Fireworks Specialty Cruises

[SallyP]

I'm just in the planning stage for a December birthday celebration. DH (Birthday Guy) would like to do a Fireworks Cruise (either Illuminations or Wishes). His request is dinner :chef: with adult beverages :wine: or :beer:. Has anyone booked a cruise where you were served dinner?
I called WDW-PLAY and the CM (I got this time) informed that Grand1 was the only vessel that served dinner. Does anyone have experience that says otherwise? Can we hire a pontoon and navigator plus have dinner served or would it be just snack kinds of food?

[ibrowse17]

I am pretty sure that is right. We took a fireworks cruise ( Wishes )on our honeymoon, and it was on a pontoon boat with only snacks. We rode by the boat they told you about. It was much larger, and our driver said it cost a bunch more. It does serve dinner, though.

[dolphinmickey9170]

We booked the Wishes cruise last July for our wedding. We got married on the boat. The Private Dining people told me I could order anything I wanted from the Private Dining menu, which they faxed to me. It was a beautiful cruise. They can even decorate the boat if you wish with baloons, but once it gets dark, you really can't see them anyway. I truly recommend everyone to try the cruise. It was definetly a trip to remember. Happy BD to your hubby!!

[LuckyMum22]

My DH surprised me with a fireworks cruise for my birthday. It was a pontoon boat with a fabulous driver. Her name was Margarita! I loved it! The boat was decorated with balloons and my DH had a arranged for a cake from Artist's Point at WL. We had sodas and water in a cooler and it was very special just to be there. We watched the fireworks near the Grand1 so we could hear the audio streamed from the park during Wishes. I think the price difference between a pontoon and the Grand1 must be quite significant! Margarita made the evening so special for our family. Having that time to talk to an experienced cast member was priceless. She told us some great stories and showed us a tree near Fort Wilderness where all the lifeguards throw a pair of shoes on their last day of work. There are old seventies style nikes there. It is pretty cool just to see/hear some inside tidbits. Ask for Margarita if you do book a pontoon boat! I bet you could arrange to have some :beer: or :marg::marg: on board one of these boats, but If your DH really wants the Grand1 and a dinner I'd start looking for some fundraising opportunities...second job...lottery tickets;)!!

[SallyP]

It was a pontoon boat with a fabulous driver. Her name was Margarita! I loved it!

Thanks for the tip about Margarita. :marg:

The pontoon looks like the way to go. The Grand1 was $400 plus the food. :spend:
Now it's just the waiting to make sure I get one of the pontoons 90 days prior to our stay.

:hi: Off topic: This August we'll be driving through Gettysburg, Lancaster and spending a night in Mt. Joy at Cameron Estate Inn on our way from FL to MA. I'll :hi: as we're going by Elizabethtown!

[TammiMcMan]

You can definitely have something served on board the pontoon boats, but it's not coordinated through those booking people. You have to do that yourself with the private dining staff at whichever resort dock you are boarding at. For example, if you're taking the Wishes cruise out of the Polynesian, you'll want to call their private dining folks and discuss their options.

In terms of availability, the Illuminations cruises are very limited and you have to call as soon as the phone lines open. They can only have a maximum of 5 or 6 because of the space where they park the boats for the view. Wishes has the entire lake, so they can have more boats.