Romance at Walt Disney World? Look No Further than an Illuminations Cruise

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Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Red Loop. Today we are sharing where you can have a date night and find romance at Disney.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, my thoughts have turned to romance. One may think of Walt Disney World as a place for kids, but there are so many places adults can turn for a date night. With lots of options for babysitting as well, it’s the perfect place for some romance.

On our last trip to Walt Disney World, my husband and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary so, of course, we were looking for a romantic date night. We started out with a lovely dinner at Trattoria al Forno at Disney’s BoardWalk. I highly recommend it!!! Then, we headed over to Bayside Marina at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort for a private Illuminations Cruise.

Our son was playing safely in our hotel room thanks to Kids Nite Out, although with its proximity to Disney’s Beach Club Resort and its Sandcastle Club, that could have easily been an option as well. Regardless, it was date night so while we were with another couple, it was adults only!

After checking in at the marina, we met our Captain for the evening. He was fantastic! We actually ended up talking to him on the dock so long, our boat was the last to leave! We did, however, finally make it to the boat and since we had let them know it was our anniversary, it was all decked out with a Happy Anniversary banner and balloons. After a very short safety briefing, we were off!

Try something new for date night with an Illuminations Cruise at Walt Disney WorldI had expected to head straight to Epcot, but we started our cruise in the opposite direction. There were very few boats and with it being evening, it really felt like we had the area all to ourselves. We circled around the entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Our Captain took his time and when he saw we wanted photos, made sure to slow down so that we could do so.

At this point, we headed to Epcot. We went under the bridge between the France and United Kingdom pavilions and parked with other boats at the edge of the lagoon. Front row seats for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth!!! While we were waiting for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth to begin, we checked out all the snacks that were available. Complimentary with the cruise is a snack basket full of everything from chips and pretzels to cookies and brownies. There was also a cooler with complimentary nonalcoholic beverages. One can also preorder more food from Disney’s Yacht Club Resort private dining at an additional cost, but since we knew we were going right after a large dinner, we chose not to.

Want sparks on your date night? Try an Illuminations Cruise at Walt Disney World.Finally, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth began. While there were other boats around, I really felt like I was alone with my husband enjoying the show. We were seated on a bench seat in the boat with his arm around me and my head on his shoulder. There was no one sharing our seating (the other couple was on another bench seat across the boat) and no one in sight between us and the show. Like all good things, though, it came to an end and the Captain took us back to the marina.

I’ve heard that one’s marriage can lose its spark after a certain number of years. I highly recommend recharging it with a date night complete with fireworks! Going on the Illuminations Cruise was such a departure from the typical dinner and a movie date night, I know I will remember it for years to come.

At the time of this writing, Illuminations Cruises cost $325 per boat (up to 10 people) and can be booked by calling 407-WDW-PLAY.

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14 thoughts on “Romance at Walt Disney World? Look No Further than an Illuminations Cruise”

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  3. baseballmickey

    Sounds like a great way to end a date night! The boats are private, correct? so you knew the other couple and split the cost with them?

    I wonder if it’s possible to see both Symphony in the Sky AND IllumiNations on the same cruise when the schedule allows?? How long was the cruise?

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    1. kim051172 Post author

      The boats are private and the cost is same whether you have two people or ten people so you could split the cost and make it less expensive.

      The cruise left at 8pm and ended right after Illuminations ended. I think we got back to the marina around 9:30pm. It seems to me that on days like today, where Symphony in the Stars is beginning at 8pm, that cruisers would see part of the show as they were cruising toward Hollywood Studios. The beginning would likely be missed or partial view only because you’d just be leaving the marina and before heading to HS, you go under a bridge, which would block the view.

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  8. kim051172 Post author

    I did see families on some of the other boats. I think it depends on the kids and the age of the kids. It seemed like some of the younger kids on the other boats were getting bored and restless, especially as we were just sitting in the boat waiting for the fireworks to start. With the right kids, it could also be a nice family outing.

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  11. Jerilyn

    Sounds wonderful! Are you able to see the whole show – even the ‘ground’ level theatrics? My sister mentioned some balls of fire and the globe; does this pontoon capture that as well or is it more of a removed/see the bigger picture kind of experience? Thanks in advance!

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    1. kim051172 Post author

      Since the boat is actually in the lagoon with the show, you can see the globe, fountains, and lower level fireworks just fine. In fact, the boats get closer to the show than most locations around the lagoon.

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