Wishes Fireworks cruise

[MCO bound]

Could someone please help me out and tell me what I need to do to book a Wishes fireworks cruise. We will be going in August and will have eight people. Are these cruises hard to book? Who do I call? When is the earliest date I can book? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Robo]

There is a link at the very top of this board about IllumiNations Cruises.
Read the info there and apply what it says to a Wishes Cruise.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=560160

 

[MCO bound]

Thanks but I was hoping to avoid reading 52 pages of postings. If someone could be a bit more descriptive I would appreciate it.

 

[Robo]

READ the FIRST PAGE. It tells you everything you need to know.

 

[MCO bound]

Robo, have you done any of these cruises? What were your experiences?

 

[Sorcerer Figment]

Allow me to help...

Wishes Cruises can be booked up to 90 days out by calling (407) WDW-Play. They are not as heavily in demand as Illuminations Cruise (those are more 'intense' putting you right up close, while this is a more gentle long shot) but I would still book as soon as possible. You will need to know the date you are looking for, the number in your party (including the ages of any children), and what resort you would like to leave from (any Monorail resort or Wilderness Lodge.) You will need a credit card to book with, but it will not be charged unless you do not show up. (There is a 24 hour cancellation policy.) You may choose a different form of payment upon arrival at the dock. (In theory Disney could also cancel the cruise due to inclement weather, though I would imagine without charging you.)

You should arrive 45 minutes before the scheduled start time for Wishes, and will set sail by 30 minutes before Wishes. You should set sail around Bay Lake, home to Disney's Wilderness Lodge and the site of the former Discovery Island. If the timing is right (it usually is) you will get an up close view of the Electrical Water Pageant. Next up is the scenic Seven Seas Lagoon, the large lake in front of the MK, circled by the Monorail. Then your captain will settle the boat in the middle of the Lagoon with a view of the Train Station and Castle to watch Wishes. (ScoJo15 posted a video here that gives you a good idea of the view.)

There are two sizes of Pontoon, holding 8 or 10 passengers. However, only the larger size is guaranteed to have an audio feed. WDWInfo has a great page about pricing and cruise levels here .

I was blessed with the opportunity to take this cruise last month. However, it just so happened to be the one night that a thick fog decended and completely obscured the castle at some points. On a normal night, I think the view would be quite nice. What made this so memorable for me was the chance to share a boat with three other wonderful groups. It was truly a memorable experience for me. I would highly recommend it.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I hope this helps!

 

[MulanMom]

Could someone please help me out and tell me what I need to do to book a Wishes fireworks cruise. We will be going in August and will have eight people. Are these cruises hard to book? Who do I call? When is the earliest date I can book? Any advice would be appreciated.

Which cruise are you referring to? Are you looking to reserve your own pontoon boat for a party of 8 or are you looking for the Wishes Pirates Grand Gatherings cruise, which I believe you have to have a minimum of 8 (at least that's what it was 2 years ago)?

 

[Robo]

Robo, have you done any of these cruises? What were your experiences?

We did the IllumiNations Cruise.
IMHO it is the far better cruise because your boat actually sits INSIDE Epcot and you view IllumiNations up close... and hear the audio from the incredible Epcot sound system. You see, hear, and feel it ALL.

With a Wishes Cruise, you are outside the MK and AWAY from the show itself.
You don't see the castle (which is a nice part of the show) and you don't hear the "big sound" audio like you do in the MK. (You DO hear it, but it is from a different source.)

Most of the Fireworks at Wishes are HUGE and you can see them from a great distance away (Epcot area, in fact), and I have enjoyed them from the Poly (with sound) and from the porch at FtW (without sound).
BUT, I don't think I'd want to pay EXTRA for a "reduced show" like that, and that's what you get when you're outside the MK for Wishes, even on a boat.

I'm sure it IS GREAT FUN to do the Wishes Cruise... its just not as good a "total show experience" as you get with an IllumiNations Cruise.

 

[MulanMom]

That's why I asked which the OP is referring to. The Grand Gatherings Pirate Wishes Cruise is an entertainment event in and of itself, with seeing Wishes from the water *with* music as part of the overall experience. Seeing it from a pontoon boat as part of a private party without music is a much different experience.

For me, the first tiime I saw Wishes was from within the park near the castle but not the optimal view...music wasn't loud enough, either. From the Pirate Cruise boat, with my son sitting on my lap, watching Wishes in its entirety and hearing the music allowed me to appreciate Wishes. It was a very special experience that brought tears to my eyes.

OTOH, I have no desire to do an Illuminations cruise. The boat docks in a location that we viewed Illuminations from many years ago....before they blocked it off for private parties. Though nice, I remember many occasions being in the path of the smoke from the fireworks.

