Grand 1 Yacht Availability

[NeverlandClub23]

I was thinking about doing the Grand 1 Yacht to watch Wishes the night of our wedding (non-DFTW). However, it concerns me that you can't book it until 90 days out and if I have that planned (and on my invitation/newsletter material) and then I call the morning of 90 days out and it's not available, then I'm up a creek. It would be a non-peak, mid-week time, if that matters. Is it usually booked up every night? Anyone know?

 

[lt90]

I have the same problem!! I'm really concerned that we wont get it!
For some reason I thought it was 180days out?! Dont know where I got that from though!

 

[giffy231]

How many people can the Grand accomodate? How much is it? Anyone have personal experience with renting this?

 

[PinkSleepingBeauty]

How many people can the Grand accomodate? How much is it? Anyone have personal experience with renting this?

I believe it's 17 people max. We looked into it but there was 19 of us so it was a no go. We rented 3 pontoon boats instead and it was great! All the boats pulled up next to each other, our guests loved it!

 

[lurkyloo]

I was thinking about doing the Grand 1 Yacht to watch Wishes the night of our wedding (non-DFTW). However, it concerns me that you can't book it until 90 days out and if I have that planned (and on my invitation/newsletter material) and then I call the morning of 90 days out and it's not available, then I'm up a creek. It would be a non-peak, mid-week time, if that matters. Is it usually booked up every night? Anyone know?

The booking window is back up to 180 days—it just went down to 90 days back when they were switching to the new reservations system, but certain websites may not have updated the info.

If you are still planning a Disney's catered event that day, see if you can get your planner to book it for you. When we did our Tower of Terror dinner and IllumiNations cruise, our planner got us the cruise at something like 30 days out with no problem.

How many people can the Grand accommodate? How much is it? Anyone have personal experience with renting this?

They're now saying up to 18 guests at max capacity (i.e., some will have to stay outside). The cost is $553.80 per hour (includes tax). They've stopped requiring a 2-hour minimum on holidays, but the price may be higher on those days.

 

[wiserabbit]

Hubby and I did rent Grand-I at the 180-day mark - and I don't think the demand is such that you'll have a problem mid-week, non-peak.... (we scheduled ours for the day after the actual ceremony and it wound up being just the two of us on board)

Before the fireworks - the captains took us around by Contemporary/Fort Wilderness - let us get a good look at the old Discovery Island and even took us to the "back stage" area where the ferry boats and other water craft go for dry dock/repairs, etc......We enjoyed it very much -

For the fireworks itself - it was so romantic - with the music piped in - we brought our own champagne onto the boat and opened just before it started....

Other pontoon boats in the area that didn't have music all tried to stay as close as possible to the Grand-I so their guests could hear the it as well....

It was worth every $$$$!

SORRY ABOUT THE PIC SIZE -

Thanks Captains!!!!!

Great Memories!!!!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Thanks everyone! This helps ease my mind so much!

Carrie ~ Thank you! You're always such a wealth of knowledge (and I have a feeling that answer was in the Wedding and Honeymoons Passporter e-book... BUT in my defense it was at home and I was at work [and I'm impatient] ). 180 days is MUCH better than 90! And websites need to get their act together . Most of the ones that had any information about the Grand 1 were still listing the info for the old one.

I'm going back and forth between a DP at Epcot and the Grand 1. My guest count would be low enough for both and I don't plan on wearing my wedding dress either way. Hmmmmm...

wiserabbit ~ Thank you for the pictures and the review/advice/opinion! I think it would truly be a magical experience and one that my Disney loving family has never experienced.

I explained both to my fiance and he's all for the Grand 1, but I'm thinking it's just because it's a boat. It would be like asking him if he wanted to ride around in a firetruck with free access to the horn or sitting at a table with women chitchatting. Sooooooo, his opinion doesn't really count .

 

[giffy231]

Can someone please explain to me how to download the Passporter? I am not super tech friendly and my computer is a dinosaur, is this going to be a problem? Heeellllpp!

 

[disprincessatheart]

We did the Grand 1 after our escape wedding almost 4 years ago now! Everyone loved it! The part that made it more fun that an illuminations dessert party, which we also considered, was the VIP feel of boarding a yacht and then the very cool tour of 7 seas and bay lake before the show. You can easily watch illuminations from any of the DP locations another night (we've seen it from all of them at one time or another) but I have no idea how else you'd see Wishes from the water without a wishes cruise My family also enjoyed boarding the yacht while other groups boarded the pontoons (silly I know but they felt like we spent a fortune, and when you consider the two options, it was actually much cheaper!) I say pick the show you'd prefer and make it happen!

Oh, and we booked at 90 days... Just call first thing in the morning the day you can book and you're fine.

 

[MrsDrewsky]

If you're an escape bride, and book the yacht with food added, does this trigger the $7500 minimum?

 

[lurkyloo]

No, because food on board the various watercraft at WDW is provided by Private Dining at the resorts where they dock, not by Disney's Catered Events/DFTW.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

disprincessatheart ~ Thank you so much for the review!! I think we're leaning more towards the Grand 1!

We'll have close to the 18 allowed on board (probably 16). I was thinking of having our "wedding cake" then, but I don't want us to be crammed in trying to eat cake. I mean, I know it's a 50+ ft. yacht, but I've been on a yacht that big before with just a handful of people and it felt cramped inside because of the layout of the yacht. Is there room inside to walk around (or at least stand up straight? )?