Extra-special magic?

We booked today for our family trip next Aug. (I know it's super early, but I just couldn't wait any longer :p ). My parents will be celebrating their anniversary while we are there, and I'd like to do something extra-special that night. They would prefer to do something with the whole group (6 adults, 3 kids) than by themselves. I was thinking about a grand gathering of some sort - has anyone done any of these? Or renting a pontoon boat for illuminations. Anyone have any suggestions or experiences to share? Thanks! :)

Congrats! I have no ideas but thought I'd bump ya! Good luck

I also am no help. Just wanted to say congratulations on booking your trip! It is so fun to actually book and know that your trip is beginning to become reality!

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Originally Posted by linanglab

I also am no help. Just wanted to say congratulations on booking your trip! It is so fun to actually book and know that your trip is beginning to become reality!

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Thanks so much :sunshine: My parents haven't been to WDW since they took all of us kids when I was in high school (so a LOOOONG time ago :p ), and now they get to come with the Grandkids! We're really looking forward to it! And I want to surprise them with a special experience. Saw something about renting a pontoon for illuminations. Or else I may look into the grand gatherings some more.....at least I have lots of time to figure it out!! :)

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Originally Posted by zoodoyle

Thanks so much :sunshine: My parents haven't been to WDW since they took all of us kids when I was in high school (so a LOOOONG time ago :p ), and now they get to come with the Grandkids! We're really looking forward to it! And I want to surprise them with a special experience. Saw something about renting a pontoon for illuminations. Or else I may look into the grand gatherings some more.....at least I have lots of time to figure it out!! :)

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That is us! We are taking my husbands parents in Jan 2009. They have never been so I want everything to be perfect. I have thought of a cruise. But I have lots of time to plan. Good luck with the ideas

How about a vow renewal at the Poly on the beach and then dinner at O'hana?? The Illuminations cruise would be so much fun, you can even book those with food and drinks too! If you were going to do the cruise, you could also have dinner at the Coral Reef with special menus made for them and a diver with a anniversary sign.(we did the menus and diver for my son when we were there in May, it is free, and I know Abby here on the boards, her and her dad also did it for her mother for their Anniversary.) I have all the contact info if you choose to go that way! You can also contact the bakery and have a special cake made for them and I believe they will deliver it to your resteraunt or have their for your cruise. There is a thread on the cakes on the disboards!!!
Congratulations on booking your trip and how wonderful to take your parents too!!!

We rented a boat for Wishes and it was amazing! We had a plate of sandwiches along with chips and pop from the GF catering and my dad ordered an anniversary cake (delicious and gorgeous!) GF catering can do basically any type of food service you want - the group that went out on the Grand 1 that night had a full plated dinner - so there's an option for any taste (and any budget!:rotfl: )

We caught the electrical water pageant before Wishes and then watched the fireworks - it was such a perfect evening and very neat to have a different perspective on the fireworks. We had one of the boats that has the music piped in (not all of them have that feature) and it was a fantastic experience.

If you're on the DIS, there is a entire thread for the fireworks cruises - and various tips for getting your reservation in since they book up fast. It may be easier to aim for a Wishes cruise instead of Illuminations - there are only 5 boats available for Illuminations as opposed to a dozen or so for Wishes.

As Lydia mentioned, my dad also did the special menus and diver sign at the Coral Reef - both of which were free for the asking, he just had to call ahead of time. If you want to do that, keep in mind that while the diver signs are free, there are only a limited number of spots each day, so get your request in early. If you want the lady to contact, I can get the information from my dad. I've started a TR here and there are pictures of the experience at Coral Reef - the parents also received complimentary champagne, which was a very sweet touch.

My parents wore their anniversary pins throughout the entire trip and were showered with well-wishes and congrats from CMs and guests alike, which made it very special. They also received a few of the Magical Moments certificates on various days, which are cute and a great keepsake.

When we did Breakfast at CRT, they also received complimentary champagne glasses - so make sure that the anniversary is noted on any of the ADRs you make. At other restaurants we went to - the table was usually decorated with a little confetti, which again, made it just that little bit extra special (and yes, I scraped it off the table to take home for the scrapbook!) Disney does a lot of those little things when a special occasion is noted - so just mention it when you make the ADRs and wear the pins :)

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Originally Posted by wdwabby

We rented a boat for Wishes and it was amazing! We had a plate of sandwiches along with chips and pop from the GF catering and my dad ordered an anniversary cake (delicious and gorgeous!) GF catering can do basically any type of food service you want - the group that went out on the Grand 1 that night had a full plated dinner - so there's an option for any taste (and any budget!:rotfl: )

We caught the electrical water pageant before Wishes and then watched the fireworks - it was such a perfect evening and very neat to have a different perspective on the fireworks. We had one of the boats that has the music piped in (not all of them have that feature) and it was a fantastic experience.

