Magic vs Fantasy

[jrm116]

I am planning a cruise for summer 2012. Stuck between Magic from NYC to Bahamas or 7 nt E. Carrib. on the Fantasy from PC.

 

We have been on the Wonder so i am somewhat familiar with the layout of that class of ship.

 

Magic- 7/28/12 for 8 days (NYC)

 

Fantasy= 7/30/12 for 7 days (PC)

[Coli]

I'm not sure what you are asking about? Itineraries or ships?

[gometros]

You're closer to PC, so that's one consideration. The Magic will give you one more day, and one more day on a Disney ship is always a good thing. I think it comes down to itineraries. The Magic just stops at PC and Nassau, where the Fantasy will give you St. Maarten and St. Thomas/St. John. If you're major deciding point is itinerary, I'd choose the Fantasy. You can keep Nassau, IMHO.

[ducklite]

I've been on the Magic and the Dream, so if you purely want to compare the two vessels, I can help you with that. If you want info on the ports/itineraries, that's pretty subjective.

[hexdragon]

Magic- 7/28/12 for 8 days (NYC)

 

Fantasy= 7/30/12 for 7 days (PC)

My question is the relative prices...

[erineab]

ducklite - i don't mean to hijack this thread, but i am curious to know your perspective on the magic vs. dream, from the standpoint of the ships themselves. we did a 3 day last march on the dream and will be doing a 7 day on the magic this march. i'm a little concerned that we have spoiled ourselves and will be vastly disappointed.

[alinnj]

IMO if you have been on the Dream you will be disappointed with the older Magic ! Also if you are sailing out of NYC you need a cruise 10 to 12 nights in order to see anything. JMO !!!

[loveysbydesign]

We have also sailed on the Magic and the Dream. The Magic was is late May 2009 and the Dream this past Oct. 2011.

 

We loved both ships.

The Dream has a lot to do and my kids(ages 12, 9 and 4 y.o.) loved the kid areas, detective agency game and the Aquaduck. The only thing they said they liked better on the Magic was that the food areas were in the middle between the 2 pools instead of on the one end of the deck(and soda machines were on opposite end) and my older son liked that on the Magic the foosball and pingpong were in the pool area...not up on the sports deck like they are on the Dream.(I liked that better too as it was easier to keep an eye on him)

 

When we were on the Magic my 2y.o. really liked the little splash area as he wasn't allowed in the Mickey pool. This time he LOVED the Nemo area but we didn't understand why at night the lights are on inside and the water and fountains are going but it's closed, hard to explain to my 4y.o. The Goofy golf is nice on the Dream too.

 

I think the dining service was better on the Dream but the food was better on the Magic(could be because they cut food costs on the ships since 2009)

 

Lines for characters is shorter on the Magic then on the Dream.

 

Itinerary for the Magic is so much better then the Dream! We loved Grand Cayman and Cozumel!

 

Any other questions??

[erineab]

Thank you so much for the detailed comparison! The reason that I chose to book the Magic, even after sailing on the Dream, is because I think a lot of the perks of the Dream are ones that my kids (ages 2.5 and 5) don't really take advantage of anyway (i.e. the aquaduck and the superior kid's program, as my son isn't likely to stay without a parent or his sister anyway, sadly).

I have 2 questions:

1) Is there any entertainment in the dining room like the Nemo experience on the Dream? The dining is rotational on the Magic as well, correct?

2) You said, there is a splash pool on the Magic. Is it like the small pool just outside of Nemo's reef on the Dream (attached to the one that the Mickey slide goes into)?

I am confident that we will still have a great time - can't go wrong with Disney!

[erineab]

One more thing! Can I ask what you did with a 2 year old in Cozumel and Grand Cayman? Trying to decide!

[loveysbydesign]

Thank you so much for the detailed comparison! The reason that I chose to book the Magic, even after sailing on the Dream, is because I think a lot of the perks of the Dream are ones that my kids (ages 2.5 and 5) don't really take advantage of anyway (i.e. the aquaduck and the superior kid's program, as my son isn't likely to stay without a parent or his sister anyway, sadly).

I have 2 questions:

1) Is there any entertainment in the dining room like the Nemo experience on the Dream? The dining is rotational on the Magic as well, correct?

2) You said, there is a splash pool on the Magic. Is it like the small pool just outside of Nemo's reef on the Dream (attached to the one that the Mickey slide goes into)?

I am confident that we will still have a great time - can't go wrong with Disney!

