Wishes Cruise

[wendiglo]

Has anyone ever done the Wishes speciality cruise? I just booked one this morning, for our trip in August, and was wondering what anyone that had done it thought about it.

87 days and counting down!!!!!

 

[newholidayx2]

when did you book it for? do you have room for 2 more? where are you going out of?
DS13 & I are looking for Aug 13-15

 

[dlkrn]

I am new to this WDW stuff and was wondering what the Wishes cruise is? We are going Aug 16 -23 and there are 5 of us.(me, DH, DD 12, DS6, And DD4) is this something fun for the kids. TIA

 

[wendiglo]

dlkrn>

It is a cruise that takes you out on the Lagoon to watch the "Wishes" fireworks at Magic Kingdom. You have to call and ask for a speciality fireworks cruise. They have one for Wishes and one for "Illuminations" at Epcot. In my case, the private boat will pick us up at Wilderness Lodge (since it is already on Bay Lake) and take us out. Should be fun.......

 

[The Warden]

We just went on a Wishes cruise in April. We were picked up at the Contemporary marina (you have a choice when booking). The electric water parade was coming so we just sat in front of the Contemporary and watched the show. Then our captain took us for a tour with all kinds of interesting information about the Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness and the Contemporary. Then we "parked" out in front of the docks at Magic Kingdom to watch the fireworks. WOW! What a show and what a view. There were several other boats floating around with us but it really felt like we had our own private show. We could also hear the music from a radio(?) or perhaps from MK speakers - not sure but it was fantastic. Then our captain took us the long way around to show us the wedding pavillion and tell us about the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian. We left the dock at 9:15 (Wishes was at 10 that night) and did not return until 11:00. The kids were extremely tired when we started and I did not think they would make it, but once we got on the boat time flew. They had a great time. Our captain was an intern and was wonderful with the kids - answering all their questions and telling stories. She really went above and beyond the call of duty. I had originally wanted to book an Illuminations cruise but was extremely happy that we did book the Wishes cruise. Have fun!

 

[wendiglo]

Warden: WOW! Thanks! I am so glad we did it now!

 

[wendiglo]

New Holiday:

I sent you a PM

 

[matt&jakesmom]

We have our cruise for June 25. We are meeting friends down there and it will be the daughter's 8th birthday so we are having the birthday package. They said the boat will be decorated and we will have a birthday cake. The girl nor my DS's know about this. I have really high expectations and think that this will be the highlight of our trip. I will let you all know how it went.

 

[dlkrn]

Can someone tell me how much the wishes cruise costs? When you book it you just tell them you want the wishes cruise and is it also 90 in advance for booking? Sorry about all the questions I am new to all this! Thank you

 

[lillygator]

do you pay up front? How many adults/children can the boat hold?

I am planning on booking one for DD's 3rd bday after dinner at 1900 Park Fare....picking us up at the GF....

 

[Luv2go2WDW]

Hey, I'll be going in 87 days also!

My DS (5) and I will be staying at WL Aug 12-20.

If you have any more spaces, maybe we can go with you.

 

[jb.brooks]

I would also like to know how much the cost is?

 

[NCombs]

Specialty Cruises

All Cruise reservations can be booked by calling 1-407-WDW-PLAY (except where otherwise noted)

Cruises are offered all day, from noon to 10pm at two-hour intervals. Specialty cruises during fireworks times book quickly so call right at 7am! Packages have a 4-person minimum, with a maximum party size of 10 adults, or 12 people if the party includes children. Package plans range from Basic Plan (boat only) to Birthday packages and other levels that can include snacks, desserts, wine and cheese, and decorations.

Cost for basic plan (boat only – Sun Tracker Pontoon Boat Fireworks Cruise): $120 total.
Cost for Birthday Package: $220 total, includes birthday cake, non-alcoholic beverages, and decorations.
Level 1 package: $200 for up to 4 people, $20 for each additional person. Price includes sandwiches, non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks.
Level 2 package: $275 for up to 4 people, $35 for each additional person. Price includes sandwiches, non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, desserts, fruits, and cheese.
Level 3 package: $350 for up to 4 people, $50 for each additional person. Price includes sandwiches, all beverages including alcohol (1 bottle of Champagne, wine or beer), snacks, desserts, fruits, cheese, & boat decoration theming.
Cruise lasts for 1 hour and a credit card is needed to book. A 24-hour notice of cancellation is required to avoid penalty. Boats depart from Disney’s Boardwalk Inn & Villas, Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. “Breathless” Cruise – a 1930 mahogany reproduction Chris Craft run-about boat. Seven guest maximum, available at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
Daily departures between 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 10-minute excursion is $23.58 (not including tax) and a 30-minute excursion is $80.18 (not including tax). This cruise can be booked during the fireworks for $179.24 + tax. VIP Cruise on Grand I Yacht – a 45-foot Sea Ray yacht staffed by a captain and deckhand, 12 guests maximum, available at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, $350 per hour. Must call (407)-824-2439 to book.

Specialty cruise can be booked up to 90 days in advance and there is a 24 hour cancellation policy. Call: (407)-WDW-PLAY

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Friends of ours did the wishes cruise and said it was fabulous!!

 

[DizMomofRJF]

Meand my 3 kids did the wishes cruise in Aug. for DS birthday.It was wonderful! We had the birthday package that included a big cake for the 4 of us.One word of advice...BUG SPRAY!! and lots of it! Put it on before you leave,so you wont be swating mosquitoes while eating cake and watching the fireworks!

 

[newholidayx2]

does anyone know if another person can apply their AP/DVC/DDE discount (are there any?) to a cruise someone else books?

 

[Lizzybee]

I was able to book a Wishes Cruise about 6 weeks before we left for Spring Break 2005, so our Easter night was spent in sheer delight. We took our cruise from WL and we toured around the waterways, including over a highway on a bridge with water, that was cool. We went to look at the Poly and GF from the water then caught the Water Pagent. Then our captain, a 19 yr old CM named Erin, very sweet, took us over to see the fireworks. We didn't have music directly on our boat but we could hear it at just the right level (especially for my son he's got very sensitive ears) coming from the boats around us. The experience was amazing, truly truly magical. The fireworks sparkled and reflected on the water. It was simply breathtaking. We paid $150 with tax and a tip was extra. There were 5 of us on the boat with room for 3 or 4 more. You pay the captain after the trip and I used a credit card. It was a bit cool the night we went so we had no problems with bugs at all. I called 4-5 times asking for an Illuminations Cruise before I got this Cruise, I'm not sure all CMs were checking for both though. There were also still boats sitting in the dock that night so I don't know if they were totally booked anyway. It was so worth it and I'm not a wealthy person at all (or I'd be at WDW more often ). I'm sure you'll LOVE it.

 

[MINIDOC]

has anybody brought their own food or drink on board,also does it look at the ewp also,we have one booked for ten of us in june,tried to get grand gathering but it was booked.i wonder which one would be better