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

[Crazy Hakim]

Isn't Breathless the one that people say since you sit so close to the water, you get all the smoke and you don't really get to see the fireworks??? Please help! Thanks.

There is no difference between being in the pontoon boat vs Breathless II regarding Smoke and Ash. There is always the possibility that the wind will be blowing towards the parked boats, just as it may be blowing towards you anywhere around World Showcase Lagoon, at a spot that you picked out hours before the performance.
So, Smoke and Ash are aways a possibility, but regarding the difference between a pontoon and Breathless II, no difference.
Would I ever NOT do an IllumiNations Cruise just because of this possibility? NO WAY. The benefits far out weight the slight possibility of the winds unpredictable direction.
If I had the opportunity to ride Breathless II, I would grab it.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Just FYI ... The Breathless II only runs Tuesday-Saturdays. I just tried to call and change our boat and the CM told me they didn't run on Sundays. Oh well.... we still have the pontoon and for that I am very thankful!!

FYI this is a temporary situation. When Bayside Marina replaced Breathless with Breathless II, manufactured by Hacker Craft, the boat went thru extensive testing and training. Only the full time driver (Aaron) was trained, so that if any major issues were discovered, he would be better suited to have them corrected before any of the other drivers were "behind the wheel."
It so happens that there were some steering issues that needed adjustment, and after this and a few other corrections were made, the boat was recently cleared for guests. Also, not that this has happened, additional drivers will be trained and as soon as their training is completed, Breathless II will be running 7 Days a week, although no timetable is currently available.

 

[dreamn_Disney]

Do to one family backing out I now have 3 openings on a Wishes cruise. The cruise is on Aug. 29th. If you are interested please pm me.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

Darn!! Missed out by 2 days!!! I am sure you will find someone! Have fun!

 

[STAYC18]

anyone with 3 adult spots open for Illuminations on 10/5. please pm me if you do.

 

[kmmccart75]

FYI this is a temporary situation. When Bayside Marina replaced Breathless with Breathless II, manufactured by Hacker Craft, the boat went thru extensive testing and training. Only the full time driver (Aaron) was trained, so that if any major issues were discovered, he would be better suited to have them corrected before any of the other drivers were "behind the wheel."
It so happens that there were some steering issues that needed adjustment, and after this and a few other corrections were made, the boat was recently cleared for guests. Also, not that this has happened, additional drivers will be trained and as soon as their training is completed, Breathless II will be running 7 Days a week, although no timetable is currently available.

Crazy Hakim - thanks so much for the information! I'm going to keep checking and hope to switch to the Breathless II on 10/28 (Sunday) - and if it happens, I will let everyone here know about the pontoon being available.

 

[odhrty]

How much was the pontoon vs the Breathless. How many does the Pontoon seat?

 

[kmmccart75]

How much was the pontoon vs the Breathless. How many does the Pontoon seat?

The pontoon was $255 and I believe it will seat 10-12.
I think the Breathless II is $275 and will seat 5-7.

 

[hinodis]

I think the Breathless looks awaesome. I would love to do a wishes cruise on it. Do they offer both Illuminations and wishes on it? DH likes the idea of the pontoon better. What makes the breathless so special?

 

[Mimi Q]

I think the Breathless looks awaesome. I would love to do a wishes cruise on it. Do they offer both Illuminations and wishes on it? DH likes the idea of the pontoon better. What makes the breathless so special?

No, you cannot book a Wishes Fireworks Cruise on the Breathless II. The Breathless is just a cool boat that goes really fast. There is only one of them.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

So much for the "rumor" they save boats for CL guests...I checked again and no openings for me.
So if anyone is looking for 2 1/2 guests for 9/1 or 9/2...lol....I feel like we should abbrev like in the personals....DW, DH and DD..we would gladly pay our portion!!!
There is always next trip.....whenever that is!

 

[Crazy Hakim]

So much for the "rumor" they save boats for CL guests.

CL guests?

 

[geomacey]

Thanks for the FYI also, Crazy Hakim .... I also will keep trying for my Sunday. ... IYHO, should I give them a month or so or should I keep trying sooner?

 

[Mimi Q]

CL guests?

Conceirge Level

 

[Crazy Hakim]

So much for the "rumor" they save boats for CL guests...I checked again and no openings for me.

Not a rumor, but don't expect WDW-PLAY to be able to book this boat since it's reserved by the Concierge. If you have a confirmed Concierge reservation, call your concierge desk and ask them if the boat was already reserved by somebody else. It's not a free boat, it's a courtesy extend to the Concierge desk. Just because it may already be reserved doesn't make it a rumor.

Lou Mongello's info is accurate.

 

[bonzarella]

I will be canceling a Illuminations cruise for 9/12/07 by 8/15/07. If interested let me know for coordination efforts.

 

[lainey]

FYI this is a temporary situation. When Bayside Marina replaced Breathless with Breathless II, manufactured by Hacker Craft, the boat went thru extensive testing and training. Only the full time driver (Aaron) was trained, so that if any major issues were discovered, he would be better suited to have them corrected before any of the other drivers were "behind the wheel."
It so happens that there were some steering issues that needed adjustment, and after this and a few other corrections were made, the boat was recently cleared for guests. Also, not that this has happened, additional drivers will be trained and as soon as their training is completed, Breathless II will be running 7 Days a week, although no timetable is currently available.

thank you so much for this info......hopefully we will be able to book for Mon 5th November.....its Bonfire Night in the UK and would love to celebrate whilst watching Illuminations at Epcot.

Elaine

 

[bgsnmky]

Crazy - it sounds like you have been on multiple cruises. I am trying to find out if 7 people would really fit comfortably on Breathless II.

It looks like if 7 fit - it would be 3 and 3 and 1 in the driver seat. But when I talked to the people on he phone...they said 4 poeople on one seat and 3 on another.

Do you think they can.

I can't remember who posted the GREAT pictures they just took, but would be interested in their thoughts also.

If it was 3 and 3 --- then couples would end up being broken up too.

Trying to decide if we should just go with 4 people and have the extra cost.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

A lot will depend on how big said people are. The rumble seat on Breathless II is definitely smaller than the original Breathless. I cannot see more than 2 adults back there.
Now, 4 adults in the middle, that is going to be tight. But, I bet most don't know that there is a middle seat for the front. The photos I took shows it not in place, and Aaron thinks it will be too cramped to have two guests sharing the front seat with him.
So, that all said, I would think that 6 adults will be very comfortable on the boat, and maybe 7 if at least two were children. But this is purely speculation, they have only just started manning the boat. But, if you do reserve it, you could always drop by during the day (after 1:30pm) and speak to Aaron about seating arrangements.

 

[caseyem67]

Thanks to this thread, I was able to book a Wishes cruise this morning for Nov 10 (exactly 90 days from today!). I followed the first post in this thread and it went very smoothly. The CM that helped me this morning was great--no small talk, right to the point and very quickly. I called at about 7:05 this morning. I requested a fireworks cruise and she responded with "for Nov 10?" Then SHE asked, "IllumiNations or Wishes?"

Now I would like to find people to share it with us!