IllumiNations Cruises

IllumiNations Cruises

Keith and Deb Aboard Breathless

Want to see Epcot's IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth spectacular in style? Consider renting the Breathless from the Yacht and Beach Club Marina or a Pontoon boat from either the YC/BC Marina or the Boardwalk Marina!

ILLUMINATIONS CRUISES

Breathless (shown above and to the right) is the motor boat named after the Dick Tracy character. It is a 24-foot ChrisCraft reproduction of a 1930 runabout powered by MerCruiser 350 cubic inch engine, reaching speeds of 50 mph! It has bench seats and can accommodate 6 guests maximum. The boat is not covered.

Cost for Breathless for IllumiNations starts at $275 (plus tax) for up to 6 guests and includes a driver.

NOTE: You can also ride on the Breathless during the day. Excursions depart from the marina daily 2:30 - 5:50 p.m. The price is $95 per 30 minutes.

Pontoon Boats -- Another option for an IllumiNations cruise is to rent a pontoon boat. 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 or The Breathless, 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.

NOTE: The cruise has gotten very popular, so be sure to call ahead for the reservation.

Deb's Mini-Review: Boats sit under the International Gateway bridge for viewing IllumiNations, but not right next to each other, so you feel like you're having a private viewing. Sitting in Breathless, you have a wonderful view of the water fountains, laser ball, and fireworks. From what I can remember, there is a partial view of France (behind you on the right) and the UK (on your left). There are also partial views of Mexico, Germany, Italy, China and the US. Canada and Japan are not visible. The pontoon sits out a bit further and so you have a slightly better view.

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: $211.26 for 21' Pontoon ($220 with tax) or $258.21 for the 25' Pontoon with Audio ($275 with tax)
(price admits up to 10 if group is made up of all adults, 12 if group is a mix of children and adults)

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

READER COMMENTS:

Thought you might want to know what happened when I tried to book an Epcot fireworks cruise for myself and my family. I knew I had to call 90 days in advance (info from your site) so I started calling the 407-WDW-PLAY number at around 6:57 a.m. I kept getting a recorded message stating I needed a long distance access code to complete the call. I then called the 407-WDW-TOUR number and got the same message. Frustrated, I called the Disney Club line. I spoke with a very nice lady who informed me I needed to speak with recreation, they did not come into the office until 8:00 a.m., and if I still had problems calling the PLAY number (I am out of state) to call the DC back and they would transfer. I still could not get through later that morning, and called the DC. They were great and I finally got the fireworks cruise booked! We're going at the end of April. Keep up the good work! (Wander616, 2/02)

A comment about the boat cruise during Illuminations: we hired the boat for my daughter's birthday celebration and it was fun; but because the boat is level on the water's surface with the fireworks display the smoke and fumes made it almost unbearable. At times it was so smoky, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. This did diminish our enjoyment of the show especially since we had paid more than $150. (Kathy Spence, 1/01)

Boy it is really hard to get an illuminations cruise not only do you need to call 90 days in advance you need to call when they open at 7:00 am!! I wanted it for October (when it's not as busy), I called two days in a row at 7:15 am and they were booked. I finally asked what is the best way to get it , they told me you need to start calling about 2 minutes before 7:00 a.m. It worked!! I was able to get it for our last night there. You might suggest to people if they have their hearts set on the cruise (I did) that they should start calling the first day (90 days before arrival) and try everyday after that. Like I said it took me three days!! And call at 6:58 in the morning. (Maureen G. 7/00)

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