Watching Illuminations from the water

[bettyann29]

I read in one of the WDW books I have that you can rent either a Pontoon that holds 10 people for around $120 and then it mentions you can rent a different boat for 7 people but the cost is around $190 for the hour... Which is better?? Are they both still available?

 

[DisneyObsessed]

I too would like to know. From what we've seen in past years, it looks like we have a better viewing from around the lagoon than they have from the water. The boats seem like they have to be further away than we do on land. But I am looking for extra special things to do on this trip as it is just DH and myself.

 

[travelin' tigger]

I read in one of the WDW books I have that you can rent either a Pontoon that holds 10 people for around $120 and then it mentions you can rent a different boat for 7 people but the cost is around $190 for the hour... Which is better?? Are they both still available?

Here's the info from the thread at the top of the page:

Illuminations cruises are a fun and special way to view the Illuminations fireworks at Epcot. These cruises are very popular and require some advance planning in order to get a reservation.

You will tour seven seas lagoon prior to the beginning of Illuminations and be entertained, by your boat's pilot, with Disney trivia and views of the Boardwalk and other resorts, then you anchor beneath a bridge for an unobstructed view of the fireworks. One of the things we enjoyed the most about our Illuminations cruise was being able to just get off the boat and go to our car without fighting the huge crowd that was leaving Epcot afterwards.

Illuminations cruises are technically called "Specialty Cruises". There are 3 levels and prices for these cruises and you can read about them HERE.

There are only 5 boats available for this activity and they depart either from Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach Club Marina:

Pontoon Boats: Only 4 pontoon boats are available for this cruise. The cost is $150 plus 6% tax for the boat (this includes the pilot). Each pontoon boat will accommodate up to 10 adults or 12 passengers if some of them are children. The cost is not determined by the number of passengers, so sharing a cruise is good idea if you want to reduce cost.

In addition to the basic cost of the cruise, you should allow a gratuity for the Captain. We had 4 passengers on our cruise and tipped our Captain $25. He did a great job and paid special attention to my 6 year old nephew, my dh says now, that he wishes he had tipped him more, because he just made the whole experience wonderful.

HTH!!!

 

[liamsaunt]

We did the illuminations cruise on our trip a few weeks ago and had a great time. More details are in my trip report on the trip report forum if you are interested. The view from the water is excellent. Note that the price has gone up significantly from the original post though--I think the cruise was $250, not including the gratuity for the captain. I can double check my receipts if you would like.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I just booked an Illuminations Cruise for our March trip and the cost was $234. I told her that I had seen the $150 quoted and she said that is incorrect.

I'm totally confused.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Don't be confused, the price went up on October 1st, 2005
Bottom line is $250.00 for the entire boat, not a per person charge.
There are NO smaller boats available for IllumiNations, all 5 pontoon boats are 25 footers, there are some small boats available for Wishes, but in order for pricing to remain consistent the price board at Bayside Marina lists the smaller boat (even tho it is not available).

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Don't be confused, the price went up on October 1st, 2005
Bottom line is $250.00 for the entire boat, not a per person charge.
There are NO smaller boats available for IllumiNations, all 5 pontoon boats are 25 footers, there are some small boats available for Wishes, but in order for pricing to remain consistent the price board at Bayside Marina lists the smaller boat (even tho it is not available).

That's quite the price increase!

Hopefully we can find another family to split it with us. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Vavasmon]

At least as of last year you could also reserve the Breathless for the Illuminations cruise. It is a smaller baot (5 - 7 people?) but cost more than the pontoons. We have a pontoon cruise, the Breathless, and stood by the lake and watched. The perspective from the water is different = both captains made the experience wonderful. Both time we left from the BEach Club/Yacht Club, went by MGM, and then parked at EPCOT for the show.

The one downside of the boat is the you don't really see all the countries relight their lighta. The upside is you have the most wonderful perspective of the world display ball moving and the fireworks.

The price is per boat not per person. You also tip the captain.

 

[cobbler]

Yes it definatly is $250. We had our cruise on Oct 2nd just after the price change. It does include pop and some light snacks like chips and pretzels.

However these boats are hard to get. They sell out within minutes of the phone lines opening.

ETA: The breathless is more than $250 but not sure how much more.

 

[bettyann29]

wow.. that is quite a bit more than I had expected... I'll recheck my budget and see if I can make it work.. This would be awesome.. There would only be 4 of us, so it sounds like if Im lucky enough to get one than I could look for others who might pitch in the cost.. I read the info at the top of the board regarding Illuminations Cruise and there are great tips on how to try to snag one, so Im hoping it works.. One question I have is do you pay when you make the ressie or when you get there?
TIA

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

A lot of we WDW brides do them.

The Grand I is available for Wishes. I am not sure of the associated costs. I would assume they're higher though. If you posted on the Wedding and Disneymooner's board, I am sure you could get an answer and even some of the price lists, options, etc... we seemed to have amassed a huge amount of information between us!

HTH!
xoxo

 

[liamsaunt]

wow.. that is quite a bit more than I had expected... I'll recheck my budget and see if I can make it work.. This would be awesome.. There would only be 4 of us, so it sounds like if Im lucky enough to get one than I could look for others who might pitch in the cost.. I read the info at the top of the board regarding Illuminations Cruise and there are great tips on how to try to snag one, so Im hoping it works.. One question I have is do you pay when you make the ressie or when you get there?
TIA

I paid for the cruise with a credit card when we arrived at the marina, then tipped the captain in cash at the end of the cruise.

 

[Goofy4]

I too would like to know. From what we've seen in past years, it looks like we have a better viewing from around the lagoon than they have from the water. The boats seem like they have to be further away than we do on land. But I am looking for extra special things to do on this trip as it is just DH and myself.

You will definitely have a wider "panoramic" view by land (around the lagoon). The catch is, you have to hold your spot and kids may have a difficult time seeing. For us at least (and I assume it would be consistent), the globe made its way to a position directly ahead of the cruise anchor location -- it was a wonderful view.

Many consider the International Gateway bridge a good spot to watch the show. The anchor location is underneath the bridge, so you are no farther away than the people above you.