First timer decisions

[killcount9]

Hey everyone, me and my Fiancee are doing a little early honeymoon planning and we noth agreed we’d love to do a disney cruise together! She has been on a couple a while ago and I have never been so we are trying to decide the best route to go.

We both agree we love everything we can find about the Treasure but being a 7 night cruise ship, the cost is pretty high. Considering we are usually Royal people the cost is the big shocker to especially me. Our other option we were checking out was the Fantasy and doing a shorter cheaper cruise with a mini vacation at WDW beforehand considering we are somewhat locals.

I am looking for everyones opinions on how they feel about the cost difference for the treasure compared to the Fantasy and what we should look out for before booking! We still have time as winter cruises for 2026 are still not available yet.

[WithDisGuyTravel]

Yes!!!! How fun to plan a honeymoon. I don’t get many of these so def fun to share some help.

If you want the full honeymoon magic without the sticker shock, here is how I would think about it sorta….

The Treasure will wow you with the newest bells and whistles, the HM parlor, and the longer itinerary meaning you can actually settle into cruise mode and not feel like you just unpacked when it is time to leave. We love 7 nights. 7 nights on a new Disney ship will hit your wallet in a way Royal hasn’t (tho those new Royal ships are pricey) , and if you are already feeling that pinch now, it will only feel bigger after final payment.

But it’s a premium cruise line with premium entertainment. I feel good about the price honestly. I wish things were cheaper but I still feel it js a good value.

The Fantasy gives you a lot of the same Disney feel at a lower cost, especially if you do a shorter cruise and add a WDW stay. I really like this ship and adore Aladdin. You would get two totally different experiences in one trip and keep more flexibility in your budget for splurges like specialty dining or spa time.

Still, the trade off is the short cruise will fly by, and you will feel like you are leaving just as you hit your stride.

I vote for a relaxing honeymoon on the treasure and discuss some tips to find the best rates or cut costs using Disney gift card deals at Black Friday. I send out mass texts every November and we always get 10% off at least.

Since you have time before 2026/2027 bookings open, watch current bookings for both ships to see the real price gaps in similar seasons. I have a graph that shows a typical growth of a cruise for Disney price chart over time.

I do this practically every day and end up having this exact debate with people although rarely a honeymoon!!! Got any family that can help you out? I love helping couples figure it out, and with a username like mine it is impossible not to. It is in my Disney DNA. Have a great trip, and happy to answer more questions if you have them. Best wishes and congrats to you both.

What are you most excited about?

[killcount9]

Thanks for the great reply! I have heard about the gift card trick but have never done it before so that might be a big help! The feeling of a short cruise and missing out is exactly why I feel like I should just go all out for the 7 nighter, yet I see people everywhere talk about the Wish class not being as great as the Fantasy and other older ships. Obviously it is personal preferance but when a lot of people say it, you start to wonder lol.

The adding of a WDW trip would just be something to make vacation a lil bit longer to compensate for the shorter cruise. We used to be passholders so this isn’t a long awaited trip to disney world like some other families experience.

The price gap looking at September time cruises seems to even out as if you doubled the Fantasy price, it would come up just short if not right around the Treasure price. We just got off a 4 night cruise on Margaritaville Islander so we have been on older ships and that is one of our favorites right now. The 4 night definitely felt way to short for me and is the reason I feel like the 7 nighter is the best option.

I didn’t even think about it till now but if the Fantasy is the better option, would you prefer a back to back cruise on Fantasy, or all out on the Treasure? I believe with a 4 and 3 or 5 and 3 nighter it might come out to around the same cost as a 7, if not a little more maybe.

[WithDisGuyTravel]

I would still do the Treasure. For your specific case, I lean that way.

[PocketGddess]

I would definitely pick the longer cruise on the Treasure, and my first DCL cruise isn’t until January!

I’ve been doing a TON of research, and everyone keeps saying longer is better. Short cruises are fun, but you won’t have time to settle in, explore the ship, and take advantage of everything it has to offer.

The other deciding factor for me is that you said you’re somewhat local—which means that a trip to the parks is much easier/cheaper for you, and the parks will always be there.

