Parasailing - Castaway Cay

[I❤MICKEY]

Hello.

We are taking my mom with us on her first cruise in December. Long story but she was in a terrible accident in 2005 that has made her permanently disabled. She has worked so hard to be able to overcome her injuries. She has done a ton of physical therapy and can now walk with a cane instead of a wheelchair or walker. On her bucket list she would like to go skydiving. Honestly, I don't see how she would be able to do this. I've watched multiple videos of tandem flights and it seems impossible. So I was thinking instead for Christmas we would give her the parasailing excursion. Here are my questions:

• The disclosure says no walkers or wheelchairs. Do you think we will have an issue if she has her cane?
• Is there any impact when you are returned to the boat?
• Are there steps to get in/out of the boat? Railing?
• Can you see the boat/parasail from the dock or is it too far out from the shore?
• Is there an option for purchasing video or pictures?
• Due to the cost I'm not sure if hubby or I would go. Frankly we are all a bit Pooh sized so they probably wouldn't let us go together even if we did participate due to the weight restriction. I think she would be uncomfortable to go with a stranger (me too). How do they assign who you go with? At what point can you advise you would be very uncomfortable to be with a stranger?
  
• Approximately what time does this excursion take place?
• Any other advise you can recommend for this excursion?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Hello.

We are taking my mom with us on her first cruise in December. Long story but she was in a terrible accident in 2005 that has made her permanently disabled. She has worked so hard to be able to overcome her injuries. She has done a ton of physical therapy and can now walk with a cane instead of a wheelchair or walker. On her bucket list she would like to go skydiving. Honestly, I don't see how she would be able to do this. I've watched multiple videos of tandem flights and it seems impossible. So I was thinking instead for Christmas we would give her the parasailing excursion. Here are my questions:

• The disclosure says no walkers or wheelchairs. Do you think we will have an issue if she has her cane?
• Is there any impact when you are returned to the boat?
• Are there steps to get in/out of the boat? Railing?
• Can you see the boat/parasail from the dock or is it too far out from the shore?
• Is there an option for purchasing video or pictures?
• Due to the cost I'm not sure if hubby or I would go. Frankly we are all a bit Pooh sized so they probably wouldn't let us go together even if we did participate due to the weight restriction. I think she would be uncomfortable to go with a stranger (me too). How do they assign who you go with? At what point can you advise you would be very uncomfortable to be with a stranger?
  
• Approximately what time does this excursion take place?
• Any other advise you can recommend for this excursion?

Thank you in advance.

1 - if she can walk the dock should be no problem

2 - there is a little jarring as you land but you can just land on your butt, most people try to land standing but fall anyway

3 - you have to step off the dock onto a seat and then the floor of the boat, there was no railing but the workers helped everyone get in.

4 - you can see the parasailing from the shore but I don't know if you could necessarily tell exactly when your mom was up there, it's not that close.

5 - someone in the boat could take a video but there were none offered for sale. I can't remember if they allowed us to take a go pro or other camera up while we were in flight.

6 - you're at their mercy of who goes with whom and I don't believe they allow others not parasailing to go on the boat

7 - the night before CC we had our time given to us. I think we were to meet at the dock around 10:30, but there were a couple boats taking people put all day long. We were on the boat about an hour, each team of 2 people have about 10 minutes from start to finish.

8 - it was an amazing experience, I HATE heights but had no fear or anxiety up there. It was so quiet and peaceful. If you and your mother are under the weight limit I would urge you to go with her, it's something neither of you will forget.

Hope this helps and enjoy your cruise.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

1 - if she can walk the dock should be no problem

2 - there is a little jarring as you land but you can just land on your butt, most people try to land standing but fall anyway

3 - you have to step off the dock onto a seat and then the floor of the boat, there was no railing but the workers helped everyone get in.

4 - you can see the parasailing from the shore but I don't know if you could necessarily tell exactly when your mom was up there, it's not that close.

5 - someone in the boat could take a video but there were none offered for sale. I can't remember if they allowed us to take a go pro or other camera up while we were in flight.

