Please dont laugh...but the snorkel cheapo stuff at target...

[cpdrn7]

will that work at castaway for snorkeling? I dont think we will invest more than a few minutes with it with the kids...I know they will give us a free life vest but wondering if we can just go that route ...

 

[hortontrio]

OHHH no laughing here!!! WE bought a $10 set that included fins, mask and snorkel at Kmart!!!! and PROUD of it!!! its bulky to carry on, but all we did was go and ask for a life vest and they handed it right to us, my husband ordered a RX mask so he could "see" haha~~ and i bought a set for me to take to CC. Im ALLL for it!!!! it will work PERFECTLY, we just got off the Dream on Thursday!!~~~

 

[CruisingTide]

We purchased 4 complete sets from Sam's and nearly went blind from the salt in our eyes which wouldn't have mattered since we nearly drowned. The snorkels were great, but the silicon masks were beyond pathetic.

 

[Wadekind]

We purchased 4 complete sets from Sam's and nearly went blind from the salt in our eyes which wouldn't have mattered since we nearly drowned. The snorkels were great, but the silicon masks were beyond pathetic.

Us too but from walmart

 

[Cheryl726]

My son used a set I bought at CVS last year, but only for the goggles. Well it all came in handy last month, and it worked fine!

 

[tiggrbaby]

Don't know if they will let you use it there, but we always bring our own snorkel and mask with an inflatable noodle for buoyancy when we travel somewhere they have snorkeling.

 

[FriendOfFanatic]

I bought 4 sets (at different times) from Amazon, and they have been great. They were masks, snorkels and fins. The good thing about the snorkels is they are semi-dry, meaning that they close off when you go under the water. This means I do not have to blow all the water out before I surface and breathe. I think it was about $50 for the whole set. I would not recommend the cheaper sets. I have used mine for 4 trips now and I have saved the cost by not having to rent. I would recommend looking into amazon, joediveramerica.com for a inexpensive but higher quality set.

 

[jordgubben]

No laughing at all. I think tht's an outstanding idea, especially if you only think the kids are going to use it for a few minutes.

 

[marshmellow86]

No laughing here either.

We also bring our own. One of our suitcases we take is designated as CC suitcase. It only contains snorkel gear and sand toys. When we get on the ship, we roll it under the bed until CC day. then we roll it off the ship and to the island. end of day, throw the stuff back in the suitcase and roll it back to the ship and back under the bed until the last night when it comes out to go to the porter. Works Great!

I know that they clean the snorkel gear they rent, but I still have issues with the mouthpieces, that I have no idea where they have been, going in my mouth. . . .

They have no issue with you using your own gear, as long as you wear a snorkel vest, which they provide at no cost at any life guard station.

The last time my youngest wanted to go snorkeling. She lasted maybe 2 mins. Glad I didn't spend all that money on renting gear for 2 mins. (She loves using the fins in the pool at home)

 

[lpandorf]

Thanks exactly what we did - sets from Target. I was really happy we brought our own just for the convenience factor. It was nice to have them in our beach bag and not have to go stand in line to rent them and return them. Plus, my kids enjoy playing with them in the nieghbors pools now that we are home so I spent the same or less than I would have on a rental and they are having some fun with them after. My kids are 7 and 11 and they thought the Target sets were great at CC.

 

[ludari]

I'm a seasoned scuba diver and I continually upgrade some of my equipment every few years plus it never hurts to have spares. In any event, The gear you purchased will do just fine. With kids I completely understand why you would purchase less expensive snorkeling gear. For one your kids will grow out of it fast and two if you lose it so what. Have a great time as Castaway Cay.

 

[belkisima]

When we went in May we stopped at Target on our way to the port and got the kids snorkles/fins and they were fine for CC. Much cheaper and now they have sets they can take everytime we cruise. You can just get the lifejackets on the island when you get there.

 

[pearljammer]

We're planning on doing the same thing. My husband has equipment but we found me some for the same price it would cost me to rent twice there at CC (we have two more cruises planned so it's paid for itself already). I'm getting my son a set on Amazon as well and it's around $42. We figure he'll get about 2 years out of it. We looked at cheaper at Wal Mart but our concern is if he has a bad experience the first time then he may be leary the next (although he's like a fish out of water). So sister I'm not laughing at all, I'm right there with you. By the way, we're shopping for the dry snorkle to keep water out!

 

[Dismom1025]

I have to be honest, we bought snorkel gear for DD 8 & DS 5 at Target before we went on the Dream in May & the flippers were crap. They were not soft rubber like the ones me & DH rented at CC & they left monster blisters on our children's feet! Rubbed their skin raw! And that water is super salty & burned on the open wound. The mask & snorkel were fine, but I would invest in high quality fins. Hope this helps

 

[Michele325]

We did this one time. The kids weren't crazy about snorkling in the salt water, so we haven't bothered to bring them back again. We did use them in the pool ahead of time to see how they worked, and the kids still use them in the pool from time to time.

 

[sbl56]

Now is the time to look for snokel equipment, with the summer mark downs. Also the drugstores CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid have alot of mark downs.

 

[templed]

I think that Target had some nice snorkling kits for like $20 when I was in there.... They were U.S. Diver sets... I'm sure that they would do the trick.

I'm trying to find some smaller fins for my next cruise as the ones that I have are pretty bulky and I saw some of those U.S. diver sets as a possible mix and match for me...

 

[pearljammer]

I think that Target had some nice snorkling kits for like $20 when I was in there.... They were U.S. Diver sets... I'm sure that they would do the trick.

I'm trying to find some smaller fins for my next cruise as the ones that I have are pretty bulky and I saw some of those U.S. diver sets as a possible mix and match for me...

FYI - I believe you can find some and they may be called "travel" fins or something like that. They aren't as long as those used by divers so to speak. Cessi is another reasonable brand although I believe the set I'm looking at in particular is US Divers (read reviews - that's very helpful).

 

[templed]

Thank you for the advice. I saw a pair in Bass pro shops that seemed reasonable... I have a whole 360 days to get em... so... I'm not in any hurry .... (yet)