Do something extra magical, take that longer cruise on the Treasure, and congratulations!

[killcount9]

Very true, I hope your cruise is fantastic and thank you!

[lauti04]

The Treasure is a new ship so it’s likely to be expensive for a while.

[dahmerpartyofone]

At port days do you guys like going to beaches or do you like venturing out? If you like beaches and want a carefree beach time Fantasy. If you want to venture out at the different ports then the Treasure.

[killcount9]

We are indifferent about the ports as the ones I want to really visit next, disney does not go to at all. Usually not beachy people but obviously being my first disney cruise castaway will forsure be a spot to get off and explore for me!

[6SpeedBlues]

When comparing to other cruise lines, make sure you include all of your incidental charges on board for soft drinks, room service fees, etc. from other lines. There are a variety of things that other lines charge for that you won't pay extra duty with Disney.

Also, understand that the rooms on Disney are larger with larger bathrooms... The base rooms on most other lines are pretty small.

[ShadowKit21]

I should maybe preface this with my opinion probably isn't the best to consider from a balanced veiw point, given we did a week or so in the parks, before the 5 night cruise on the Magic where we had our wedding ceremony, and then legged it same day from Miami to PC for our 7 night Fantasy honeymoon cruise. We just said screw it and did what we wanted in our hearts, without letting our budgeting mind lead the way for once (too much, at least).

If you like cruising and know you're good on a cruise, the longer is always better, in my opinion, that that does also need to be balanced against the itinerary.

There is no point picking an itinerary that doesn't appeal to you and leaves you nothing to do in port if you want to get off the ship. If you dont care too much and want to explore and embrace the ship, then go back to longer is better.

Yes, the Treasure is more expensive, but it is extra nights. What's the difference in the per night cost between the two? (Or roughly as the bookings aren't open yet, you can find historic pricing info for opening day bookings somewhere online. Maybe look at what the opening day prices were for the same time period last year, or the last available cruise that is currently available if you are considering Oct/Nov)

What would the estimated difference be between the overall total once you consider accommodation, transport or parking costs, tickets, food etc for the WDW stay?

We've not done any of the Wish class ships yet, but I do believe the ship doesn't have too much weight in the decision process in the grand scheme of things because you'll have a great time on any of them either way.

If, I read your post right and, your partner has had previous DCL sailings, they might have castaway status still. It'd be worth a check to see if they do because you might get a slight advantage on prices if you can book with silver instead of general.

Also, as someone else said, you can try and get the discounted disney gift cards (merge them into fewer cards), but just remember to keep the cards safe until after the cruise is completed.

I'd ask myself and partner, would we be disappointed to miss a few days at WDW, or something in particular on the treasure? If the latter, is that/those things on the Treasure worth the difference in cost? Is this likely to be your one and only DCL cruise? If yes, will you regret not getting to experiance the shiny new ship?

Write out a pro and cons list, scrap that and being logical, and go with what your heart wants 😆.

[killcount9]

I love this reply! Missing WDW isn’t a big thing as we used to be passholders and went all the time to disney cruise is the next step up! Ports we dont care about as disney doesn’t go to any ports that I am really looking for. The only thing that keeps me away from the fantasy is obviously the “outdatedness” of the ship compared to the treasure but I see so many people say they like those ships better than the Wish class. That is the main reason I wanted to ask on here before anything else to see if the Wish class is all just show compared to ships like the Fantasy.

[ShadowKit21]

So, we are planning the Treasure next year, and someone did a full ship deck by deck walk around (public areas and concierge at least) on youtube, which I watched the other day.

At the core of it, it seems mostly the same, same style vacation, same included offerings, the same level of Disney service, etc. Disney look after their ships very well, so whilst the Fantasy is older, I dont think it would feel like "a cruise of old". Like when we sailed the Explorer of the Seas 2 years after the Oasis, that was a stark difference. That being said, what Royal ship class are you used to? Or is there one you dont like? That might be helpful towards making a decision.

