If so, tell me all about it & photos too if you have them! Thanks
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If so, tell me all about it & photos too if you have them! Thanks
DH and I did a Wishes Cruise in Dec. It was sooo wonderful, and very romantic. If you do one, make sure to spend the little extra and get the cruise with sound. You'll get snacks and drinks or you can bring your own. Our pilot drove us around 7 Seas Lagoon for a bit before the fireworks, and gave us bits of trivia about different things we saw. The fireworks were really neat from the Lagoon. Afterwards, he drove us to the Grand Floridian to watch the electric water parade. (Don't remember what it's called). It was one of the favorite memories of our trip for me. We ate at OHana's beforehand then left from the Poly dock.
Oh yes, good point! I saw that audio is not included in all of them....however, I was happy to see that a driver was!! LOL!!
I'm trying to think of a very special way to celebrate our anniversary in September (our 9th on 09/09/09)!! We usually do Cali Grill for our anniversary, but was thinking of trying to do something we've never done before. I'm pretty sure that moring I'm going to schedule a safari through the club level services...if I thought DH could handle it...I'd even be up for a MK tour during the day...but I think that would be WAY too much! LOL!!
Was it just the two of you on the boat? I was surprised at how reasonable the prices were. My SIL & her family are going to be there when we are again, but I thought it would be really fun if it were just the two of too...don't know yet.
i did the wishes cruise also, back in april 07(?). i got the celebration/audio one. i think the total was $300 to $350. can't remember exactly now. but it would hold 8 people. our group was only 3. another family from the dis boards got intouch with me and we ended up sharing the cruise. i would have paid for the whole thing if something happened and they did not show. but it was a really nice evening.
we got picked up at contemporary. i had ordered a potc cake for my son's birthday, since this was a celebration cruise.
our trip was pretty much the same as the other poster. we were taken out and shown around 7 seas lagoon, given some trivia info. we saw the electric water parade first though, and then we raced in to get the perfect spot to view wishes. all in all it was fantastic. so relaxing. i would rate it a 10 out of 10 for the experience. however, i would probably not do it again. cost is a lot. well worth it for a one time deal.
There are several types of boats to choose from depending on how much you want to spend. We got the pontoon boat with sound and anniversary decorations which I think came up to $300. We split the boat with 2 other couples that I met on disboards that were celebrating anniversaries too. You could always rent the ChrisCraft which was much nicer but much more expensive, too, but that would certainly be very romantic. The anniversary package comes with balloons and an anniversary banner. You can also have a cake or other food delivered to the boat, and can bring some bubbly if you want.
We also did the Backstage Magic Tour that morning. It's 7 hours of lots of walking but fun and interesting. DH has back problems, though, and it was a bit too much for him.
I wouldn't do one in September, and here's why. DSIL had one all planned for our trip in August 08, mid-Fay. It was raining cats, dogs and waterfowl that night. Neither she, nor the concierge at the BC, could get a clear answer on if a)Wishes was going on, and b) if the cruise would go off. We had to haul butt to the CR, she and YoungestBrothers had to go in the rain to the marina, and THEN be told it was cancelled (as she would have been charged if we didn't show if they didn't cancel). For that reason, I wouldn't schedule it during hurricaine season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magical JenK
Well, unfortunately, I cannot control the weather (as much as I wish I can:rotfl:), but Disney makes ponchos for a reason! :p Plus, I love going for our anniversary....hurricane season & all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hedy
I've never done the Wishes cruise yet, but have done the IllumiNations cruises a few times before.....Before they went way up in price. Still nice if you're sharing with a group of 6 or 7. We did the pontoon boats, sitting under the bridge at the International gateway is an awesome way to see IllumiNations, and we've even done the Breathless boat they have for IllumiNation there once, now that was NICE. http://allears.net/btp/illum.htm
I'd really like to hear more about the Wishes cruise, as I'd like to do it someday.
Hey Jen...how about renting the GRAND1, GRAND2, OR GRAND3 at the GF Marina.....
http://allears.net/btp/grand3.jpg
Ah come on now...Price is about $375.58 per hour, with a one-hour minimum
http://allears.net/btp/spcruise.htm (Maybe you'll hit the lottery before September!) :rolleyes:
I've thought about it Deb, cuz honestly I thought it would be much, much more than than that (for the Grand 1, 2, etc). But I won't go that far this time...maybe for our 10 year anniversary!! Hahahahaha
Actually Jen, I wouldn't worry about that. Been here for 8 years and came here for 12 years before that. My timeshare is actually in October because the weather was the best then. Summertime it rains everyday in florida, so don't let anyone tell you that fall with the hurricanes is not good, because they are so far and few between, that you will probably never encounter one. March, April, Oct, Nov, the best time of the year in florida.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magical JenK
:clap:Quote:
Originally Posted by sunshinecindy
Awesome! Thanks Cindy! Yeah, we've gone the past few years in September & only once did the rain put a damper on our plans...I've never seen such rain!! (Sept 14th, 2007--first night of MNSSHP--I'll never forget!!) But even then, it poured for a few hours, but the fireworks did still go on. Yay Disney!! Makes for a very memorable night though!!
