Renting snorkeling gear at Castaway Cay

[Kimmysmom]

Can anyone advise me if I should make a reservation for snorkel gear at Castaway Cay or just want and rent it when we get on the island? We are going to be there on 4th of July.

 

[kcashner]

Rent when you get there. They have 2 lines--one for reservations, one for on the spot. By waiting, if you change your mind you don't get stuck with a bill!

 

[wmharley]

I will be buying my own and bringing them on board. I just feel iffy about using something that others put their mouths on.

plus, for the price, i can reuse mine over and over. I'll buy them at Sam's or Costco.

You can bring your own and they will give you that vest to use.

 

[progs2]

I remember seeing this in the past, but how much are rentals on CC?
I didn't want to haul extra stuff along, but if we need to rent twice (St. Marteen and CC) it may be worth the effort.

 

[soccermom888]

We just got back yesterday -- $25 for adults and $10 for kids (same stuff). FWIW you MUST have fins (per DH, who snorkeled twice with DS on our Double Dip cruise). And unless you already own them, purchasing fins -- plus packing them -- may defeat the purpose of bringing your own.

Also, DCL is very good about cleanliness -- asked DH to put a fin into the 'used' pile after he just tried it on for size. Don't know how they clean the snorkel gear, but even the life vests and floaties are dunked in 'chlorine solution' and then separate 'rinse bucket' before they're re-used. DCL takes cleanliness very seriously.

 

[generaltso23]

FWIW you MUST have fins (per DH, who snorkeled twice with DS on our Double Dip cruise).

Are you sure? We brought our own masks and snorkels, and got the vests for free from the rental desk. We didn't have fins, and nobody implied that we needed them. We snorkeled all the way out and back without them. The swim seemed a lot farther on the way back, and fins honestly would have been nice, but nobody said that they were required.

For $25, you can often find a complete set including fins at Costco or Walmart. It means more to pack, but it's worth it in my opinion since you can use them again.

 

[soccermom888]

Sorry, not technically required, but DH said he felt they were necessary to make the trek. He's very athletic (swims laps regularly), but still felt that to make it all the way through the 'trails', the fins were needed.

Obviously a personal thing, but we brought our own snorkels w/o fins (from Walmart) and felt that the rentals were superior. Then again, we don't anticipate snorkeling much except for vacations, so 're-use' wasn't high on our list.

 

[MelMomOf3]

We are interested in snorkeling as well, however DH and DS both wear glasses and can't not see without them. Are there masks available that will fit over glasses or should we just plan on not even attempting it? I know that you can get perscription maske, but I don't think that is cost effective for a one time thing.

 

[Carlnne]

Dont reserve before. I did so for three of us but my son changed his mind and didnt use it. No refunds- so we lost the money. They wont run out of equipment so you will be fine renting there.

 

[sissy_ib]

I will be buying my own and bringing them on board. I just feel iffy about using something that others put their mouths on.

plus, for the price, i can reuse mine over and over. I'll buy them at Sam's or Costco.

You can bring your own and they will give you that vest to use.

You do realize all the silverware in ANY restaurant has been in someone mouth before? Same with the glassware. And just think of the sheets on the beds.

 

[MisterOJ]

You do realize all the silverware in ANY restaurant has been in someone mouth before? Same with the glassware. And just think of the sheets on the beds.

That's why I never use silverware. I just eat with my fingers.

 

[GoofyNewfie]

My DW and DS brought their own masks and snorkels and were quite happy they did so. They were much better quality than what the excursion had. DW had people commenting on hers and how they're were going to get something similar.

Full Disclosure: I know nothing about snorkeling or the pros/cons of what they had. There's no way you'd catch me in water over my chest. I just know what she reported.

 

[AddysMama]

Do you get to snorkel in a different spot on Castaway Cay if you reserve ahead of time? Or is it the same spot for everyone?

 

[generaltso23]

Do you get to snorkel in a different spot on Castaway Cay if you reserve ahead of time? Or is it the same spot for everyone?

It's the same spot. You're not reserving the spot, you're just reserving the gear. If you're planning to rent gear, there's no reason to reserve it ahead of time.

 

[AddysMama]

Thank you!!

 

[Snurk71]

We went a couple of weeks ago and took our own masks/snorkels. We bought nicer ones than CC has for the same price or a little higher (we will re-use) - I don't think CC's snorkels have the shut off valve thing.

We didn't have fins, and didn't need them. We tried using fins on a Grand Cayman trip a couple of years ago, but didn't find much use for them (other than rubbing sore spots on our feet). I did wear "swim shoes" (they are actually my Vibrams) on that helped walking on the shelly sand - DW and DD didn't and were complaining about it.

One other note - as long as you can swim, don't put any air in the vest they give you. The salt water is buoyant enough to make you float without the vest. The vest being blown up just got in the way.

 

[wmharley]

You do realize all the silverware in ANY restaurant has been in someone mouth before? Same with the glassware. And just think of the sheets on the beds.

that is true but I know the process of cleaning silverware, and those don't have much nooks and crannies that make it harder to clean. Silverware is generally flat and slick unlike snorkel gear.

Same with the sheets. i also look it over, along with towels and such. Any stain and its pulled off and requests are made to redo the linens and towels.

I love your sarcasm though.

But again, I'd rather buy my own so I can reuse. For $25 I can spend slightly more and keep them until they break, then return to Costco/Sam's. Same with the kid's.

 

[luvslikepi]

I highly recommend buying an inexpensive set - especially since the summer season is right around the corner. I love the set I got for Christmas a few years back that is a professional snorkeling set but my step-son uses an inexpensive set of goggles and snorkel we got at Walmart last summer - works great and only cost around $10.

 

[*Pixiedust1438*]

Are you sure? We brought our own masks and snorkels, and got the vests for free from the rental desk. We didn't have fins, and nobody implied that we needed them. We snorkeled all the way out and back without them. The swim seemed a lot farther on the way back, and fins honestly would have been nice, but nobody said that they were required.

For $25, you can often find a complete set including fins at Costco or Walmart. It means more to pack, but it's worth it in my opinion since you can use them again.

We also did the same, no fins required. We were required to wear the life vests and they were free. I was actually glad to have it, even though I don't normally use a vest when snorkeling. To do the whole "trail" is a pretty far swim there and back. I also bring our own snorkeling equipment whenever we go on trip where we will be near the ocean. TOTALLY worth the cost/packing IMO. We can use them whenever, wherever and as often as we like. We don't use fins so just packing the snorkel/mask is not bad!