Fishing Excursion Advice

[NancyK]

We're going to be at Port Orleans Riverside in May. My DH and father-in-law would like to do one of the 2 hour fishing excursions. I know that there is one that leaves from Port Orleans, but there are others that include fishing in the World Showcase and by Fort Wilderness. Has anyone done an excursion? Which one did you prefer? Was it worth the money?
Thanks in advance,
Nancy

 

[tazdeb]

My father in law and I went on the WL fishing excursion. ( by the way your paying for 4 people in the boat so even if you dont fish I recomend you go) We went on the first one in the morning which meant getting on the boat at 6:30am. Let me tell you there is something magical about seeing the sun rise over the contemporary hotel and seeing cinderellas castle emerging out of the morning fog. Also, the peace and quiet, the stillnes of the lake, and the insider stories by your own private fishing quide make for a wonderful morning. Slowly you see the area waking up the monerails starting etc... Oh, yea the fishings great....TAZ

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We did the family fishing trip once in feb. I think. We booked the like 8-10 am time slot and left from the Polynesian with DH, myself and the 3 ds. The trip includes your great fishing guide, drinks like coffee, powerade etc. The bait is extra. They use live killies as we call them here. The guide said most people chose the 6-8 time slot because the fish are more active then because all the boat traffic has not started over to the mk and mouseboat rentals etc. It did get hotter as we stayed there, and guess who caught the most fish. Me, the mom, I got like 5. The guide took us all the way over to the old discovery island. We took lots of pictures and still talk about it. The guide took alot of our fish off the poles for us, strictly catch and release and she baited our hooks as needed. We gave her a good tip. We were a little late and still waited for us, but we were not allowed to make up the time and go over the allotted 2 hours. It was worth every penny. We might do it again in april if we can. We havent decided yet.

 

[NancyK]

Thanks for your replies. I think this is something my FIL would really love to do. It's his first trip to WDW (he's 70!) and we want to show him that it's not all about the "rides".

 

[Crazy 4 Snowglobes]

Our family has done several fishing excursions and typically we travel in March. We did the early one into Epcot before the park opens caught many fish none of them very large but the weather had been extremely cold and that may have been a factor. For ambience it can not be beat. World showcase to yourself and great pictures of family fishing in "Germany, Japan, etc."

We have done two by the Magic Kingdom again first trip in the morning.(Husband who grumbles about EMH insists on getting up in the middle of the night to catch the biggest fish) pulled in many large bass both times. Son and daughter were in the 5-8 year old range during the trips and each caught several bass over 6 pounds. We fished in front of the Magic Kingdom on one trip and it was interesting to see the Castle and entrance so quiet.

We have always had a lot of fun and great guides. This year we are trying to cut back on the budget and this is one item that we eliminated but if we get a windfall before we go we will put it back in the line up.

Sue

 

[NancyK]

Thanks again for your replies. What's an appropriate tip for the guide?

 

[f-LORI-da]

Does anyone know if you have to be staying at a WDW resort to participate in a fishing excursion? Also, do you have to have park admission?

My guess is the answer is no on both accounts, but I just wondered after reading about fishing in World Showcase lagoon? Anyone know for sure?

Last trip, DH & I joked about planning a trip sometime to do all the things we never do because we're busy getting the most out of our APs After 10 trips to "the World", I told him I think I could do it without stepping foot in a single park Well, our APs expire in a couple of months, and we have one last trip planned before they do. So, now I'm researching all my options for a future "non-park" trip. E-gads! I can't believe I'd ever hear myself utter those words!

Everyone's very descriptive accounts of the fishing excursions have me very psyched about this. TIA for your reply

 

[tazdeb]

No you dont have to stay onsite to do the fishing trip (we stayed at HIFS) and no you dont have to use any park tickets. I tipped our guide $40. On a side note about 1 hour south of Orlando is a place called the stick marsh. It is an old orange grove that is flooded. The fishing there is great too. My FIL arranged that trip so I cant give you too much other info........TAZ

 

[f-LORI-da]

I didn't think a WDW resort stay or park admission would be required for this, but it's always nice to get confirmation from someone.

This next trip we are going to go deep sea fishing on the gulf. If we fish in the Orlando area, I think we'd stick with WDW, just for the thrill of fishing on the World Showcase Lagoon or Bay Lake/7 Seas Lagoon.

Thanks again, TAZ

 

[2x_dis_dad]

What does the fishing excursion cost? I have been think about doing it. I love fishing.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I saw another poster say they just raised the price. I think the family one for 5 is at least $200 for 2 hours. I dont know the childrens fishing trip rate. I think its at least $20.