MIKE'S BIRTHDAY

Mike wants to book this for his birthday evening. I have to wait till we are 90 days out to book it (which is about 19 days away!!!) I'm going to be booking the Birthday package and will be checking to see how much extra dining is.

Pontoon Boats - The 21 foot long boat will accommodate a maximum of 10 guests. The pontoon has a canopy, is roomier, and has some drink holders. When you rent either a pontoon  it belongs to your party for the show; meaning the only people there will be the ones you've invited! The price for a pontoon IllumiNations Cruise starts at $275 + tax, for a maximum of 10 people. Cost includes a driver. Food and beverage items are available through Yacht Club Private Dining at 407-934-3160. You may not bring your own food or beverages on board.

RESERVATIONS for all cruises are made by calling 407-WDW-PLAY, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., up to 90 days in advance. You must provide a credit card to hold the reservation. You must cancel at least 24 hours in advance or your card will be charged.

BIRTHDAY/CELEBRATION FIREWORKS CRUISE

A Birthday or Celebration Fireworks Cruise is also available, which includes the pontoon fully decorated along with the amenities listed above.

Cruise for an hour on the lake and enjoy VIP fireworks viewing.

Price: $346.13 for the 25' Pontoon (with Audio) (price admits up to 10 if group is made up of all adults, 12 if group is a mix of children and adults) PLUS $25.00 for the birthday decorations.

Hours: Departs 30 minutes prior to IllumiNations at Epcot or 30 minutes prior to Wishes at the Magic Kingdom.

How to book an Illuminations Cruise:


You need to call 407-939-7529 exactly 90 days before the date you want to reserve. You can determine when to call by using the DIS's priority seating calculator if you CLICK HERE

Since these cruises are so much in demand, start calling about 6:55 am est. If you get a recording that they are not open yet, disconnect and immediately hit redial. If you get the recording thanking you for calling hit #3 right away, as soon as the second recording begins press #2, when the third recording begins press either your reservation number or phone number and finish with the pound sign. Then press #1, then #2. This will take you to a reservationist, if you have to hold do not disconnect or you go to the bottom of the queue.

When the reservationist answers do not make small talk, immediately tell him/her that you want to reserve the 8PM specialty cruise for such and such date.Do not ask to reserve an Illuminations cruise or you will waste time hearing that there is no such thing. After you get your reservation you can talk all you want, but these cruises are very difficult to reserve and seconds count when thousands of people are competing for only 5 boats.

When the reservationist indicates that you have obtained the reservation, tell him/her that you want to see Illuminations. He/she will then make arrangements for your cruise to depart the marina about 1/2 hour before Illuminations begins.

You will be told that they cannot guarantee that you will see Illuminations. They tell you this because, if Illuminations is delayed for any reason, your boat will still return to the marina at the end of your hour. So far, there have been no known instances where Illuminations was not seen.

If you have flexibility in your WDW itinerary, it is best to try to reserve a cruise for the first night you have available. That way, if you don't get the reservation, you can try the next day and the next, if necessary.

If you are unable to secure a reservation for an Illuminations cruise, do not give up. Cancellations happen every day. Keep calling and trying for that reservation, even when you are in WDW. I was told by a captain of one of these cruises that his boat has often sat idle because someone cancelled. You can snag a cancellation. I know, because I was lucky enough to get a cancelled cruise only 6 weeks before our trip last year.

You can also sometimes find someone who has a reservation already and is willing to share the space and cost of his cruise with you. The Illuminations Cruise Central posts on the Theme Parks board are there to help people match up for these cruises. There is an Illuminations Cruise Central for each month, beginning 3 months ahead of time.

If you want to try to find a cruise to share, or if you have a reservation for a cruise already and are willing to share with others please post to thread.