During our stay last week, we decided to do something we haven't done on our previous trips, and rent one of the boats available at Y&B Marina. Our kids are older and my daughter actually has a boating license, so we thought this might be a fun/different thing to do during one of our relaxing afternoons. At first, we thought we would just rent one or two of the Sea Raycers ($32.00 for half hour, $45 for one hour). But then we started looking around at the different watercraft, and decided to go for it and rent the Boston Whaler Montauk, the 17' boat that seats up to 6 people:
All I can say is....OMG WE LOVED IT!!! It was such a blast.
The CM's at the Marina were so helpful, and they made us feel like it was the easiest thing in the world, which it really was. After a brief lesson in operating it, we basically just shoved off from the dock and we were off! We were provided with life vests, but were not obligated to wear them. We were able to take drinks, towels, belongings, etc. onto the boat, there was plenty of room for all of our stuff.
Here is a pic of my kids operating it. You have to be 18 years old. It was totally fine for people to switch off driving, and it was easy to do so while "sailing". I wanted NO part of driving
There were two seats in the back, very comfy, a bench where the operator and another person can sit, and the front of the boat had a very large bench/flat padded area where a couple of people could sit or even stretch out and sunbathe!
You could travel anywhere you wanted throughout the lagoon, near the Swan/Dolphin, as well as all the way down to Hollywood Studios. You could go as far as the bridge to Epcot, but you weren't allowed to go near the dock for the Friendship boats at the International Gateway.
There were a couple of "rules": you had to stay to the right under bridges, and you had to go slow near "no wake" areas. Otherwise, you could just cruise along however you wanted. It was easy staying away from the other watercraft, and SO FUN when you passed the Friendship boats, who would honk at you and salute as they passed by! Also, there were a couple of "Water Safety Patrol" boats that cruise the lagoon and waterways there. If you needed help, no one was ever far away, and they would shout at you as you passed, making sure we were all set and having a good time.
The cost was $45 for a half hour, and then they charge you for every 5 minutes after that. We had so much fun, we definitley went WAY over the limit...don't even ask what we spent!
You paid when you returned.
It was such a different way to experience my favorite part of WDW....the whole BC/YC/BW area. I could have stayed out there all day. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about it. I think it's something that a family of any age would have a blast doing together.