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Old 02-09-2005, 11:06 AM   #1
mamapajama
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Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

I'd love any feedback from anyone who took this cruise. I thought it might be nice for my Dh when we go in May. Last 2 times, we didn't get to see Illuminations...in August because DS(now 8) hates thunder & lightning and wanted to be back in the room every night for fear of a thunderstorm and last October just because we didn't get a chance. How would we go about splitting a cruise with another family? Anyone want to split an Illuminations cruise somewhere betweeen may 19 & May 22nd?

TIA

Elise
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Old 02-09-2005, 11:17 AM   #2
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We did this in July. It was great. I assume you know how to go about getting one booked?? We had a problem with the weather and almost didn't get to go, and I was so disappointed, but then, at the last minute, we got to go! We all enjoyed it, but it's not something we'll do every trip!

Paula
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Old 02-09-2005, 12:17 PM   #3
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We did one with 4 other Passporters the first week of January!!!

It was a great vantage point for IllumiNations . . . we all had a great time!!! The boat left the Bayside Marina at the Yacht Club Resort at about 8:15-8:30 --- we cruised over near MGM just "to look" then we went near the Boardwalk . . . finally parking under what many call the "English Channel bridge" between the UK and France (at the International Gateway) at Epcot --- it was GREAT!!!
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Old 02-09-2005, 01:15 PM   #4
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We loved it!
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Old 02-09-2005, 01:41 PM   #5
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We are going for 4 nights in may & then again in August & again in December. Which month would be best?

Elise
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Old 02-09-2005, 01:53 PM   #6
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

I've done the IllumiNations cruise in December and that's the one I would recommend. The seasonal addition at the end of the show was absolutely breathtaking! Don't worry about being cold at night - bring a coat, gloves and your Mickey Santa hat to keep your head warm; they supplied blankets free of charge.
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Old 02-09-2005, 02:28 PM   #7
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

First off, the IllumiNations cruise is well worth doing because it's absolutely wonderful.

[ QUOTE ]
We are going for 4 nights in may & then again in August & again in December. Which month would be best?


[/ QUOTE ]

We did our IllumiNations cruise in August and it certainly is lovely weather for it - a nice spin around the lake and then a stellar viewing spot for the fireworks. Although I haven't done the IllumiNations cruise in December, we did do a Wishes one then and just about froze our bottoms off. The temperatures can sometimes drop into the low thirties at WDW at night in December so that is a factor. Yes, you can bundle up but it can still feel mighty cold when you're out on the boat. All that being said, the special holiday finale for IllumiNations is breathtaking and I imagine it would be spectacular as viewed from one of the fireworks cruise boats. So I guess it comes down to what sort of weather you prefer for your fireworks cruise and whether or not a potential cold snap might turn you off a bit.

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Old 02-09-2005, 03:00 PM   #8
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We've been lucky enough to do this four times now - and trust me, it is the way to see Illuminations. It's worth every penny and we love it!
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Old 02-09-2005, 03:17 PM   #9
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We did this and loved it. It also turned out to be not very expensive because I filled up our boat (there were just 4 of us and it holds 10) with internet friends. If you can't get enough passporters together, the Diz has a very organized message board to coordinate things. This is how I did it, and met some really nice Disney friends. One of the couples invited all of us on our boat back to their OKW villa after the cruise for drinks! Fun! Here's the link: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=560160
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Old 02-09-2005, 07:07 PM   #10
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

Melanie beat me to it.
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Old 02-09-2005, 07:43 PM   #11
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We were very fortunate to share the Illuminations cruise with the extremely generous Chezp along with her husband Mark "the Candyman", Statelady01 aka Maureen and her hubby Kevan on December 20, 2004. Not only was watching Illuminations awesome from the perspective on the boat, but we got to meet 4 great Passporters which really made it extra special. Just too bad it was so cold we kept covered under blankets and didn't get a chance to chat that much.
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Old 02-10-2005, 01:07 PM   #12
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We love it-so will you!
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Old 02-10-2005, 03:13 PM   #13
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We did our very first Illuminations Cruise the week of Christmas and had a blast! DH was and says that it was the greatest! He's right. All of us loved it! Was it cold? Yes. But that made it even more fun! My Dteens huddled together under blankets and DH 'n I snuggled together. It was perfect! If we're ever lucky enough to get another reservation - we definitely won't think twice!

Just to give you an idea of how much my Dteens it...DS#1 was in charge of giving the driver a tip (I gave him the money in advance). DS#1 not only gave my portion, but added some of his very own money in because "the cm was so funny and goofed around with us the whole time".

A teen parting with $$$, now that says it all!
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Old 02-13-2005, 09:49 AM   #14
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

We are doing our 3rd one in May. These cruises are awesome and spoil you for any other view of Illuminations. Do you know how to get one? There are only 4 on the pontoon boats a day, plus I think 1 on the Breathless (speedboat). Post or PM if you need to know how to try for one. We did our first one in December, and it was nice, cool, but still nice. Both times, we filled the boat with fellow Passporters. It's alot of fun, and the CM's that pilot the boat are always a blast!!
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Old 02-14-2005, 04:27 PM   #15
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Re: Illumniations Cruise......have u done it?

Hey there!!! We too r doing our first one in May!!!!! (Sue.....we are on the other boat with the rest of the passporter gang!!) We can't wait b/c I don't think we had a great view for it when we stood and watched last Nov!!!!
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