poly water mice

[spectromagicmom]

Hi! I am a newcomer here and I would like some info on the water sports at the Poly.Have you done the watermice,pontoon or sailboats?What advice or information can you give me.
Thank you so much.

 

[giants77]

We rented water mice a few times. they are pretty cheap..like 21bucks for a half hour..which isnt bad. you can take 2 people on the boat..however if they are 2 adults i suggest you get 2 seperate boats..if the boats have 2 adults they are weighed down and dont go too fast. it is a really good time and alot of fun seeing different sights

Me

 

[alohaguy]

Pontoons are great if you have more people, or if you just want to stick together. In a half hour you can make it all the way past the Contemporary and back with time to spare. Very relaxing.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

If you have AAA you get a discount on the boats. On our last trip DBF and I took out a watermouse and drove head on into a wave caused by the wake of a larger boat, we took on so much water I thought we were going to drown!! Ok maybe not drown but there for a few seconds I thought we might end up swimming in the seven seas lagoon We just ended up getting soaked. Like giants77 said we would recommend 2 boats for 2 adults if you want to go fast

 

[disneyfan62]

Hi we just got back from WL and we did the Captains package which was 4 hours of riding, we did the watermice and pontoon boats and ran around $130. The kids enjoyed the watermice which DH and I took a long cruise around the Seven Seas Lagoon, it was so relaxing....you can also go with the Family unlimited package it runs around $265 for the family. Enjoy oh no discounts on the family packages as they are already discounted.

 

[gigi1313]

talked to dh about boat rentals while we are in wdw last night and given that we've got eleven days (our longest trip yet!) he thinks it's a great idea... but he had some questions... me too!

can you reserve the boats in advance? (i called wdwtc and 407-wdw-play and they did not know!) if so, how far in advance? i'd hate to pay for family plan and then never get a boat when we want one!

can you return the boats to a different marina than where you rented? (we think it sounds like a great way to go resort hopping!) for example, pick it up at POR and return it to the poly when we go to 'ohana for breakfast? (assuming that the waterways from one place connect to the other... do they?)

can we get a map of the water ways and what's where? dh has captained a boat before and would love a map to navigate by!

also, if you have an unlimited plan, do you have to check back in at the marina every 30 mins or can you go for an hour or two?

thanks to anyone who know the answer to these questions 'cause it seems that no one at wdw does!

 

[tink_n_pooh]

gigi1313, I'm not sure I know the answers to all of your questions but I'll give it a shot. I seem to remember that you could reserve the larger boats (not the watermice) by pressing the recreation button (activities maybe?) on the resort phone. When we stayed at the poly we used that button to ask questions about the marina.

You must return your boat to the same marina which you rent it from. I don't think you could possibly go from POR to Poly, I don't think the waterways are connected.

When you go to the marina desk the will give you (or at least show you) a map of the water. There are certain areas you may not go in, no wake areas, etc.

And I would think you could take the larger boats out for an hour or two with no problem. We always just rented a watermouse for 30 minutes and it seemed long enough. It all depends how much you like boating.

 

[PixieDust742]

*No, you cannot reserve the boats. They are rented on a first come, first served basis. However, if you rent from the larger marinas (Contemporary, Grand, Polynesian), they have many boats so you wouldn't likely have to wait a long time for one to return.

*The waterways do not connect, the only exception being Bay Lake (by the Contemporary) and Seven Seas Lagoon (by the Poly). And yes, you must return your boat to the marina of orgin (not enough space to keep other boats, imagine if everyone did it!)

*For many of the waterways you can ask to see a map at the rental window, but to be honest you really don't need one as most of the waterways are big circles and make it difficult to get lost. In any case, I don't know if they have any you can take with you.

*As far as checking back in if you have the Captain's or Family plan, it really depends on how busy the Marina is. If they are very busy, they may ask you to check back in as there will be many other guests waiting to go out too. However, if it is not a busy time, you should be fine staying out for awhile.

Enjoy!

 

[michelec69]

After all the research i have done - I have not come across anything on the water rentals - is there a link out there that has more details?
Thanks

 

[mlwear]

What is the age minimum for the water mice? What if riding with an adult?

