Disney Dream vs Disney Magic

[Marie515]

Planning a 4 night Disney cruise (our first with Disney) and was wondering if there was a big difference between the Disney Dream vs. the Disney Magic ships? Any must do's? Just 2 couples, no kids - but love DISNEY!!

Thanks.

[moki'smommy]

There is a big difference between the ships, and I prefer the Magic.

 

Magic--2500 guests, re-imagined about 18 months ago

Dream 4000 guests, 5 years old.

 

Dream is much more computer oriented, high tech. It is huge. Dining rooms big, loud, tons of kids everywhere (yes, there are adult only areas). Some things on the Dream were recognized as "could be better" and were improved on the Fantasy. No question--Dream has more "stuff" , fancier, has upscale Remy restaurant in addition to Palo. And did I say BIG? Spa, rainforest room is much nicer

 

Magic--Love it. Classic lady. No, she doesn't have the high tech stuff like Midship Detective Agency. Smaller quieter dining rooms. Smaller all over. Not as fancy, but lovely. Freshly cleaned, painted, remodeled. Some of the changes, I don't care for, but that's going to happen. Some are amazing.

 

Honestly, I pick by dates and ports....but all things being equal, I'd cruise the Magic. I KNOW others will disagree.

[Maddysdaddy]

I've sailed on the Magic (pre Dry Dock) and the Fantasy (the Dream's sister) and given the choice, I would choose the Magic, primarily based on size. Of course my next cruise is on the NCL Escape which makes the Dream/Fantasy look small...

 

Unless you need all of the high tech bells and whistles, my thought is that the significant price difference between the Magic and the new ships really isn't worth it.

[Ex techie]

As mentioned above by moki'smommy, what is most important to you?

Ship facilities or itinerary?

That helps in the opinions and balancing one against the other.

 

ex techie

[perditax]

I've seen reference before to Magic being cheaper, but it seems whenever I look at prices for the classic ships they are far in excess of what I'm paying for four nights on the Dream.

 

Example: compare the four night Bahamas on Dream on 9/14/15 to the one on Magic one month later. (Sept v Oct, I don't see an obvious reason for the price diff.)

Edited March 16, 2015 by perditax

[moki'smommy]

I've seen reference before to Magic being cheaper, but it seems whenever I look at prices for the classic ships they are far in excess of what I'm paying for four nights on the Dream.

 

Example: compare the four night Bahamas on Dream on 9/14/15 to the one on Magic one month later. (Sept v Oct, I don't see an obvious reason for the price diff.)

 

Very interesting. When I've priced 7 night cruises, Fantasy vs. Magic, the Magic has been $1500 less.

 

BUT I'll grant you that the 4 night prices on the Dream are very good. Perhaps the ship isn't filling as much as they'd like. A 7 night Fantasy was more than double a 4 night Dream.

[perditax]

Is it possible there's more demand out of the non PC Florida ports? I can't think of why that makes sense, maybe due to much greater population near the SoFla ports?

 

When I first encountered the price diff (shopping around for later dates) I assumed it was because of the nostalgia for the smaller ships I always hear about. (I guess I'm also on a very cheap sailing.)

[moki'smommy]

Anything is possible, and the prices for any individual cruise increases as the ship fills.

 

Maybe the nostalgia factor is kicking in...but I have a travel agent friend who says they can't sell the Magic. Everyone wants the new ships. And we laugh because we both like the Magic better.

[Marie515]

Thanks for the info - looks like the Magic and Dream have similar entertainment options also, so the Magic sounds like the right one. Also, do they offer daily games like trivia on the ship? I realize there are adult areas but was wondering about activities onboard for adults. I know there is no casino (which I don't care about) but was hoping there would be activities throughout the day to take advantage of.

[Maddysdaddy]

I did not notice a significant difference in the number of adult activities between the two ships. That being said, if you are anticipating a jam packed schedule of adult activities throughout the day, you will likely be disappointed.

[moki'smommy]

The number of adult activities scheduled depends more on the length of the cruise than which ship you are on. The Dream has relatively few daytime adult activities because they only have one sea day each week of a normal schedule. MOST of the adult activities are on sea days because lots of people are not on board during port days.

 

Yes, they have lots of different trivia games, various WII games (bowling, etc), takes on various TV game shows (The Wheel, The Feud). You just have to check the Navigator. Adults are also welcome in any family activity which also include trivia games and such. Honestly, the "family" trivia games are more like "You can bring your kid to this one if you wish." They are still basically adults playing much of the time.

 

A 4 night Magic cruise with one sea day will have a schedule of activities almost identical to a 4 night Dream.

[Cruiz Er]

Concierge was better on the Dream. I found the ship less accommodating at dinner time. The Wonder and Magic feel more comfortable. There was more overhead noise (deck and pool) on the Wonder and Magic if your on the 8th floor.