Grand 1 Yacht vs. Pontoon

[VVFF]

Hello everyone,

I am planning on proposing during a Wishes fireworks cruise. I saw on youtube that it appears members here took the Grand 1 Yacht out for a cruise.

The cost differential isn't THAT big a deal to me being $150($292 vs $450). Its mainly of whether or not its practical/worth it. I wouldn't plan on having any food necessarily...at most a dessert of some kind but I do plan on having champagne. It would be just me and my girlfriend aboard the boat.

If anyone could lend their opinion of what I should do that would be helpful. Either way I am very excited and can't wait. Just trying to make it as memorable an experience as possible.

Thanks again.

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

we took the pontoon this past december for our 10yr anniversary

we all LOVED It...i liked how open it was & the lake was so quiet & soothing & watching the fireworks from the water was the most incredible experience!!!!!

the offered canned pop or water with chips & they had blankets if it got cold

a fellow dis-bride will be using the grand in about 2 weeks for her wedding, so maybe she could help you with that experience

but honestly the pontoons was perfect

 

[disprincessatheart]

we did the grand 1 after our wedding - it was amazing and we're now spoiled for life!! We totally felt like celebrities!

No food or drinks are included, but you can order anything from the GF room service to have on there. You can sit downstairs or up to watch Wishes and they wait to bring you back in after the electric water parade goes by the GF. I don't think you'd regret the extra $150 for the awesome experience of the Grand 1!

There are pics in my TR below

 

[VVFF]

we did the grand 1 after our wedding - it was amazing and we're now spoiled for life!! We totally felt like celebrities!

No food or drinks are included, but you can order anything from the GF room service to have on there. You can sit downstairs or up to watch Wishes and they wait to bring you back in after the electric water parade goes by the GF. I don't think you'd regret the extra $150 for the awesome experience of the Grand 1!

There are pics in my TR below

Do they take you around on a tour beforehand? I had read that the pontoons in the wishes cruise get a tour of the area with the captain telling some fun facts about the area.

Along with stuff off the room service menu do you think they could do a fun dessert or something? We will have just come from dinner at Kona Cafe so I couldn't want anything huge...just something personalized to make it special.

Thanks for the opinions so far...more are always welcome

EDIT: I just read a bit of your trip report and saw your comment that they did take you on a bit of a tour. That's nice. How early did you get there? I can understand why everyone wanted to be outside and that's a great point. More reason to just go with Champagne and at most a quick dessert.

 

[ForKeeps]

Do they take you around on a tour beforehand? I had read that the pontoons in the wishes cruise get a tour of the area with the captain telling some fun facts about the area.

Along with stuff off the room service menu do you think they could do a fun dessert or something? We will have just come from dinner at Kona Cafe so I couldn't want anything huge...just something personalized to make it special.

Thanks for the opinions so far...more are always welcome

EDIT: I just read a bit of your trip report and saw your comment that they did take you on a bit of a tour. That's nice. How early did you get there? I can understand why everyone wanted to be outside and that's a great point. More reason to just go with Champagne and at most a quick dessert.

I also had the Grand 1 for my wedding back in Jan 2007. We LOVED it. It was one of the highlights of the day and the men in my family still talk about how cool the yacht was. We actually were a little *ahem* late for our 8:30 time, but because there was no other booking after us the captain took us for a bit of a tour afterwards. We managed to catch the Electric Light Water Parade as well.

I'm sure that you can arrange many type of treats through dining. I would call and ask about the specifics. I was going to have chocolate covered stawberries and champagne but decided to drop that because we were literally walking from dinner at citricos to the grand 1.

It was a very special experience and I would highly recommend it. I have also read many raves about watching wishes from the pontoon boats.

 

[disprincessatheart]

Do they take you around on a tour beforehand? I had read that the pontoons in the wishes cruise get a tour of the area with the captain telling some fun facts about the area.

Along with stuff off the room service menu do you think they could do a fun dessert or something? We will have just come from dinner at Kona Cafe so I couldn't want anything huge...just something personalized to make it special.

Thanks for the opinions so far...more are always welcome

EDIT: I just read a bit of your trip report and saw your comment that they did take you on a bit of a tour. That's nice. How early did you get there? I can understand why everyone wanted to be outside and that's a great point. More reason to just go with Champagne and at most a quick dessert.

