Epcot illuminations cruise

[Vanessa2203]

Hi

Could anyone advise if if it's worth spending the additional money for the Epcot illuminations cruise.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We are taking our first Illuminations cruise for DD 16th birthday on Oct 5. I will let you know how it was.

It does seem like alot of money, but I think for something really special, it will be worth it. Illuminations if our favorite night time show.

 

[jcvalenti]

I guess that depends on your personal feelings towards Illuminations.

Personally, I love Epcot, love Illuminations, and I've taken the cruise a couple times and loved it both times. One time we were able to get right out past the bridge and had a crystal clear view of the show, and it was way more intense than when you just watch from the railing. I think it's a fabulous experience (especially if you get a nice bottle of wine or two, and a cheese tray or something to enjoy during the event).

Generally, the captain will drive your party on a bit of a pre and post cruise tour around the lake, all the way over to Hollywood Studios and then out to Epcot to view the show. I didn't clock the trip, but it was more than an hour last time we went, for sure.

Note: If you have an Annual Pass, you can get a pretty good discount off the cruise.

 

[V2000]

Wow I didn't know this was an option. Where can I find info and prices on this?

 

[CalvaryMike]

Here's info on the Speciality cruises. Just a fyi, the number of days to call to reserve one has changed from 90 days to 180 days.

Illuminations and Wishes Cruises - Find One To Share

 

[jcvalenti]

Wow I didn't know this was an option. Where can I find info and prices on this?

See here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/recreation/fireworks.htm

 

[DinahInWonderland]

My husband and I went on the cruise on our honeymoon; it was included in our Platinum Plan. It was a unique experience, lots of fun. The view is better than being crowded at the rails with everyone else and there were some snacks and water included. Our captain was full of trivia and had a great sense of humor; I think the whole thing took somewhere around an hour. That said, I don't know if I would have actually paid for it, the price is a bit high for what you are actually getting.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I am going to use one of Robo's map to help explain.

In my opinion, no, it is not worth it.

The boats park under the bridge (and tie up to each other) that connect France to UK. You can stand (for free) on the bridge right above where the boats tie up.

It isn't like you are anchored all by yourself...you still have boats tied up right next to you so yes, you do have more elbow room. If all you want is more room, this will certainly guarantee it (depending on how many people you put on your boat), but you can just as well get food, wine, champagne, etc. from wherever you want in the world showcase, get a spot on that bridge 30 minutes before the show and enjoy essentially the same exact view.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We are taking our first Illuminations cruise for DD 16th birthday on Oct 5. I will let you know how it was.

It does seem like alot of money, but I think for something really special, it will be worth it. Illuminations if our favorite night time show.

Just got back from our trip and our Illuminations cruise. It was awesome!!

Illuminations is our favorite night time show and saw it x3 during our trip. The first night was crazy busy due to F&W festival, getting to the monorail was super crowded.

Second time we watched was our cruise. It was fantastic view, no crowds and worth every penny to us. We made reservations at Cape May at 6:30 and were done at 7:45. Went over to the Boardwalk to hang out and get a caricature drawing done and a couple of drinks. We then met our captain at 9:00 for 10:00 Illuminations show. We had YC private dining send over some beer and Halloween cupcakes. They were amazing and huge. The boat was decorated with balloons and my DD turned 16 that day, so the pontoon had a Happy Birthday sign. We had lots of people say happy birthday to DD. We took a leisurely ride around the lake to DHS and then to EPCOT and parked under the bridge in between Canada and England. It was a perfect view and very comfy.

3rd time watching was still awesome, but our view was just not as good from the Germany dock and still crowded afterwards.

For us it was amazing and we will book another one for our next trip. I would not book it every night we want to watch the show, but for something special it was worth it.

 

[bluezy]

Our family (8 people -- 5 "adults", 2 teens, and an 8 yo) did an Illuminations Cruise this past June. We absolutely loved it. We met our Captain at a little before 8:00 and cruised the lake for 50 minutes before anchoring at the bridge for 9:00 Illuminations. We liked how relaxing it was and what a great view we had with no sweaty people standing in front of us, behind us, and next to us. We all had comfy seats on the boat. The kids loved the huge tray of snacks and there was plenty of soda and water for all of us. I think we probably each could have had 5 or 6 bags of snacks and at least 3 drinks each if we wanted to. And the Captain gave us all of the leftover snacks when the cruise was over.

While I doubt we'll book a fireworks cruise for every trip to Disney (this one was a Christmas gift for the family from my oldest son), we really enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to do another one. It was nice "alone" time for our family -- we weren't in a crowded park or restaurant -- and we really enjoyed it.

 

[USMelinUK]

I think it's a really fun time. But I do have to say not comparing the shows, just the cruises, I really prefer the Wishes cruise.

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

DS-then18 and I did the Illuminations cruise on his High School Graduation trip...
We "met" the other 2 groups on the blog on disboards. They were very nice people and I am still in touch with one of the couples...

The family in charge arranged for snacks, drinks and cakes to celebrate my Son's graduation and the other couple's anniversary.

The view was fabulous and the boat ride was very nice. I think this was the first time I realized how short Illuminations actually is ! I suppose when you have to camp out to view the show it makes it seem an hour long....

The down side was the wind blew fireworks debris on us....and while the view from the water was a nice touch... it wasn't the view I was used to... it was difficult to see the "movie" in the ball.....

I would do it again but just for a special occasion. It's probably something that should be experienced at least once.

Have a magical visit !

Mary

 

[houseofmouse5]

We loved it too! I would do it again in a heartbeat but we try to do something different/special each time we go. This time we will be going to MVMCP.

 

[Hollymom1229]

We are doing it on December 14th as part of our 10 year anniversary celebration. Illuminations is DH's favorite show at Disney and so we wanted to do this as part of our celebration. Also for the person that posted about the AP discount on the cruise thank you, we didn't know about that and will definitely take advantage.