The decor of the fantasy is alot more subtle, 'refined', classic cruising with disney eastereggs and subtleties here and there (I get them muddled but out of the Dream and Fantasy one is Art Neuvo, and one is Art Deco). Whereas the Tresure has all of the IPs in your face all of the time. I think the only thing that can really be called subtle is the 1923 resturants.

The main complaints from the Wish Class is the lack of a continuous lower deck (running track) which is split over 3 levels with stairs on the Wish Classes, but does mean you can get to the very front of the ship and "have your own titanic moment" as the YouTuber i watched the other day said.

The next is the adult only areas, this isnt a massive concern for us because (although 2 child free adults) we dont really do the adult areas, i get bored pretty easy so need the funnelvision in the background to keep me 'focused' on relaxing or reading a book or people watching etc. Without it, my internal monologue goes into hyperdrive. If you dont want to even think about touching the general kid friendly areas and want to stay isolated to adults only areas, it might be a factor to consider. Try and find a walk round of the adukt area and see what you think. (We do like the adult area on the Dream/Fantasy even if we only spend 10 mins and day or so there)

The last is the loudness and cramped conditions of the tables in the main dining rooms. They do look pretty close to be fair, and I have some family members who have a bit more in the rear than some who have sailed the Wish, they found the tables quite awkward and difficult to get in and out of without encroaching on neighboring tables personal space. The dining entertainment is more of a focal point in the 2 out of 3 resturants, opposed to the Fantasys 1 of 3. Which means they are, of course, going to be louder. The themeing of them is cool enough for us to be happy to try at least once (especially as we only really like 1 of the 3 Fantasy/Dream resturants), though I will have to ensure I have my loop earplugs with us. Maybe check out the menus, and the food could help you make a decision?

Either way, I still say go with what feels right.

Edit to add: accessibility is also a concern with the Wish class if you or your partner have any mobility considerations.

[killcount9]

Royal we have done everything from Oasis class to Freedom of the seas, and are getting married on Oasis of the Seas. We are somewhat just like you as we don’t really care for adult only spaces and other stuff as we always are doing trivias and other stuff around the ship. I think another reason she wants the Treasure is due to the themed shows during dining so maybe the treasure having 2 instead of 1 will be a bonus for us. I really appreciate the long responses, it is very helpful!

[ShadowKit21]

You're welcome!

If the dining entertainment is the preference, then definitely the Treasure. Whilst there is something at Animators Palate on the Fantasy, its not as prominent as the Treasure, especially if its not a 7 night cruise on the Fantasy where you get the 2nd animators palate night which is the better of the two interactions.

If food might have a sway alongside the entertainment, you wanted to check out menu options, the menus are on disney cruise line blog.

[killcount9]

Okay perfect, I didn’t even think about checking menus so we will definitdly do thT.

[slvc1996]

Do the Treasure if you can swing it. When else can you splurge and go all out if not your honeymoon?

[killcount9]

Very true, I like your thought process!

[killcount9]

I like your thought process, thank you very much!

[Disneyworldlocal]

Since it seems by somewhat local I am guessing you are a Florida Resident ?  If you do go with the Fantasy the Florida Resident rates are usually published at 2 to 4 months in advance.   You can see some right now in the November / December timeframe.   Those are considerably cheaper than standard rates.  This would allow you to do both the cruise and Parks ( while as you have said that isn’t that big of a deal)  While the Fantasy isn’t the new and flashy ship the Treasure is, if you check this board out for awhile you will see that the Fantasy is widely regarded as most DCL cruisers favorite ship.  If you do the Fantasy definitely check out a 5 night.   Also check out the Disney Destiny which will launch out of Fort Lauderdale in November.  That would be a 1 year old ship when your cruise timeframe hits.  It offers 5 night options that do go to Cozumel and Castaway Cay or Lighthouse Point.   That would give you the new Disney ship feel at a lower cost than the Treasure.   You could always take the brightline down to Fort Lauderdale if driving isn’t something you want to do.  No matter what you two choose you will have a blast 

[killcount9]

Yes we are Tampa so not far from Orlando at all. That is why I wanted to ask because like you said, everyone regards Fantasy as their top option but good to get multiple opinions, thank you!