will I be disappointed with another ship after sailing on Wish?

Chi35364

Earning My Ears
Joined
Sep 30, 2022
Hi all. Last month we did our 1st ever cruise and was on the Disney Wish. Loved it and we are official cruisers going forward.

I’m already looking to book our next cruise around spring break.

I would like to consider other DCL ships. The fantasy appears to be the next best option? But I’m worried that I might be disappointed considering all the others are older 10+ yrs ships and might not have all the latest amenities, etc.

My question,,,
for those who been on the Fantasy and Wish. Would you say you wouldn’t go back to the other ships and stick to the wish going forward? (Put pricing aside).

Also considering booking RCL oasis class ships.
 
I've been on all of the DCL ships (except the Wonder) and would be happy sailing on any of them again. In fact, we will be on the Dream next summer. If you loved the Wish, I would probably consider Fantasy or the Dream. I think the layouts of those ships are better than the Wish, quite honestly. The Magic and Wonder may feel too small to you after sailing the Wish. I enjoyed the Wish, but it's my least favorite DCL ship.
 


I was worried about the same after sailing on the Wish - we've done all the ships. We'll be on the Fantasy in May and I'm still super excited to go back. I won't know for sure until we actually sail post-Wish, but there's something to be said for the longer itinerary! My answer to favorite ship is always - "the one I'm on!"...and the one I can be on for longest!
Go for it and enjoy!
 
We’ve sailed all the ships. After sailing the Wish, I came home excited that our next cruise is on the Dream. Likely won’t sail the Wish again unless she starts doing unusual itineraries. Then we’d sail for the itinerary, not the ship. The Wish is beautiful, for sure, but IMO doesn’t measure up to the other ships.
 


Hi all. Last month we did our 1st ever cruise and was on the Disney Wish. Loved it and we are official cruisers going forward.

I’m already looking to book our next cruise around spring break.

I would like to consider other DCL ships. The fantasy appears to be the next best option? But I’m worried that I might be disappointed considering all the others are older 10+ yrs ships and might not have all the latest amenities, etc.

My question,,,
for those who been on the Fantasy and Wish. Would you say you wouldn’t go back to the other ships and stick to the wish going forward? (Put pricing aside).

Also considering booking RCL oasis class ships.
We just got off the Wish last week and loved it.

All of the Disney ships offer something different. If you enjoyed the wish, the Fantasy would be your next best option for a favorite ship! She has longer full week itineraries. The benefit of the Fantasy is her years in service! We've done 4 sailings on her and they have been among our best. The Aquaduck and Midship Detective agency are some of the highlights and favorites for sure. The rooms are beautiful. I would encourage you to avoid an aft room if possible as the Fantasy has always had aft vibration issues.

In my option, any Disney ship is better than a day on land.
 
I have been on all the ships as well and the only ship I would try to avoid is the Wish... we much prefer the older ships.

Which amenities were your favorite? What would be a deal breaker if it were gone?
I totally agree. If the Wish was my first Disney cruise, I would never have done another one. I have been on all of the ships, and I am a platinum tier cruiser. My family loves the Fantasy the best, but we would take any of the classic ships over the Wish. The wish is nice looking, but not our cup of tea.
 
We've been on all 5 DCL ships. We've' also sailed on numerous RCL and Celebrity ships. Toss in a few Viking ships too. None of them spoiled us for the other ships.
 
We've sailed all the ships. If you ask my adult teens who have grown up on DCL what their favorite ship is they will say the Magic. The first ship they sailed on was the Dream when it was brand spanking new. Newer is not always better.

We're taking a short cruise on the Wish next month. After all these years of cruising Disney I feel we at least need to check it out.
 
I've only been on the Dream and Wonder, but I personally preferred the Wonder. This was pre-pandemic. 7 nights on the Wonder and we never ran out of things to do.
 
I’ve been on the original 4 and my favourite is the Wonder. I’ve not been on the Wish but I can’t see that any Disney ship would disappoint.
 
I can say with pretty solid confidence you won't have a bad time on the other Disney ships. They all are incredible vacations and having gone on the other ships before the Wish, I felt the Wish was not all that different in terms of the baseline experience of good food, phenomenal entertainment, plenty of Disney characters/touches, nice pool/recreation areas and excellent service.

Here are some salient features which may help you choose another ship depending on what you enjoyed most, and will hopefully also illustrate what I mean about a lot of shared features across the fleet (including the Wish).

Main Dining: All four ships have the rotational dining format the Wish does, where you keep your server but rotate restaurants. All four ships have themed dining. All four have an "animator's palate" restaurant with a video screen show conceptually similar to Marvel on the Wish. But only the Magic and Wonder have a live dinner show like Arendelle on the Wish--the Magic has a Rapunzel show, and the wonder has a Tiana show.

Other Dining: All four ships have a "Cabanas" buffet that is similar to the "Marceline Market" on the Wish except they are self-serve buffets rather than cafeteria style, and have a uniform Caribbean theme across the seating area rather than separately themed seating areas. The pool decks on the other ships have pizza/burgers/sandwiches but do not have the Mexican and BBQ quick service that the Wish has, although there is a Shawarma station on the Magic and Wonder. The Dream and Fantasy have a premium ice cream/sweet shop similar to Inside Out on the Wish but the other ships do not.

