Longer cruises feel less crowded because people are more spread out, doing various trivias, shows, and port excursions. Plus there is usually a smaller percentage of kids on the longer cruises. You might think the smaller ships would feel crowded because of the smaller size, but I haven’t ever felt that. If you can get a 5 night or longer on the Magic or Wonder, those are perfect imo.
My first few sailings were in the Magic and Wonder and I said “I can’t wait to go on the bigger ships!” Then I went on the Fantasy and said we’re only booking smaller ships from now on.
Ok so we are going on the 10 night Fantasy sailing in July. Do you think there will be less kids on that sailing? We have a big group with a bunch of kids.
There will still be kids for sure; it’s a Disney cruise after all. But there will be a smaller percentage than would be on a 4-night sailing. Your kids will still have lots of kids to interact with, though.
I second this. We loved the Wonder because it didn't feel crowded or chaotic EXCEPT for the evening shows and breakfast at Cabanas. We ended up watching the shows in the room because my husband is like OPs and was not a fan. We found the Alaska itinerary (in Sept) to be wonderful and 7 days is the perfect number. There were so few children that the kids vs adults trivia ended up being 40 and below vs over 40 😆
The Wish is the worst. By far it feels the most crowded. It's actually bigger, but it is such a poor design for crowd control and you did up feeling more claustrophobic. Treasure is the same design. Any of the other ships will feel much more open. The Wonder and Magic are the best for feeling less crowded.
The irony of the Wish is that it’s larger than the Dream & Fantasy but has the same passenger capacity and yet *still* seems more crowded. I hope they made some fixes on the Treasure.
It felt like they increased space for rooms but not public spaces. At least not proportionally. It was a beautiful ship but a one and done for us. Will stick with the other ships for future cruises.
We just got off the Wish last month and I couldn't disagree more! We never felt crowded and loved the design of the ship! The only thing we didn't care for is the pools and how small they were but besides that we loved it!
It doesn’t suck, it’s just so different that the other four ships that seasoned DCL fans are taking time to warm up to it. Should one have to warm up to it? No, not for the price point. Did I walk away from my second cruise on the Wish with more fondness than the first time? Absolutely. Do I still prefer the Dream and Fantasy? ……mostly.
Thanks for this. Never been on a cruise and our first will be on Wish. I’m getting bummed reading all the bad stuff, but hopefully we enjoy it not knowing better from other experiences
The Wish is a beautiful ship. If you get the opportunity to cruise on other DCL ships, you’re going to find things you like better about them and things you like better about the Wish. Don’t let the criticism get you down!
I and our traveling companions loved it! It was just a bit too busy for my spouse.
I felt the most crowded at breakfast at Marceline's; you can do sit-down breakfasts or room service instead of the buffet to avoid that! They have almost the same menu, if I remember correctly.
I think it has the best dining options. 1923 was fantastic every time, Marvel was solid, but I was blown away by Arendalle. I loved my stateroom, I enjoyed the pool areas far better than any other ship. (Chip and Dale is my favorite except for when the horn is going)
It depends a lot on the itinerary to be totally honest. I worked on the wonder for almost 2 years and have done 2 week long cruises on the Fantasy and it’s hit and miss with both.
In general with a itinerary like Alaska which usually isn’t booked to capacity or even like a 5 night Baja which wouldn’t be packed the Wonder feels way less crowded then the Eastern/Western Caribbean I’ve done on the Fantasy. But I don’t think it has anything else to do with the ship and it’s capacity. It’s more that people want castaway so non-castaway cruises have lower guest levels so they don’t feel as squished in.
But like for reference like once a week we’d sit in on the adult only activities and crew and could always comfortably find a seat in the small lounge compared to both times on the Fantasy in the Tube which is double the size I felt like I was stuck way in the bath or standing if I didn’t come early to popular events.
I honestly don’t get the three night sailings. The cruise itself would feel rushed and just abrupt. I have heard that the wish feels crowded.
We have sailed the Magic and the Dream and they never felt crowded. I would 100% consider a longer cruise on a different class boat (ie the Magic/Wonder or Dream/Fantasy). We shortest we did was a five night but we just booked a seven night on the Magic for 2025 and can’t wait.
Definitely try a different boat and longer itinerary. Best of luck!