 

1. Yes, the dining is rotational. On the Magic they have Animator's Palate which changes colors and such throughout your meal(more subtle then on the Dream) and they used to do an evening where the crew members walked around with flags from their home country during dinner(not sure if they still so that or not). Plus they have a character breakfast where all the characters go to each table during your sit-down breakfast. We loved it!(and missed NOT having it on the Dream):(

 

2. The splash area is not a pool but it is next to the Mickey pool and slide. It has a sorceror's hat that water come out of the top and it has water that shoots up from the floor in certain areas. My son loved trying to "catch" the water. Plus there is a nice wooden bench that surrounds the area for Mom and Dad to sit and relax on if you need to keep a close eye on your little one. It worked well for us as the 2 y.o. was in there and then my 7 y.o. played in the Mickey pool and on the slide so we could see both of them.

 

 

 

 

[loveysbydesign]

One more thing! Can I ask what you did with a 2 year old in Cozumel and Grand Cayman? Trying to decide!

 

In Cozumel we took a cab to Chankanaab and LOVED it there. :D

Wish we could have spent more time there. Inexpensive, beautiful and only 10 minutes from the port. Be sure to take an umbrella stroller for your little one as we did not and it's a long walk from the dock through the stores to the taxi area. There are paths at Chankanaab so you can use it there too.

 

In G.C. we were gonna do a Stingray adventure thing but changed our minds and just took a cab to the beach at Royal Palms...1st beach they stopped at from the port. Very clean and had restrooms and a small eatery(we didn't eat there, packed snacks) and my little guy actually took a nap on the blanket in the shade while dh and I took turns snorkeling with the older 2 kids.

[grand isle joe]

We have also sailed on the Magic and the Dream. The Magic was is late May 2009 and the Dream this past Oct. 2011.

 

We loved both ships.

The Dream has a lot to do and my kids(ages 12, 9 and 4 y.o.) loved the kid areas, detective agency game and the Aquaduck. The only thing they said they liked better on the Magic was that the food areas were in the middle between the 2 pools instead of on the one end of the deck(and soda machines were on opposite end) and my older son liked that on the Magic the foosball and pingpong were in the pool area...not up on the sports deck like they are on the Dream.(I liked that better too as it was easier to keep an eye on him)

 

When we were on the Magic my 2y.o. really liked the little splash area as he wasn't allowed in the Mickey pool. This time he LOVED the Nemo area but we didn't understand why at night the lights are on inside and the water and fountains are going but it's closed, hard to explain to my 4y.o. The Goofy golf is nice on the Dream too.

 

I think the dining service was better on the Dream but the food was better on the Magic(could be because they cut food costs on the ships since 2009)

 

Lines for characters is shorter on the Magic then on the Dream.

 

Itinerary for the Magic is so much better then the Dream! We loved Grand Cayman and Cozumel!

 

Any other questions??

 

 

We cruised on both and have to agree with loveysbydesign. We prefer the Magic for its size. I felt the Dream was beautiful yet getting to the Royal Caribbean size and loses some intimacy IMHO. But if you get the chance take a quicky on the Dream it really is a beautiful ship. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[erineab]

I am feeling MUCH better about our decision to sail the Magic this year. Thanks especially for the photos - I know my 2 year old will love the little splash area with squirting water! 55 more days!!

[hexdragon]

They still do the flag parade (at least they did in Alaska) Since we were in Alaska, they walked around with the flaming Baked Alaska...

[gometros]

IMO if you have been on the Dream you will be disappointed with the older Magic ! Also if you are sailing out of NYC you need a cruise 10 to 12 nights in order to see anything. JMO !!!

 

I have to disagree on both points. While the Dream is obviously newer, the Magic still holds her classic charm and is a little more intimate.

 

As far as cruises out of New York, there are a number of 8 day cruises of New York that can hit up to three ports. We sailed the Carnival Legend on an Eastern itinerary and got as much out of it as we did sailing a 7-day out of Port Canaveral.

[ducklite]

ducklite - i don't mean to hijack this thread, but i am curious to know your perspective on the magic vs. dream, from the standpoint of the ships themselves. we did a 3 day last march on the dream and will be doing a 7 day on the magic this march. i'm a little concerned that we have spoiled ourselves and will be vastly disappointed.

 

Keep in mind that we sailed the Magic in 2002, so I'm sure some things have changed...

 

CABIN

 

We sailed in a 1 BR concierge suite on both. (Magic 8032, Dream 12512) The suite felt 30% larger on the Magic. The balcony was longer but narrower on the Magic--we preferred the "hump" balcony on the Dream, really roomy. There is no walk-in closet on the Dream, however there was ample storage, and I think even more drawer space. The bed on the Dream has drawers built into the base. The bed, bedding, and pillows were FAR better on the Dream. The bedroom was tight, no chair or bookcases with books which was something I enjoyed on the Magic.

 

The jetted tub in the master bath was larger on the Dream. You could have put two people in it. Cabin service was excellent on both, both were clean and in good condition when we sailed.

