illuminations cruise About This Page:

[kimandkai]

okay --here's the situation. myself,two adult friends,and my 8 yr old son are doing the 3 noc cruise in october followed by one day at MK,one over night at WL before heading home.

is it possible to see illuminations if we would be lucky enough to book a cruise---(we won't have park hoppers)?????

i know this is all very busy,busy, but hey---i won't make it back to disney for at least another year....

which is better--the breathless or the pontoon?

HELP!!!!
kim [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[michnash]

We've only been on the breathless, and we loved it! We boarded the boat at the dock at the Yacht and Beach club resort and so we didn't need a park pass for that. So, I wouldn't think you would need a park pass for the cruise. It was really awesome, if you can squeeze it in!

[cheezman05]

I also have similar questions regarding the Illuminations Cruise...we will need to book the Pontoon Boat because we will have 8 people in our party. Is the view really worth it? I have heard a complaint about the smoke from the fireworks being really bad from where the boat sits. Are you able to see all of the fireworks, including the globe, and are you able to see the countries? And, finally, what happens if the weather is too bad, and they cancel Illuminations? This sounds like such a wonderful idea, and I really think it would be worth our while to book this cruise for our trip this Christmas. Thank you so much for your help in advance!

Kevin ºoº

[HiddenMickey]

I think it is absolutely worth it. I have heard of reports of smoke probelms due to wind direction, but this is not a usual problem. When you take the cruise, you also cruise the waters up to the MGM boatdock area and around the Epcot resorts (very pretty at night). Then when you tie up under the bridge between UK and France, you have a great view of the Globe and you can see all the countries across from you (I didn't miss not being able to see the lights on all of them as that is such a small part of the show to me). Just being able to sit comfortably with an unobstructed view is wonderful. A very special treat. Good luck in securing a boat for your family (they go fast). If they were to cancel Illuminations (and this is REALLY rare...it's held in torrential rains even), you will still have your boat ride it just won't involve the show (that's why they refuse to call it an Illuminations Cruise and term it Specialty Cruise instead). -HiddenMickey

[Laughaholic]

On average, how much does this cost for one person?

Kristin

[dnbaci]

i think it is $120 for the pontoon, although I don't know what the Breathless costs. Plus figure in a tip for the driver, I have heard $25 is reasonable. [img]graemlins/puter.gif[/img]

[WillCAD]

I've only done the Illuminations cruise once, on a pontoon boat, and I loved it. You don't need a park pass for the cruise, because you board and leave the boats at the Yacht & Beach Club Marina, all outside the park.

I can't compare the pontoons to the Breathles, since I've only been on the pontoons, but I have heard some people love one and some people love the other. I think that's another question that's all a matter of opinion.

I love taking boats at WDW, and the pontoon boat tooling around the Epcot/MGM waterways for 30 minutes or so before heading into WS to tie up for Illuminations was one of the best boat experiences I've ever had. The boat is small and open, giving you a very different, more immediate and intimate, view than the Friendship launches that run between Epcot, MGM, and the resorts. The captains of these boats are also excellent CMs, telling jokes and stories and playing games to keep you entertained during the ride.

The view from the spot where the boats tie up is terrific. It's right at the water level, much lower than anywhere else in World Showcase, so you have a totally unique perspective on the show.

Smoke is only a problem if the wind happens to be blowing toward you that night, which is a risk you take any time you stake out a spot for Illuminations. Only thing is, if you're standing in Mexico or Norway and the smoke bothers you, you can move, but the boats can't. When I took the cruise I didn't get any smoke at all.

IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure your whole party gets to the marina early, so you can cast off early, so you can get into position for Illuminations early. Getting to the brige early means getting a spot up front; getting there late means having other boats in front of you.

[katerkat]

I pretty much ditto everything said here -- it was totally worth it! But we had the smoke blowing at us. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] It was still a great view, we just had to shield our eyes a bit.

I didn't go to the parks that day -- just met my group at the Y&BC and took off!

We brought champagne, as we were celebrating a wedding. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Cap't Ron gave us plastic flutes to use.