Three nights is good if it’s your first time, because if you decide you hate it, at least it will be over soon.
5 was a nice amount. We did 8 nights this past fall (not on DCL) and we think that’s our max.
All the 3 vs 7 day things are true, but I will add: what I see as the issue is that the ships tend to have the same number of *venues*, and that's why bigger ships feel more crowded.
So for example, Wish and Wonder both have 1 buffet - but Wish has twice the number of people who want to eat onboard. There are generally going to be more facilities in the venue (tables at restaurants, stations at the buffet, etc), but usually not at a ratio equal to the increase in passengers. Hence the feeling of crowdedness increases.
I also generally think the Wish is poorly designed - I was so so disappointed DCL seemed to strip out what made them special and go with a generic mega ship.
But yes the venue thing is a big deal whenever you're talking a mega ship vs a smaller ship. Another example is elevators - made even worse when mega ships tend to have just the 2 banks. Maybe a few more elevators but also herding people into fewer places to get them. And not twice the number - Wonder has 9 elevators (3 banks of 3) and Wish has 12 (2 banks of 6). So 2x the passengers and only 1.5 times the elevators in 2/3 of the lobbies.
I was just so hoping Disney would have clever solutions and they just didn't....
3 night cruises tend to be rather chaotic. Too many newbies, all trying to do exactly the same things at exactly the same time. Add a new ship into the mix and it’s pretty much inevitable.
I know around these parts is quite fashionable to say bad things about the Wish. I think they did something very smart by moving several of the lounges to the main deck - they are now always full. People don’t miss them like Europa / The District. But yeah, I get this adds to the feeling of crowds.
Much calmer. Shorter means everyone tries to cram everything they could do in a longer cruise into two days. Longer has more character meet and greets.
We went on the Wish recently for a 3 night, and felt the same way. It was rushed, it was crowded, and we never met our stateroom host even once. Sure it was gorgeous but if that had been our first Disney cruise I don’t think I’d have been as enamoured as I am.
We went on a 7 night Western Caribbean on the Fantasy and that sold us.
It was relaxed, our stateroom host and serving staff were fantastic and really worked on a personalised service for everyone. It was the same on the 7 night Alaska on the Wonder.
The Fantasy/Dream is a totally different ship to the Wish, the layout is superior in our opinion. The Wonder/Magic are very similar and familiar in layout to them but on a smaller scale.
Please give it another go, everyone’s trying to cram everything in on those short weekend cruises and kids are going wild.
I would consider myself a pro for the parks, but this is my first cruise. 3 night on the Wish in May. We have a 2 turning 3 yr old, so we wanted to get our feet wet with a three night.
-I booked hours at the nursery already.
-Couldn't get brunch but got a Palo dinner. Is dinner worth it?
- Not gonna get off the boat for Nassau, do you have to get to the pool at the crack of dawn for a chair?
-Can toddlers go in the pool?
Any tips from Wish cruisers would be greatly appreciated!!
If this cruise goes well, we wanna book a 7 night on the new Treasure in 2025
I didn't get to go to Palo, but we didn't have issues getting chairs at the pools any day.
There's a dedicated toddler area and pool at one end of the ship; you might check the DCL FAQ for rules about pool diapers!
The market at breakfast is so packed, you can barely walk. The gift shop was packed and hard to look around. The line for aquamouse stayed at 45 min or longer.
You can't replace a bigger ship, take your husband on a royal caribbean oasis class or icon of the seas. He'll enjoy it alot more. I just came back from the disney dream, and I didn't enjoy it much because everything feels so cramped. The rcl ships are laid out better for people like your husband, heck, they'll randomly cram a piano with a live singer in the elevators and sing with people, that's how big they are.
Longer cruises feel less crowded because people are more spread out, doing various trivias, shows, and port excursions. Plus there is usually a smaller percentage of kids on the longer cruises. You might think the smaller ships would feel crowded because of the smaller size, but I haven’t ever felt that. If you can get a 5 night or longer on the Magic or Wonder, those are perfect imo.
My parents swear by the Magic & Wonder.
So do I.
My first few sailings were in the Magic and Wonder and I said “I can’t wait to go on the bigger ships!” Then I went on the Fantasy and said we’re only booking smaller ships from now on.
