contemporary/bay lake and sammy duvall water sports

[rsjj]

hi there. not sure if this is the place...if not, pls direct me where i need to post this...

anyone here used the sammy duvall watersports at contemporary/bay lake? thinking of their parasailing and/or jet ski rental. any experiences you have would be greatly appreciated! tia!!

 

[DVC Doctor]

I have used them several times in the past, but do not know if there has been any changes since the alligator issue

 

[rsjj]

Oh...good point! Thank you!

If you don't mind...which rental/activity did you do? Will you be willing to share your experiences regarding them?

Jet skis...did you do the tour or free rent (can't remember what that was called!)

Parasailing...if I want to be down, can I signal for them to bring me down? Like if I'm going to freak out b/c I'm afraid of heights...or am I "stuck up there" for the entire 6 mins or however long it is.

Again, thank you!

 

[keepswimming76]

We rented Sea Raycers from the Contemporary dock last May. We arrived right when it opened and had no wait. We paid, filled out a couple of forms, were fitted for lifejackets, told the rules and taken to our boats. It was such a great time. We really loved cruising Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. Well spent money!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Oh...good point! Thank you!

If you don't mind...which rental/activity did you do? Will you be willing to share your experiences regarding them?

Jet skis...did you do the tour or free rent (can't remember what that was called!)

Parasailing...if I want to be down, can I signal for them to bring me down? Like if I'm going to freak out b/c I'm afraid of heights...or am I "stuck up there" for the entire 6 mins or however long it is.

Again, thank you!

Parasailing there is something I've wanted to do for a very long time but have not yet. However, since they likely aren't there to torture you I think it's safe to assume they would bring you down if you asked them to.

We have rented the water mice before - from either WL or GF - maybe it was both. I'm unaware of any tours they do for the individual craft - that's on your own.

 

[jekjones1558]

I did the parasailing a few years ago. I was a bit nervous because I am an old lady and not coordinated, but it was easy and super fun. There was a signal to tell them if you wanted to come down (don't remember what the signal was) but I loved it and so never considered coming down early. Nothing got wet, not even my feet! I thought I would be a bit frightened but it wasn't scary at all. They also had an option to get digital photos that was not costly and the photos were great. I would do this again in a heartbeat and it is still being offered. Also, DVC members get a 10% discount and I think that sometimes you can find a Groupon.

 

[DVC Doctor]

we did the parasailing (too expensive) and too short - I would not do it again or even recommend it

we did the inner tube behind a ski boat with the kids and it was a total blast and worth every second - great pics

we also did the wakeboarding and this also was worth every penny - again great pics

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

Sammy Duvall runs all the boat and jet ski rentals at GF, Poly, CR, and WL. You can rent anywhere and go through Bay Lake and Saven Seas Lagoon. However, if you want water skiing or parasailing, that is at CR only. We rented a pontoon boat at GF and had a great time.

 

[DenLo]

We just rented a pontoon at CR dock from Sammy Duvall in early April. There weren't any jet skis, but they do have the small two person Sea Raycers. We were told to stay out of the north half of Bay Lake because it was for skiing and parasailing. So I guess they still do skiing. The parasailing starts and stops on the boat so you wouldn't really be in the lake.

 

[rsjj]

thank you all for taking the time to reply! truly appreciate it!! i think we've decided to go with them, after reading some of your reviews here, and contacting them and having them answer some questions. thanx again!

 

[CraigInPA]

One thing about the jetski rentals in the past: The skis are stuck in 'learners mode'. That means you're limited to about 15mph. While you can get up on plane, you aren't going to be jumping any waves. Plus, they wanted you to stay in a particular area. Even my non-thrill seeking wife called the learner's mode and limitations on where you can go "fun killers".

I rented a pontoon boat from them. 24 feet long, and powered by a puny 9.9 hp mercury 4 stroke. While it did move the pontoon boat around Bay Lake and the 7 Seas Lagoon, it didn't do so very quickly. And, docking with such a wimpy engine was an adventure due to waves from other watercraft.

One thing more thing that kind of frightened me (who has 30 years of boating experience with high performance boats) about driving watercraft at WDW is that the ferry boats do NOT yield right of way, nor follow regular boating rules. They assume everyone will avoid them, and yield to them. Not a big deal, until you want to take the water bridge between Bay Lake and 7 Seas Lagoon. Then, you'll encounter the big ferry boat in the channel in front of the water bridge, and the smaller, but still large, "friendships" that go between the MK and the resorts on Bay Lake running down the middle of the channel on the water bridge and the approach to the water bridge, leaving no space for you in a pontoon boat.

 

[DenLo]

I know what you mean about the water bridge to Seven Seas Lagoon. When we rented the smaller pontoon that also had no power, we were told that the ferries always had priority. That if they were about it enter the bridge we had to wait. I kept wondering what if they came up behind us, how would we ever get out of the way with so little power.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

We tried waiting for the ferry over by the TTC, but the patrol boat waved us through. The ferry waited on us!