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On our next trip, I'm thinking of booking us on one of the Celebration cruises, but am not sure if its really worth it. I've heard that the one that takes you out to see Illuminations is too low and it gets very smoky, but haven't heard anything about the one that takes you out to see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. If anyone has been on either of these cruises could you please give me your recommendations; on which one to do and if it is actually worth the cost?
Thanks
Amanda
I'm planning on booking the Wishes cruise for my August trip. If you're not going until after then, be on the lookout for my trip report when I get back....
Let me know how it goes b/c I'm really looking at wanting to do the Wishes cruise now. I looked into the Illuminations one and alot of people have talked about all the smoke that they have encountered on that cruise. I really want this to be a memorable trip for my nieces since the younger one has never been. I had thought about making reservations for us at the California Grill so that they could watch them while we dined but this way I'll save a couple of of our table service meals on our dining plan.
I've done the Wishes fireworks cruise 3 times now.
Two of them were free! If a family cancels their cruise, the skippers patrol the grounds of the hotels and find a family to take out for free... So I've won two free ones, both at the Grand Floridian.
As for the one I paid for, it was great!
Anyway, the Wishes cruise is highly recommended over the Illuminations one. You get a MUCH better view from the Wishes one, and you can get the sound wired on for an extra fee!
They are totally worth the money. If you are booking for a specific date, you MUST call 90 days in advance, as they book up very quickly!
Any questions, feel free to ask me!
I have to say that the Wishes Cruise is one of the top-two experiences I've ever had at Walt Disney World (the other being the Keys to the Kingdom tour a couple years ago). It was absolutely phenomenal from start to finish.Quote:
Originally Posted by bcmom323
Our captain was named Mike. It was myself, my friend, and her 13 year old niece. Wishes was at 10pm, and we departed the Grand Floridian at about 8:50pm or so.
We spent the first 20-ish minutes driving through Bay Lake, with Mike giving us trivia and information about the resorts, the lakes, and other random information. We saw the old Discovery Island, as well as the remnants of the original Animal Kingdom and River Country. He showed us the outline of Humphry Bear on the side of one of the buildings, pointed out really bizarre white birds on one of the islands, and even let the 13 year old steer the boat for a while. We went over the water bridge (which in and of itself is pretty cool) and had front-row viewing for the Electrical Water Pagent.
Finally it was time for Wishes. We went back over to the front of the Magic Kingdom. We'd paid extra for the larger boat with the audio piped in. Some other boat captains without the audio kept trying to position themselves close to us to mooch off our audio. But they were rather loud and obnoxious (and likely a wee bit inebriated), so Mike made sure to keep his distance.
As Wishes began, Mike kept us front and center as much as possible, even with the winds trying to blow us around. And he turned the audio very high, to drown out the foghorn of the Ferry Boat. It was, beyond a doubt, the best viewing of Wishes I've ever had. We had a full on view of EVERY firework, and could still see the castle lights and even Tinkerbell's flight. Absolutely 100% amazing. Every subsequent viewing of Wishes is going to feel like a letdown from now on, I'm willing to bet.
When the show was over, we told Mike we were hoping to catch SpectroMagic at 11pm, since it was going down for refurb the next time we'd be in the MK. He assured us we'd get there for it. But first he took us back over to the Grand Floridian to take some pictures in front of the Wedding Pavilion. Then he motored us over (at the boat's top speed) to the Magic Kingdom, and docked the boat literally right up against the Magic Kingdom walkway. He said he's allowed to do that because he's a Lake Patrol CM, but most other boat captains wouldn't be able to. We got into the park, got our EMH bracelets, and grabbed a spot on Town Square for SpectroMagic.
Beyond a doubt the best night of our 10 day trip. I highly recommend it to everyone.
We booked the illuminations cruise last year after hearing about it on Lou's weekly podcast. It was FANTASTIC - we booked the Breathless - although it was a bit pricey it was worth it. A truly memorable event - would recommend it.
This sounds so fun! I am planing to book this for after dinner at ohana the day that ds turns 3 and then we can go out after, he LOVES fireworks and I really miss hearing the music from the poly beach. Did anyone see or do the decoration package? I am thinking about this but most say it is not worth it.