a little shinier, they have midship detective agency, Aquaduck, and Animator's Palate is pretty cool.
The classic ships have a more intimate feel, but some people feel they battle with crowds as much as on the new ships. The classic ships have fewer people for
Castaway Cay, so definitely 1000 fewer people on Castaway Cay that day.
I find that frequently (not always) people on the disboards prefer the ships they first sailed. So I prefer the classics, but someone who first sailed the Dream might prefer the new ships. The good news is that no one tends to hate any of the ships!
If Midship Detective Agency, Aquaduck, and some other tech issues are worth $600 to you, sail the Fantasy. If those won't make or break the trip, then consider the Magic or Wonder and using the $600 for excursions, spa treatments, adult beverages, a cabana, or some other activity that would be fun for you.
Here is my own take on the ships, which is entirely subjective, entirely an opinion which may not be shared by anyone else:
I view the ships like this:
Wonder: hands down best service. The CMs 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 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.