Are the banana boats fun?

[Jillpie]

We have three boys, ages 16, 13 and 12. Can the five of us fit on one of these boats? Is it worth the money for the time they give you (is it like 5 minutes or so?)? I still remember Verandah Man and losing his poor glasses on it (btw, did you ever get those back??) I'd also like to book the parasailing for my DS16. Is that too much in one day or should I just pick one? thanks. Most of all, how fun is the banana boat?

 

[NYGiantsRule!]

My DS11 and DH have gone on the banana boats three different times. They both love it. I believe they hold ten people, five or six on each side. My DH and DS both wear glasses. I bought those string things that hold glasses on and I make sure it is very tight on DS before they take off.

 

[feenie]

Just keep in mind that it can be VERY bouncy! I almost fell off once or twice on the way back to shore. (i got scared then!) DH told me after that he would have "fallen" off too if I had so I would not be the only one
They give you flotation vests to wear and there are two cast members... One to drive the boat, one to make sure that the driver stops if someone does fall off.
Your boys will probably love it!!!

 

[Zandy595]

Six members of my family went on the Banana Boat together (not me). All but one of them got thrown off. My DM said she went under the water even with the life vest on. She said she was scared and she doesn't scare easily. After their experience I will never go on it. I guess you can tell the boat driver not to go so fast or make sharp turns, but they didn't know that until afterwards.

 

[travelingtwin]

We went on the banana boat ride last year and had a blast! It was my husband, brother in law and my daughter and two nieces. We all went on the same boat. They are actually two bananas that have a space in the middle where you can put your feet. My daughter keep on flying around and my husband had to hang on to her a little. If she started to fall, she just leaned into the middle of the two bananas. The ride seemed like it was never going to end...we went all around. Seemed like about 20 mins.I would not want anyone that was on our boat to ask for a easy ride, i wouldn't feel like i got my moneys worth. The fun of it was being bounced around. I would suggest that you all wear sunglasses or the girls wore their swim goggles. My niece didnt wear hers and she payed for it. Also my other niece parisailed later in the day. Hope this was helpful...You dont want to miss it, your boys will love it.

 

[Girls Only]

My two girls 12 & 8 loved it better than I. My arms were really strained trying to hold on. My 8 yr old fell inside the boat & it was VERY difficult trying to get her back up. When the men in the boat saw that she couldn't get back in her seat they slowed down until she was seated properly. A little while later, I fell inside the boat & it was impossible for me to get seated again. They slowed down until I reseated myself. I had read that people fell OFF the boat, but we fell IN the boat. Much drier, but very uncomfortable trying to hold on to the handle & get seated again. There were some young boys who were not very happy that we had to slow down, but I couldn't help it.

 

[Verandah Man]

Loved It!!!
Loved It!!!
Loved It!!!

 

[KEH]

Originally posted by Girls Only

A little while later, I fell inside the boat & it was impossible for me to get seated again. They slowed down until I reseated myself. I had read that people fell OFF the boat, but we fell IN the boat.

My family have laughed at me for 18 months because I fell into the boat. They reckoned that should be impossible. You have made me very very happy!

 

[Yankee914]

My two boys, who were 13 and 9 at the time, absolutely loved it. They still talk about how fun it was and when we go back next year they plan on doing it again! My son will tell you that you get really close to the ship. When they went out it was really rough, the waves hit you in the face, but it is really fun and you get splashed. The day they went on it was very windy at Castaway Cay and they were one of the few banana boat rides that went off before they stopped going.

 

[RebeccaLovesDisney]

We had a banana boat ride scheduled for or CC day, but it was cancelled because it was so windy (actually all CC excursions were cancelled that day.) But we definitely plan on trying again next year! It sounds like so much fun.

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

When we told our son about the cruise his ONLY request was that he do the banana boat ride! I know my husband wishes I was more easily please with less expensive options! I hear jewelry calling my name every time I wander into the Carribean.

 

[dclwdwlover]

My husb, two sons (16 & 11 at the time) & I had a fantastic, memorable time on the banana boat. Yes, it's very bouncy, but there are places to sit (farther front, I think) that aren't as bad. I would definitely recommend it for your boys. I'm sure they would love the experience. It's about 15-20 min., I believe. We laughed the whole way.

They did the parasailing (at 18 & 13yo) last time & they loved that even more! You definitely have time to do both - just depends on how busy you want to be during the day vs. relaxing on the beach/in the water.

We always find time to snorkel together & do one or two things in addition to 'lying around'.

 

[Sandy297]

We just got off the Wonder on 4/29 & we did a banana boat ride & we would never do it again!!! The driver started out nice & slow & you got to thinking boy is this fun. Then he went faster & you bounced around. By time it was all over & screamed my head off, my husband & my arms still hurt from holding on for dear life. The kids(13 & 9) weren't to bothered by it but we(parents) didn't like it. So, I would think twice about it!!
Sandy

 

[Verandah Man]

Even with falling off and losing my glasses, this was the best ride I've been on in a long time. My DD 13 and I LOVED IT!!! It was a BLAST!!!

 

[Jillpie]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! I finally got back to this thread (celebrating my birthday today!). So this is really a mix of people loving and hating it..mmmm....what to do.
ok, so when you say holding on, are you sitting on the edge of this thing, like a white water raft type boat? And can someone tell me how much it is? I don't know, sounds a bit scary to me, I don't know if I would enjoy holding on for dear life, but sometimes those kind of thrills excites the heck out of me. Not sure what to do.

 

[BWVPam]

My son and I did it twice in one afternoon and we had a blast. You do have to hold on for dear life, but it was one of the best things we did on the cruise. He was 11 at the time. My husband stayed on beach with my daughter. When my son wanted to do it a second time, I offered to let me husband go and he said no way. I wouldn't let a small child ride, but definitely a plus for your older boys.

Pam

 

[Verandah Man]

Here is a photo of what the BB looks like. You straddle the seat and hold on to the strap in front of you. We were told to keep from falling off, keep leaning toward the center of the BB. If you want to have fun, this is the ride to take. It cost us $14.00 per person for about a 20 minute ride.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

We can hardly wait til our cruise to do this excursion!!! We snorkled last year and DW went parasailing but this year myself, DW and DD8 are going on the banana boat and DW and DD8 are going to tandem parasail. I sure hope the winds don't kick up and put a stop to everything. That would surely be a huge disappointment.

 

[RKB]

We also loved it. The only downside was that we were near the front and sea water constantly sprayed our faces. It was kinda miserable to try to keep your eyes open with salt water blasting you. Be sure to wear goggles - that would have made it perfect.

 

[Griffin33]

I have never done the Disney banana boat but did something similar when I was in Jamaica a few years ago. That one looked like the one in the above picture except it was a single banana instead of a double.

The experience was, umm, not really good for the group I was with. Since it was a single boat, there was nothing to fall into but rather you fell off of it....and everyone did.

Climbing back onto that thing, especially for the people without a lot of upper body strength, was a terrible time. Even with help from the spotter who rode along with us, it was pretty hard to climb back up and most of the women were pretty upset by the time they were back up.

For what it's worth...your mileage may vary.


- Brett