5 yo snorkeling at castaway?

[Nicnicnic.nic]

She can swim a little without a life jacket and very well with a life jacket. Do you think it's doable to try to snorkel with her at castaway? Our cruise is also going to lookout cay but I thought she'd like the Disney stuff they have at castaway....but easier at lookout?

 

[scrappinginontario]

I don’t believe this will work for her. Has she tried to use a snorkel and mask? I tried at home in the bath with my daughter when she was a little older and it was a challenge. Also, the items to search for (when I was last there so a number of years ago) were very far out from shore. (Possibly they’ve added more?) I’m a strong swimmer but it was a choppy day and even I struggled to get there and back with the waves.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

It's a really long swim out to the lagoon where the sights litter the bottom. I'm glad she's a good swimmer, but stamina could be an issue, especially if you hit the tide wrong

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Seems like castaway is a no go....anyone snorkel at lookout cay?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Seems like castaway is a no go....anyone snorkel at lookout cay?

If you're talking about basic snorkel rentals through DCL, the minimum age is 10.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

If you're talking about basic snorkel rentals through DCL, the minimum age is 10.

View attachment 925578

Lol ok so definitely too young thank you

 

[Liastaob]

Lol ok so definitely too young thank you

You could try the swimming with the sting rays adventure; we were gonna do that with my daughter when she was 5. Unfortunately the waters have been too rough both times we've tried.

 

[obsesseddisneyfan]

I took my twin daughters to the Philippines when they were 5. They were good swimmers at the time. They could swim in the pool without a life jacket and had passed the deep end test. They did fine in calm waters and the distance was not an issue for them as they could rest in the life jacket (they out swam my 70 year old parents who live on a lake). However in waves it was a different story. it was hard for them to keep their head above water. I would feel out your child. Not tell them about the fun things far out and see if they start to seem tired. I got kids snorkel gear from Costco which was in stock at the time. Have fun. My kids are now 11 and we will be at Castaway Cay this March.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

My own personal opinion only-too far from shore for a 5 year old. I do see littles playing with kid sized snorkel equipment close to shore. Not much to see-sometimes you get a fish or two. If you do decide to take her out, a a life vest would be a must.

 

[Anna131517]

I think this actually is doable. Castaway cay provides life jackets and the water is very calm. I’ve taken my young children (who can swim) snorkeling on castaway cay. No, the youngest ones did not dive down to snorkel but they floated on top of the water and looked down through their goggles. However, our problem was two of them freaked out when they saw a stingray. LOL. So that ended it! Only one really snorkeled and stayed in the water.

 

[MichelleCanada]

When we were at lookout cay in August there were SO many fish (and a small stingray)in the morning that there were visible just standing in the water. Maybe a get a mask so they can put their face in the water with their eyes open and just go in the morning. By 11 there were a lot more people in the water and things were not as clear.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

My daughter is a strong swimmer having grown up on Lake Michigan. She snorkeled at Castaway for the first time at age 7 and while it was a fantastic experience, I did need to help her along. It's kind of a long, boring-ish swim to get out to where you can see all of the sunken treasure, and depending on the weather, the going can be kind of tough. We enjoyed it, but she was definitely able to go further and see more at age 9.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

I think lookout cay might be a more fun introduction....maybe like suggested we can stay close to shore come in the morning and bring a mask and mouthpiece she's already familiar with and have her float and look at fish

 

[magsnwonderland]

When we were there, lookout was way too rough for swimming, it’s not protected from the ocean waves like castaway is. My 6 year old twins did fine snorkeling at castaway, but they’ve been in swim lessons and are fairly confident. With fins, it was not a difficult swim. My husband opted not to get fins because he has giant feet and the swim was a lot harder for him. You know your kid best.

 

[MichelleCanada]

I guess it depends on the day. The day we went it was super calm and was shallow for quite a distance.

 

[MomOTwins]

View attachment 925877I guess it depends on the day. The day we went it was super calm and was shallow for quite a distance.

Yes to a certain degree but it seems choppy water is more the norm at lookout. We had a lot of waves when we went. My 12 year old strong swimmer tried to snorkel with his dad but it was a big fail. Waves churned up too much sand to see much and made it too hard to float without getting water in the snorkel

 

[MichelleCanada]

Yes to a certain degree but it seems choppy water is more the norm at lookout. We had a lot of waves when we went. My 12 year old strong swimmer tried to snorkel with his dad but it was a big fail. Waves churned up too much sand to see much and made it too hard to float without getting water in the snorkel

Fair. We have only been the one time and maybe really lucked out with the day we were there.