Dream or Magic

[cruiser20145]

Hello Everyone!

We are looking into sailing in December, 2015 on our first cruise! The only problem we have is the Dream or Magic. On the Dream, we sail to Roatan, Honduras; Belize; and Cozumel. On the Magic, we sail to Montego Bay; Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Which one?

[okgirl]

In my opinion the Magic is the better ship. It was built to correct the overcrowding issues that the Dream had when it first came out.

[CaribbeanLVR]

We sailed the Magic Easter 2013! We liked her so much we booked again for June 2016. Only problem is now The Magic & Breeze swapped ports so now we will try the Breeze!

The Magic with 3600 +passengers never felt crowded and I never waited in line more than 10 minutes.

My choice for you would b the Magic & with their dry dock in February it wil look brand new!

 

Have fun

 

Tim

[Stallion]

I personally prefer the Magic itinerary but I'd also prefer sailing out of New Orleans rather than Galveston if distance is not a factor. Dream also does the Magic route on some weeks

Edited June 23, 2015 by Stallion

[It's a Ship!!!]

I've been on both, and they are both great. The Magic has a couple things the Dream doesn't have, like the Red Frog Pub and the ropes course. The Dream has an 18 hole mini golf course as opposed to the Magic's 9 hole mini golf course. Other than that, they are very similar.

 

As far as itinerary, since it is your first cruise, you will love either one. Both have 1 port where you should take an excursion to avoid pushy locals (Jamaica) or a city without much to do unless go farther away (Belize). Both have a port with a great beach plus lots of excursion options (Roatan and Grand Cayman). Although I would give a slight edge to Grand Cayman for being easier to see on your own without an excursion.

 

I think the choice for me would come down to price and distance/convenience of the port. If you are flying and a flight for one place is a lot cheaper, then take that one. If you are driving and one is a lot closer, then take that one.

[Gr8DanesMom]

We are scheduled to go on the Magic on November 29th, but our cruise will take us to Belize, Roatan, and Cozumel. So if you want that particular itinerary then perhaps you can go on the same cruise as my family and get the best of both worlds. [emoji4]

[k2excursion]

I have been on both ships. I have been on the Dream 3 times, because that is by far my favorite ship. I found it to be so much better than her sister ships-Magic or Breeze. Dream may not have the Red Frog Pub or the ropes course, but she just has a much nicer feel to the ship. Both ships have the same 2 great waterslides. Magic's overall waterworks setup is slightly better than Dream's. I prefer the lido deck main pool setup that Dream has. Dream also has a statue at the aft pool that Magic doesn't have. Dream has 2 hot tubs 1 deck above the main pool, along the sides, under the shade. Magic eliminated these hot tubs & replaced them with nothing.

 

Magic did not correct any "problems" with the Dream. In fact, Magic has less public space (slightly) & more guests (slightly), so Magic should be slightly more crowded. Although, I didn't find either ship to be crowded, nor were the lines ever long. Both ships have a small comedy club, but Magic's comedy club is quite a bit smaller, so fewer people can get in. Magic has an extra pay Italian restaurant for dinner that Dream doesn't have. Both ships have the free lunch pasta bar in that spot.

 

Dream has better production shows, with the singers & dancers & live music. The 2 on Dream were excellent, while Magic's were forgettable. Literally, I have forgotten everything about both, and I never do that, as I tend to really enjoy these kind of shows. Both ships have 1 special show. Magic has a magic/illusion show, which was very good. Dream has Dancing in the Streets, which is by far the best show in the Carnival fleet. Carnival is phasing out all of these good shows, so be sure to catch them while you can.

 

Regarding itinerary, both are good. Jamaica & Belize aren't the best ports. Grand Cayman is a good one, but I feel that Roatan is the best port in the Western Caribbean. It's the only one to truly rival the great Eastern/Southern Caribbean ports. It's a mountainous island with tons of great things to do, and it has the best snorkeling that I've seen ANYWHERE! There are tons of options for great island tours at very reasonable prices. Just don't book through the ship. We used Victor Bodden, and friends of mine just used them in April, and they loved it just as much as we loved ours in 2010. The cost was around $35 each for 3 people, and we had our own driver for the day. Other than our amazing Dominica tour, this Roatan tour was the best I've ever done. Because of Roatan, I give the edge to that itinerary.

[allhenyia]

It was built to correct the overcrowding issues that the Dream had when it first came out.

[k2excursion]

It was built to correct the overcrowding issues that the Dream had when it first came out.

 

Magic did not correct any "problems" with the Dream. In fact, Magic has less public space (slightly) & more guests (slightly), so Magic should be slightly more crowded. Although, I didn't find either ship to be crowded, nor were the lines ever long. Both ships have a small comedy club, but Magic's comedy club is quite a bit smaller, so fewer people can get in.

 

I still stand by what I said. If Carnival wanted a ship with less crowding than Dream, then the Magic would not have taken away public space & added guests. Dream didn't have more overcrowding issues when it first came out by comparison to a few months later, if that is what is trying to be said. That doesn't make any sense. The ships are almost equal in regards to crowding, but if one ship has an edge, it would definitely be the Dream, whether it was when the ships first came out or now.

[naturist]

Defently the Magic or Breeze over the Dream. The Dream is nice but hasn't got the new upgrades yet. Namely the Red Frog Pub and Guy's burger bar.

It's the older of the three and they learned and fixed all the mistakes before building the Breeze and Magic.