Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise?

[Babsy]

Has anyone done this cruise? Is it Ok for two seniors and granddaughters aged 5 and 2?

Any insight/advice would be much appreciated!


Thank you so much!

 

[jtwibih]

We have booked this for our trip in July and would like to know who has done this and if it's worth it.

 

[dprincessmom]

You and the kiddos will have a ball (regardless of the ages). We did this a couple of years ago and DD requested we do again this trip.

The evening started with all you care to eat cake, ice cream treats, snacks, cotton candy, chocolates and more. Then Hook and Smee arrived for meet and greets and pictures. Soon after you are broken into your boat groups and lead by your pirate host to the boats. The boat ride out is complete with trivia (our host made certain every child got a prize), sing alongs and more. Your captain will position the boat for a view of Wishes and the music will be piped in. You will also get to see the water parade. Afterward you head back to the CR and have one last meet and great.

Can't wait to do this again.

 

[Fabfive5]

We have done the cruise with our 5 kids, ages 8 to 6months. We all loved it! The captains aboard the boat are entertaining and everyone had a blast. You meet Captain Hook and Smee while you have snacks in the ballroom at the Contemporary. Then head downstairs for the boat. On board there is trivia, songs, stories. You get to see the water parade and then move into position to view fireworks. Once back ashore, you are "surprised" to meet Peter Pan. We thought the whole experience was well worth it!
Some things to consider....What time of year? Temps can really dip at night, and on the water (even in May) it was quite chilly.
You have to know the kids. Will they make it at 10:00pm? Will exhaustion lead to melt downs? Mine made it through because of all the distractions, but once back at the Contemporary you need to allow for travel back to your resort. Either a cab, or monorail to TTC and transfers.
And you will encounter some lines, waiting for Hook, waiting for Pan etc. Try to stay ahead of the crowd.

 

[kiltclan]

We actually did it recently for our anniversary, believe it or not, (see profile picture) and had a major blast! it's probably our new favorite way to watch the fireworks!
There are lots of snacks and make sure to channel your pirate, its a pirates cruise after all, and stash away as many cotton candys and gold coins as possible (they have plenty so dont feel bad, these will come in handy later which we were unaware of). Once on the boat, Patch will entertain you with pirate songs, trivia, and all around groaner jokes. You do get to see the water pageant and they pipe the music from the fireworks into the boat. I recommend bringing a blanket no matter when you go because sometimes just the wind can chill you, you can probably see ours around DH shoulders.
You should get in line to meet Hook and Smee first as they can get a much longer line later and there will be more than enough food for you when you finish. As for the line for Pan when you get off, if it's cold, he'll run inside the Contemporary, he did when he was with us, or he'll meet out at the docks.

 

[Babsy]

You and the kiddos will have a ball (regardless of the ages). We did this a couple of years ago and DD requested we do again this trip.

The evening started with all you care to eat cake, ice cream treats, snacks, cotton candy, chocolates and more. Then Hook and Smee arrived for meet and greets and pictures. Soon after you are broken into your boat groups and lead by your pirate host to the boats. The boat ride out is complete with trivia (our host made certain every child got a prize), sing alongs and more. Your captain will position the boat for a view of Wishes and the music will be piped in. You will also get to see the water parade. Afterward you head back to the CR and have one last meet and great.
Can't wait to do this again.

Sounds really awesome! Also, a bit sugary! LOL Thank you for the food details...we will be sure to curtail desserts after dinner to allow for some treats. I hope that our host ensures every child gets a prize as well.

We have done the cruise with our 5 kids, ages 8 to 6months. We all loved it! The captains aboard the boat are entertaining and everyone had a blast. You meet Captain Hook and Smee while you have snacks in the ballroom at the Contemporary. Then head downstairs for the boat. On board there is trivia, songs, stories. You get to see the water parade and then move into position to view fireworks. Once back ashore, you are "surprised" to meet Peter Pan. We thought the whole experience was well worth it!
Some things to consider....What time of year? Temps can really dip at night, and on the water (even in May) it was quite chilly.
You have to know the kids. Will they make it at 10:00pm? Will exhaustion lead to melt downs? Mine made it through because of all the distractions, but once back at the Contemporary you need to allow for travel back to your resort. Either a cab, or monorail to TTC and transfers.
And you will encounter some lines, waiting for Hook, waiting for Pan etc. Try to stay ahead of the crowd.

Wow! Five kids! You have your hands full! LOL
Sounds like an entertaining evening. It is late November that we are planning on doing this. Depending upon weather, it could be chilly. we are from Canada, though, so I expect that we will be fine as long as we dress appropriately. 10:00 pm is a bit late - they normally go to bed around 9:00 pm. We intended to stay awake for the fireworks either way, though, so it will only be the monorail back to the GF afterwards. Do you think that children wearing piratey looking PJ's on the boat would be acceptable? that way they could just go right to bed after a quick bathroom break when we arrive back at our room.
Good tip about trying to stay ahead. Thanks!

