My family and I went on one in September of 2004 and it was awesome. We left from Boardwalk. The cruise was about a bit less than two hours. Our captain was awesome. For the first 45 minutes or so we traveled the WDW waterways. He took us by the Swan & Dolphin, talked about EPCOT & MGM, the different CM roles he had & other little WDW tidbits.
About 10 minutes before Illuminations started we pulled into the lagoon. We had an excellent spot for viewing. You also feel like a bit of a celebrity :king: because everyone on the bridge kind of looks at you wondering how you got that special spot.
We went for my parents anniversary. I split the cost with my sister and brother-in-law and, at the time, it felt like a steal. I think I read that it has gone up in price since '04.
I really enjoyed it and it was one of the favorite things I've done while visiting the World.