DVC Member Magic Fireworks cruise review

[SnowWhite2]

DH and I took the DVC fireworks cruise that is a new offering on Wednesdays. I thought I would report back on the experience.

It had been a cloudy week but very warm. Rainy every day but not all day. Wednesday was rainy most of the day. I wasn't sure that the cruise was going to happen. I had asked at the concierge desk at the Contemporary about the cruise and they had no idea about it. They did work very hard to find out some info for us and were able to assure us that we were in the right place for the cruise. For the 8pm Wishes show, the meet time at the Contemporary boat dock was 6:30. It was raining lightly. We had one other couple with us on the trip. It is nice to meet other members. They were from Ohio and very nice people.

At 6:30 the recreation staff welcomed us and introduced our captain. They were waiting for the catering staff to set up the food. We had a glass of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. The strawberries were the kind that had the long stem and were huge - like the size of my fist huge. They were very good. They brought out a dozen and also containers that we could take the remainder with us. It started to rain harder. The captain set up the catamaran with the canopy so we didn't get wet. Thankfully there was only the 4 of us because that is the number of people that fit under the canopy!

By 7 pm we were in the boat and the captain gave us blankets to keep warm and dry. He gave us a tour of the two lakes and all of the islands and resorts. He had so much information about how Walt picked the location, what all of those islands in the middle of the lake were used for or planned for (the one small island was to be for Walt's house). He did mention that after the Poly DVC is built that the next DVC resort would be at Ft. Wilderness. He even showed us the place it would be built.

By 7:55 we were in front of the MK and parking the boat for the best view of the fireworks. The music was piped in via the boat sound system. It was still raining but the fireworks happened as planned. There was also a cooler with water and some packaged snacks on the boat for us. After the show we went back to the Contemporary dock and the captain had many trivia questions for us. Some of them were pretty hard even for a Disney expert like me Once back at the dock we said goodbye to our captain and cruise companions. We all had a great time and the other couple also said they would do it again if offered.

DH and I decided prior to the cruise how much we would tip the captain. We both quickly agreed when leaving the boat that we would double the tip. It was an awesome experience and I highly recommend it.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

 

[luv2sleep]

DH and I took the DVC fireworks cruise that is a new offering on Wednesdays. I thought I would report back on the experience. It had been a cloudy week but very warm. Rainy every day but not all day. Wednesday was rainy most of the day. I wasn't sure that the cruise was going to happen. I had asked at the concierge desk at the Contemporary about the cruise and they had no idea about it. They did work very hard to find out some info for us and were able to assure us that we were in the right place for the cruise. For the 8pm Wishes show, the meet time at the Contemporary boat dock was 6:30. It was raining lightly. We had one other couple with us on the trip. It is nice to meet other members. They were from Ohio and very nice people. At 6:30 the recreation staff welcomed us and introduced our captain. They were waiting for the catering staff to set up the food. We had a glass of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. The strawberries were the kind that had the long stem and were huge - like the size of my fist huge. They were very good. They brought out a dozen and also containers that we could take the remainder with us. It started to rain harder. The captain set up the catamaran with the canopy so we didn't get wet. Thankfully there was only the 4 of us because that is the number of people that fit under the canopy! By 7 pm we were in the boat and the captain gave us blankets to keep warm and dry. He gave us a tour of the two lakes and all of the islands and resorts. He had so much information about how Walt picked the location, what all of those islands in the middle of the lake were used for or planned for (the one small island was to be for Walt's house). He did mention that after the Poly DVC is built that the next DVC resort would be at Ft. Wilderness. He even showed us the place it would be built. By 7:55 we were in front of the MK and parking the boat for the best view of the fireworks. The music was piped in via the boat sound system. It was still raining but the fireworks happened as planned. There was also a cooler with water and some packaged snacks on the boat for us. After the show we went back to the Contemporary dock and the captain had many trivia questions for us. Some of them were pretty hard even for a Disney expert like me Once back at the dock we said goodbye to our captain and cruise companions. We all had a great time and the other couple also said they would do it again if offered. DH and I decided prior to the cruise how much we would tip the captain. We both quickly agreed when leaving the boat that we would double the tip. It was an awesome experience and I highly recommend it. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

How do you sign up for this? Where? How far in advance? Are children allowed? Who do you call? Is it only open to BLT guests or can you be staying at any resort? Do they only do this from the Contemporary? Is there a few?

 

[CarolynMink]

Thank you for the wonderful post. We have done the Illuminations cruise but, would love to experience Wishes as well. I would also like to hear the answers to luv2sleep's questions.

 

[VrBchJ]

I booked the Cruise for July so it's good to read your review and know you had a fun time.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I am glad to hear that it was so great! We prefer Wishes Cruises over Illuminations, and we have had those wonderful strawberries! It's not until October that we will be in WDV on a Wednesday, I hope we get a chance to do this.

 

[preemiemama]

How do you sign up for this? Where? How far in advance? Are children allowed? Who do you call? Is it only open to BLT guests or can you be staying at any resort? Do they only do this from the Contemporary? Is there a few?

I would like to know the answers to these questions plus how many people would be able to go- we have a group of 18 going in June/July so wondering if we could all go? And how much it is per person?

 

[bobbiwoz]

I would like to know the answers to these questions plus how many people would be able to go- we have a group of 18 going in June/July so wondering if we could all go? And how much it is per person?

From the website:
Fireworks Cruise

Savor a complimentary assortment of treats each Wednesday when you book a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Cruise. Before departing from Disney's Contemporary Resort, indulge your palate in lavish delicacies like champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Then, once you've embarked, bear witness to premium, unobstructed views of the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks, as seen from picturesque Seven Seas Lagoon. Two pontoon boats available for this experience—each one accommodating as many as 10 Guests.

