GF Pirate Adventure...any experiences?

[tysmama]

Going in March with our 6 year old son. Anyone have any reviews of the Pirate Adventure cruise at GF? Did your kids love it or not so much? Is it worth the $$ and 2 hours? Also, does anyone know what they want parents to do while the kids are cruising - hang out or go have breakfast;)?

[Beast_fanatic]

Just about every review of this experience that I have ever read, particularly for kids your son's age, has been overwhelmingly positive.

And, the parents do not need to hang out, they can go do whatever they want and just return at the appointed time.

[medic9016]

Our DD did this several years ago and loved It. She still talks about it when she sees the boat. DW and I got back on the monorail and went looking at the other resorts.

[ginger19]

Our son did this when he was 4. He was very shy and crying when he left and came back with the biggest smile. The staff was excellent, it was very well organized, and he had fun. I definitely recommend it.
While he did that, I hopped over to the spa for a pedicure. The great thing is just a monorail hop over to MK so I left DH and DD there and just met up with them later.
They put the name on your receipt and you hand that back in to get your child so there are no issues with pick ups after.

[Luv Eeyore]

The only warning I have is be prepared for your child to ask to go again, and again, and again! We're going in April and DS (7) is most looking forward to going on this again. While he's on the cruise, DH and DD(14) will be renting some type of water craft and I'll be shopping on Main Street.

[wdw_bound]

We went to the World to celebrate DD's 8th birthday, and she did the GF pirate cruise. We let DH sleep in that morning, took DD to the dock and got her settled (they gave us a pager - this was 2 years ago, but I believe they still do). The pirates all board the ship and as they pulled into the lagoon, they could be heard practicing their Yo ho ho's and Argghs. DS (20 mos) and I hopped on the monorail, rode it to the TTC, then made a monorail loop to Epcot, which was just his speed. We got back to GF in time for DS and I to have yogurt parfaits on the patio of Gasparillas. DH met up with us just as the sound of "Pirate's life for me" could be heard on the horizon.

DD loved it - they went to several different resort beaches and finally uncovered the buried treasure at one of them. They divided the loot and broke out the PBJ, juiceboxes and Mickey cheese crackers to celebrate on the voyage home. She still talks about wanting to go back on a cruise, and take her brother when he is old enough.

One cautionary tale, though. As we were leaving, there were two kids whose parents were not there to collect them. Their excitement quickly turned to being upset (although the CMs managed it well) that Mom couldn't be found. As our family walked through the GF, a woman hurried past us with a madly beeping pager. We assumed it was the late mom (and she was a good 30-40 minutes late). It probably spoiled the experience for the kids.

[KylesMom]

:D DS took part in the Pirate Adventure at the GF at ages 6 and 7, and had a blast both times! We have always thought that it was a great value for DS' participation in the cruises. He also did the BC/YC Pirate Adventure at age 8.


"Hanging out" was not an option for DH and I, especially since we felt very out of place at the GF. Instead, we hopped the monorail & grabbed a ride on Space Mountain, shared a hot dog and were back in time to see DS arrive with the rest of the young pirates singing "YoHoYoHo a Pirate's Life for Me".


The CMs are always top-notch, and we would not have left DS with the staff if we weren't entirely comfortable leaving him in their capable hands. Goodness, we'd never left DS with a babysitter before, but we trusted the Disney CMs on deck! :mickey:

In short, confirm the dates that they run and get your DS signed up!

[tinksmom02]

DD6 and her friend (also 6) did this in September and they loved it. We were not given pagers, but we did leave cell phone numbers. We (the adults) took the resort launch over to the Poly for breakfast at the Kona Cafe. We actually followed the pirate ship to the Poly, and we could hear them the whole way!

We had a nice leisurely breakfast and then walked back to the GF (we were afraid that the timing of the resort launch back would make us miss the kids coming back). We walked back and had about 10 minutes to spare before the kids came back.

They had a great time! They are allowed to run through sprinklers somewhere...I had known this ahead of time, so brought a change of clothes just in case. My child is the ONLY one who got absolutely DRENCHED. We weren't planning on heading back to the resort, but to Epcot, so I ran into the gift shop and bought her a pair of crocs, her sneaks were ruined! So just a heads up, if you're planning on heading somewhere afterwards, bring along extra clothes (and shoes!) if your kids like sprinklers!

Other than that, they had a great time, and I would recommend it.

[LoriSan]

does DIsney have the info about this posted anywhere (cost, hours, etc)? How do you book it?

[KylesMom]

You can find more details here:

Children's Activities (http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/children/specactivities.asp)

You can book through the 407-WDW-DINE number. However, as with all things Disney, I'd definitely call to verify pricing and the days of the week they are running each program. Especially with recent property-wide cuts, it wouldn't surprise me to find they've reduced these programs.

[stitchaholic]

my daughter will be 10 in 1 month,we are headed to the worls in 14 days,do you think she is too old.

[LoriSan]

I just called

It's M- Sat from 9:30-11:30 am. It costs $30 + tax. Lunch is included (PB&J, goldfish crackers, juice, gummys). You can book at 90day window.

[KylesMom]

my daughter will be 10 in 1 month,we are headed to the worls in 14 days,do you think she is too old. Quite honestly, I think it all depends on each individual child as to whether or not they are "too old" to enjoy the cruise.

At age 8, DS was among the oldest kids at the YC/BC cruise. By age 9, he opted to skip the cruises all together when we offered him a whole morning to do whatever he wanted to do at whatever park he wanted. This has now become an annual event for us - we call it 'Kyle's Day' and now it's been extended for the whole day . . .

I would first call to check availability, and then bring it up to your DD to see what her interest level is.

Note that all of the kids, ages 4-10 (or 12, depending on the age limit) are paired up in two's, so they'll try and match her up with someone in her age range if possible.

[stitchaholic]

she would be with my DS,he is 7,i just was wondering if she would enjoy it as well,oir we use the $$ to do something else,i am alone with them,so i also thought it would be a nice break for me

[disneywith3boys]

It sounds like my boys would love to do this...they are 4 & 7. One problem...my 7 year old is allergic to peanuts. Do you know if they make special accomodations for an allergy?

[tinksmom02]

It sounds like my boys would love to do this...they are 4 & 7. One problem...my 7 year old is allergic to peanuts. Do you know if they make special accomodations for an allergy?

definitely bring up his allergy when you call to book. I can't remember hearing about substitutions. DD doesn't like pb; I asked them if they "forced" the kids to eat and they said no. She ate the snacks that came with the lunch and chucked the sandwich. But again, it wasn't an allergy concern, so I would absolutely make them aware of it.

[TikiGoddess]

Can anyone confirm what days this is offered? Someone said from Mon-Sat, but on another site I found a listing of only Mon, Weds, Thurs, Sat...

Kathy

[tys_mommy]

Is there a photopass photographer along on these trips or can older kids bring disposable cameras?

[DisneyBabies]

We just got back from our trip and DS% did this and loved it!

One thing, just for info purposes: if it is too cold on the water or the water is too rough, they will not take the kids out on a boat. This happened on the day DS was scheduled to go and they took the kids around the GF instead. It was really funny seeing them running around the resort yelling like pirates and "scaring" the guests while they looked for the treasure.

Also, there was a PhotoPass photographer who followed them on DS's adventure, but I don't know if they do it for every adventure or only those who have to stay inside.

Hope this helps!