Question About Boat and Bike Plan

[DVCDAVE]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but I wanted to know something about the bike and boat plan available for $199. If you check out a bike, do you have to return it to the bike barn before 5PM, ? or can you keep it locked up somewhere to do an early morning trek ?

Some details about ths plan would be apprectiated

 

[Granny]

When you check out a bike or boat, they want you to keep it for only an hour. After the hour is up, you return to the rental place and see if anyone is waiting for a bike/boat. If not, you take it out for another hour if you'd like.

The intention is not to let you "keep" the bike for the time you're there...it's to allow you to rent it in an unlimited fashion while you're there.

The hourly return is a courtesy to other resort guests so a bunch of people don't monopolize all the bikes and boats.

BTW...we never had a problem getting a bike or boat, and we never had a problem keeping them for as long as we liked after bringing them back for the one hour check.

You cannot keep the bike overnight.

And if memory serves me, the bikes open for rental at 9:00 a.m., and the boats at 10:00 a.m. So you can't do those real early morning treks with rental equipment.

 

[jcanary]

DVCDAVE,
This is a great plan if you are getting it. I do not know where you will be signing up for this, just remember you can only use this at the resort marina that you sign up at. We stayed at BCV but signed up at WL. It was great. The time limit depends upon the person working the sign out sheet. We were told no problem if we stayed out over an hour. We used mostly the mouse boats and pontoon boats. With the mice boats, the kids would swing by the dock and they were usually waved back out. There was once or twice where they had to bring the boat back in and get a new slip, never knew why. We were there for 10 days and had all 5 slots filled with our names and we really got our money worth. I did not like the small boats but hubby, daughter and her 3 16 year old friends loved them. They were used every day for about 2-4 hours each day. While they were out on the boats i enjoyed the pool at WL and the frozen drinks while reading my book. Loved it. Will do it everytime we are there now.

 

[DVCDAVE]

Thanks for your answers and input.

We'll be staying in March at VWL, and my wife and I were just discussing our plans which included the "Bike and Boat Plan", which we are planning to do. We just didn't know what restrictions they have on the use of the bikes. An early morning trek over to Trails End Buffet in the morning, or an evening over to the FW Campfire Program sounded exciting....but it doesn't sound feasible.

I never used the Pontoon Boats, do you take them out alone ? or does a CM accompany you ?

 

[Granny]

You can take any of the boats out alone. No experience necessary!! Just some common sense.

The water mice can be piloted by anyone over the age of 12 and at least 5' tall.

It's a great plan. It would be nice if they had an option to let you keep the bikes overnight, as there were some mornings we would have loved to go out early on the bikes.

 

[DVCDAVE]

Thanks for all the answers !! I appreciate it !

 

[Stimpy]

Is this available only to DVC members or anyone staying at the resorts? TIA

 

[rphjr]

How do you sign up for the plan and can you be staying at another resort. I'm staying at OKW at christmas time and my sons are old enough now that the theme parks all week are getting old to them. This sounds like a great plan. Is the $199 for a week, or your entire length of stay? Is there a place on the web to get more info on this

 

[Grumpy37]

The most important thing to know if you happen to be a boating novice is that coming to a complete stop on the water means you've also lost your ability to navigate (turn) out of the way of someone else.

I see this with Jet Skis a lot.

 

[DVCDAVE]

GRUMPY37; I'm not at all worried about the pontoon boats. My wife and I own a 1999 37 foot express cruiser. We use it as our "moving, waterfront, summer home"

 

[SheriB]

Is this plan also available at BC/YC and BW? The boats are on the BC/YC side, but the bikes are on the BW side. Anyone know?

Thanks
Sheri

 

[Grumpy37]

Sorry DVCDave, not directed at you. I should've quoted Granny when she said no experience required.

My bad.

 

[lat]

We will be staying at Poly for 10 nights for Xmas/New Year time. DH really wants to do the plan especially since we have 8 adults and 5 children all together.

What is the exact rule? From reading the above, is the following correct:

You can have 5 adults signed up and only these people can take out the bikes and boats.

You can take out those bigger boats also besides the watermouse.

The bikes are those surreal (sp?) bikes? At Poly, these are the only ones I saw. However, where can you ride these to? around the resort and to GF?

Thanks for any input anyone can provide!!!

 

[WDWguru]

Originally posted by Grumpy37
...Granny when she said...

Granny's a guy (check his tag and sig line)...

 

[Granny]

Sorry DVCDave, not directed at you. I should've quoted Granny when she said no experience required.

In no way did I mean to suggest that someone should be driving a boat if they don't know what they're doing. I'm just pointing out that they don't require any experience level before they let you take out a boat.

In fact, Bay Lake got a little hairy from time to time with all the kids motoring around with the water mice. And Disney is VERY serious about water safety and has patrol boats out all the time to look for inappropriate behavior. If two boats touch, no matter how slowly, they'll toss you off the lake for the day.

What is the exact rule? From reading the above, is the following correct:

You can have 5 adults signed up and only these people can take out the bikes and boats.

You can take out those bigger boats also besides the watermouse.

The bikes are those surreal (sp?) bikes? At Poly, these are the only ones I saw. However, where can you ride these to? around the resort and to GF?

Yes, five people signed up...not adults necessarily, they count kids too. And only those can take out the bikes and boats in an unlimited fashion.

Yes, you can take out the pontoon boats also as well as the canopy boats.

The bikes are regular bikes...the surrey bikes are not part of the plan. The bikes come in small and regular sizes, and are straight pedal with handbrake...no gears.

Is the $199 for a week, or your entire length of stay?

It is a length of stay plan....we had 9 days on our last stay.

 

[lat]

Granny, thanks for the clarification. I have never seen anyone riding a regular bike around Poly though. Where do they go?

 

[Granny]

I'm not familiar with the Poly...so I don't know if they offer the Bike & Boat plan there...sorry, I missed that part of your post. I know I saw a lot of water mice coming out of the Poly and GF docks, but you're right...I don't know where you'd ride a bike there.

All the information I posted was from my stay at VWL and the plan there.

 

[DVCDAVE]

GRUMPY37;

Not to worry, your comment was just that....., a comment. I didn't take it as an attack.

 

[DVCDAVE]

GRUMPY37;

Not to worry, your comment was just that....., a comment. I didn't take it as an attack.

 

[DVCDAVE]

OOOPPPPPSSS !!! How did that happen ?!