DREAM or MAGIC

[cruisenewbie1]

Trying to plan a cruise and need some impartial advice. We aren't sure which itinerary to take. We are travelling with Dad, Mom, 7yr old DS and 6 yr old DD. Assuming all things such as travel time there, hotel and parking costs being equal which would you choose:

 

Magic:

 

She leaves on a Sunday, gives us more travel time to get there. We love the Roataan, Belize routing but I have heard that she frequently misses Roataan due to differing conditions. We would likely stay on the ship in Belize to save on costs. The biggest downside is the 8 hr drive back Sunday and then have to go back to work and school the next morning.

 

Dream:

 

She departs on Saturday but we won't have a problem making the departure ontime. We would probably do the beach at each location and even though Grand Cayman is a tender port, it is skipped less often. We would enjoy getting back on Saturday and have Sunday to relax and get unpacked. We have never cruised out of New Orleans before and it might be nice to see it though we wouldn't overnight there.

 

Does anyone know of any reason to choose one over the other or do you think that I am completely over thinking this? Honest opinions welcome, my ego is unbruisable. And by the way, Thank you!!!!!

 

Jeff

[creeblee]

As far as the ships go, they are six in one and half a dozen in the other IMO.

 

I personally would prefer to get back on Saturday to have an extra day before getting back to the grind.

 

Either way you'll have a great time!

[carrieluvsgreg]

The magic is newer than the dream and has s few options the dream does not.

We've sailed the dream three times and love her!

[forwardcabin]

Either ship is a great choice. Have you checked the cost of storing you car for 7 days in the two ports? NOLA parking at the terminal may be more expensive than Galveston, which has several choices for parking near the terminal.

 

For travel to NOLA, once you get out Arkansas, you can take interstate highways all the way to NOLA--from Texarkana or Shreveport. From Lafayette to NOLA, I-10 sometimes get choked and traffic slows down.

 

In East Texas, Highway 59 is the route to Houston and Galveston. You do have to slow down in some small towns along the way, but a lot of US59 is 70 and 75 mph. There are lots of fast food places along the way, however.

 

For Galveston, we usually go down the day before embarkation and stay at a hotel between Houston and Galveston. For NOLA, we stay somewhere close to NOLA the night before embarkation. For us, it makes for a relaxed embarkation and insures that we get there in time in case of travel problems along the way.

 

Whatever your choice, here's hoping you have a great cruise.

[americanmama]

Dream departs on Sunday and returns on Sunday from NOLA..

Magic also departs and returns on Sundays.

[Podna's]

Sailed both, loved both but preferred the Dream and New Orleans. Sailing down the Mississippi never gets old either.

*The Dream departs on Sunday's.

[k2excursion]

I've loved both ships, and would go back on either. I do greatly prefer the Dream--my favorite ship! Going back to the Dream for a 3rd time after the Magic & Breeze, I find that I still like Dream the best. I didn't even miss the Red Frog Pub or the ropes course. And I never have gone to the Italian restaurant for dinner. Dream does still have the free pasta bar for lunch up there. Dream has much better shows, and if Blackjack Band comes back, that's a major plus for Dream as well.

 

For you, it may be the itinerary & home port that makes the decision. New Orleans is more expensive with hotels & parking, but it's a neat city to check out. Sailing down the Mississippi River is done mostly at night, so you don't really see much, but it's still cool. It depends on how you feel about the home ports & the ports of call.

[dave_k58]

Magic is newer and has a few things Dream does not. The Dream, by the way leaves on Sundays. If you are trying to save money, NOLA is not the place to do it. Parking is cheaper in Galveston. In any case, no matter what port you decide on, I would give serious consideration to leaving the night before. Just my opinion. PS - if sailing on Saturday is important to you - you might consider a 7day cruise on the Freedom, which also sails out of Galveston. I know you will have a fantastic time, no matter which cruise you go on. My favorite is the Cozumel, Cayman, Jamaica trip. Good luck and have a wonderful cruise

[jsglow]

Agree with adding Freedom to your choices. She's the Saturday Galveston ship basically doing the same itins as Magic. When I did my research I typically found Freedom cruises to be a touch cheaper. We decided on Magic because we haven't been on a Dream class ship yet. And I too found NOLA to be on the expensive side. Plus we got a great airfare to Hobby. (Not a factor for you.)

[DJW8385]

I've been in both ships. Sailed on the Dream last year in August and sailing down the Mississippi was great.. Just sailed the Magic last week and it's 2 yrs newer then the dream(same class ship) and our port of call to Honduras was canceled due to high crosswinds and we were re routed to costa Maya. Both cruises were great

[cruisenewbie1]

Thank you everyone for your help. By the way crow tastes really good when breaded and fried in lots of butter. I would have sworn that one ship left on Saturday. That is what I get for thinking. I promise, it won't happen again. You would think that as little as I do have a thought, it might be a good one. Oh well. I have the missus looking up rates for hotels in NO. She wants to stay in one of the hotels along the trolley stop, (Dear son loves trains and the like) so that is why we are doing that. You are all right on the costs of New Orleans. it definitely does run higher. That may play a factor.

 

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

[dave_k58]

WE stayed at the Best Western in the French Quarter. Very nice hotel, not noisy and across the street from a beautiful park. It was about a 2 block walk to Bourbon Street - and in my opinion that is close enough lol. It was about a 5 minute drive to the port. We used our BW points so it didn't cost us anything, but, like just about all downtown NOLA hotels - they DO charge for parking. Have a terrific time.