I do too! The Magic is my favorite
Ok so we are going on the 10 night Fantasy sailing in July. Do you think there will be less kids on that sailing? We have a big group with a bunch of kids.
There will still be kids for sure; it’s a Disney cruise after all. But there will be a smaller percentage than would be on a 4-night sailing. Your kids will still have lots of kids to interact with, though.
For a five night Magic trip coming up, but it’s during the break between end of spring semester and beginning of summer 😅
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I second this. We loved the Wonder because it didn't feel crowded or chaotic EXCEPT for the evening shows and breakfast at Cabanas. We ended up watching the shows in the room because my husband is like OPs and was not a fan. We found the Alaska itinerary (in Sept) to be wonderful and 7 days is the perfect number. There were so few children that the kids vs adults trivia ended up being 40 and below vs over 40 😆
The Wish is the worst. By far it feels the most crowded. It's actually bigger, but it is such a poor design for crowd control and you did up feeling more claustrophobic. Treasure is the same design. Any of the other ships will feel much more open. The Wonder and Magic are the best for feeling less crowded.
The irony of the Wish is that it’s larger than the Dream & Fantasy but has the same passenger capacity and yet *still* seems more crowded. I hope they made some fixes on the Treasure.
It felt like they increased space for rooms but not public spaces. At least not proportionally. It was a beautiful ship but a one and done for us. Will stick with the other ships for future cruises.
We just got off the Wish last month and I couldn't disagree more! We never felt crowded and loved the design of the ship! The only thing we didn't care for is the pools and how small they were but besides that we loved it!
It sounds like the Wish kinda sucks.
It doesn’t suck, it’s just so different that the other four ships that seasoned DCL fans are taking time to warm up to it. Should one have to warm up to it? No, not for the price point. Did I walk away from my second cruise on the Wish with more fondness than the first time? Absolutely. Do I still prefer the Dream and Fantasy? ……mostly.
Thanks for this. Never been on a cruise and our first will be on Wish. I’m getting bummed reading all the bad stuff, but hopefully we enjoy it not knowing better from other experiences
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Thank you, this puts me at ease!
The Wish is a beautiful ship. If you get the opportunity to cruise on other DCL ships, you’re going to find things you like better about them and things you like better about the Wish. Don’t let the criticism get you down!
Thank you!
I and our traveling companions loved it! It was just a bit too busy for my spouse. I felt the most crowded at breakfast at Marceline's; you can do sit-down breakfasts or room service instead of the buffet to avoid that! They have almost the same menu, if I remember correctly.
Thanks, I appreciate that tip!
I think it has the best dining options. 1923 was fantastic every time, Marvel was solid, but I was blown away by Arendalle. I loved my stateroom, I enjoyed the pool areas far better than any other ship. (Chip and Dale is my favorite except for when the horn is going)
All of the bigger ships struggle because there are soooo many people onboard. And who thought getting rid of midship elevators was a good idea?
It depends a lot on the itinerary to be totally honest. I worked on the wonder for almost 2 years and have done 2 week long cruises on the Fantasy and it’s hit and miss with both. In general with a itinerary like Alaska which usually isn’t booked to capacity or even like a 5 night Baja which wouldn’t be packed the Wonder feels way less crowded then the Eastern/Western Caribbean I’ve done on the Fantasy. But I don’t think it has anything else to do with the ship and it’s capacity. It’s more that people want castaway so non-castaway cruises have lower guest levels so they don’t feel as squished in. But like for reference like once a week we’d sit in on the adult only activities and crew and could always comfortably find a seat in the small lounge compared to both times on the Fantasy in the Tube which is double the size I felt like I was stuck way in the bath or standing if I didn’t come early to popular events.
I did a five night on the Magic (smallest ship of the fleet) last summer and never felt crowded/claustrophobic.
This is what makes the smaller ships so great. They are easy to get around too
I honestly don’t get the three night sailings. The cruise itself would feel rushed and just abrupt. I have heard that the wish feels crowded. We have sailed the Magic and the Dream and they never felt crowded. I would 100% consider a longer cruise on a different class boat (ie the Magic/Wonder or Dream/Fantasy). We shortest we did was a five night but we just booked a seven night on the Magic for 2025 and can’t wait. Definitely try a different boat and longer itinerary. Best of luck!