 

Concierge service was good on both. We didn't think we'd use the lounge, but we ended up using it quite a bit. I also want to think there were some board games in the cabin on the Magic, not on the Dream, although you could probably borrow them from the lounge. I definitely remember some alphabet blocks on the Magic in the cabin, because I remember laughing at my son who was waiting for me to get ready for dinner started to play with them out of sheer boredom. (He was 16 at the time.) I think overall we got more out of the "concierge experience" on the Dream.

 

The concierge lounge on the Dream also offered iPads to borrow and an hour (?) of free Internet. We didn't use them.

 

THE SHIP

 

The Magic was smaller and felt more intimate. The Dream felt like what it was, a small city as opposed to a large town. We didn't go to any shows. The adult pool area on the Magic is better planned, too many kids cutting through that area on the Dream. That's something DCL needs to address, quickly. We didn't use this area, just walked through it a few times.

 

It seemed to take forever to get anywhere except the concierge lounge and concierge sundeck, both of which were right outside our cabin. We were in the front of the ship on the Dream, mid-ships on the Magic, so that could be part of it. By the time I figured out how to get from point A to point B the cruise was over. In fact I won't cruise a short cruise again, it felt like we had just gotten settled and it was time to get off.

 

That said, the public areas seldom felt crowded as we passed through. We didn't use the pool area, but I've got to say that we walked past it while docked in Nassau and it was a zoo.

 

There seemed to be more shopping on the Dream, but mostly just more made in China Disney plastic stuff. We didn't buy any souvenirs--nothing really jumped out at us.

 

Both had nice spas, I think I preferred the Dream in some ways and the Magic in others, but I can't put my finger on why for each. I had a hot stone massage, love those. I can't really remember much about the Magic Spa other than I had at least a couple treatments, so I must have liked it. :D

 

We only saw one or two shows on the Magic and didn't see any on the Dream. I imagine they are similar in production. We really didn't partake in any of the entertainment except watching the fireworks from our cabin and hearing a couple bands as we walked through areas they were playing.

 

We did the wine tasting on both, preferred the one on the Dream, it was more intimate with only eight or 10 people there. The head sommelier conducted it, he's very knowledgeable. The wines he was pouring were good but nothing special, I knew what each varietal was just by the smell, and once I tasted, could also identify the region and in two cases, even the winery. I prefer to be challenged at wine tastings, if you are really into wine, it will be amusing but nothing more.

 

FOOD AND DRINK

 

We went to two lounges on the Dream, Pink and the one between Palo and Remy. Loved both. We liked the lounges on the Dream better than those on the Magic. We also poked out head into the one that changes cities on the wall, would like to go there if we cruise on the Dream again.

 

Food: The Dream wins hands down. The food on the Magic was good, Palo was excellent. The service in the regular dining rooms on the Magic was better, but the food was often uninspired.

 

We only ate in the dining room (AP) once on the Dream, and service was iffy at best. However, we ate at the two other restaurants for lunch. Thought the Enchanted Garden was OK at best (buffet style) but LOVED the other one (can't remember the name.) My lunch there was awesome and the service was great. We ate at Palo, very good but we preferred Palo on the Magic.

 

Fast food options were about the same on both ships, but I want to think the Magic had tacos at the pool fast food window and the Dream didn't. No biggie, I had chicken fingers and they were fine.

 

The buffet was the same on both ships, nothing worth mentioning in my opinion.

 

Remy was simply amazing. One of the best meals of my life--I think I can only think of two better, and Victoria and Albert's isn't one of them. From start to finish it was near perfect. There was only one little gaffe, and I don't think most people would have even noticed it. It certainly didn't ruin our dinner, and it was so small that I'm not even going to say what it was.

 

We had brought most of our wine with us based on the previous experience on the Magic with a ho-hum list. We were pleased to find that the Dream has a more inspired list with a few pretty spectacular selections at generally reasonable markups.

 

One last thing...

 

Embarkation on the Magic seemed to go smoother. We got there, checked in, waited about 20 minutes in the concierge waiting area, and boarded. Our embarkation time on the Dream was "open" (ie we could arrive any time we chose.) We got there maybe around noon-ish. There was a five minute wait to check in with the concierge check-in area, no biggie. but then getting on the ship was a kerfuffle. We had one person telling us to go one way, another person saying to go another. We got on-board and they tried to herd us to the buffet even though we wanted to go to the concierge lounge, there was so much commotion that it became somewhat unpleasant. If we cruise the Dream again, I'll be sure to get there early so we can board first to avoid that issue.

 

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

[gometros]

Ducklite - great comparison. I have one question, though. You said the buffet on both was about the same. I've heard a lot about the difference of the layout of Cabanas as opposed to Topsiders. Care to comment based on your experiences?

