Going from a new ship to a classic ship on Disney Cruise Line.

by Jennifer Dowling

jen@mouseworldtravel.com

I had the pleasure of sailing my first Disney cruise last year.  I was more than thrilled to book the brand spanking new Disney Dream just a little over 2 months after her maiden voyage. The Dream lived up to her name. She was an absolute Dream. We only had 3 nights to enjoy her, but it was instant love. The ship is so spacious and I never felt crowded, even though our sailing was sold out.

 After our wonderful trip, I couldn't wait to find a way to get back on her.  As luck would have it, I was able to do a tour on her a few months later. It was not the same as sailing, but those few hours were wonderful, and I even got to see areas I had not had time to explore the first time around. After raving about the ship to family, we all decided to do a big family trip on her this November.

 In the meantime I often wondered if I would ever want or enjoy one of the 2 Disney classic ships?  They are smaller and they do not have the amazing Aquaduck water slide.  I wondered if I would feel more cramped on a smaller ship, or notice crowds more. I took the plunge this past September and booked the Maiden Voyage out of Galveston on the Disney Magic. I was very impressed when I arrived at the port and saw just how huge this "smaller" ship is.  My worries were starting to go away. Stepping on board though, I had a slightly different reaction at first.  The Atrium felt so much smaller than the Dream and less Grand. 

  I will tell you now, this feeling lasted only about 3 minutes and I got over it.  The rest of the ship was beautiful and the Atrium soon seem to grow in size for me and I felt fine with it. After spending a week on the Magic, I can honestly say I never felt cramped, the ship seemed very large and I was never bored. They had so many activities going on that I never once had to worry about what I wanted to do next.  In fact I wanted to do several things at one time more than once. I found I really liked some areas on the Magic better than on the Dream, and of course, vice versa. When it comes to the adult pool area, the Magic 

has the Dream beat. it is much more secluded and it wasn't as easy for a family to accidentally walk through the area.The Dreams' Aquaduck is a must for everyone to try. Very fun, but sadly the wait times can get long, especially on sea days. All in all I really love both ships. I love each for different reasons, but I will never hesitate to go on one of the Classic ships again. The Dream is my first Disney ship, so it may be my first love, but not my only love.

 

The Dream currently sails out of Port Canaveral for 3 and 4 night sailings.

The Magic is currently sailing out of Galveston for 4, 6,7 and 8 night sailings. 

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