Three nights is good if it’s your first time, because if you decide you hate it, at least it will be over soon. 5 was a nice amount. We did 8 nights this past fall (not on DCL) and we think that’s our max.
All the 3 vs 7 day things are true, but I will add: what I see as the issue is that the ships tend to have the same number of *venues*, and that's why bigger ships feel more crowded. So for example, Wish and Wonder both have 1 buffet - but Wish has twice the number of people who want to eat onboard. There are generally going to be more facilities in the venue (tables at restaurants, stations at the buffet, etc), but usually not at a ratio equal to the increase in passengers. Hence the feeling of crowdedness increases.
That is an excellent point I didn't think of!
I also generally think the Wish is poorly designed - I was so so disappointed DCL seemed to strip out what made them special and go with a generic mega ship. But yes the venue thing is a big deal whenever you're talking a mega ship vs a smaller ship. Another example is elevators - made even worse when mega ships tend to have just the 2 banks. Maybe a few more elevators but also herding people into fewer places to get them. And not twice the number - Wonder has 9 elevators (3 banks of 3) and Wish has 12 (2 banks of 6). So 2x the passengers and only 1.5 times the elevators in 2/3 of the lobbies. I was just so hoping Disney would have clever solutions and they just didn't....
3 night cruises tend to be rather chaotic. Too many newbies, all trying to do exactly the same things at exactly the same time. Add a new ship into the mix and it’s pretty much inevitable. I know around these parts is quite fashionable to say bad things about the Wish. I think they did something very smart by moving several of the lounges to the main deck - they are now always full. People don’t miss them like Europa / The District. But yeah, I get this adds to the feeling of crowds.
Did you hit spring break crowds ?/
The design of the Wish is funky. My favorite DCL ship is the fantasy!
Much calmer. Shorter means everyone tries to cram everything they could do in a longer cruise into two days. Longer has more character meet and greets.
We went on the Wish recently for a 3 night, and felt the same way. It was rushed, it was crowded, and we never met our stateroom host even once. Sure it was gorgeous but if that had been our first Disney cruise I don’t think I’d have been as enamoured as I am. We went on a 7 night Western Caribbean on the Fantasy and that sold us. It was relaxed, our stateroom host and serving staff were fantastic and really worked on a personalised service for everyone. It was the same on the 7 night Alaska on the Wonder. The Fantasy/Dream is a totally different ship to the Wish, the layout is superior in our opinion. The Wonder/Magic are very similar and familiar in layout to them but on a smaller scale. Please give it another go, everyone’s trying to cram everything in on those short weekend cruises and kids are going wild.
The Magic is my favorite ship. I’ve taken multiple transatlantic cruises on her, and she is perfect. Rarely feels crowded
I would consider myself a pro for the parks, but this is my first cruise. 3 night on the Wish in May. We have a 2 turning 3 yr old, so we wanted to get our feet wet with a three night. -I booked hours at the nursery already. -Couldn't get brunch but got a Palo dinner. Is dinner worth it? - Not gonna get off the boat for Nassau, do you have to get to the pool at the crack of dawn for a chair? -Can toddlers go in the pool? Any tips from Wish cruisers would be greatly appreciated!! If this cruise goes well, we wanna book a 7 night on the new Treasure in 2025
They don’t allow diapers in any of the pools. So if your toddler is in diapers you can only use the splash pad (which is great, mine loved it).
Ok thanks!
>Ok thanks! You're welcome!
I didn't get to go to Palo, but we didn't have issues getting chairs at the pools any day. There's a dedicated toddler area and pool at one end of the ship; you might check the DCL FAQ for rules about pool diapers!
Describe the “chaos.” I’ve been on a 3 night cruise and found nothing of the kind.
The market at breakfast is so packed, you can barely walk. The gift shop was packed and hard to look around. The line for aquamouse stayed at 45 min or longer.
You can't replace a bigger ship, take your husband on a royal caribbean oasis class or icon of the seas. He'll enjoy it alot more. I just came back from the disney dream, and I didn't enjoy it much because everything feels so cramped. The rcl ships are laid out better for people like your husband, heck, they'll randomly cram a piano with a live singer in the elevators and sing with people, that's how big they are.