Fireworks Cruises

[johnvree]

Has anyone ever taken one of the fireworks specialty cruises? The one I am interested in leaves from the Boardwalk Inn and goes to Epcot for Illuminations.

I called and was told that the boat (pontoon) does not actually go into the World Show Case Lagoon. Rather, it parks near the International Gateway bridge. That seems kind of silly. Why pay to be on a boat? I might as well stand on the bridge for free.

 

[alsundma]

We participated in the Illuminations Cruise on October 4th this year.

It was fabulous!

We took a nice leasurely ride out into the water. We weren't familiar with the Epcot resorts so we enjoyed seeing all of them from the water. We swung by MGM and saw and heard the tip top of Fantasia. We cruised around a while longer and then parked under the bridge. The view was outstanding.

For us, it was well worth the $120 plus tip. It was our anniversary and it was a very romantic trip. The driver made it great for us - we had lots of questions and he was fun to have around. When the show started he sat back and left us alone. Since we had never ridden one of the boats off International Gateway - it was fun and interesting. The night we were there the bridge looked very crowded but I suspect they had the exact same view we had. We have 3 small children so parking in a spot in the park to wait for an hour or so wasn't an option for us so this worked out great.

Hope this information helps you make your decision.

 

[johnvree]

Thanks for the information; it's very helpful.

Anyone ever do the MK fireworks? We are staying at the Polynesian. It probably doesn't make sense to get a cruise when we can watch them from the beach.

 

[alsundma]

Those were our thoughts. We stayed at the Polynesian as well and the view from our balcony and the beach was awesome.

 

[diegorivera2]

We booked two Illuminations pontoons for a large family trip in July of 2002 and enjoyed it tremendously. If you have a smaller group (4 or less) you may wish to inquire regarding the Breathless cruise. (See www.wdwig.com for more details.)

 

[Grumpy56]

We did the Illuminations Cruise last January and loved it. Our left from the Yacht and Beach Club . You may get the similiar view to those on the bridge but you are relaxiing in a comfortable boat by yourselves, enjoying a cold drink.! I don't think you'd want to be any closer to the fireworks. Some people have mentioned a problem with smoke. We had no problems at all. Guess it just depends on which way the wind blows

And when it's over you have a relaxing ride back and don't have to fight the crowd. I'd do it again for a special occasion.