Glad I could help. I'm sure you could get lots of desserts - maybe even a personalized cake from the GF bakery if you wanted.

We were told to be there at 8:15 for an 8:30 departure, Wishes was at 9 that night. It was cool to ride around before it was too dark to see much. To be honest I'm not sure exactly what time we got there because we were at Narcoossee's after the wedding and just headed over there straight from dinner. i'm sure if we'd been there at 8, we would have had a longer cruise!

 

[drumms2112]

I also proposed at Disney watching Wishes fireworks on our balcony at Wilderness Lodge and I wish I had done it differently but my wife would not change a thing. Your idea of proposing watching Wishes on the Grand 1 is flawless. I would'nt do the pontoon boat if I were you and stick to the yacht! We took a fireworks cruise on the new Grand 1 after our wedding and I can't wait to go back. The captains were super friendly and it was soooooo relaxing. Don't forget to tip. One thing I would recommend is getting Disney photography to shoot the proposal if it isn't too obvious or have one of the captains take some pictures. I wish I had photos of our proposal. Either way you both will never forget it. Good Luck!

 

[VVFF]

I also proposed at Disney watching Wishes fireworks on our balcony at Wilderness Lodge and I wish I had done it differently but my wife would not change a thing. Your idea of proposing watching Wishes on the Grand 1 is flawless. I would'nt do the pontoon boat if I were you and stick to the yacht! We took a fireworks cruise on the new Grand 1 after our wedding and I can't wait to go back. The captains were super friendly and it was soooooo relaxing. Don't forget to tip. One thing I would recommend is getting Disney photography to shoot the proposal if it isn't too obvious or have one of the captains take some pictures. I wish I had photos of our proposal. Either way you both will never forget it. Good Luck!

I was thinking today when I was at work and was wondering if the typical 15-20% tip rules apply to these cruises as well in people's opinions...seems like an awful lot to tip someone for an hour but maybe I am just being shortsighted. What do you guys think?

 

[lurkyloo]

I know what you mean, but I think that's the going rate. When I researched doing an Illuminations cruise with a group on the park touring board, the standard tip seemed to be $50 - which is a little more than 17% of the price of the cruise.

 

[VVFF]

Another question, I checked out the in room dining menu and noticed they have a couple different champagnes on the menu. Anyone have any experience with these? I know my gf has specifically said some are "bad" and some are "good" that she's had before. I've only had it once so I can't say I know what I should be looking for. Should I just get the most expensive offered?

 

[DecemberBride]

I just want to throw another option out there for you... They have a smaller, more romantic boat over at the Yacht Club, called the Breathless, they do Illuminations cruises. It's about $250. We're doing this on our honeymoon and can't wait... just an idea... oh, and champagne is allowed as well as a dessert. I just think it being smaller, it might be more romantic...

 

[VVFF]

I just want to throw another option out there for you... They have a smaller, more romantic boat over at the Yacht Club, called the Breathless, they do Illuminations cruises. It's about $250. We're doing this on our honeymoon and can't wait... just an idea... oh, and champagne is allowed as well as a dessert. I just think it being smaller, it might be more romantic...

I did consider that however I don't see Illuminations as a great fireworks show to propose during. Perhaps during "we go on", but still...wishes seems more appropriate for the occasion. I would like to do the Illuminations cruise at some point however.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[disprincessatheart]

Another question, I checked out the in room dining menu and noticed they have a couple different champagnes on the menu. Anyone have any experience with these? I know my gf has specifically said some are "bad" and some are "good" that she's had before. I've only had it once so I can't say I know what I should be looking for. Should I just get the most expensive offered?

Well, if you're going romantic you could do the fairytale cuvee they serve at disney weddings. I'm not much help on taste though - we actually opted not to have that at our wedding as we aren't big fans of champagne either. We traded in the FTC for a cheaper bottle of Asti that we knew we'd like the taste of.

 

[VVFF]

Well, if you're going romantic you could do the fairytale cuvee they serve at disney weddings. I'm not much help on taste though - we actually opted not to have that at our wedding as we aren't big fans of champagne either. We traded in the FTC for a cheaper bottle of Asti that we knew we'd like the taste of.

Hm, I'll have to look into the fairytale cuvee...I wish there was a list of drinks they offer somewhere...I've only found a very limited list.

If anyone else has anymore suggestions for desserts or drinks please share!