6 - you're at their mercy of who goes with whom and I don't believe they allow others not parasailing to go on the boat

7 - the night before CC we had our time given to us. I think we were to meet at the dock around 10:30, but there were a couple boats taking people put all day long. We were on the boat about an hour, each team of 2 people have about 10 minutes from start to finish.

8 - it was an amazing experience, I HATE heights but had no fear or anxiety up there. It was so quiet and peaceful. If you and your mother are under the weight limit I would urge you to go with her, it's something neither of you will forget.

Hope this helps and enjoy your cruise.

Thank you. I appreciate your input.

 

[MelInAZ]

We just parasailed in March 2015 and we actually had to climb down a ladder from the dock into the boat. It was a wooden ladder that was attached to the side of the dock (so not an angled ladder, it was perpendicular to the dock), then you stepped into the boat. They did have people helping us, though.

I'm afraid of heights, but found it quite serene and surprisingly quiet while parasailing. I did wear a GoPro strapped to my head and went tandem with my 13 year old son.

 

[Plaid Princess]

The disclosure says no walkers or wheelchairs. Do you think we will have an issue if she has her cane?

In general, the no wheelchair policy is just due to the inaccessibility of terrain and vehicles. If you feel like your mom could handle climbing into a smallish boat with her cane, she should be fine. (You can check with Disney to see if they would turn her away, but I doubt that they would.)

Is there any impact when you are returned to the boat?

When I did this excursion the whole experience was quite smooth. It's a little wobbly on landing, but most people just sit down on the platform. The only surprising part about it is when they "dunk" you in the water a bit, midway through your trip.

Are there steps to get in/out of the boat? Railing?

There are steps, but the railings and handholds are minimal. It's definitely not an accessible boat.

Can you see the boat/parasail from the dock or is it too far out from the shore?

It's quite far out, and in the opposite direction of the beaches. You might be able to see a bit from the top deck of the ship.

Is there an option for purchasing video or pictures?

This wasn't an option when I did the excursion, but it's been a couple years.

Due to the cost I'm not sure if hubby or I would go. Frankly we are all a bit Pooh sized so they probably wouldn't let us go together even if we did participate due to the weight restriction. I think she would be uncomfortable to go with a stranger (me too). How do they assign who you go with? At what point can you advise you would be very uncomfortable to be with a stranger?

Those over the weight limit for tandem ride alone. Hubby and I are both too heavy due to our height, so we couldn't ride Tandem... but that meant that we could take pictures.

Approximately what time does this excursion take place?

There are several bookings throughout the day.

Any other advise you can recommend for this excursion?

You should definitely make sure that your mom is comfortable walking around on as small, unstable boat with minimal assistance. While she would be able to balance on the sides of the boat etc, there is very little to hold on to on the platform that you take off from (however there will be someone helping her get hooked up, so she wouldn't be alone).

It's a really fantastic experience, and I think your mom would really enjoy it!

I found a few pictures of the platform, so you can get an idea of the setup:

And this will give you reference of how far away from the island you are.

 

[squirk]

I would bet that very few, if any, of us reading this thread are doctors, specifically orthopedic doctors, and even if there was one, they don't know squat about your mom's injury or her current physical limitations. Point being, don't rely on any of us to tell you if it's safe (or not) for your mom to parasail.

Getting on the boat could be tricky. It might be a choppy day and the boat may have some decent motion to it. Is her cane used primarily for balance? Or for support? Both? If she requires more than a moderate amount of help, the tour operators may deny her boarding for safety reasons.

How strong are her legs? Will it be harmful for her if she is pulled back into the boat and lands on one particular leg/foot? 'Cause there is no guarantee she will be able to land on a specific foot. The landing is relatively gentle, but again, if your mom is living with a permanent disability where she has had to fight to get out of a wheelchair or walker, I would hate to think of her landing "wrong" and injuring herself.

I don't say all this to be a wet blanket. At best, I don't want her to get to the dock only to be disappointed. At worst, I don't want her to get hurt.

There are plenty of videos on YouTube under "parasailing castaway cay" that can show you the whole experience soup to nuts. Perhaps that will give her a better idea of what's involved so she can make an informed decision with the advice of her doctor.