Illuminations Cruise - any recent reviews?

[paladin]

Anyone been recently? I read on the sticky that they now call them specialty cruises because they don't guarantee you will see Illuminations. It said that they cruise is 45 minutes and if Illuminations is delayed, they don't wait - once your 45 minutes are up, that's it. Has this happened to anyone? I would certainly hate to pay all that money and then not see it. Thanks for any feedback.

 

[WDWorBUST]

We did the Illuminations Cruise on Tuesday 9/27 (so not real recent). We enjoyed the cruise, however I would not do it again. Don't get me wrong - our captain was great - the fireworks were awesome - BUT.....for me a big part of Illuminations is seeing what is going on on the globe - well you can't really see that at all from the cruise. So we won't be doing it again - especially now that they have raised the prices.

 

[paladin]

Thanks for the feedback. That does get me to thinking. Anyone else?

 

[katallo]

We took the cruise in March. It was enjoyable but I agree about not seeing the globe. We would probably do it again however not at the current prices.

 

[paladin]

I never thought about not being able to see the globe - I really like that part. Darn! I appreciate the responses and would love any others.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We just went on 10/17. There were 8 of us total - me, DH, DS9, and 5 other DISers, all adults. We ate just before the cruise so nobody was really interested in the snacks - a few folks had sodas. Our captain, Chris, was really nice and we enjoyed the cruise around the property before the fireworks. We got all settled at the bridge and the fireworks were good EXCEPT we weren't prepared for debris to fall on us. I had read about smoke, but I don't remember anyone saying that ash etc. can fall on you or blow in your eyes. That was mildly unpleasant.

We enjoyed the cruise but I can't say for sure that we would do it again. We have never seen Illuminations from World Showcase so we can't really compare the views. We had a BLAST meeting the other people in our group but I just can't say for sure that the cruise was worth every penny. On our next trip we would be likely to try something else instead of doing the Illuminations cruise again.

 

[KristineN]

We did the Illuminations cruise the last week of Sept...can't remember the exact date. I shared the boat with some people from the Dis. I am very glad I did it...we had a good time...capt. was good..etc. But I am in total agreement with the above posts..I would not do it again...the view was somewhat lacking. I think beacuse this is so hard to get, expectations are very high. IMHO.

Kristine

 

[kpk89]

Wow -- is there anyone out there who has done it and felt that it was well worth the money and would do it again???? I booked one for January 16 and these reports make me think twice.

 

[paladin]

Great, thanks for all the quick responses. It is interesting to hear these, as someone said, I think because it is so hard to get (and so expensive) that expectations are VERY high. I am thinking maybe we might skip it, but I will discuss it with my husband and see. Do please keep those reviews coming, I love reading them all - good, bad or indifferent! Thanks!

 

[KristineN]

Wow -- is there anyone out there who has done it and felt that it was well worth the money and would do it again???? I booked one for January 16 and these reports make me think twice.

Kim,

Don't get me wrong...I am very glad I did it! I had a good time...just wouldn't do it again. However, I am going to do the wishes firework cruise next year. I like to try as many different things as possible...and at $200+ a pop I can't see a redo until I have done it all! haha

Go for it! You'll regret it if you cancel...

 

[DisOrBust]

We did it when we had an off day and didn't want to blow a day of our hopper pass. now with MYW tix or for us APs I don't know if we would do it or not. The price hike I feel is gouging and I won't pay it.

 

[paladin]

Let me ask in a slighty different way - forgetting the price for a minute - would you say the view was worth it; not compared to the price. I not quite sure what I am trying to ask - I know it is very expensive, but putting the price aside for a moment, how did you like it? Do you miss alot from that vantage (someone mentioned not seeing much of the globe)?

 

[DVCJEN]

I guess we are in the minority----we loved the Illuminations cruise! We did one in January and loved it so much that we did another one the first week of October. I have never had a better view of Illuminations! We showed up at the dock, took a very pleasant ride around the resort area and then settled in for a spectacular view of Illuminations. No waiting around for an hour for a spot, not backs of people's heads in the way. It is absolutely worth every penny to us.


oh and also-- we had no trouble seeing the globe.

 

[chi-mom]

DVCJEN-
How did you get a better view (the globe)? Did you just leave it up to the capt., or request ahead of time?

 

[KristineN]

DVCJEN-
How did you get a better view (the globe)? Did you just leave it up to the capt., or request ahead of time?

All the boats are in the same place...under the bridge. They tie all the boats together. Views are the same.

 

[DVCJEN]

We didn't have any problems seeing the globe. I was very surprised to read that others had difficulty.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

All the boats are in the same place...under the bridge. They tie all the boats together. Views are the same.

Well, this is not entirely true.
All boat can see the globe once it reaches the middle of the lagoon.
The three boats parked to the left can see the globe from when it first lights up (near the American Gardens Theater) and Breathless and the two remaining pontoons have to wait until it clears the "Private Function" area.
But, the only thing the globe does during this "trip" is turn from Red, to Blue, to Brown and finally Green. After-which, it should be fully visible to all once the earth has fully matured with water, land and vegetation. Everybody should be able to see the animals on the globe images.
Once the globe has reached the center, all boats have the same view, and that view is uncomparable to all others. Nowhere else in the park can you be at water level, unobstructed view of the globe AND comfortably sitting on a padded seat cushion!

 

[chi-mom]

Thanks so much for clarification-I was getting a little worried-we go on Oct. 30. I sure want to be able to see the whole experience!!

 

[erikthewise]

We were on an Illuminations Cruise last Dec. For the price at the time (since doubled) it was worthwhile. They took us all the way down to MGM where some private group was apparently having a big party (it wasn't scheduled to be open that late). And then back again, taking our time until pulling under the bridge about 15 minutes before Illuminations. Both our boys each got to drive the boat for a while since they were the only children out of the ten on our cruise. Our driver was lots of fun and kept us entertained.

You can certainly see the globe, though of course not as well as from Showcase Plaza. And as Crazy Hakim pointed out, you get padded seats which not many other guests get. At $60 for a family of four in a shared boat, it was entirely worthwhile. But for twice that much, you'll have to judge for yourself.

 

[dhiggs45]

I just wanted to add my vote to doing the Illuminations Cruise. I also think the view is incredible and have never had a problem seeing the globe. I don't think there is anywhere you can stand that you'll see the globe 100% of the time. I have done the cruise 4 times now, and even though I am not happy about the price hike, I wouldn't miss it. You do get a ride down to MGM and back with some interesting Disney Trivia, and sometimes after the fireworks the Captain will even drive into the middle of the Epcot lake. On our first ride, our captain took our group picture floating in the middle of the lake in front of the Epcot ball! it was awesome.

We weren't that hungry this last trip b/c we had been at the F&W festival all day, but our driver told us to pack up all the snacks & sodas when 'he wasn't looking' so we had snacks in our room for the next several days. Maybe bring a backpack on board to throw some snacks in.

Also I wanted to plug Captain Ron & Captain Scott as being my #1 and #2 choices! Both are very entertaining & full of disney info.

denise