Rooms: All four ships have spacious rooms with the split bathroom layout in nearly all categories. But the decor is markedly different from the Wish--the theming is classic nautical design with very subtle Disney (e.g., hidden mickeys) unlike the more heavily character themed rooms on the Wish. Still, aside from the artwork the rooms are equally well appointed and comfortable.

Pool deck: All four ships have funnel vision at the family pool area. Dream and Fantasy have the "Aqua Duck" water raft ride which is similar to the "Aqua Mouse" on the Wish but without the portion that has the video screens. Magic and Wonder have water slides, but they are only body slides, not raft slides. All four ships have a larger adult-only pool area than the Wish, but unlike the Wish, no the pools on the other ships do not have "infinity" style views. There are more hot tubs on the other ships than the Wish.

Evening shows
: Shows vary by ship, but I found the other ships' shows were the same or better quality--no matter what ship you are on, you've have broadway level performances and impressive costumes, sets and special effects. Dream has Beauty and the Beast, Golden Mickeys and Believe, Fantasy has Aladdin, Frozen and Believe, Magic has Tangled, Twice Charmed and Wishes, and Wonder has Frozen, Golden Mickeys and Dreams.

Other live entertainment: All ships have the sail away party (admittedly, the Wish's is better than the other ships, but the others are still nice), and all sailings to the Bahamas or Caribbean have a Pirate Night (without the live rock band, but with Captain Jack Sparrow and fireworks). Sailings to colder waters (e.g., Alaska, northern europe) have a Frozen party instead of a Pirate party. Plus all four ships have a LOT of character meet and greets. It's all very well done.

Family Activities
: All four ships have trivia, bingo, arts and crafts, movie theaters, and family game shows. The Hero zone is unique to the Wish; however, the other ships have an outdoor sports court and mini golf, so I feel like that is a fair trade. Dream and Fantasy have an interactive "Midship Detective" game similar to "Uncharted Adventure," arguably better because you don't need a phone to play.

Spa
: The spa treatments are basically the same for the most part, except the Hook's barbery is not on the other ships (though you can still get barber services in the regular salon). If you used the Rainforest Room on the Wish, the Wish has an outdoor space and an ice room that are not on the other ships, but I'd argue the Dream and Fantasy rainforest rooms are actually nicer than the Wish's because their hot tub and sauna have floor to ceiling windows with ocean views.

Kids' clubs
: This is one area where I could see being disappointed after the Wish. My kids and I thought the other four ships kids clubs were amazing... until we went on the Wish. The Wish's kid's club takes everything up a level, or two, or ten. But the other ships still have impressively themed spaces, fun activities, and characters. Much better than anything on another cruise line. But admittedly a substantial downgrade compared to the Wish. Just maybe prepare your kids if you have them mentally that it won't have all the same bells and whistles but they'll still have fun.

Itineraries
: This is where I think the other ships have a clear advantage on the Wish, because most have longer sailings that visit other ports. Or if you just want Bahamas, consider a "double dip" where the ship stops for two days on Castaway Cay, which is available on certain other ships at certain times of year but not the Wish.

One other difference I hesitate to point out because I personally couldn't care less, but apparently it was a BIG DEAL to some people, is that the other four ships have a wraparound outdoor jogging/walking track on deck 4. So if you like to spend your vacation exercising, ummm, that's a good thing, I guess?
 
The only thing I’ll add to the above is that the Magic and Wonder do NOT have mini golf - that’s on the Dream and Fantasy only.
 
Longer cruises are better. Until the Wish sails for longer I think you should try the other ones.
 
We have sailed on all 5 ships. We loved the Magic and the Wonder and then we sailed the Dream and then the Fantasy. Once I sailed on those, I said I didn‘t think I would be happy going back to the Magic or Wonder. Well, we sailed on the Wonder to Alaska and then in October sailed on the Magic (NY-Canada). I ended up loving both of those cruises. So, I was wrong!!!

We sailed on the Wish last month and it did take me until the last day to decide if I liked it or not. Overall, I ended up liking it. It’s absolutely beautiful. We have a cruise booked on the Fantasy for May and on the Magic in October (Panama Canal)..

So, I guess I will say, there are things I like better on some ships and things I don’t love on others,. But none of that matters when you are on the ship. We’ve never sailed on any cruise with Disney that we didn’t love!! I have sailed 44 times and not one was a disappointment.
 
If you liked the Wish, you'll love the Fantasy. We really wanted to like the Wish, but it behind the pretty, new paint I feel it's not great. The layout just leaves much to be desired. We actually moved a covid delayed sailing to the Wish that we will now (after having done the Wish) be moving to the Fantasy. It's mostly because of the itinerary, but even if they were both sailing the same itinerary the older four would win for us.

Trust me (and others on here), there is no bad Disney ship.
 

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