 

[gigi1313]

*No, you cannot reserve the boats. They are rented on a first come, first served basis. However, if you rent from the larger marinas (Contemporary, Grand, Polynesian), they have many boats so you wouldn't likely have to wait a long time for one to return.

can't reserve any boats? not even pontoons (which a pp said you could)

*The waterways do not connect, the only exception being Bay Lake (by the Contemporary) and Seven Seas Lagoon (by the Poly). And yes, you must return your boat to the marina of orgin (not enough space to keep other boats, imagine if everyone did it!)

i was thinking it would be like rental cars, they typically "even out"... but you can "park" your boat at other marinas (i.e. downtown disney from POR)?

*For many of the waterways you can ask to see a map at the rental window, but to be honest you really don't need one as most of the waterways are big circles and make it difficult to get lost. In any case, I don't know if they have any you can take with you.

i just like to know what i am looking at!

*As far as checking back in if you have the Captain's or Family plan, it really depends on how busy the Marina is. If they are very busy, they may ask you to check back in as there will be many other guests waiting to go out too. However, if it is not a busy time, you should be fine staying out for awhile.

Enjoy!

THANKS

 

[TheNerdyMinnie]

We rented a pontoon boat once. It's nice if there are a few people. there were four of us. My only complaint is that it's a pretty slow ride As for the mice....definitely try them out. Df and I each rode on our own and it was tons of fun!

 

[MINNIEBOWSER]

I would like to rent one of the water mice in October from the Poly. I want to go with just me and my son. The only problem is that he is only 13 but he is about 5'10" and so am I. Will we be squished in one boat? I do not think he can drive his own because he does not have a licence. That is the way it works, right? And will it be REALLY slow with both of us on one? We are a combined weight of 310 lbs.

 

[eeyoresmountainpals]

MINNIEBOWSER ~ According to "Birnbaum's 2005 Official Guide:"

"Guests must be at least 12 years old and 5 feet tall to rent Sea Raycer boats. Children under the minimum age and height may ride as passengers but they are not allowed to drive the boat."

Hopefully, that has not changed. We went last October just after our one son turned 12 and he had a great time driving by himself!


disneyfan62 ~ Do you know where I can get more info and prices for the plans that you mentioned? I've never heard of them before. Is it something that we can take care of there or do we need to add it to our package before arrival???

 

[southjerseymom]

Definately go for the watermouse! Did that on Bay Lake with DS4 in November and had a blast. Went by our "old" hotel - WL - around the Lake 2 or 3x and checked out MK from the water. What Fun! He still talks about it! Did the Whaler at BC this May. Nice boat - but slow! The engine on these things are tiny! Go for the watermouse - it is a Great time!!

 

[PixieDust742]

Eeyore:
Yes, it has changed. At the resorts on Bay Lake/Seven Seas Lagoon (Contemporary, Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and Grand Floridian) , in addition to being 12 years old and 5 feet tall, there also must be someone with a valid driver's license in the boat. This new rule is due to the increasing number of accidents they have had.

These plans can not be added on beforehand. You will need to talk to your resort's marina, or the marina of your choice when you arrive in order to sign up.


Minnie:
Unfortunately, the weight limit is 320 lbs, so you and your son will go VERY slow together. Though the boats at Downtown Disney, Coronado Springs, etc are slower, he could drive one himself and may end up going faster than if the two of you went in one boat together.


And sorry everyone, no reservations!

 

[gigi1313]

combined weight is 320lbs? then my family will not be able to rent water mice at all... this stinks!! both of my kids are big, in excess of 100lbs (just over but still, dd10 is over 5 foot too!) and dh and i are pooh sized, w/him coming in not too far under the 300 mark... so the kids are not eligible to drive themselves (which is a good thing LOL) but cannot ride w/either of us 'cause we'll max out the weight limit... oh, man, this realllllly bums me out... (i wanna call it weight discrimination!)... i guess we can still enjoy a pontoon boat ride... or maybe a boston whaler from another resort marina?

 

[alohaguy]

gigi1313 -

Boston Whalers can be rented from the Polynesian marina - in fact, many of these boats are new, including pontoons and Whalers with canopies.

Have fun.

 

[eeyoresmountainpals]

PixieDust742 ~ Thanks for the info. Actually when we were there last October our son had just turned 12 and he did have to have a licensed adult with him. (I had forgotten that last night when I posted but he reminded me this morning!) He still had a blast, though!

I will be looking into those plans when we get there! Thanks for that info, too. I never knew they had plans like that available!