Disney Magic & Disney Wonder

The Magic and the Wonder are the originals, and they are our favourites — not because they are the best ships, but because they go where the interesting itineraries are. The Magic sails from Southampton in the summer, which is the only way to do a Disney cruise from the UK without setting foot on a plane. The Wonder does Alaska, and increasingly Australia and New Zealand.

At roughly 2,700 guests they are two-thirds the size of the newer ships, and that changes the feel completely. You learn the layout in a day, the crew recognise you by the second morning, and there is never the sense of queueing that a 4,000-guest ship at sea can create.

You give up hardware for that. No AquaMouse, smaller kids clubs, older cabins, and the pool deck can feel cramped on a hot sea day. On a port-heavy European itinerary you will barely notice. On a week of sea days you would.