Faithful Carnival Cruiser Considering Disney

[MrsZee]

There are some fantastic deals going on right now for this Fall out of Galveston for the Disney Wonder. Probably the only time I will ever be able to afford a Disney cruise. A 7 night is only $500 more than the Carnival Magic cruise I was considering, and that's in a balcony. So, my question is for those who have done both... will I be disappointed since the Disney Wonder is smaller than the Carnival Magic? Or is their enough Disney "Magic" to make up for it? I will have a five year old with me, and I know he would love it more. That's not even a question, he would flip. But, I was looking forward to the Carnival Magic after going on the much smaller Carnival ships... will the adults be happy with the Disney Wonder too?

[MMastell]

Your five year old will have a wonderful time and you also will. Disney is a fine cruise line and if you don't care to gamble then it will be a good experience.

 

Don't feel guilty because you are taking a cruise on another line. Variety is good and other cruise lines offer a similar but different product and you can try other cruise lines to see if you like what they offer. I like Carnival but I also like other cruise lines.

 

Take care,

Mike

[S.S.Oceanlover]

There are some fantastic deals going on right now for this Fall out of Galveston for the Disney Wonder. Probably the only time I will ever be able to afford a Disney cruise. A 7 night is only $500 more than the Carnival Magic cruise I was considering, and that's in a balcony. So, my question is for those who have done both... will I be disappointed since the Disney Wonder is smaller than the Carnival Magic? Or is their enough Disney "Magic" to make up for it? I will have a five year old with me, and I know he would love it more. That's not even a question, he would flip. But, I was looking forward to the Carnival Magic after going on the much smaller Carnival ships... will the adults be happy with the Disney Wonder too?

 

You'll love it on DCL. We have cruised 3 times with them. Once as a big family, once with the grandson, and then my wife and i cruised by ourselves.

 

We were never bored, there are plenty of adults only areas on the ship and the private island which is awesome, has movie theater showing, of course Disney movies, and the production shows are far better then anything CCL has.

 

Oh yeah and the fireworks show!

 

Go and enjoy, guilt free!:)

 

Bill

[MrsZee]

I don't feel guilty not cruising Carnival, just hoping I am not disappointed since I was expecting so much from the Carnival Magic. Frankly, I am tired of small ships (Fantasy, Fascination)... I need something different! I guess that's about as different as you can get, going on a DCL cruise!

[MrPete]

There are some fantastic deals going on right now for this Fall out of Galveston for the Disney Wonder. Probably the only time I will ever be able to afford a Disney cruise. A 7 night is only $500 more than the Carnival Magic cruise I was considering, and that's in a balcony. So, my question is for those who have done both... will I be disappointed since the Disney Wonder is smaller than the Carnival Magic? Or is their enough Disney "Magic" to make up for it? I will have a five year old with me, and I know he would love it more. That's not even a question, he would flip. But, I was looking forward to the Carnival Magic after going on the much smaller Carnival ships... will the adults be happy with the Disney Wonder too?

 

Do it!

 

It will be like the CCL of 10 years ago, with a layer of Disney on top.

 

The size of the ship matters not. It's what they offer that counts. With service that will exceed all expectations!

[FireEater]

DW and I have no kids and sailed Disney twice. We had a good time. Hardly ever saw kids. They were well taken care of for what we heard.

[Tapi]

Frankly, I am tired of small ships (Fantasy, Fascination)...

 

Put your size worries aside. Not all small ships are created equal, most definitely when you look at other cruise lines. A smaller ship on another cruise line may offer more than the largest ship on the Carnival fleet.

[evandbob]

There are some fantastic deals going on right now for this Fall out of Galveston for the Disney Wonder. Probably the only time I will ever be able to afford a Disney cruise. A 7 night is only $500 more than the Carnival Magic cruise I was considering, and that's in a balcony. So, my question is for those who have done both... will I be disappointed since the Disney Wonder is smaller than the Carnival Magic? Or is their enough Disney "Magic" to make up for it? I will have a five year old with me, and I know he would love it more. That's not even a question, he would flip. But, I was looking forward to the Carnival Magic after going on the much smaller Carnival ships... will the adults be happy with the Disney Wonder too?

 

I was amazed at the Disney Dream, fantastic, spacious balcony cabin, split baths, the best nighttime deck party with music, dancing and fireworks, revolving dinner room assignments, fantastic food (baby lamb chops, jumbo shrimp and king crab legs on brunch sail away) quiet adult area, interactive games for the g-kids.

After turning platinum on CCL, I've watched the cutbacks, and figured it's time to experience other lines. When I was able to predict the next CD's spiel, that was the moment I realized I stayed too long on CCL.

[GTO-Girl]

Go for it!!!! We sailed on the Wonder when she was out of Canaveral and we loved that ship......better than the Disney Dream. With the smaller ship the service was much better because they had more time to be attentive.

 

You will have a wonderful time and with a 5yr old.....just the look on their face will be "priceless"

 

Have a great cruise!!!

[crusinfamof4]

The Wonder is very small, we thought. About the same size as the fantasy class ships. We sailed when our sons were 10 & 12, while, they had a nice time on the cruise, we were bored a lot. Not much of anything to do for adults, not that we saw anyway. We do not plan on sailing Disney again.

[mairead224]

If the 5 year old is happy then everyone is happy!!! I would jump at the offer!!!

