Disney Wonder..First cruise

[Crow]

saw a price drop for the Disney Wonder in March..lowest ive seen a Disney cruise. never been on a cruise. its the oldest ship so Im wondering if its worth it for $511 per person for 3 nights to Carribean.for my gf and I..no kids but we both have been to WDW . me a lot of times, her a few. wondering if should go w the Wonder or one of the newer ones

[BrerGnat]

Eh, that's a bit much for the Wonder. Although there is something to be said for starting at the "bottom" ship wise, and working your way up the fleet.

[Crow]

Eh, that's a bit much for the Wonder. Although there is something to be said for starting at the "bottom" ship wise, and working your way up the fleet.

so your vote goes towards booking one of the newer ships. and suggestions on whats a good price and which ship. its between Disney or Carnival i think..

[BrerGnat]

Well, Carnival amd Disney are almost complete opposite ends of the cruising spectrum.

I would recommend a 4 day cruise, at minimum, for a first cruise experience. 3 days is fine for a quick getaway if you have cruised before but it's a bit too hectic for a first timer.

My upper limit (when we feel like splurging) is $300 per night, per person. A "reasonable" fare would be $150-$200 per person per night. That will be hard to find on the newer Disney ships. Our first Dream cruise we paid $150/person/night (x5 nights; party of 4). That was with a military discount in late August 2012. That price is never coming back, I fear.

Best time to get CHEAP cruise fare is the second half of September.

[MarkC]

We have taken 5 cruises- 2 on Disney and 3 on Royal Caribbean, and have 3 more cruises booked. Personally I would not take a cruise less than 6 days in length. They go so fast, and the first day is just a few hours floating out to sea. That is my opinion-- you would still probably enjoy it but basically finally have the ship memorized, and your cruise would be over.

[cer]

I have never been on a cruise, but on the podcast, Christine has reported that the smaller Disney ships are better for cruising because there are fewer guests using the same number and size of amenities. Definitely something to consider.

[Ed]

I have never been on a cruise, but on the podcast, Christine has reported that the smaller Disney ships are better for cruising because there are fewer guests using the same number and size of amenities. Definitely something to consider.

We've been on all 4 DCL ships (8 cruises total) and we definitely prefer the older, smaller ships for the same reasons that Christine mentioned in the podcast. Don't make the mistake of thinking of the "old" ships as being dirty old rustbuckets; they are far from it. "Old" is really a relative term. Wonder was launched in 1999, so she's only 16 years old. There are many other cruise ships still in service since the '70s and earlier.

[Crow]

thanks for all of the opinions. 4 nights would b the most we can probably do. we are also thinking about WDW for a few so thats why I chose Port Canaveral. Im looking at all kinds of reviews. considering rooms, food, pools, shows etc.

[BrerGnat]

I have never been on a cruise, but on the podcast, Christine has reported that the smaller Disney ships are better for cruising because there are fewer guests using the same number and size of amenities. Definitely something to consider.

We have been only on the Dream, and one cruise was "sold out." We never felt crowds anywhere other than the photo gallery on the ship. We were surrounded by empty lounge chairs on the family beach at Castaway Cay. There were no lines for food at Cabanas. Empty tables could always be found.

True that the ships are larger, but so is everything else: the dining rooms, the atrium, the theaters, the buffet restaurant, the pool deck, the kids clubs.

The smaller ships have the same ratio of passengers to crew, so it's not like there is more personalized service on the smaller ships.

Some people just do better with things on a smaller scale, and that is fine. But, with that smaller scale (on a cruise ship), you are left with less opportunity due to space constraints. They were able to add so many additional guest spaces on the newer ships that help distribute people evenly.

[CanadianWDWFan]

We have been on two cruises with a third being on March Break in 99 days!! All our cruises are on the Fantasy. We were sold on the seven day cruises since we are travelling from Toronto and figured that if we are spending the time and money to get down to the port then we want to get our money's worth. We went over Christmas last year, this cruise was sold out and we never felt crowded even on Christmas day. We loved the big ship there was so much room and being on the ship for seven days we never felt rushed and had ample time to explore all the ship had to offer.

[baldburke]

Another vote for the smaller ships here too. There may be a joke in there somewhere but this is a family friendly board. Good luck...I bet you'll love it!

[Crow]

thanks. im still looking at prices and reviews

[Disdude]

Others have already said this but please don't discount the classic ships as being somehow less than worthy. We have sailed on all four ships and there is always something on each ship that makes it better or worse than another ship. For us, they are all great for different reasons. We just got off the Fantasy a couple of weeks ago and are excited to be boarding the Wonder in June for Alaska.

As for length, we started with a 3 day and we were hooked. If we hadn't liked it we wouldn't have to suffer too long. As it turns out, we loved it and haven't been back to Disney World for an actual vacation (more than a day or two when passing through Florida) in 5 years.

In terms of price per person. That doesn't seem terrible. We've paid more and we've paid less. I would give it a shot! Happy cruising.

[Crow]

some people say the price is too much compared to other cruises. the price on WDW is a lot now too esp admission and I guess if you consider you get food and entertainment and room included in price vs WDW. I am considering Disney or Carnival cruise, disney cruise and a few days at WDW, or a trip to Vegas. gf has not been to Vegas. neither has been on cruise. but we both have been to WDW and w all the closures there and prices idk if we should go there again soon. still researching all the options

[BrerGnat]

some people say the price is too much compared to other cruises. the price on WDW is a lot now too esp admission and I guess if you consider you get food and entertainment and room included in price vs WDW. I am considering Disney or Carnival cruise, disney cruise and a few days at WDW, or a trip to Vegas. gf has not been to Vegas. neither has been on cruise. but we both have been to WDW and w all the closures there and prices idk if we should go there again soon. still researching all the options

It is fair to compare the cruise fare with WDW accommodations, park tickets, and dining plan (breaking it down to a per day price per person). However, the cruise fare is not ALL inclusive (tips, alcoholic beverages, upcharge dining, excursuons, island equipment rental fees, money spend during itinerary stops, etc.) Just have to keep those extra costs in mind. It's easy to spend an additonal several hundred to over a thousand dollars on a cruise.

[Crow]

yes just like a trip to WDW. plus fee for passport