ILLUMINATIONS CRUISES-What they are--How to book--FIND ONE TO SHARE

[funshipm174]

Talk about popular, I had the reservation agent on the phone at 7 a.m. and the boats were gone! She said there are only three boats. I thought there were five boats. Well, I'll try again tomorrow!

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Talk about popular, I had the reservation agent on the phone at 7 a.m. and the boats were gone! She said there are only three boats. I thought there were five boats. Well, I'll try again tomorrow!

Reservation Agents don't know everything.
Maybe it's that "New Math"
There are 6 boats, 5 pontoons and Breathless.
One pontoon is set aside for guests on the Platinum Plan.
::counting on fingers......::

 

[cobbler]

Reservation Agents don't know everything.
Maybe it's that "New Math"
There are 6 boats, 5 pontoons and Breathless.
One pontoon is set aside for guests on the Platinum Plan.
::counting on fingers......::

No its true. Starting October 1st there are only 3 boats. 2 Pontoon and the Breathless. The cost went up too. The basic package has snacks and is the cheapest you can get now and it runs 234 and some change. Making them much harder to get now.

 

[shawndang]

I have a wishes cruise booked for the 13th of august. There will be four of us. My wife and I and our two kids 5 and 3. The cruise departs from the Polynesian at 8:30pm with arrival time of 8:15pm. We have room for about 6-8 people.

 

[Mom21]

I see in the original post that the Illuminations cruise will accomodate 10 adults or 12 people if there are children. We have 9 adults, an 8yo, 2yo, and a 1yo, for a total of 12. I was told by reservations I couldn't book as 10 is the maximum. Has anyone been able to book with 12 people? We really wanted to do this.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Just book with 10, then call Bayside Marina a few days before and tell them it will be 12. CRO has strict guidelines that they cannot deviate from. The pontoon boats definitely can fit 12 ppl as long as some are children.
The two front seating areas seat three adults each comfortably, the remaining will sit in the back near the driver. e-mail me your e-mail address if you would like to see detailed photos of the pontoon bats.

 

[funshipm174]

Reservation Agents don't know everything.
Maybe it's that "New Math"
There are 6 boats, 5 pontoons and Breathless.
One pontoon is set aside for guests on the Platinum Plan.
::counting on fingers......::

I just hit the lottery!! (almost!) I got the last Illusions cruise for November 10th, and it's from the Y/C! From what I have read, they are down to 3 boats for this after october, why I do not understand. Anyway, I am going to play the lottery today!



ARRRGGGHHH!!!

 

[BrendaE]

I just hit the lottery!! (almost!) I got the last Illusions cruise for November 10th, and it's from the Y/C! From what I have read, they are down to 3 boats for this after october, why I do not understand. Anyway, I am going to play the lottery today!



ARRRGGGHHH!!!

Congrats on getting an Illuminations Cruise . I only wish that I could be competing for these on the phone lines in the morning. I work midnight shift and have been working a few days overtime to put some spending money away for our 10th anniversary vacation this November. I get out at 7:30 and my husband has to be in work at 7am most days, so there is no way I can book one this year. If you are looking for someone to share the boat, let me know. We are a 30ish couple with no kids yet who like to have fun. We will be at WDW November 2-17. Enjoy your cruise.
Brenda

 

[Mom21]

Just book with 10, then call Bayside Marina a few days before and tell them it will be 12. CRO has strict guidelines that they cannot deviate from. The pontoon boats definitely can fit 12 ppl as long as some are children.
The two front seating areas seat three adults each comfortably, the remaining will sit in the back near the driver. e-mail me your e-mail address if you would like to see detailed photos of the pontoon bats.

CRO actually gave me the marina number. I called them directly to ask and the lady there said absolutely not. 10 only. I am afraid if I book for 10 and then show up with the two babies they won't let some of us on.

 

[daisy_77]

Hi, everyone! This may seem like a silly question but, is there a minimum passenger requirement on the Illuminations Cruise on the pontoon boat? I want to do the Illumination Cruise as a surprise for my husband, but want to make sure that I can book it with just the two of us. TIA!!

 

[eeyoresmountainpals]

Mom21 ~ It's not just the number that can "fit" on the boat but also how the boat is equipped as far as life vests, etc. I think you are right to assume that if you show up with two babies they will not let all of you board.

Have you thought of trying to get two boats. Yes, more expensive, yes, much harder to book two. But it would give you more room. And if you let them know you're all together they can tie up together for Illuminations and you'll still all be "together!"

