Illuminations or Wishes Cruise info needed

[ceecee]

Has anyone done either of these cruises? Is the one that leaves the YC a different one? They said you can share a boat and could find info on the disboards??? Where? We are going in May/June is it even too late at this point to do it? Thought of doing Keys to the Kingdom tour but a cruise sounds much nicer, as we LOVE Illuminations!

 

[Lehuaann]

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[icc2515]

We did the wishes cruise in Oct 2013. It was the best experience we had at Disney World, and that is saying a lot because we always have a great time. We left from the Poly, but you can be picked up at any of the resorts with a dock. We were on time and so was the captain. I tipped the captain and we left immediately and were taken for a cruise around the lake then back to setup right in front of the Magic Kingdom. The music was piped in and we got to hear every single nuance of the dialog and music like we have never experienced them before in a park with tens of thousands of loud guests. The captains only job was to make sure that we had the best view possible and continued to jockey the pontoon boat so that we stayed in position. There was pop and chips provided and we took home what was left. When the fireworks were over we were promptly taken back to the dock at the Poly.

 

[momto2inKC]

We did the Illuminations cruise a few years ago. We shared the cruise with a couple from the Dis and a family we're friends with. I would not do it again but i'm glad I got to experience it. We had people yelling down at us nearly the whole time asking a bunch of questions (from the bridge above where the boat sits during the show). It was just distracting and took away from the experience. Of course that's not always going to happen but it was our experience.

 

[ceecee]

Where do you call about booking this? Any idea on the cost?

 

[Lehuaann]

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[Shelly F - Ohio]

Seems like an awful lot for a short cruise. Hope you are able to locate someone looking to share room on their cruise. And still at nearly $40 a person if you split if 10 ways is a lot for such a short cruise

 

[Anna114]

We did a Wishes cruise out of the WL Aug. of 2013. It was my husband and my two sons 23 & 17 at the time. That cruise was SO expensive and I wouldn't trade that experience ever! It was so great it was a memory of a lifetime. Will we do it again soon, yeah no. However, next time we are really celebrating (it was our 25th wedding anniversary) we won't hesitate to do it again. It was a great treat. By the way, we paid for the smaller cruise, the music was piped into the boat.

 

[ceecee]

I would love to split the cost with another family. My BIL and his wife and daughter are going but his DD doesn't like fireworks and she is 16! Where can I find info on sharing a cruise? I did read somewhere about that but haven't found any info.

 

[uromac]

FYI: Here's the thread for sharing specialty cruises on the disboards!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2069267&highlight=illuminations+share+cruise

Hope this helps someone!!

 

[Eastern]

We did the Illuminations cruise. We shared with a family that we met on Disboards and it worked out well. It was a nice experience, but I don't think I would do it again because of the cost.

 

[ceecee]

fyi: Here's the thread for sharing specialty cruises on the disboards!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2069267&highlight=illuminations+share+cruise

hope this helps someone!! Pirate:

thanks!

 

[schafenm]

Has anyone ever done the private dining? It's sounds so romantic . My fiancé and I are going to WDW for our honeymoon and this sounds like such a unique experience. Also, not sure what the rules are because I'm from New Orleans and we don't have a lot of rules but can you bring a drink on board the boat if you get it from one of the bars in the hotels?? It would nice to have a night cap while on the boat.

 

[AllMixedUp]

I just booked a Wishes cruise for June and have a couple of questions.

1. How much should we tip the captain?
2. I booked the bigger boat that states it can carry 10, but would we be able to take 12 if two of those were small children?

Thanks!

Pam

 

[mom2cinderella]

I just booked a Wishes cruise for June and have a couple of questions.

1. How much should we tip the captain?
2. I booked the bigger boat that states it can carry 10, but would we be able to take 12 if two of those were small children?

Thanks!

Pam

1. I'm planning on 20%
2. 10 is 10.

Has anyone ever done the private dining? It's sounds so romantic . My fiancé and I are going to WDW for our honeymoon and this sounds like such a unique experience. Also, not sure what the rules are because I'm from New Orleans and we don't have a lot of rules but can you bring a drink on board the boat if you get it from one of the bars in the hotels?? It would nice to have a night cap while on the boat.

You can call Private Dining and arrange to have champagne or food for the cruise - you cannot just bring stuff on board with you.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I just booked a Wishes cruise for June and have a couple of questions.

1. How much should we tip the captain?
2. I booked the bigger boat that states it can carry 10, but would we be able to take 12 if two of those were small children?

Thanks!

Pam

1. I believe we tipped around $35. 20% would have been closer to $60 something, which I felt was a bit much for a tip, personally. Our captain was very gracious about the tip and said it was generous, so I am not sure what people usually give?
2. Probably not. I believe it is a 10 max capacity for safety reasons.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Has anyone ever done the private dining? It's sounds so romantic . My fiancé and I are going to WDW for our honeymoon and this sounds like such a unique experience. Also, not sure what the rules are because I'm from New Orleans and we don't have a lot of rules but can you bring a drink on board the boat if you get it from one of the bars in the hotels?? It would nice to have a night cap while on the boat.

I do not think you can bring your own food, but you can order from the resorts. I believe champagne awas an option. Soda is provided free of charge. For my very belated honeymoon/2 year anniversary trip, we left from the Poly after the Spirit of Aloha show, and I ordered from the Grand Floridian Bakery. It was on the boat when it arrived to pick us up. We got a custom 2 tier mini cake and a Cinderella's glass slipper dessert (delish!). It was romantic.

 

[PrincessShanShan]

I've done both. We did the Wishes cruise for DH's birthday and Illuminations for my birthday (this past Sept.). We shared the Illuminations cruise with others from another disney group, but did Wishes just the two of us. We had a cake from Boardwalk Bakery for the Illuminations cruise along with the snacks/drinks provided. We just had the snacks for the Wishes cruise.

I would hands down choose the Illuminations Cruise over the Wishes Cruise. Don't get me wrong, Wishes was good, but Illuminations was great!! Could just be that I prefer Illuminations over Wishes anyway.