Tots to Pops - new ship vs Classic - 2 rooms or larger suite?

[BeachBoat&breaks]

We are looking at a trip with my parents next Jan/Feb (when the grey is most unbearable). It will be my father's first cruise and something he's wanted to try for a while, so we are splurging, as it will also be their first vacation with the kids.

Recognizing we will be kind of iffy on weather (our Jan 20th Dream 3nt was okay- not as warm as I like - were able to dock at CC, but VERY windy and water was cold, excursions all cancelled). We did family stateroom Concierge on Dream and it was wonderful for that extra bit of service, the snacks and drinks (and espresso as we are VERY heavy coffee drinkers) and really that extra mile the Concierge staff went.

So knowing that time of year can be iffy - looking at some of the longer trips to go further south to get warm (and understanding that CC can be hit or miss as a finale). Little ones will be 4 and 2.

The questions are:

Better to book two adjoining cabins (Family Concierge and possibly a 1 bedroom - so we have communal seating area) on a Dream/Fantasy or just get a 2 bd suite on Magic/Wonder?

How does concierge service rate on Classic vs newer ships?

We are not big Caribbean people (been there so no urge to see another Diamonds International shop) - so we would likely stay on ship on many shore days. Not very into crowds, so that does put a plus in the Classic columns from what I have read (the Dream was VERY crowded to us - we did a lot in the Concierge lounge and sun deck). But the amenities of the larger ships are pretty attractive (especially when everyone is off the boat). We loved Remy, thought Palo was fine, and the MDR (we did Animators Palate) was just okay food wise, and very crowded/chaotic. We really enjoyed the Concierge lounge and went there for breakfast and lunch rather than the other options like Cabanas which was pretty overwhelming (especially just for chicken tenders). We are introverts

 

Any advice on the Classics vs (whatever the Dream class ships are called) on the Concierge level would be useful, having only sailed on the Dream.

[cb at sea]

I would ALWAYS get a separate room for other adults....just gives them a place to "get away" for a bit!

[moki'smommy]

I agree--unless you are really into "togetherness," a separate cabin of whatever category for the other family is desirable. You can get them next to each other if you wish, but the little separation of the two cabins/suites/whatever is really nice.

 

Classics vs. newer ships...We LOVE the Magic and would opt for a "Magical" cruise over the Fantasy any day. Yes, we have done both. The Fantasy has all the "bells and whistles," but she is big, noisy, and sometimes over-run with ill behaved children (who seem to have missing parents). The Magic is smaller, quieter, and we have rarely encountered the same level of "entitlement" on the Magic that we saw on the Fantasy. of course, we could have just had an undisciplined bunch cruising on our date. Still, there are some amazing features on the Fantasy--Remy, Satellite Falls, etc.

 

The biggest difference in concierge service on the two classes is that the lounge is somewhat removed from the concierge cabins on the classic ships. It is a little more effort to get there.

 

As of October, the Magic will have the cat V cabins like the newer ships--they are re-designating some of the cat 4 cabins as concierge level. Same cabin, more perks, higher cost.

[alaska_planner]

i'm another who prefers the smaller classic disney ships...

i never felt crowded on the smaller ships, while i've definitely felt the crowds on the bigger ones..

 

as noted, the concierge lounge is right by the concierge cabins on the big ships, if that's important to you..

 

on the other hand, the midship one bedrooms on the classic ships are far nicer than the one bedrooms on the new ships...

but that's the 4 midship 1 bedrooms, not so much the others...

 

from my understanding, the newly done concierge lounges on the smaller ships are quite nice..

 

there was no lounge when we were on the wonder..

 

oh and that reminds me, the lounge on the big ships has NO OCEAN VIEW...

i thought that was ridiculous...that you couldn't see the water from the concierge lounge on the dream/fantasy..

whereas, i believe on the magic/wonder, they do have a water view from the lounge...that makes it much nicer in my opinion...

[travelbug4]

I'm also a big fan of the smaller Disney ships.

 

We've never done concierge on the bigger ships but we did stay in the 2-bedroom Walt Disney Suite on the Wonder. Like you, it was my husband, two small children and my parents. There is so much space in that suite that we were never on top of each other.

 

A fabulous perk....they brought Palo to the cabin one night and served it in courses in our dining room. Also nice with a 4 and 2 year old as they can have the flexibility to play in the living room and come back to the table as they like.

 

This was many years ago before the Wonder had a concierge lounge so I'm not sure how that works now.

 

It worked out well for our family of 4 and my parents. There is a ton of space and for us it worked to have a large living room area to relax in if we wanted. The cabin had two bedrooms. One has a queen and a very large bathroom (huge jacuzzi tub). The other has a queen (or twins) and two trundle beds that come down from the ceiling, also with a very large bathroom. There is also this library(ish) room that has a double murphy bed that can be closed off to make another private bedroom in the evening. And a living room, dining room and I think a half bath?

[scarlet4897]

I've been following this thread b/c our family is considering the 2-bedroom suite with our in-laws as well. I'm worried about who would get the master! But more seriously, it looks like the second bedroom has two twin beds... I'm assuming that we can tell concierge ahead of time that we want them pushed together? Do you think it's safe to let a 4yr old sleep on a higher berth? We will have a pack and play for our 2 yo.

[moki'smommy]

I've been following this thread b/c our family is considering the 2-bedroom suite with our in-laws as well. I'm worried about who would get the master! But more seriously, it looks like the second bedroom has two twin beds... I'm assuming that we can tell concierge ahead of time that we want them pushed together? Do you think it's safe to let a 4yr old sleep on a higher berth? We will have a pack and play for our 2 yo.

 

 

THey will put bed rails on the child's bed. If you request "double rails," they will extend the entire length of the bed. However, only you can decide what your child will be comfortable with. The two bedroom suites are different on the classics vs. the newer ships. Make sure that what you are reading applies to whichever you are cruising.

[BeachBoat&breaks]

Could you elaborate on the differences on the two bedrooms on the Classics'? Especially post-makeover for the Wonder? I'm familiar with the Dream (which actually didn't have any two bedrooms - even the Owner's Suites would require booking an additional cabin!) Looking at that the Dream/Fantasy it would be a 1bedroom/Family Veranda combo (I can't see booking a PH suite and additional room without our group being larger to require all that entertaining space - just for our budget purposes). Disney already is a steep charge for their suites compared to say, Celebrity - and the food doesn't come close to matching. It's really a disappointment actually how badly it compares to the suite class dining room on Celebrity. Even Palo was just okay compared to the specialty dining options on the other line (but Peter Pan won't play hide and seek with my toddler on another line so the Mouse wins).

[kstetser]

We have done 1 bedroom concierge connected to the concierge family suite on the Fantasy as well as the 1BR connected to the Deluxe Family Stateroom on the Magic (I think they have been turned into concierge cabins now). It gave us 3 full bathrooms and separate sleeping quarters for my parents (they were in the smaller cabin). We had a great living room area where we could all hang out, but my parents also had their own sofa and TV where they could get away from us when they wanted to. We have never stayed in the 2 BR on the Magic/Wonder so I can't compare. It will be much warmer in the Caribbean so you will probably get more use out of your balcony and the concierge sundeck. I agree CC is likely to be cool - get a cabana and relax even if you can't go in the water!