Cruising on the Dream...Question About Snorkel Stuff on CC

[Little E]

Hi Dis Friends!

We are cruising at the end of March on the Dream. This is our first cruise, and we are getting excited! I don't have any excursions booked. Can we just rent snorkel gear when we get to Castaway Cay, or do I need to book that in advance?

I think we'll want to try snorkeling as my DSs (14 & 17) have never snorkeled, so I just wasn't sure if we could rent gear once we disembark or if I need to book this ahead of time. If we need to book ahead of time, is it too late to do this if our cruise starts March 25?

Any advice would be awesome! Thank you!

 

[gatordoc]

Yup, can rent at 2 locations that will be shown on the Castaway Cay map. Don’t have to reserve ahead of time. You will get a mask, snorkel, and fins, as well as a vest that is required for all snorkelers. Try to go out early - the best snorkeling is usually in the morning. There are buoys in the snorkel lagoon that mark where interesting Disney “artifacts” can be found, but you’ll also see fish, and perhaps even rays and turtles. Have fun!

 

[Little E]

@gatordoc So, I apologize. I'm still a little confused. Do I need to book this ahead of time, or can we just stumble off the ship and go rent snorkel gear for the day?

 

[Little E]

@gatordoc My apologies! I re read your post and you made perfect sense. I don't need to book ahead. So sorry! I either need more coffee or I need to go to bed! Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[lolomarie]

Piggy backing on this thread, can someone tell me the price of snorkel rentals and length of time they give you on CC?

 

[Marc D]

Piggy backing on this thread, can someone tell me the price of snorkel rentals and length of time they give you on CC?

If I remember correctly, the cost for the entire set is 35$ for adults, a bit less for children. Once you rent them, you have them for the day. If you bring your own mask, the cost for just the fins is half. If you also have fins, the mandatory yellow vest is free.

 

[ForMyBoys]

OP we will be on the same cruise

Question, if we have masks but no fins do we have to rent the fins or will we still be able to get a free yellow vest. I'm not a big fan of fins when shallow snorkeling.

 

[VeronicaZS]

If I remember correctly, the cost for the entire set is 35$ for adults, a bit less for children. Once you rent them, you have them for the day. If you bring your own mask, the cost for just the fins is half. If you also have fins, the mandatory yellow vest is free.

You answered my question, I will be packing our own snorkel gear! Are adults required to wear the vests when snorkeling?

 

[YawningDodo]

You answered my question, I will be packing our own snorkel gear! Are adults required to wear the vests when snorkeling?

Yes, they require that everyone who goes snorkeling wears a vest for visibility to the lifeguards. You're not required to inflate it if you don't want to, though.

 

[lklgoodman]

OP we will be on the same cruise

Question, if we have masks but no fins do we have to rent the fins or will we still be able to get a free yellow vest. I'm not a big fan of fins when shallow snorkeling.

You don't have to rent fins if you don't want to and yes you can still get the vest for free.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

You can also rent the bike and tubes once you get to CC. No need to pre-book any of those items.

I can understand you wanting to rent gear since this will be your first time snorkeling, but if you decide you like it, you might want to look into purchasing your own equipment. I picked up a snorkel set a few years ago for about $50 and it's much better equipment than what they rent on CC. Since the rental cost at CC is around $32, I more than made up for the cost to purchase after just two cruises.

 

[wehrengrizz]

You can also rent the bike and tubes once you get to CC. No need to pre-book any of those items.

I can understand you wanting to rent gear since this will be your first time snorkeling, but if you decide you like it, you might want to look into purchasing your own equipment. I picked up a snorkel set a few years ago for about $50 and it's much better equipment than what they rent on CC. Since the rental cost at CC is around $32, I more than made up for the cost to purchase after just two cruises.

To add on here, my friend had never snorkeled and I brought my DH's gear and mine for our girls' trip. She was considering buying at a FL Walmart (or anywhere) and it was about $27-$50 depending on brand...so if you think you might want to do it again, ever, then it's possibly worth the investment. BUT I will caution fins take up SPACE

 

[Little E]

Thanks, Dis Friends for your advice! Hubby and I snorkeled many years ago on our honeymoon, and we haven't snorkeled since. This will be the first time our boys will try it. We haven't booked any excursions at either Nassau or CC, so I wanted to at least be able to snorkel at CC. I'm glad to know I don't need to pre book, and we can just rent when we get there.

I we love it, I'll definitely look into buying snorkel equipment down the road. I just don't want to make the investment if our first go a snorkeling is a bust.

@ForMyBoys how fun to find a Disboard friend who will be on the same cruise! We are getting really excited, as this is our very first cruise! Whoo hoo! We are from the midwest and are SO over this horrible winter. We're ready to head south and soak in some vitamin D.

 

[ForMyBoys]

@ForMyBoys how fun to find a Disboard friend who will be on the same cruise! We are getting really excited, as this is our very first cruise! Whoo hoo! We are from the midwest and are SO over this horrible winter. We're ready to head south and soak in some vitamin D.

My oldest son is just shy of 16 so I'm sure he'll run into your boys. We are from Milwaukee so I can totally relate on the weather!! I hope you love the cruise

 

[Little E]

@ForMyBoys that's so fun! Because we are newbie cruisers, we have no idea how the teen scene or day excursions work. I've read great things about the teen area on the ship, so I'm hoping my boys (who can be shy) are able to loosen up and enjoy the teen offerings. It looks like you are cruise veterans...that's reassuring to me that we made the right choice. We are WDW vets, and we were sort of skeptical about taking a cruise instead of going to WDW.

Safe travels to Port Canaveral to you! May everyone in your family stay healthy this week (it's my worst nightmare to have someone get sick right before a trip or DURING a trip!) and may this last week of school before spring break go quickly!

 

[dcassetta]

OP we will be on the same cruise

Question, if we have masks but no fins do we have to rent the fins or will we still be able to get a free yellow vest. I'm not a big fan of fins when shallow snorkeling.

You’re not required to wear fins, but you might decide that you want to. The snorkeling lagoon is rather large, and all of the fun underwater things are quite a distance out. You can just swim, but you might find fins make your snorkeling easier.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We always bring our own. You must wear a vest but it’s free.

 

[ForMyBoys]

@ForMyBoys that's so fun! Because we are newbie cruisers, we have no idea how the teen scene or day excursions work. I've read great things about the teen area on the ship, so I'm hoping my boys (who can be shy) are able to loosen up and enjoy the teen offerings. It looks like you are cruise veterans...that's reassuring to me that we made the right choice. We are WDW vets, and we were sort of skeptical about taking a cruise instead of going to WDW.

Safe travels to Port Canaveral to you! May everyone in your family stay healthy this week (it's my worst nightmare to have someone get sick right before a trip or DURING a trip!) and may this last week of school before spring break go quickly!

It's funny to hear me described as a "cruise veteran". Our first cruise was a 4 night on the magic and I guess we got a bit hooked! Make sure your boys go to the teen club ice breakers. It is normally on the first night. This is when many of the teens get to know each other. Safe travels to you as well