My 4 year old wants a pirate ship cake for his birthday. I'm debating between using the Wilton pan along with the pirate boy pan or doing a 3D stacked/carved pirate ship cake. Obviously the Wilton pans would be much easier, but I want it to be the most impressive cake possible, if that makes any sense..?

Thanks for the opinions!

I would do whichever one would give me the most practice for future paid cakes. It's a great opportunity to try out techniques before you're under the gun to produce a perfect product for a paying customer.