We actually did it recently for our anniversary, believe it or not, (see profile picture) and had a major blast! it's probably our new favorite way to watch the fireworks!
There are lots of snacks and make sure to channel your pirate, its a pirates cruise after all, and stash away as many cotton candys and gold coins as possible (they have plenty so dont feel bad, these will come in handy later which we were unaware of). Once on the boat, Patch will entertain you with pirate songs, trivia, and all around groaner jokes. You do get to see the water pageant and they pipe the music from the fireworks into the boat. I recommend bringing a blanket no matter when you go because sometimes just the wind can chill you, you can probably see ours around DH shoulders.
You should get in line to meet Hook and Smee first as they can get a much longer line later and there will be more than enough food for you when you finish. As for the line for Pan when you get off, if it's cold, he'll run inside the Contemporary, he did when he was with us, or he'll meet out at the docks.

Good tip on bringing a blanket! I wouldn't have thought of that, but it makes sense. Do you mind me asking how the candy stash comes in handy later?
And, yes, seeing Smee and Hook first also seems wise. Thanks for all the great tips!


I think that we will go for it! We are baby sitting overnight to give our kids a child free night in WDW, so its a sleepover for the kids in our room. We want the entire evening to be super special and this sounds like it will be perfect!

Thank you, again, everyone for your help!

 

[Ceryssa]

Great for all ages! We did it last year, my kids enjoyed the party and meeting the characters, we enjoyed the boat captain's humor and the boat ride. And of course it's a unique way to see Wishes. We went the first week in November and it was a little chilly, so they provided blankets.

 

[Fabfive5]

Wow! Five kids! You have your hands full! LOL
Do you think that children wearing piratey looking PJ's on the boat would be acceptable? that way they could just go right to bed after a quick bathroom break when we arrive back at our room.

Do you mind me asking how the candy stash comes in handy later?

Any sort of costume, even pirate pjs, would be awesome! And a monorail to the GF would be really convenient.

And don't forget to load up your bag with any of the packaged items, you can bring any snacks on the boat and taking goodies to go is encouraged!

 

[kiltclan]

Sounds really awesome! Also, a bit sugary! LOL Thank you for the food details...we will be sure to curtail desserts after dinner to allow for some treats. I hope that our host ensures every child gets a prize as well.
Wow! Five kids! You have your hands full! LOL
Sounds like an entertaining evening. It is late November that we are planning on doing this. Depending upon weather, it could be chilly. we are from Canada, though, so I expect that we will be fine as long as we dress appropriately. 10:00 pm is a bit late - they normally go to bed around 9:00 pm. We intended to stay awake for the fireworks either way, though, so it will only be the monorail back to the GF afterwards. Do you think that children wearing piratey looking PJ's on the boat would be acceptable? that way they could just go right to bed after a quick bathroom break when we arrive back at our room.
Good tip about trying to stay ahead. Thanks!
Good tip on bringing a blanket! I wouldn't have thought of that, but it makes sense. Do you mind me asking how the candy stash comes in handy later?
And, yes, seeing Smee and Hook first also seems wise. Thanks for all the great tips!


I think that we will go for it! We are baby sitting overnight to give our kids a child free night in WDW, so its a sleepover for the kids in our room. We want the entire evening to be super special and this sounds like it will be perfect!

Thank you, again, everyone for your help!

That sounds awesome and wonderful, depending on when you wanna free the parental units, you can get there early as they have a scavenger hunt in the contemp to help encourage the kids to stay awake! Definitely bring piratical pj's! It's a blast to dress up and it'll give something Hook, Smee, and Pan to play with! The host definitely makes sure all the kids get prizes, in fact, on our cruise, we were the most awake folks and at the end of the boat ride he asked if anyone who wanted something had gotten something. As for the blanket, I've a condition where the weather could drop a degree and "omg, its so cold" so it's standard issue for us to lug one along ontop of sweaters and jackets lol, not only that but we went in early Feb so as locals, it was freezing to us (me) to start. As far as where the candy coins and cotton come in. At one point in your cruise (generally on the way home) your captain Patch may offer a prize to the family with the most 'pirate instincts' and ask who took the most cotton candy and coins, you'll need to present them. Which reminds me, dont feel the need to gorge completely on the snacks or rush through eating because you are allowed to take as much food as you can carry onto the boats for the fireworks. Time to get creative. I ended up with chips and salsa in a cup and 4 cups of hot chocolate as well as 3 bags of pretzels and 2 pieces of cake.... I'm not ashamed lol.