We were there for the hurricane at the end of last August - it may have dampened our clothes, but not our spirits :D We had a celebration cruise scheduled for my parents anniversary. It poured the whole day, but the marina told us to keep checking back to see if wishes would be on or not. About 2 hours before we were scheduled to head to the marina, we spoke with the captain, and he said if we wanted to do it, he would take us out. It was still raining when we got the marina, but we didn't want to miss our only opportunity, so we went ahead, and I'm soooo glad we did!! Sure, the seats were wet, and the decorations didn't stay put due to the rain, but the captian was WONDERFUL and kept us laughing the whole time!! I had ordered a cake as well, but we decided to just take it back to the room with us. Truly a wonderful experience, and one that none of us will ever forget!! :sunshine:
Go for it, Jen. You'll be so happy you did. Wonderful memory!!! I'm going the last week of Sept. and I'm not worried about the 'canes, I'm more worried about it being so darn hot that DH is miserable. He says this is his last trip to WDW so it's gotta be a good one. (That was my Valentine's Day present). Of course, he said that the last time we went, too.
Ok, a few more questions for you that have done the cruise (or looked into it)....It seems like I could rent an entire boat for me & DH (& family if I so choose)...so long as it's not over xx people...is that correct? We wouldn't be w/others unless we chose to right? I ask because on wdwinfo.com it says that the Magical Fireworks Voyage, which was once only for Grand Gatherings, will be changing for anyone come March 2009. I just want to make sure that if I book one of those for $200-$300 (or so) that it's just us....and we can get decorations & a cake &..... :0)
Also, can you request which hotel's marina you leave from? I'm just curious as to how that's figured out. If we were to eat at 'Ohana could we request leaving from the Poly?
Lastly, how long are the Wishes cruises....or said another way, how long before Wishes do you need to be at the marina?
Thanks!
PS-I'm pretty sure I'll be doing this & I'm sooooooooooooo excited!!
Yes, you can rent the whole boat just for the 2 of you. Don't know about the Magical Fireworks Voyage thingy. I know there's a pontoon boat, and the more expensive Chris Craft boats. But how many people you have is totally up to you. I think the pontoon boats hold up to 10 if you choose. And, yes, with the pontoon boat, you can have the audio and decorations for around $300, as I recall.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magical JenK
I think you can choose from 3 docks to leave from. We ate at Poly and left from there. I think you can also leave from GF or WL. I think you can even have food or a cake delivered if you want. They'll have drinks and snacks otherwise. When you make the ressie, they'll tell you when to be at the dock but if I remember correctly, Wishes started at 9, and we had to be at the dock at 8:15 to leave by 8:30. Can't remember if the cruise lasted 1-1/2 or 2 hours but I'm thinking 1-1/2. Don't know about Sept. but in Dec. it was a bit chilly on the water at night so you may want to bring a sweater. Our captain brought blankets for everyone but don't know if they all do that.
Sorry to hijack, Jen.... but Cindy, I am SO GLAD to hear March is one of the best times of year there!!! We've never been there in March before, but we will in 28 more days.............. :banana:Quote:
Originally Posted by sunshinecindy
Back on topic... I would love to do the Chris Craft... either way, DH would love a surprise like this. I can't wait to hear all about it, Jen!
as far as i know, you rent the boat. doesn't matter if its 1 person or the max or 8 or 10 (?) i think our boat was max of 8.
the contemporary is another dock to depart from. at least it was for us.
you can also have food platters delievered. not just cakes. the boat has snacks and drinks on board. and should also have blankets.
once you decide which resort you will use, you can call their private dinning and they will give you your options for what foods are available for the cruise.
since we ate at crystal palace almost right before the cruise, we only ordered the birthday cake. then we snacked on the wishes snacks and drinks. the snacks are individual bags of chips and prezels, that sort of thing.
we also had the audio piped in and the birthday celebration banner.
and i think technically the trip is about 1 1/2 hours, but i want to say around 2 hours, from the actual time you depart to the actual time of return.
it really is fun and it is one of the highlights of all my trips there.