Fireworks Cruise Should we

[Princesswoodymom]

Hello all I am starting to plan the days of our Jan trip and am thinking of booking a cruise of Bay Lake or a the Illumination Cruise for a first night. Can anyone who has done it before tell me if it is worth the money and which they would preffer...Thanks'

 

[DebIreland]

We did the Wishes cruise around Bay Lake last year and yes it was worth it. We had such a wonderful evening and our boat captain was so nice - he chatted to the kids all the time, let them take a turn steering the boat and gave us lots of little bits of info on WDW. He clearly loved his job and was very enthusiastic. Even though it's called a Wishes Cruise, it was so much more. We went all over Bay Lake, stopped at all the resorts, got the lowdown on all of them, saw the Electric Water Pageant and then cruised over nearer MK to see Wishes. Lovely!

 

[Jets fan]

Can I ask a question on this - On the Wishes Cruise - where does the boat stop to watch the fireworks and can you see the castle?

Thanks

 

[BWVNUT]

We did the Wishes cruise in July of this year, with music, and yes it was totally worth it. We had a great time.

And, yes, we were able to see the castle - the boats park out in the water in front of the train station.

 

[InstImpres]

While I have done both several times I prefer the Illuminations Cruise. The view (under the bridge just past the International Gateway is amazing. A view that you can't otherwise get. While I enjoyed WISHES (and not being elbow to elbow with others), I prefer watching it from in front of the castle. If you can only get WISHES, you won't regret it.

Enjoy
Sandy

 

[whogirl'smom]

Is the Wishes cruise very expensive (2 adults and 1 child)? It sounds wonderful not to be in a huge crowd

 

[The Sweetness]

If I am not mistaken, the cruise isn't per person. The boat acommodates (sp?) 10 or 12 ppl, and it is all yours. The cost is 1 or 2 hundred$, if I remember reading correctly. Someone who has recently had one will be glad to fill you in on those 2 exact details, I am sure

 

[InstImpres]

Is the Wishes cruise very expensive (2 adults and 1 child)? It sounds wonderful not to be in a huge crowd

it is $234.74 + tax, for a maximum of 12 people (10 adults).*Cost includes a driver, bagged snacks (pretzels, chips, popcorn), water and Coke products.

you pay for the whole boat but you can "sublet space" we have done it several times with other DISers to make it more affordable. We divided the total number of people by the cost and each paid our share.

 

[DznyFan]

We've done the Illuminations cruise twice, and have been very happy with it both times. The cost has doubled in the past 3 years, and whereas it was about $120 our first time back in '02, it is now around $250, I think. It was a great way to see the show, have a little tour of the lagoon in the Beach Club/Yacht Club/Boardwalk/MGM area, and learn a little Disney trivia in the process!

 

[WDW2000]

I have done both the "Wishes" cruise and "Illuminations" cruise. Both were great and definitely worth the money even though the price has more than doubled. I much prefer the Illuminations cruise, because the view is AMAZING and you feel like you are in the middle of the show! (well actually, you kinda are ) You are surrounded by the show and being on the boat makes you feel like it's a private performance just for you. THe Wishes show was very magical too, being parked on the lake in front of the castle. The only draw back for me on the Wishes cruise was that they didn't pipe the music in, so you really couldn't hear the show as well as if you were in the park.

 

[froggy33]

Hi! We took a WISHES cruise last December and it really was great. We got to go around the lake, which was nice and we saw the electric water parade (which I had never seen). We were able to see the castle, and we were lucky enough to have the sound piped in. The only bad things were that it was chilly (probably 40 degrees F and on a lake that is cold!) and it was really cloudy and foggy, so really we didn't get to see any of the fireworks, cause they would go off in the clouds. That did kind of ruin it, but luckily we had already seen the show earlier in the week.
Since you can't do anything about the weather, I would book it and bring warm clothes! (And maybe try and catch the show before that day if the weather looks bad) Good luck!
Jess