If you're on the DIS, there is a entire thread for the fireworks cruises - and various tips for getting your reservation in since they book up fast. It may be easier to aim for a Wishes cruise instead of Illuminations - there are only 5 boats available for Illuminations as opposed to a dozen or so for Wishes.

As Lydia mentioned, my dad also did the special menus and diver sign at the Coral Reef - both of which were free for the asking, he just had to call ahead of time. If you want to do that, keep in mind that while the diver signs are free, there are only a limited number of spots each day, so get your request in early. If you want the lady to contact, I can get the information from my dad. I've started a TR here and there are pictures of the experience at Coral Reef - the parents also received complimentary champagne, which was a very sweet touch.

My parents wore their anniversary pins throughout the entire trip and were showered with well-wishes and congrats from CMs and guests alike, which made it very special. They also received a few of the Magical Moments certificates on various days, which are cute and a great keepsake.

When we did Breakfast at CRT, they also received complimentary champagne glasses - so make sure that the anniversary is noted on any of the ADRs you make. At other restaurants we went to - the table was usually decorated with a little confetti, which again, made it just that little bit extra special (and yes, I scraped it off the table to take home for the scrapbook!) Disney does a lot of those little things when a special occasion is noted - so just mention it when you make the ADRs and wear the pins :)

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WOW!! Thank you so much for all the suggestions!!! Guess I'll have to go find that thread about the cruises!! I'll have to think a bit more about my budget too :p I've been waiting for the next quarter to start doing offers, but when Oct. hits, I gotta' start making more moolah!!! :sunshine2:

On our 10th anniversary the whole family went to the Hoop-DE-Doo. We all had a blast. Just make sure you tell them there is an Anniversary in your group

i second the wishes cruise.

we did it this past april. this was my hubby's first visit to disney and just could not figure out why i love going there. so i had to show him that it was not just a thrill rides park. (i don't do thrill rides).
..so i reserved a wishes cruise. wow, really one of the most memorable and enjoyable, and very relaxing time.
..we got it out of the contemporary. i ordered the piped in music. and i ordered a specialty cake from the contemporary private dining. it was a potc cake, and very nice. snacks and drinks are included in price.
..the time is suppose to be around 1 hour out. but i swear it seemed more like 2 hours. our driver took us all over the place, gave us a great tour, we also got to see the electric light parade(the water one).
..the cost was slightly over $300. but i mentioned this on another board, not sure if it was dis or not. but another family wanted to share with us. and of course i had to share the magic so yes, we split the cost, which really made it more manageable.

I HIGHLY recommend the wishes or illuminations cruise.

the diver/banner is another special treat that is free. we did that also. i also ordered a specialty cake here, the big mickey mouse head shaped one.

it was my son's 8th birthday and hubby's first time to the world, so i went a bit over board. we were caked out !


you can also order baskets to be delivered to the rooms, with the autograph books and passport, or lanyard pins, refillable mugs, and well anything in them. i ordered 2 of them, one for my son's bday and one for hubby's first visit. pins were in the baskets also.

together everything worked out extremely well. and hubby is now going again this april and even thinking about the year after in 2009!

good luck to you.

Where did you order the baskets from?

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Originally Posted by JOLAROCHE

Where did you order the baskets from?

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i think it was memories by sarah? i can double check that for you and get back to you.

my son's had a plush potc pluto, autograph book, epcot passport, potc cookie, lanyard and pins, happy birthday pin, and 10 or 20 potc disney dollars, probably a couple other things, i can't remember it all.

hubby got disney snacks, pretzels, chocolate, yomd refillable mug, lanyard and pins, first vist pins, and again, can't remember all that was there.

you customize them with sarah, she is very very easy to work with. she does not do balloons though.

I too would sugest the Wishes Cruise as a nice extra! I have not done it, but sounds so nice!

Also another thougth if your staying at the AKL would be an early morning Grand Gathering Sufarie at AK! The Good news is you have so long to think, research and plan, that i know you will find the perfect Extra-Special Magic that fits you and your family!

