Pirates&Pals Cruise vs. Haunted Carriage Ride

[jwallace378]

Has anyone ever done the Pirates and Pals Fireworks cruise? We have a 4yo son and we are staying at the Bay Lake Tower in October. Not sure if we should do the cruise or Haunted Carriage Ride at Fort Wilderness. Thanks for any insight and info.

[TheVBs]

We've never done the cruise, but we did the carriage ride and loved it.

[Disneymom201]

Our family have done both. I would HIGHLY recommend the Pirate & Pals Cruise hands down. Not that the Haunted Carriage Ride was not worth it, but the Cruise was a ton of fun.
Our pirate guide (Patch) was hysterical!!! Our DS's had a blast playing trivia, winning prizes and singing Disney songs. Friends who joined us had a DS (age 2) and Patch gave him a prize too since he could not participate in the trivia. Honestly I don't think any child left empty handed. Patch also acknoweldged anyone's birthday, anniversay or celebration.
Seeing the fireworks from the Seven Seas Lagoon (we saw the MNSSHP fireworks) was amazing (the music was piped into the boat). Not only were the on-board activities top-notch, but the interaction with the characters (Captain Hook & Mr. Smee then the surprise by Peter Pan) were the icing on the cake.
I know it is a bit pricer, but I would highly recommend this. I would definitely do this again!

October 2012 The Polynesian
2011 Contemporary/Beach Club
2010 AKL
2009 WL
2008 GF
2005-2008 Off Property

[1EeyoreFan]

We have reservations for the cruise on May 5. We are looking forward to it!

[DonaldDuckUSA]

Haunted Carriage ride? That sounds awesome! Can two adults do that?

[mickeys_princess_mom]

Haunted Carriage ride? That sounds awesome! Can two adults do that?

I actually never heard of this! Tell us about it?

[wendybird]

Pirates & Pals Cruise!! It was soooo fun. Tons of great treats for the kids and pictures with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee before you board. The cruise was so much fun. We also had Patch as our captain. The fireworks were awesome from the lake, but I think we enjoined the trivia and comedy on board even more. My son won a pirate piston squirt and he LOVED it! Last, but not least, Peter Pan himself was waiting for us with a photo op when we exited the boat. Well worth the price!

[epceddie]

We've enjoyed both in the past, but I would pick Pirates and Pals as my favorite, because I like to put out on the water, the view of the fireworks is fantastic, and you can hear the music on the boat. They have a nice reception with photos, snacks, and drinks before you leave and it's a lot cheaper than renting a pontoon boat on your own.
We got lucky and did our haunted carriage ride on a night with a full moon and we had a blast riding through the woods. The mood and the atmosphere were perfect for a creepy Halloween night and the end of the right was fantastic.
We're looking forward to going on a sleigh ride in December.

[TheVBs]

Haunted Carriage ride? That sounds awesome! Can two adults do that?

I actually never heard of this! Tell us about it?

Definitely two adults could do the carriage ride! You book one carriage for your party, there were 4 of us, 2 adults & 2 kids. You go to the Blacksmith's at Fort Wilderness to catch your ride. I don't want to give too much away, but it's a great ride through the dark, spooky woods with a great story and some fun visuals. We loved it!

[Cinderelley]

I LOVED the Haunted Carriage ride and will do it again when we go back. BUT . . .how brave is the little one? If he scares easily, I wouldn't recommend it.

DonaldDuckUSA - it was my boyfriend and I in the carriage. It was perfect for us two adults.

[ransam]

i had never heard of the carriage ride. one thing i love about Disney is that no matter how many times you've gone or if you think you know it all, something new comes about.

as far as the pirates cruise, i loved it. and Kids would realllllly love it.
lots of sing alongs to disney songs, some trivia, great view of the castle and the water pageant.
YOu can't go wrong.

[ANG]

We are going in October and want to do at least one. But our kids are too young. Boo

[MrPeetrie]

We have never done either of these and I am anxious for us to try at least one.

But, my DD will be 9 on next trip and my DS will be only 2. Do you think he's still too young for either of these? (DD9 is dying to do Haunted Carriage.)

[Cinderelley]

We have never done either of these and I am anxious for us to try at least one.

But, my DD will be 9 on next trip and my DS will be only 2. Do you think he's still too young for either of these? (DD9 is dying to do Haunted Carriage.)

I think DS will probably be too young to really understand what is going on with the horse and carriage ride. He will probably like the horse though. You can pet them at the end.

[MrPeetrie]

Thank you, Cinderelley.