Parasailing? Is it worth the $

[Zeppelin]

I'm just curious, for those that have done this, how is the landing? Me and DH have this scheduled, but I'm a little nervous because I've had both my knees replaced this last year. Is it a hard landing on your feet?

they usually dunk you in the water first which slows you up....also- the chute is fully open when you land and they actually need to pull you in...landing is very easy- and i have bad knees that have not been replaced...

 

[Zeppelin]

Not at all. You land standing up on the back of the boat. You are smoothly pulled in and gently land on your feet. I'm in my 60s and have had one hip replaced and weak knees and I've had no problem with parasailing. I do make sure the harness is even on both sides of my hips before I launch. The take-off is also very smooth. You sit in the harness on the back of the boat with one of the crew holding everything steady while the other drives the boat. As the speed increases the chute opens and gently pulls you up as they play out the line. The view is gorgeous, it's quiet and so peaceful up that high, and you can see forever. Parasailing has become one of my favorite cruise activities.
By the way, that parasailing accident with the high school girls was due to a line that snapped and the chute got away from the boat. Disney is extremely safety conscious and thoroughly inspects their equipment for wear and tear.
Go, relax, have fun. Once you've done it, you'll want to do it again.

the guy on the boat talked about this....said every once and a while at the Atlantis a rope will snap and people will come floating back down...said if one of their lines ever snapped Disney would immediately fire them- hence they make sure their equipment is up to snuff...

 

[Lreip]

DD11 and DH did it a couple of weeks ago together. She LOVED it! They even saw a giant sea turtle swimming in the ocean while they were in the air, and she keeps talking about it. Definitely a life experience so worth the money, imho.

P.S. You'll have to go tandem, as I think they have to be over 13 to go solo.

Tracy if it was the aug 22-25 dream then we were on the same parasailing group as she was. I remember young girl saying she saw sea turtles and my son and I kept looking around for them while up in the air lol. We were the last ones going up so we got dunked before coming back to the boat lol it was a lot of fun

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Arkansan]

I have a height thing so have no desire to parasail, but just want to make sure you check the weather before doing it. 2 girls from our HS were sailed into a hotel and parking lot while on vacation on the Florida Panhandle this summer. Just check the weather.

My DH and children have tried to do this on both of our Disney cruises and have been unable to do it either time due to high winds. The main reason I wanted them to parasail on CC was because I trust Disney with their safety (more than I trust some random person in Cozumel or at Atlantis even).

Disney cancelled all excursions (jet ski, parasail, etc.) on our first cruise. Of course we were disappointed, but then my DH realized how much $$ Disney lost by canceling them. Our 4 people alone was over $300! They could have made thousands of dollars that day, but put guest safety first. Can you imagine the headline: "child on Disney cruse suffers fatal accident at Disney's Private Island"? It was worth it to me to possibly pay more money, but have the assurance of Disney's safe track record.

We'll have to book another cruise to try again. Maybe the third time's the charm!

Have a great cruise!

 

[ultimate_ed]

One recommendation I picked up in another thread regarding parasailing at CC - try to schedule as early a session as you can.

The suggestion was that wind cancellations are more common later in the day. We snagged the first session of the day (9:45?) and had no issues on our trip. There were several brief rain storms later in the day that probably caused later sessions to get canceled.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

My daughter and I booked parasailing on our last cruise in May. We had an early booking. We arrived at our appointment and was all in the boat ready to go. So they took us out to sea and harnessed my daughter and I up first together. We were barely up in the air before they brought us back down. The wires were all tangled and crossed. They spent the next 20-30 minutes trying to uncross wires while the boat rocked back and forth. Everyone in the boat was sea sick and demand to be returned to the island. I went to customer service because the operators in our boat seemed like they had no idea what the hell they were doing. They never did get the wires totally untangled. I did receive a refund of my money, but shortly there later it started to rain and get cloudy so Disney shut it down. I still want to parasail so bad. I would not book the first excursion of the day just because now I wanna see them safely operate it at least once before I step foot in the boat.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Not at all. You land standing up on the back of the boat. You are smoothly pulled in and gently land on your feet. I'm in my 60s and have had one hip replaced and weak knees and I've had no problem with parasailing. I do make sure the harness is even on both sides of my hips before I launch. The take-off is also very smooth. You sit in the harness on the back of the boat with one of the crew holding everything steady while the other drives the boat. As the speed increases the chute opens and gently pulls you up as they play out the line. The view is gorgeous, it's quiet and so peaceful up that high, and you can see forever. Parasailing has become one of my favorite cruise activities.
By the way, that parasailing accident with the high school girls was due to a line that snapped and the chute got away from the boat. Disney is extremely safety conscious and thoroughly inspects their equipment for wear and tear.
Go, relax, have fun. Once you've done it, you'll want to do it again.

they usually dunk you in the water first which slows you up....also- the chute is fully open when you land and they actually need to pull you in...landing is very easy- and i have bad knees that have not been replaced...