The Wishes cruise sounds fantastic!! I'm just a little confused, because I've seen 2 different cruises being mentioned on other sites. Or at least I think there are 2?! One seems to involve pirates, like having capt. hook and smee down by the boat before you leave. The Cast member who does the cruise is a "pirate" and does trivia games while on the cruise. And the other seems to be less "themed". I think this week I will call the grand gatherings number and get it all straightened out in my head...if that's possible :p Thanks for all the help everybody - I'm loving hearing about all the magical experiences people have had!!!! :sunshine:

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Originally Posted by zoodoyle

The Wishes cruise sounds fantastic!! I'm just a little confused, because I've seen 2 different cruises being mentioned on other sites. Or at least I think there are 2?! One seems to involve pirates, like having capt. hook and smee down by the boat before you leave. The Cast member who does the cruise is a "pirate" and does trivia games while on the cruise. And the other seems to be less "themed". I think this week I will call the grand gatherings number and get it all straightened out in my head...if that's possible :p Thanks for all the help everybody - I'm loving hearing about all the magical experiences people have had!!!! :sunshine:

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With pirates, I believe you are thinking of the Children's Pirate Cruise, which also departs from the Grand Floridian.

The two cruises for rent can be arranged to be during Illuminations or Wishes. If you choose to reserve one of these, be mindful that the CM you speak with may not respond to asking for a "Wishes cruise" or an "Illuminations cruise" you're just looking to reserve a boat during a specific time that happens to be during wishes/illuminations. Also be mindful that unlike other types of reservations, you cannot reserve a boat until 90 days out. Our cruise was for an hour and departed at 8:30 and was perfect.

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Originally Posted by wdwabby

With pirates, I believe you are thinking of the Children's Pirate Cruise, which also departs from the Grand Floridian.

The two cruises for rent can be arranged to be during Illuminations or Wishes. If you choose to reserve one of these, be mindful that the CM you speak with may not respond to asking for a "Wishes cruise" or an "Illuminations cruise" you're just looking to reserve a boat during a specific time that happens to be during wishes/illuminations. Also be mindful that unlike other types of reservations, you cannot reserve a boat until 90 days out. Our cruise was for an hour and departed at 8:30 and was perfect.

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I've heard of the kids pirate excursion from the GF, in fact, we may be considering that for the kids for this trip as well..... But from what I've read somewhere on the DIS boards, there is a pirate-type cruise during the fireworks as well, for the whole family. But I'll have to take another look to make sure I'm not imagining it :p

there is a special number to call for the specialty cruises. there info is different than what the normal disney people see and tell you.


call the specialty number to get the correct info.

after my reservations were made, the normal disney phone cm, told me my reservations were something like 1 hour before the 'real' time.

the real time to deploy was 930, so i was going to show up at 9. the normal phone cm said i had reservations for 8 pm, also, they were telling me my reservations were for special seating at the castle. HUH? special seating, not for the price i am paying, lol

anyway, please find that phone number and call it. it was on the disney web site, but since they changed it i have a hard time finding things on there.

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Originally Posted by eaglesdare

there is a special number to call for the specialty cruises. there info is different than what the normal disney people see and tell you.


call the specialty number to get the correct info.

after my reservations were made, the normal disney phone cm, told me my reservations were something like 1 hour before the 'real' time.

the real time to deploy was 930, so i was going to show up at 9. the normal phone cm said i had reservations for 8 pm, also, they were telling me my reservations were for special seating at the castle. HUH? special seating, not for the price i am paying, lol

anyway, please find that phone number and call it. it was on the disney web site, but since they changed it i have a hard time finding things on there.

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Great, thanks for the info!! :sunshine:

The Number i remember calling and using when i booked my Wishes Cruise, that i had to cancle, was 1-407-939-7529 I think it was the Golf and Recuration line and the cuise option was burried in the options! I hope this number helps!

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Originally Posted by bs4free

The Number i remember calling and using when i booked my Wishes Cruise, that i had to cancle, was 1-407-939-7529 I think it was the Golf and Recuration line and the cuise option was burried in the options! I hope this number helps!

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Thanks! I will try that number when I get a chance to call - hopefully tomorrow!! :sunshine:

OK - now I am more confused than I was before?!?!???? I've been doing research on the Wishes cruise, and keep finding/hearing conflicting information. One place says you have to wait until 90 days to make a reservation, but whoever my husband spoke to this AM said they can be made at 180 days (which for us is next week!!). One place says the boats can launch from different resorts, including the Wilderness Lodge, where we will be staying. Another says they only leave from the Contemporary?!??!!! If anyone has done this (I know Abby has!!), could you let me know your specific experience - who you called to make the reservation, when you called, where you launched from......I know there's a thread on the DIS, but I wanted to start among closer friends here first :sunshine: Thanks for helping my utterly confused mind!!! :p