brentm77
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2013
We sailed the Magic out of Puerto Rico a couple of weeks back, came home for a week, then sailed the Wonder out of San Diego. I had previously thought the Magic was the best ship, but it fell a little short on being maintained to Disney standards on the most recent trip. The Wonder was such a pleasant surprise though, as it had all of the benefits of the Magic, but nearly everything was just a little better, in my opinion.
Sailing the two ships only a week a part, made it really easy to compare. Immediately upon entering the ship, the public spaces seemed noticeably nicer and in better condition. I liked the public spaces more where they varied too, such as the New Orleans themed bar. On the very first day at Cabanas, both my wife and I noticed the food was noticeably better. Generally, the MDR food was about the same and consistent between the two ships.
The production of Frozen (which I am not even a huge fan of generally) was hands down better than any performance we have seen on the ships. It didn't help that the sound system in the Magic is broken and made everyone sound like they had a lisp, but the talent in the Frozen show was top notch and we all enjoyed it from start to finish.
The only exception I can think of is it is missing the Aquadunk or a similar experience. I also think the overall theming of the Tangled restaurant is better than Tianna's, but Tiana's wins for the menu and entertainment, which is mostly enjoyable background music instead of singers who sound like they are yelling half of the time, making it impossible to communicate during dinner.
The staff was exceptional too, really bending over backwards to assist my daughter who had her leg amputated but doesn't have her prosthesis yet. They made sure she had a good place to sit, escorted her into the front row for the show, and otherwise made sure things were easier for her.
While we didn't have an ADA room on the Magic to compare it too, I will note that the ADA room was exceptional on the Wonder, making the cruise much more enjoyable for my daughter. Disney went above and beyond with the automatic doors, a closet that has a lowering bar, roll in shower, space to move around in a wheelchair, etc.
The adult districts were very similar between the ships, but I thought the Wonder was slightly nicer, like most of the ship.
A couple of non-Wonder-specific observations:
Our stateroom host was amazing and we formed a genuine friendship with him. He asked for a photo with the family on the last day and asked for us to reach out if we visit India. He was such a hard worker, said how much he appreciated us being there since he loved working for Disney and the life it provided his family back home, and never once mentioned the survey. It was a genuine treat to see him every day and have conversations with him to learn about his family and home.
Unfortunately, our dining server could not let the survey go. There wasn't a single dinner that he didn't bring it up. In the past, all it took was me mentioning how I know how important it is and that anything short of excellent is the same as giving a bad review, and they let it go. But not him. The sad part is that he was a great server otherwise, so he wasn't doing himself any favors. He would have received an excellent without the speech, but it really put a damper on the experience. I blame Disney for creating the stupid system. The head server was great too - not too overbearing like some (including one who gave me an odd speech about him being Christian on the last cruise), but friendly and there if we needed something. I would have mentioned the survey talk being a problem to the head server, but it was only a four night cruise and each time I assumed we were past that it popped up again, so by the time I realized it was an issue the cruise was over. It was also awkward because they were so friendly and helpful with getting my daughter situated, bringing her a special cake, and even a gift, that I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I have heard others complain about the speech in the past and wondered what the big deal was, but now I get it. It was like being cornered by a used car salesman at the end of every dinner.
I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that a 4-night cruise still feels pretty long. I will continue to favor 7 days+, but it worked well for a quick get-a-way and was better than expected.
The ship had a higher number for first timers sailing, so it was fun to see their excitement too. And can I just say, there is something about people who sail Disney and their acceptance of people who are different. Generally when my daughter is out an about in public, she gets a lot of stares and whispers, but on the ship, people just treated her like everyone else, but offered to help with elevators and the like. She even had a five year old hold an elevator door for her. It was nice for her to be in such a pleasant environment. You all are doing something right.
All in all, I just really liked the Wonder and think its the best ship we have sailed to date (Fantasy many times, Magic twice, Wonder once). It seems like a ship that doesn't get a lot of talk, likely due to off-beat and shorter itineraries.
Sailing the two ships only a week a part, made it really easy to compare. Immediately upon entering the ship, the public spaces seemed noticeably nicer and in better condition. I liked the public spaces more where they varied too, such as the New Orleans themed bar. On the very first day at Cabanas, both my wife and I noticed the food was noticeably better. Generally, the MDR food was about the same and consistent between the two ships.
The production of Frozen (which I am not even a huge fan of generally) was hands down better than any performance we have seen on the ships. It didn't help that the sound system in the Magic is broken and made everyone sound like they had a lisp, but the talent in the Frozen show was top notch and we all enjoyed it from start to finish.
The only exception I can think of is it is missing the Aquadunk or a similar experience. I also think the overall theming of the Tangled restaurant is better than Tianna's, but Tiana's wins for the menu and entertainment, which is mostly enjoyable background music instead of singers who sound like they are yelling half of the time, making it impossible to communicate during dinner.
The staff was exceptional too, really bending over backwards to assist my daughter who had her leg amputated but doesn't have her prosthesis yet. They made sure she had a good place to sit, escorted her into the front row for the show, and otherwise made sure things were easier for her.
While we didn't have an ADA room on the Magic to compare it too, I will note that the ADA room was exceptional on the Wonder, making the cruise much more enjoyable for my daughter. Disney went above and beyond with the automatic doors, a closet that has a lowering bar, roll in shower, space to move around in a wheelchair, etc.
The adult districts were very similar between the ships, but I thought the Wonder was slightly nicer, like most of the ship.
A couple of non-Wonder-specific observations:
Our stateroom host was amazing and we formed a genuine friendship with him. He asked for a photo with the family on the last day and asked for us to reach out if we visit India. He was such a hard worker, said how much he appreciated us being there since he loved working for Disney and the life it provided his family back home, and never once mentioned the survey. It was a genuine treat to see him every day and have conversations with him to learn about his family and home.
Unfortunately, our dining server could not let the survey go. There wasn't a single dinner that he didn't bring it up. In the past, all it took was me mentioning how I know how important it is and that anything short of excellent is the same as giving a bad review, and they let it go. But not him. The sad part is that he was a great server otherwise, so he wasn't doing himself any favors. He would have received an excellent without the speech, but it really put a damper on the experience. I blame Disney for creating the stupid system. The head server was great too - not too overbearing like some (including one who gave me an odd speech about him being Christian on the last cruise), but friendly and there if we needed something. I would have mentioned the survey talk being a problem to the head server, but it was only a four night cruise and each time I assumed we were past that it popped up again, so by the time I realized it was an issue the cruise was over. It was also awkward because they were so friendly and helpful with getting my daughter situated, bringing her a special cake, and even a gift, that I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I have heard others complain about the speech in the past and wondered what the big deal was, but now I get it. It was like being cornered by a used car salesman at the end of every dinner.
I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that a 4-night cruise still feels pretty long. I will continue to favor 7 days+, but it worked well for a quick get-a-way and was better than expected.
The ship had a higher number for first timers sailing, so it was fun to see their excitement too. And can I just say, there is something about people who sail Disney and their acceptance of people who are different. Generally when my daughter is out an about in public, she gets a lot of stares and whispers, but on the ship, people just treated her like everyone else, but offered to help with elevators and the like. She even had a five year old hold an elevator door for her. It was nice for her to be in such a pleasant environment. You all are doing something right.
All in all, I just really liked the Wonder and think its the best ship we have sailed to date (Fantasy many times, Magic twice, Wonder once). It seems like a ship that doesn't get a lot of talk, likely due to off-beat and shorter itineraries.
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