Thank you so much! That really puts my mind at ease!

 

[2disneycruzrs]

DH & I have both done it 6 times at CC and love it every time. Always felt safe with each crew, though we did have one windy day that I saw a man lose his glasses. DH has never had an issue with his though I always worry.

I posted on a thread one time to make sure you book early so you can re-book in afternoon in case of AM cxl. This has happened to us twice, and they even didn't charge us one of the times and gave full refund. We usually do a 10 am ride.

One note about dipping - they will ask you (usually) if you want to be dipped, and you can even specify how much.

We also tip the guys $10 each before we harness and usually they give us a good 7 minutes each and let us go solo (they try to make you go tandem if you are a couple). You pay a lot of money to DCL for this but these guys live off tips. They are great about giving me wonderful rides so I can get great ship and island shots. (Used one to create ship/island view photo postcards "wish you were here" that I sent from CC post office.)

Last, we usually bring two cameras. One for the person in air and one for the other or people on the boat. Everyone is great about getting photos and even exchanging emails for sharing.

I have two short videos (not the best quality) on YT - search bluestravelgirl then scroll down. You can see take-off and flight at highest point.

Last tip, do not leave your shoes on the dock which they might tell you. They're likely to end up in the water though they mention to leave them. We bring a tote bag and put them in the bag and store that under the seat. DH lost a flip flop on the dock.

 

[princesspeaony]

Can non-riders tag along on the boat? If so, is there an age limit? DD4 and I would love to watch DS and dad, but unsure if that's allowed?

 

[MizDisney513]

Glad to hear about all the positive experiences. I'm going in a month with my sister. I'm terrified of heights as well, but parasailing is on my bucket list. I can brave roller coasters, so I figure I can suck it up for this!

 

[tajz90]

Glad to hear about all the positive experiences. I'm going in a month with my sister. I'm terrified of heights as well, but parasailing is on my bucket list. I can brave roller coasters, so I figure I can suck it up for this!

Much more tame than a roller coaster. You will be fine

 

[Bear3412]

Can non-riders tag along on the boat? If so, is there an age limit? DD4 and I would love to watch DS and dad, but unsure if that's allowed?

No one who doesn't pay for the excursion can go on the boat. I've heard of pax paying and not riding the parasail, but taking pics/video/watching.
The age requirement is 8 y/o for this excursion, so, unfortunately it is a no go for your 4 y/o DD.

 

[princesspeaony]

Thanks!

 

[KathleenlovesMickey]

I have a fear of heights too but went parasailing at CC and loved it!!! I would do it again for sure. I also felt that it was safer having Disney behind it. The pictures I got were great too. I loved it so much I did it again at the Contemporary. I enjoyed the views but would not do that one again because the boat has to make tighter turns the rope doesn't stay tight and you drop a bit! I wasn't expecting that and freaked a bit. I would definitely recommend it at CC.

 

[meggielove]

If my husband takes out two girls, will one of them have to go solo? They will be 10 and 13. Is there a weight limit. My husband is 6'6 and 220. My oldest is 115. Did I read there is a 300 pound limit.? I think even youngest and dad would be over 300.

 

[Bear3412]

Maximum weigh 375#.
Depending on the group, I've heard, they may allow DH to go tandem with each child. Or one of the children will go with a stranger. It's really difficult to predict. Its up to the crew onboard. I know we wouldn't make any declarations to the kids who they will sail with, unless that will help. Onboard they work out the order/pairing.
If DD has to go solo, I don't see why DH or the other DD could go with.


http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/shore-excursions/castaway-cay/parasailing/

HTH

 

[MizDisney513]

Just to clarify I've read responses right: When you're up in the air, you can bring your camera up with you? I'd love to get pictures from that height!

 

[Bear3412]

Just to clarify I've read responses right: When you're up in the air, you can bring your camera up with you? I'd love to get pictures from that height!

Of course. You may want to bring a waterproof one, or a waterproof bag, both with a good strap.

Fwiw these excursions get cancelled all the time for wind and sea state.
Just be prepared, especially with kids.

 

[ALMinVA]

I did not parasail at CC but did parasail with a friend at Royal Caribbean's private island Coco Quay. We both were afraid of heights but were celebrating her 50th birthday and decided we were without spouses and children and were just going to go for it.
We LOVED it. I screamed on the way up - which was quick! They harness you in, and you sit on the back deck of the boat. You are sitting one minute and away you go the next. I couldnt believe how hight we went but it was such a gorgeous day and seeing the island and the boat from that view point was just incredible. We both practiced holding on with just one hand and kicking our legs to see if the next time we would be brave enough to bring a camera up.
I think my 12 year old daughter would really enjoy this.
I do remember thinking - wow, we are up here a LONG time, but really it was just about 7 minutes or so.
We were brought down, and our feet were dunked in the water and then we were brought back up which was very exciting to us girls.
And afterwards, we landed right back where we started.
AWESOME.