Good luck. Hope it all works out for you!

~~~~AND~~~~~

dAISY77 ~ I don't think there is any minimum as long as you're willing to pay the boat cost. It's a flat fee, whether there is one person or ten. How romantic!!!

 

[daisy_77]

dAISY77 ~ I don't think there is any minimum as long as you're willing to pay the boat cost. It's a flat fee, whether there is one person or ten. How romantic!!!

Thank you for answering so fast! I want to do something special for his birthday that we both will enjoy and the Illuminations cruise seems perfect!

 

[WDWorBUST]

I have an Illuminations cruise booked for 10 adults and 2 - 2 year olds and it wasn't a problem. They knew it when I booked and said that the boat did fit up to 12 with a maximum of 10 of them being adults....for what that's worth.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Mom21 ~ It's not just the number that can "fit" on the boat but also how the boat is equipped as far as life vests, etc.

As a matter of fact, each boat has 13 life Jackets on the boat at all times, they are stored under the seats. For infants and children under 12 thay have additional life jackets at Bayside Marina.

 

[Mom21]

I have an Illuminations cruise booked for 10 adults and 2 - 2 year olds and it wasn't a problem. They knew it when I booked and said that the boat did fit up to 12 with a maximum of 10 of them being adults....for what that's worth.

Ok I think I will call again tomorrow. I have called CRO twice and got the answer of 10 max including children, and called the marina directly with the same answer. I'll try again. My 90 days is coming up soon.

 

[jbhaupt]

So excited got our cruise for Nov 13th this am. I was surprised there were only 3 boats that go out now too. I asked for the no frills package and she said not anymore. The cost is 234.74 + tax and of course we tip also, this includes soft drinks and snacks now on all boats.
I was also told the max was 10 people which was what I had. 5 adults and 5 children under 8.
I wonder why they cut back??? They should be adding more with the number of people that enjoy these cruises?? Is it seasonal related??

Bonnie

 

[WDWorBUST]

Ok I think I will call again tomorrow. I have called CRO twice and got the answer of 10 max including children, and called the marina directly with the same answer. I'll try again. My 90 days is coming up soon.

Well I guess I better call and doublecheck on mine then. Hopefully if it has changed then it's a change they made effective with the 10/1 increase and I don't have to worry about it with my cruise on 9/27. But for your sake I hope you just got two people with wrong information and it hasn't changed at all.

 

[funshipm174]

So excited got our cruise for Nov 13th this am. I was surprised there were only 3 boats that go out now too. I asked for the no frills package and she said not anymore. The cost is 234.74 + tax and of course we tip also, this includes soft drinks and snacks now on all boats.
I was also told the max was 10 people which was what I had. 5 adults and 5 children under 8.
I wonder why they cut back??? They should be adding more with the number of people that enjoy these cruises?? Is it seasonal related??

Bonnie

Congrats! I also asked why they cut back and was told the customer agents were not "privy" to those things!

 

[noopy]

Looking to do a WISHES cruise between Oct. 23 and Oct. 27 (can't do the 25th due to MNSSHP). We have 6 adults, 1 child. I really, really want to do this for my Dad! This is his 1st trip to WDW - he just turned 70! Thank you!
__________________

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Congrats! I also asked why they cut back and was told the customer agents were not "privy" to those things!

OK here is the way it works......

Currently, they only show 3 boats in the system as well so there is no change after October 1. Here is the breakdown and I hope this clarifies everything:

There are 3 pontoon boats available in the system everyday for regular guest viewing of Illuminations.

There is 1 pontoon boat available in the system for concierge to book guest viewing of Illuminations. They did this over a year ago to satisfy a huge guest need at the concierge level. If the boat is not booked 7 days out, the reservation drops in to general inventory and can be sold to any guest who calls DRS.

There is 1 pontoon boat available in the system everyday for the Platinum Plan viewing of Illuminations. Effective October 1, if this boat is not booked 3 days out, they can sell it locally (at Bayside Marina). Unfortunately, we can not make the availability drop in to the DRS system so it will be sold through Concierge and the marina or used for service recovery.

This leaves a total of 5 cruise boats for Illuminations (not including Breathless).

Some of the inventory is set aside for guests to book in advance and some is set aside for close in bookings, similar to how Disney books restaurants.
The information in the system is correct and there is nothing we can do to change it, it is just how the system is set up. The challenge we have is that unlike a restaurant, the guest knows there are only 5 boats so they are wondering where the other two boats are vs. a restaurant where the guest has no idea how they manage the system.

In summary, there are still 5 pontoon boats available, but due to inventory management, there are only 3 showing in the system 90 days out, with a 4th becoming available 7 days out (if not booked by concierge) and a 5th becoming available 3 days out (if not booked by the platinum plan).

I hope this helps everybody understand why it "appears" that only 3 boats are available.