Speciality cruises

[mrsminniemouse]

It is my Dad's 60th birthday this month so I am trying to book him an Illuminations cruise for one night during our stay in May.

Today is the 90 day opening so I called at 6.55 and heard the closed message a few times then got through. The operator said I was her first call of the day and already they were all gone!!! Another operator must have beat her to it!

We will be in Orlando for 2 weeks so I guess I will be on the phone every day now trying to get a boat!!!

I am starting to wish I had never got involved in this. At least it is noon UK time when I have to call!!!

Mandy x

 

[01Sweetpea]

Keep trying. There are many people on these boards who didn't get the cruise on their first try. I was one of the lucky ones to get a cruise on my first try, here's what I did:
Started calling at 6:55 (now granted I'm not in the UK and the cost of long distance calls from NY to FL isn't that bad). I knew ahead of time what the different messages were, and when the message changed I knew which prompt to hit (it was #5, but I think it has changed). What caught me off guard was they started telephone prompting me all different questions. In the end, I got a cruise and was back in bed by 7:02.

Good luck, this is our first time with an IllumiNations cruise, and we can't wait!

 

[mrsminniemouse]

Thanks Sweetpea, I will definitely keep trying. I jotted down the numbers that respond to the automated questions and luckily I have 12 nights to choose from. Hopefully I will get lucky!!! Otherwise I will try for a cancellation nearer the time.

As for the cost the dollar is really cheap for us right now so everything is a bargain, we saved a lot on our recent DVC purchase. So we can afford to waste a few calls. I guess you pay for the calls that say the office is closed?

Regards
Mandy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[harperwi]

Though I've been bashed for suggesting this before on various boards, it definitely worked for me. Moderators can edit me if they want, but it is valid advice, and isn't technically against any written Disney rule:

On the morning you call to book, (or in your case afternoon), enlist others to call with you. Give them your credit card number in case they get through first, and then all of you start dialing a few minutes before (you know the rest of the drill).

I personally had three people calling, including myself. I was shut out, as was another friend, but the third got through first and booked it.

Also, if you really can't get through to book one of your own, there are definitely options to share a cruise with another family. I advertised here on DIS and found not one but two families who wanted to share my cruise. We all ended up paying one-third the price, and there was more than enough room for all eleven of us on the pontoon!

Very best of luck in booking your special event!

Jon

 

[01Sweetpea]

I'm sharing my cruise with two other DISer families. So not only do we get to experience IllumiNations, but we get to share the experience with others.

 

[msr709]

Hi, I'm planning on surprising our family of 8 going to WDW with a specialty cruise, how would the sharing work for us? There will be 6 adults and 2 little ones (4 & 6) and I'm paying for us all since its my surprise to them (its the first time for all of them), I've been to WDW numerous times but have never done the Specialty Cruise.

 

[msr709]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I'm wondering about the sharing because the days I have to call and the time is most unlikely for me because I am commuting to work at that time and usually we're just coming out of the mountain area in which cell signals are very poor so I don't have any hope of getting through that way.

 

[harperwi]

If you don't think you would be able to get your own cruise, I highly recommend looking for someone with enough space and a desire to share.

Like I said, we had 11 total on our pontoon (I think capacity is 12). Therefore, you may be able to find a family of 4 that's willing to share with you. I'd strongly recommend you offer to pay 2/3 of the cost, if you do end up sharing.

I sincerely wish I could remember where I posted that I had a cruise to share. I seem to remember there was a specific thread for it on one of the many message boards (I thought it was DIS). ???

If you want you can PM me with a way to contact you, and I will check with one of the families we shared with (we still email back and forth) and ask them again where it was we ran into each other.

Jon

 

[harperwi]

D'oh! Forget the PM - the place to go for sharing a cruise is right here on this very message board. It's currently the 2nd post under Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies.

I can't believe I didn't see it there when I looked this morning.

Good luck!

J.

 

[msr709]

THANK YOU!

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

Is this the best method for calling?:

1. Start dialing 1-407-WDW-PLAY at 6:55 AM
2. Hang up and redial whenever I get the "we're closed" message
3. Once I get the "open" message, press 4 for recreational activities, then 2 for boat reservation, etc. *
4. Once I get a CM on the line, immediately ask for an 8 PM EPCOT specialty cruise.

* Can I press all the numbers without waiting for the next message to start? That is, can I press 4,2,1,2 right away or once I press 4 do I have to wait for the next question, etc?