[ducklite]

Ducklite - great comparison. I have one question, though. You said the buffet on both was about the same. I've heard a lot about the difference of the layout of Cabanas as opposed to Topsiders. Care to comment based on your experiences?

 

Cabanas defintely had better flow and it seemed a bit easier to find a table (although we didn't try for outside--not sure how crowded it was.) The food on both was pretty blah. I'm just not really a fan of buffets.

[Friend100]

Again, food is subjective, and we've only done 2 DCLs. We felt our food on the Dream was much better than that on the Wonder, both buffet and dining rooms.

[alinnj]

"As far as cruises out of New York, there are a number of 8 day cruises of New York that can hit up to three ports. We sailed the Carnival Legend on an Eastern itinerary and got as much out of it as we did sailing a 7-day out of Port Canaveral."

 

Sorry this just isn't true, I have been on five 12 night cruises from NY/NJ area and we always needed those days to see the islands. Also cheaper than Disney! 12nt Celebrity balcony all fees under $3000 with insurance.

[AZDivers]

Anyone else able to compare both of these by chance? We are considering taking one of them Sept 29th

[steilkurve]

Never been on the Magic but have on the Fantasy. Being newer, I suspect the latter trumps the former in terms of features. Link to my Fantasy video below if you want a feel for the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[AZDivers]

We actually ended up booking on the Oasis this time around. Our teen didn't seem as interested in Disney as we were. :cool:

[kstetser]

I have also been on the Magic and the Dream (first Fantasy cruise is this November). I'll comment on the Dream, but with few exceptions, the Fantasy is very similar.

 

Both ships are very nice but, as ducklite said, there are a lot of differences and I think you should chose based on what is important for you and your family and how you like to vacation.

 

A few thoughts:

 

KIDS

 

If you have older kids, the Dream may be a better option as DCL has definitely tried to step it up on the new ships for tweens and teens.

 

If you have smaller children, I don't think it will make that much of a difference. The kids clubs for younger kids is definitely bigger on the Fantasy, but when my daughter was 5 she LOVED the Club on the Wonder and Magic. Now that she is 8, she says she likes Lab on the Dream much better (and I agree). Little kids will not know the different. 8-11 year olds might.

 

The pools are small on both ships but are separated on the Magic and together on the Wonder. I think the separation helps a bit in keeping big kids out of the kiddie pool. It's a mad house in the pools in the afternoons regardless, so I recommend getting there early and running away before it gets awful. There is a nice splash zone for toddlers on the Dream that is shaded and perfect for little ones. The Aquaduck is fun, but I don't think it tips the scale for the Dream. How many times can you really ride it?

 

CROWDS

We have been in concierge on both ships, but also have sailed in non-concierge cabins on the Magic. I thought the Dream felt extremely crowded in the public spaces. Maybe this will be different on the Fantasy since it is a longer cruise and people will not be trying to jam everything in a shorter cruise. If we hadn't been in concierge which allowed us to escape to the lounge and sun deck, I think I would have been pretty unhappy with the sheer number of people. I think the Magic felt less crowded in the public spaces (except for Pirate night and at the family pool).

 

DINING

The tables in MDR seem closer together on the Dream than the Magic. Although that may not really be true and just my perception from being cranky about poorly behaved passengers near us.

 

I didn't notice a big difference in quality of food from ship to ship. We love Palo and Remy, so having both options on the Dream is important for us. We care about great food and great service and you get both in Palo and Remy. MDR the food is good to very good, but I don't think I would ever call it excellent and there have definitely been a few real misses.

 

I like the buffet on the Dream better than the Magic. The stations work much better (after people figure them out) and the restaurant is very open with plenty of crew to help out, clear tables, etc. The elevator dumping people off in the middle of the restaurant is a serious drag and is super confusing when they have the hallways curtained off, but that is really my only complaint about the buffet on the Dream.

 

I think the set up for the quick food locations on the Magic is more convenient than on the Dream. But it's not a terrible hardship and there are a few more options on the Dream for quick service food.

 

SPA

We love to go to the Rainforest Room and the Magic has been a disappointment in recent years. It has not been been working properly our past 2 cruises. The Rainforest Room on the Dream is much bigger, has more amenities and since it's new, isn't as broken (although it was a bit broken in May of this year). I think the other spa services and the exercise room are similar on both ships. They do have spa services for tweens and teens on the Dream. The Fantasy will also have the Bippity Boppity Botique, if that appeals to you.

 

PORTS

Only you can determine which ports you think sound better. I don't think I'd like to have so many sea days on the Magic. The Eastern Caribbean sounds more interesting to me, but everyone will be different!

 

Good luck choosing!