Fireworks Cruise
Wednesday Evenings – Starting February 19, 2014
$85 per person, plus tax

 

[preemiemama]

From the website:
Fireworks Cruise

Savor a complimentary assortment of treats each Wednesday when you book a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Cruise. Before departing from Disney's Contemporary Resort, indulge your palate in lavish delicacies like champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Then, once you've embarked, bear witness to premium, unobstructed views of the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks, as seen from picturesque Seven Seas Lagoon. Two pontoon boats available for this experience—each one accommodating as many as 10 Guests.

Fireworks Cruise
Wednesday Evenings – Starting February 19, 2014
$85 per person, plus tax

Thank you!

 

[luv2sleep]

From the website: Fireworks Cruise Savor a complimentary assortment of treats each Wednesday when you book a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Cruise. Before departing from Disney's Contemporary Resort, indulge your palate in lavish delicacies like champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Then, once you've embarked, bear witness to premium, unobstructed views of the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks, as seen from picturesque Seven Seas Lagoon. Two pontoon boats available for this experience—each one accommodating as many as 10 Guests. Fireworks Cruise Wednesday Evenings – Starting February 19, 2014 $85 per person, plus tax

So it's not a DVC member cruise?

 

[bobbiwoz]

So it's not a DVC member cruise?

If you book a "regular" firework cruise, the cost runs about $42 person if you have the full 10 people. I have been on a few of these, mostly with groups that have been formed on the Disboards. These include snacks, like chips, and drinks like bottled water and pop. If you want strawberries or more, you book what you want through catering.

The price DVC is asking is in line with a specialty cruise for NYE. Those with tip come to around $100 per person. The one I was on did have champagne and specialty desserts.

DVC seems to be selling the NYE experience for every Wednesday. Someone has to be a DVC member to book it, bit I think you could duplicate the experience yourself by booking the experience through normal channels. I suppose the fact that they will do it with fewer than 10 people is special.

 

[Kidanifan08]

This sounds like a very cool member experience. I just worry that if there is not enough participation early on, it will get cut. Hopefully it will be well-advertised, so they get at least 4-6 members/guests per boat every Wednesday to make it worth doing.

We have done the Pirates and Pals cruise about 3 times, and really enjoy watching Wishes from the middle of the Seven Seas Lagoon. I think it would be great to do that on a smaller boat with a smaller group of people.

As a father of a 7yo, I wish they had a reduced price for kids, although I am sure some members see this as more of an adult option. $85/person wouldn't be too bad for a special night as a couple, but I would be hesitant to drop $255 for my family of 3.

 

[SnowWhite2]

To make reservations, call Member Services. Payment is required at time of reservation. When I called, MS didn't know what I was talking about but she went to ask some questions and then was able to book it. Because it is new, there seems to be a learning curve. Had the same experience with the resort concierge when determining if it was going to be held and where to meet for the event.

DH actually said he would be willing to do this again. So would I.

The experience can only be booked by DVC members and each boat is limited to 10 people. I assume a DVC member can bring along non-members.

The best part was watching Wishes that evening under cover since it was raining. Actually it rained most every night. Sitting down under cover with a blanket made it the best experience seeing Wishes.

 

[luv2sleep]

To make reservations, call Member Services. Payment is required at time of reservation. When I called, MS didn't know what I was talking about but she went to ask some questions and then was able to book it. Because it is new, there seems to be a learning curve. Had the same experience with the resort concierge when determining if it was going to be held and where to meet for the event. DH actually said he would be willing to do this again. So would I. The experience can only be booked by DVC members and each boat is limited to 10 people. I assume a DVC member can bring along non-members. The best part was watching Wishes that evening under cover since it was raining. Actually it rained most every night. Sitting down under cover with a blanket made it the best experience seeing Wishes.

Thanks!!!!

 

[bigtony777]

Thanks for the information!

 

[SuperRob]

Sounds fun. Our anniversary happens to be on a Wednesday, so hopefully they're still doing this in September when we go!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

We have this reserved for our May trip. We've done cruises before where we've rented an entire boat for our group, so anxious to see how this works out. There really is no better way to view Wishes.

It's been a few weeks since I booked, but I seem to remember there was a new menu option on the phone system for the new Membership Magic offerings. They knew exactly what I was talking about.

 

[jmail048]

Thanks for the review it sounds like something nice to do when I have a little downtime

 

[Dtw002]

Has anyone done the DVC fireworks cruise recently? I already booked the regular cruise and then found this one. Family of 5, 10/8/6yr olds. Thinking this would be more expensive than the $315 for the standard cruise. Also sounds like you don’t have your own boat? Any comparisons/recommendations would be great. Thanks

 

[Anemily]

Has anyone done the DVC fireworks cruise recently? I already booked the regular cruise and then found this one. Family of 5, 10/8/6yr olds. Thinking this would be more expensive than the $315 for the standard cruise. Also sounds like you don’t have your own boat? Any comparisons/recommendations would be great. Thanks

Did you end up doing the DVC fireworks cruise with your family? Looking for recent reviews (esp w/kids).

 

[Dtw002]

Yes! We went in July and left from Wilderness Lodge. Did the pontoon boat one that we had by ourselves. It was one of the best things we’ve done at Disney World. Very personalized, awesome view of the water parade and fireworks, kids loved the snacks. Fireworks were amazing on the water. Brought on a bottle of wine. We will 100% do it again. It’s pricy but so worth it.

One tip, don’t book on your last night in case they have a storm. We were rained out 2 trips ago. They could have reschedule us for any day but it was our last night.

As far as tipping, you’ll want to give a good tip. At least our person was so fun and knowledgeable, we tipped her well.