Magic, Freedom or Dream?

[Peppa26]

A friend of mine plans to bring her family to a cruise during xmas. An interior cabin for 4 persons (2 boys, 5 and 1 yr old) is $3300 on Magic, and $2700 on Freedom or Dream. They live in Houston so logically Magic and Freedom would work best for them. However, Magic is $600 more than the other two, so she leans toward Freedom or Dream. Freedom is old but close to home while Dream is new but 6-hour driving away.

 

I only cruised on Magic and Triumph before and I LOVE Magic. Since she never cruised before and I couldn't give her any advice on either Freedom or Dream, I turn to you guys for any suggestions. Thank you in advance!

Edited September 9, 2015 by Peppa26

[ryansmith18]

I think the cost of a family of four traveling to New Orleans would eat into the cost savings of choosing the Dream. You'd still come out cheaper by going that route, yes, but that's a 6 or 7 hour drive, kids are going to have to eat, gas is cheap now but it's still gonna cost, and they have to pay for car parking for the week, and then when the cruise is over they get to repeat these costs all over again. And that's assuming they drive in the morning of the cruise - if they opt for a hotel, that's yet another expense.

 

Considering they live in Houston, they've got to have a friend nearby that can drop them off at the terminal and pick them up when they return. No hotel, no parking garage, no extra meals, no gas, etc (though it'd probably be nice to toss a few bucks at the friend).

 

So in my eyes, the extra $600 for the Magic isn't actually a full $600 anyways. Hell, the extra money it costs might be worth it solely for the non-road-trip after the cruise. I don't know about y'all, but I'm always so fatigued at the end of a cruise that I reeeeaaaaally don't want to make a long drive back home.

[KLD1019]

agree with the above. the price they'd pay to travel and stay in NOLA would end up being more expensive than the extra they'd pay for cruising on the magic

 

we cruised on the magic last year. dream this year. even though they're sister ships and in the same class, i didnt like dream as much as i liked Magic. id do magic again in a heartbeat!!

 

ive never cruised freedom, so i have no opinions about her.

 

i think they should pay a little extra and cruise magic

Edited September 9, 2015 by KLD1019

[DebJ14]

Personally, I would go with the Freedom. It has been through the 2.0 upgrades and has Guys Burgers and the Blue Iguana Cantina, which the Magic does not have.

 

We have been on the Magic 3 times and the Freedom once, before its upgrades. We definitely prefer the Conquest class of ship.

 

As someone who lives in the Houston area, but used to live in NOLA, going to NOLA for a cruise is a non-starter for us. We only go if we have to go for business. It is one dirty and dangerous city.

[CCLCruiser4321]

Yep I wish I lived so close to a port my flight and hotel stay is generally more than the cruise

So I would just use the nearest port

Edited September 9, 2015 by CCLCruiser4321

[IPlayWithString]

Having been on both the Freedom and the Magic...I have to say I prefer the Magic. The Freedom's decor just was not my thing and it seemed hard for me to navigate. The Magic was (IMO) a lot easier to navigate plus they had all those chairs out on the lanai which made it easier for those of us who just wanted to sunbathe without having to be on the Lido with all the noise and the kids and the craziness.

 

Also, on the Magic...the mandatory safety drills are INSIDE! :D We were given express permission to skip the safety drill but went anyway because what else could we do really? Everything was shut down for the safety drill.

Edited September 10, 2015 by IPlayWithString

[Peppa26]

Thank you guys!!! My friend read all of your replies and agreed with you. She will cruise on Magic! :D

[IPlayWithString]

A friend of mine plans to bring her family to a cruise during xmas. An interior cabin for 4 persons (2 boys, 5 and 1 yr old) is $3300 on Magic, and $2700 on Freedom or Dream. They live in Houston so logically Magic and Freedom would work best for them. However, Magic is $600 more than the other two, so she leans toward Freedom or Dream. Freedom is old but close to home while Dream is new but 6-hour driving away.

 

I only cruised on Magic and Triumph before and I LOVE Magic. Since she never cruised before and I couldn't give her any advice on either Freedom or Dream, I turn to you guys for any suggestions. Thank you in advance!

 

I've sailed on both the Magic and the Freedom and of the two, I preferred the Magic. Mostly because I really REALLY liked the water park (well, OK..son loved it. He could go play and do the slides and stuff while I laid nearby with a book) and the way the ship is laid out. We loved Ocean Plaza..it was so much nicer to have trivia, etc there than try to be crammed into one small area where you can barely hear the game host over the sounds of the casino as on other ships we've been on. Freedom also (at least for me) had kind of a confusing lay out that made it difficult for me (although not for hubs or DS, because apparently I am directionally impaired. :p) to navigate.

[KatyX]

For me, the only advantage of the Freedom over the Magic is the shorter walk from front to back. Guys Burgers is a plus, but (for me) not enough to choose a ship. Also, some of the performers stagings on the August Freedom were off for me. I also didn't care too much for having the Captain's reception in the casino bar

[cruiser fanatic]

I have been on all 3. I did not like the Dream at all. The food was horrible, the stateroom steward wasn't good, took forever to get Platinum laundry back and the staff were rude. We saw many people at guest services removing tips on that cruise. I like both Magic and Freedom but since you have kids the Magic might be the best option since it has the Waterworks area. They even have slides for the little ones.

Edited September 13, 2015 by cruiser fanatic