 

[melanieewr]

We have done the Grand 1 several times and it is always a highlight of any trip.

I would suggest you take your own drinks if it is convenient for you. We usually have 2 bottles of wine delivered by the GF, plus appetizers and desserts. But...we always pack a small roll-around ice chest with beer, etc. You could easily carry a bottle of chilled champagne in a little insulated carrier. It will be much less expensive than ordering it from GF. They also push having a butler onboard, but that is definitely not needed...unless you want hot items and then it is required.

The Grand 1 is really becoming more difficult to book, so keep that in mind and try to get a date set quickly. Once you do that, Linda will be in touch with you about your options for dining. I think if you explain your situation, she might be able to come up with some creative dessert for just the two of you! If you decide to bring your own wine onboard, then I would just tell her that you will not require any drinks.

Have a great time!

 

[VVFF]

We have done the Grand 1 several times and it is always a highlight of any trip.

I would suggest you take your own drinks if it is convenient for you. We usually have 2 bottles of wine delivered by the GF, plus appetizers and desserts. But...we always pack a small roll-around ice chest with beer, etc. You could easily carry a bottle of chilled champagne in a little insulated carrier. It will be much less expensive than ordering it from GF. They also push having a butler onboard, but that is definitely not needed...unless you want hot items and then it is required.

The Grand 1 is really becoming more difficult to book, so keep that in mind and try to get a date set quickly. Once you do that, Linda will be in touch with you about your options for dining. I think if you explain your situation, she might be able to come up with some creative dessert for just the two of you! If you decide to bring your own wine onboard, then I would just tell her that you will not require any drinks.

Have a great time!

Hey thanks for the input! That's very informative!

I don't think I would be bringing my own wine/champagne as I want this to be a surprise and don't want to hint at anything. I literally want her clueless until we step on the boat. I'm alright with spending more to keep that surprise.

When you say its becoming more difficult to book am I going to have to worry about getting it even if I call at exactly 90 days out from the day I plan to book it on at 7AM? I know with dining reservations even at the 180 day point it was hard to always get what I wanted at Le Cellier. I hope that this is not the case with the Grand 1. If it is, I plan on doing this my first day in the park...if I can't book it that day I have 4 more days to "snag" it. Hopefully it will go smoothly for the first day as that day will "flow" the best with it booked.

So when I book the Grand 1 I will be contacted by Linda and she will ask what I want aboard the boat? That's fantastic! This is all getting me VERY EXCITED

 

[disprincessatheart]

I had the exact opposite experience with the Grand 1. I had no trouble booking it after the 90 day mark (of course at that time there weren't fireworks scheduled at MK that night and I took the chance that they'd change the schedule later, which they did). Also, we weren't allowed to bring any other food and drinks onboard, and we were never contacted by anyone about ordering food - I actually ended up tracking them down myself after we checked into the GF because no one had ever called me back when I'd left messages before our trip.

 

[MKW]

Most people seem to have eaten before the cruise. Is it worth ordering a full meal for the cruise?

 

[Skylarr29]

I say if you can afford the Grand One then definitely take it out! It is an amazing experience. We took her out during our dating anniversary trip last October. Here are some photos. I had a cake ordered as a surprise with a white chocolate Cinderella Castle on top. It was beautiful! The Grand is amazingly romantic. There isn't anything better than watching wishes with your honey!!

And here are some photos of the regular pontoon boat that we took out for Illuminations. You can't see the whole boat but you can see us in the seating area.

 

[VVFF]

I say if you can afford the Grand One then definitely take it out! It is an amazing experience. We took her out during our dating anniversary trip last October. Here are some photos. I had a cake ordered as a surprise with a white chocolate Cinderella Castle on top. It was beautiful! The Grand is amazingly romantic. There isn't anything better than watching wishes with your honey!!

Thank you for all the great pics! What you got on the grand1 is pretty much exactly what I want! I have a few questions for you if you wouldn't mind.

1. Did you request the rose+Petals or was this simply the presentation they decided on...I love it for a romantic touch.

2. How much did the cake cost?

3. Did you have enough time aboard the boat to watch the fireworks+pageant and be able to have some wine+cake?

4. Did they let you take the remainder of the cake+wine with you(I've heard another person say they couldn't)?

5. Did you book at exactly 90 days(for the grand1) and did you have any trouble getting it?

Thanks again for the wonderful feedback! It's really helping me plan!