Let's see... it's been about a year since we last did the PnP cruise - it's a family favorite, and on our "must do" list every trip, even though everyone is "grown up" now!
You start off at Contemporary Resort - if you arrive a bit early, you get to do a scavenger hunt around CR that's fun for everyone, and helps keep kiddos busy! When you check in, just be sure to let them know that you will be taking his chair on the cruise, and they will tell you that you will go down to the docks a bit early (with a CM) to get settled.
The party is SO much fun! There are a couple of pirates who will hang out and tell jokes and keep things kind of moving; in some ways it's a traditional WDW dessert party, but really well themed to the whole Pirate Cruise concept. TONS of snacks you can take with you, and the highlight is a Photopass Op with a certain animated Pirate, and his buddy usually comes along in a blue striped shirt as well!
When it's time to go down to the docks, they will let you know, and you will leave just a bit early to go with a CM down the elevators to the dock level. You will board at the back of the boat; there's a portable ramp. You have the option to leave his chair at the back, and carry him to a seat anywhere you want on the boat. If you decide to sit forward, I recommend the first three or four rows; you will interact more with your Pirate host that way! If it's a cool night, there will be lots of clean, white blankets to snuggle up in!
Usually within a few minutes, the Pirate host will lead the rest of the Guests down, and everyone gets boarded and settled. (If it's a big night, they will run two boats, FYI) Even before you leave the dock, the Pirate will start telling jokes, and singing and playing trivia games with the kids! Typically every kid "wins" at least one bit of "pirate booty" to take home!
You float around the lake, and sing and laugh and have a great time - and get an up close view of the Electrical Water Parade! until it's time to get positioned in front of MK. You don't really see much of MK from lake level, but the fireworks are wonderful, and they pipe the soundtrack into the boat.
When the fireworks are done, you go back over the water bridge at the end of CR, and around to the docks, and as you are headed back up from the docks to CR, you will encounter one VERY special character (spoiler alert: he's good friends with Tink!) and your evening of Pirate fun has concluded!
We love this cruise so much - it's just great family fun, with tons of corny jokes and puns and trivia and sing-along... the Pirate hosts are amazing performers, and we have yet to have a bad experience on this cruise!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have never stayed in my personal mobility device at the back; I am still able to move to a seat, so I can't speak to what the experience is at the back of the boat. I can tell you that we have been on cruises where there were kids who couldn't transfer, and the Pirate will make his way back there to interact with the folks in the HA area.
I don't have many pictures - it's always dark LOL, and the boat is moving just enough that it's usually tough to get good fireworks shots. The benches *are* a step or two down lower in the boat, so they do get a less obstructed view, however, the captain usually tries to position the boat so that everyone gets the best possible view. The HA area in the back of the boat is up higher, so you see over everyone else's head and have a great view of your Pirate host, and that may be the most important thing to your little guy anyway!
I hope you all enjoy it! If your little guy loves to ride the boats, don't forget that you can ride the boats from HS to Epcot (and back, if you want!) as well as from Disney Springs to OKW and/or POR/POFQ as well. Those are fun, relaxing rides, and you can hop off at a Resort to explore and have a snack, or just take the round trip.