Just a different point of view! ;-)

 

[wilma-bride]

Which cruise are you referring to? Are you looking to reserve your own pontoon boat for a party of 8 or are you looking for the Wishes Pirates Grand Gatherings cruise, which I believe you have to have a minimum of 8 (at least that's what it was 2 years ago)?

I would be very interested in finding out about the Pirates Grand Gatherings Cruise. There are 13 of us and we can't get a Wishes or Illuminations cruise because of the number in our party. Where can I find out more about this please?

 

[Robo]

That's why I asked which the OP is referring to. The Grand Gatherings Pirate Wishes Cruise is an entertainment event in and of itself, with seeing Wishes from the water *with* music as part of the overall experience. Seeing it from a pontoon boat as part of a private party without music is a much different experience.

Any WDW "Wishes Cruise" with a boat captain, provides the music of Wishes.
But, since you are not IN the MK, the music is not heard from the same kind of sound system as in MK.

On an IllumiNations cruise you are IN Epcot and, natually, hear the "real" sound the way it was designed to be heard.

I mention this because "audio" is a major part of my profession and a major interest in my life.
Disney has been one place that, historically, has paid close attention to the way things SOUND as a major part of the presentation.

Its not ALWAYS perfect, but Disney makes the best EFFORT of any company I have seen over the years.

 

[MulanMom]

Any WDW "Wishes Cruise" with a boat captain, provides the music of Wishes.

That wasn't the case a few years ago when we were on a pontoon boat based from the Poly Marina. The show wasn't Wishes at that time.

And regarding the sound...I realize that the sound system in the MK isn't the same as on a boat! But when standing between the castle hub and Adventureland in MK, we couldn't hear the sound well at all. Perhaps a speaker or two were out at the time because the sound was fine when we watched from the bridge between the castle hub and Tomorrowland.

Given your profession, any inside pointers as to the best place to watch WISHES from within the MK with respect to both sound and visual show?

 

[MulanMom]

I would be very interested in finding out about the Pirates Grand Gatherings Cruise. There are 13 of us and we can't get a Wishes or Illuminations cruise because of the number in our party. Where can I find out more about this please?

Hi! I'm afraid I'm not the best person to ask this information from as we did this 2 years ago. If I recall correctly, there was a special phone number for a grand gatherings specialist to book it through.

There was a thread discussing this cruise that was active within the last few weeks, but I can't remember if it was this board or the resorts one. "Patches" is the name of one of the pirate captains aboard the cruise, so if you do a search on that name, perhaps it will pull up the thread.

Hopefully this helped!

 

[genetic jackhammer]

Good evening,

Our family did the Wishes cruise last year and my two DD's ages 9 and 8 at the time of the cruise still talk about what a magical evening it was. We are going to Disney again this year and the first question they asked is if we could do a fireworks cruise again.

Just like the above posters have said, you can call beginning 90 days from the night you want to do the cruise. Last year we had the pontoon boat to ourselves since we were a party of 4, and it was great having the boat to ourselves. Went down to the dock at Wilderness Lodge 30 minutes before the show started and our captain was waiting for us. Once we were settled, off we went for a nice leisurely tour, a viewing of the EWP and then a nice spot for Wishes. Our pontoon boat did not have any audio so our captain positioned us (and many others did to) besides a larger boat that had audio so we heard some of it, but it really didn't matter. It was a beautiful night and the fireworks were great. Then it was a leisurely ride back to the Wilderness Lodge. Also remember to leave a nice tip for the captain.

Basically the boat is yours for the whole time and we saw people with balloons, snacks, banners etc on their boats. I was under the wrong impression that the fireworks cruise was a larger boat shared with many other people. If I knew the boat was for just my family, we would have brought balloons, snacks, drinks etc..and had a little family party too.

Highly recommend that you do the cruise if its in your budget. If you have kids, its something they will remember forever. Definitely Disney Magic at its best.

 

[Robo]

the sound was fine when we watched from the bridge between the castle hub and Tomorrowland.

Given your profession, any inside pointers as to the best place to watch WISHES from within the MK with respect to both sound and visual show?

The first part of your quote is my answer.

That's where I stand if I'm in front of the Castle.

Mid-point on Main Street between Castle and Train station (sandwiched in with 10,000 of your closest friends) is good, too.

We're on a plane in 6 hours from NOW...
will be at WDW tomorrow before NOON!

 

[MulanMom]

The first part of your quote is my answer.

That's where I stand if I'm in front of the Castle.

Mid-point on Main Street between Castle and Train station (sandwiched in with 10,000 of your closest friends) is good, too.

We're on a plane in 6 hours from NOW...
will be at WDW tomorrow before NOON!

I'll have to try the Main Street location sometime, though I have to admit to liking a little elbow room!!!

Have a GREAT trip!