[Kangapong]

Nobody does it like Disney!

 

Whether you are traveling with your children or not, a Disney cruise is something that everyone should experience at least once.

 

Do it! - I'm confident that you won't regret it.

[MrPete]

The Wonder is very small, we thought. About the same size as the fantasy class ships. We sailed when our sons were 10 & 12, while, they had a nice time on the cruise, we were bored a lot. Not much of anything to do for adults, not that we saw anyway. We do not plan on sailing Disney again.

 

Have to laugh at the term small. These ships are twice as big as the liners that were sailing in the 80's, and I never heard that word used to describe the Queen Elizabeth.

 

And I've yet to be bored with my kid, on board or on land.

[MrsZee]

Have to laugh at the term small. These ships are twice as big as the liners that were sailing in the 80's, and I never heard that word used to describe the Queen Elizabeth.

 

And I've yet to be bored with my kid, on board or on land.

 

It's funny, I sailed the Holiday on my first cruise. No way I was bored... honestly I think it's just because it is ALWAYS.THE.SAME. I can predict the shows, the CD speeches, the waiter dances, etc. Hell, I can even tell you what towel animal I will get the first night. It has gotten monotonous and I have only been on three. So, the size thing may not matter at all, now that I really consider it. It just being different will keep things interesting.

 

I am pretty sold on it, now just gotta make it happen.

[Swayde]

I would do it. Disney has always been way more expensive then Carnival when I have looked, so if I was able to get a good deal for a small price difference or the same price I'd book Disney in a heartbeat, same for RCCL or NCL or any other cruise line just so we can have a wonderful vacation and have new experiences.

 

We've had terrific experiences with Carnival, so we don't hesitate to book with them, but we're certainly open to other options. Life's too short to not make the most of it =)

[Ship's Wake]

I would do it in a heartbeat. Have been on four Disney cruises - all have been outstanding.

 

Also, bear in mind that Disney is dropping rates out of Galveston due to lower than anticipated demand. This likely means that they will not keep a ship there long term.

 

As you state, this may be the only time you can cruise Disney from Galveston, so I say go for it!

[dallas52]

i would try it, sure the 5 year old will love it and im sure you will have a great time also.

[moobear67]

For that small of a difference in price, I would go for it. The 5 year old will love Disney, and all of you will love Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. If the cruise price were thousands more, I would say not to do Disney (I think we got more "bang for our buck" on Carnival than on Disney, but we paid

2 1/2 times as much for a 5 nighter on Disney than we did for a 6 nighter on Carnival).

[newistcruiseaddict]

We just got off the disney wonder in March in an inside deluxe cabin shared between us and our teen kids after a thanksgiving cruise with two cabins on the RCI Freedom of the Seas. Trust me....size is not an issue! Its a fabulous ship with wonderful staff and MAGIC abounds! We had a great time and DCL is now our favorite and my teenagers want to always do Disney! But I can't afford it unless there is a great deal so we are sticking to our second favorite (carnival) for the time being.....

[SimplyAddicted]

Of the cruises I have taken, Disney was the one I least enjoyed. The food was pretty horrible and they refuse any special requests. We didn't like a dish and they refused to let us try another. As far as entertainment, we were pretty bored. The characters are great for the kids (and some adults!) but other than that, I was very disappointed. With their crazy prices, you won't ever see me on Disney.

[Talex831]

Long time Disney cruiser here. If this is likely your only opportunity, why not take it! The Wonder was my first and has a very special place in my heart. We much prefer the Wonder and Magic to the Dream and Fantasy. They are too large and they did not do a very good job designing the layout for that many people. Some serious design flaws, but I digress....

 

We just took our first CCL cruise since 1997 on the Magic and it was very nice. I found the buffet and quick service places (burgers, pizza, etc.) to be managed much better by DCL. They were truly the only thing I did not like on Carnival. Waiting 30 minutes for a cheeseburger is not acceptable. They DCL buffets also have a kids section which is something we greatly missed for my 6 y/o.

 

As far as shows go, no one can top Disney. The shows are Broadway style and quality. You cannot miss the shows each night. They are fabulous and planned so everyone whether late or early dinner seating can see them.

 

There isn't as much adult entertainment on Disney that many from Carnival are used to. We don't participate in those so it never mattered to us. We prefer to retire fairly early and rise early to start the next day.

 

The kids clubs are absolutely second to none. There is not a cruiseline that can compare.

[siestakeys04]

I want to cruise Disney I say go for it.

[williamson_ja]

Do DCL while you can. We've sailed with them twice (once on Magic and once on Wonder) and can't say enough good things about them. It's fabulous especially if you have little ones. If we could afford to sail them every time, we would. As it is, we sail Carnival unless DCL has a kids sail free deal.

[legion3]

Normally our family of 4 could not justify a DCL cruise because of its price. Normally DCL is double or triple other similar cruises. If the total bill was only $500 more I would jump on that deal!!!

 

 

Smaller ship would be better in our view anyway for many reasons.

 

I say go for it!

[The4Cruisers]

I'd encourage you to take the Disney cruise for that deal. I wouldn't fret about the smaller ship either. I enjoy the smaller ships myself. I have no interest in sailing of RCL's Circus of the Seas and such. Give me a ship with only 2 -3K people and I'll like. Have a great time!