Is the Dream Too Big? About This Page:

[modisney]

The ship looks wonderful and we will include it in future plans but does anyone feel that 4,000 passengers might be too many?

[lukeandbrookesmom]

Royal Caribbean will soon have a ship with a capacity of 5400 passengers -

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findac...OA&shipCode=OA

[jhoshowski]

I have to go with Judi on this one. It will not be the biggest ship out there, by far. And I trust Disney to accommodate their guests in such a way that it won't feel too crowded.

[moneyhappy]

Did you also notice that all the staterooms and suits are small on the dream.

Here is a link to the new largest cruise ship in the world.
http://www.comcast.net/video/largest...st/1313496770/

[chezp]

I don't think so - as has been said, there are other bigger ships out there already.

[Dave Marx]

"Small" staterooms? Smaller by around 10-14 square feet than the Magic/Wonder for most categories, but it'll be hard to notice that in practice. They're also not offering the really big suites on the Dream (the biggest sleep 5 instead of 7), and the square area on those has gone down by a similar percentage. They're all still large by the standards of most ships, including the newest Cunard liners.

It seems that they're partially compensated for the reduced square footage in the "regular" staterooms by changing the furniture layout. I think they're picking up at least half of the lost square footage by replacing night tables with wall-mounted units, replacing the storage "trunk" with a taller cabinet next to the clothes closet and storage inside the coffee table/ottoman, and being able to trim back the desk/makeup area because it's designed from the start for flat screen TV. While I don't have measurements, the verandahs they're showing (which may or may not be representative of all verandahs) look about a foot deeper, or more.

Now, while the Royal Suites are smaller inside, they have huge verandahs, and hot tubs out on those verandahs - they're much better suited for entertaining than the verandahs for the Magic/Wonder's Walt and Roy Suites. "Suite Country" also now has a separate Concierge Lounge and a private sun deck up on Deck 13. I can understand DCL moving the Royal Suites down to 5 rather than 7 guests maximum and eliminating the second bedroom - I think the number of parties that actually had more than 5 guests in the room was fairly small. Why not get more suites into a smiliar amount of space? Meantime, the Wonder/Magic suites often do not connect to adjoining staterooms. On the Dream, all suites connect to at least one other room. If someone wanted to, they could take both Royal Suites, the one-bedroom suite sandwiched between them, and the concierge family staterooms that connect to the other side of the Royals - up to five staterooms, each sleeping up to five! You can't do that on the Magic or Wonder. Also, each of the one-bedroom suites has a connecting concierge family suite, so those can also effectively convert to two-bedroom suites (similar to the way DVC two-bedrooms are created out of a one-bedroom and a studio). One thing's for sure - the bedroom in the Royal Suite is totally awesome - beats the Walt/Roy Suites by a good distance.

[nurse_mom]

I have been on bigger cruise ships and have not felt the crowd so to speak. I know they are adding to CC. But I do wonder if you will notice, with more children around. More children in the kids clubs. Granted I'm sure I will try the ship out at least once. I'm not going to pass my judgment until I get their myself. So at least 4 more years.

[jenjen1127]

I just saw a special on TV about the Royal Carribean ship which will dock in Florida in the near future. It has a capacity to hold 8,000 passengers .

[latinqt]

Thanks Dave for the great info and insight. I agree with the new set up. Hopefully, the prices won't be more out of sight with this economy.

[colleymouse]

One of the things I love about the ships now is that it is so easy to get around and you really get the whole ocean experience. I wouldn't want to lose that.

[Taswira]

Originally Posted by colleymouse

One of the things I love about the ships now is that it is so easy to get around and you really get the whole ocean experience. I wouldn't want to lose that.

This is why I intend to stick with the current ships as long as they keep sailing. I enjoy roaming around the relatively uncrowded ship and spending time in my stateroom and on my verandah. I have no desire to book a smaller stateroom (the equivalent to the one I usually get is approximately 15 sq. ft. smaller), with a narrower verandah (I've heard 9 or 10 inches less across), and to share the ship with that many guests (especially at deck parties - I like being by the stage).

But I do think the Dream is a beautiful ship and will put DCL in a position to better compete with Royal Caribbean and Carnival since it is a big ship and will have the AquaDuck. This must be what the majority of guests want, but it's not my style. I hope the Magic and Wonder will sail for many years to come. If I ever decide to sail on the Dream, I'll want to be able to afford one of those downsized Royal Suites, so that could be a long time from now!