Pirate Cruise

[disneyterri]

I'm thinking of booking the Pirate Cruise for my DD and DS. I've been to a couple of websites and one of them says to call 120 out and the other 90 days out. Does anyone know which it is? If it's 120 days then I have to call on Sunday. I would also like to know how hard this reservation is to get. Do I need to call at 7:00am?

I would also appreciate any feedback from anyone who has sent their children on the cruise.

Thank you so much for any help and insight.

 

[twotoohappy]

It's 90 days and yup, it'll be an early call for you. It books almost as fast as Cindy's. I waited to call until 8:30 and it was totally booked. So the next available day I waited 15min until the Cindy people were done and then I got in. Another great one, but also hard to book is the Grand Adventures in Cooking!

 

[LoriZH]

I called sometime in August for an October booking for my twin boys and had no problem. I wasn't aware that it was a "cindy's" type call, otherwise I would have called at 7:00 AM 90 days out and it would have been booked solid! lol But just in case, I would definitely do the 90 day out thing.

 

[Janet2k]

If you'd care to see some photos of all three of the GF's wonderful children's activities, please click here for my on-line photo albums. My daughter (and niece & nephew) has done them many times. She'll be in them again very soon. It just wouldn't be a WDW vacation for her if she didn't have some fun over there at the Grand Floridian.

 

[GoofyDisney]

Thanks for sharing your AWESOME pictures!!

DD will be doing the Tea party Thanksgiving week. I can hardly wait. I will be suppling her with a camera. What a great idea!

Thanks again!

 

[sters]

I booked it for one of my kids under 60 days, but can't seem to get the second one in. I'll likely be cancelling it soon if I cant get them both together.

 

[disneyterri]

Janet2K thanks for the pictures. My son now definitely wants to go.

Thanks everyone for your quick replies, I really appreciate it. I'm marking my calendar for the 90 day mark and calling at 7:00am on the dot.

 

[nzdisneymom]

My boys did the Pirate Cruise in March 2003 - we booked about a month in advance and got the last two places for that particular day. FWIW, they were 5 1/2 and 6 3/4 at the time.

The children had a wonderful time on the pirate cruise. You have to pick a buddy, so that was nice that they already had a buddy for the cruise. They wear life jackets - the parents put them on the kids before they get on the boat. They get cute bandanas for their heads and name tags stuck on them so they are identified We happily waved goodbye to them, then took the launch over to the MK for the nearly 2 hours that we had.

The boys said they loved the cruise so much that they want to do it again. They had pb/j for lunch, but I did notice one child who had a bracelet indicating a peanut allergy. He got lunch except for the pb/j. They stopped several places in search of treasure. Their "loot" was put into paper bags and was mostly things like beads, rings, and stuff you'd think about from mardi gras.

My DH and I really enjoyed having a little "down" time while the boys were on the cruise. Just make sure you time your return to the G.F. so that you aren't late. We were 5 minutes late, but they had taken the boys to the Kids Club (I forget what it's called) at the Grand Floridian where they were happily playing video games. I was so embarrassed that we were late but the kids didn't care and the Cast Member wasn't grumpy about it - in fact, she says it happens all the time.

 

[SimbaNoodle]

My 90 days out falls on a Sunday. Do they still take ressies at 7 AM?

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

My 90 days out falls on a Sunday. Do they still take ressies at 7 AM?

Absolutely!

I am so excited as I booked this for my kids on our upcoming trip. They are going to be so surprised. I spoke with a CM before our 90 days out, and she said that it was hit or miss, somedays it books up as fast as Cindy's and others it isn't as busy. My thoughts were why risk it? I knew I wanted it and I was up early with 2 phones going.... crazy I know, but I really wanted this. Good luck!

 

[disneyterri]

I have one more question. My DD will be almost 4 when we go. Do you think she will enjoy it as much as my 7yo DS? I'd had to book and pay for her and then find out she's not interested.

 

[Artuero]

Very happy to hear that they have a system for handling kids with peanut allergies (my daughter is allergic to peanuts). Not surprised though, they usually have these things figured out.

 

[mlbretscher]

We will be going to WDW in Sept '04 for our very first trip. What is the age range for the pirate cruise? Our DS will be 9, and our DD's will be 6 and almost 4.

Also, TwoTooHappy what is the Grand Adventures in Cooking?

 

[disneyjunkie]

What's the age range for the PC?

 

[disneyterri]

According to the websites I checked out, the age range is 3-10 years, but they have to be potty trained. . .no pull-ups.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Disneyterri asked about booking ahead and finding out that her DD didn't want to do it. If I remember correctly, there is a 48-hour cancellation policy -- when you call to book it, be sure to ask what their cancellation policy is so you aren't stuck paying for a child who doesn't want to go.

When our boys went this spring, there were two children who decided at the dock that they didn't want to go. The parents were able to convince one to go but the other set of parents weren't successful. It was a little stressful to me watching it (and being thankful that for once it wasn't my child at the center of everyone's attention). The child was really young - about 3 1/2 or so, and didn't have a sibling to accompany them.

I think that if your two children like doing things together, then as long as the older one is excited about it, the younger one will most likely enjoy it. Again, just check the cancellation policy, and if it's not a *surprise* for your kids, if you're able to go by on one of the days that the cruise goes before the day you're scheduled, you can let your kids get a peek ahead.