Snorkeling in Castaway Cay

[poag]

I noticed that renting snorkel equpment at castaway cay is $25 and it might be better to just buy the equipment ahead of time. Do they require rentals to go to their snorkel areas? If not, do you need to buy a life jacket to snorkel or would they just lend you one free of charge?

 

[WDWLVR]

By all means bring your own! They only thing they require you to have is a life vest (everyone in the snorkel area must have one) but they are free. We bring our own snorkel and mask and you can rent fins only for I think $9 if you don't want to carry your own.

 

[Matthewsmom]

I just received my snorkeling equipment which I orderd from Dicks Sports. It cost the same as renting it at CC. This way, we now have our own equipment and can snorkel anywhere we want!! I had read that the vest were free so I didn't order them. Check out buying. It seems like the way to go.

 

[Little Twin Stars]

I still have the following question unanswered, anyone please?


Can we rent the snorkeling equipment and bicycle right at the beach? If yes, how do we pay?

Or we must reserve that in advance before we go or on the Ship?

 

[dtheboys]

Ok,
Here it goes....
I felt ripped off at $25.00 to snorkel at Castaway.
I've seen better fish in an aqarium. The water was dull, and the sunken items was quirky at best.
Sorry, but I feel Disney could do a better job in the snorkel area.
I felt that I was overcharged for what I got!
I'm using my $25.00 and snorkeling in GC, or Cozumel.
I know that I'll get bashed, but that's my little opinion of Castaway.
PS...The island is beautiful!!!! That was my ONLY complaint!!!!

 

[hayesktrm]

Matthewsmom, I looked on dicksportinggoods.com and saw the snorkeling equipment (thanks for the info). Can you tell me which ones you purchased? Or if anyone else has this specific information, I would appreciate it. There were some really expensive ones and some cheaper ones. The kids will only use these on this cruise and probably at the pool at home.

Thanks!

 

[Jennigator3]

I suggest you get a snorkle set that has a mouthpiece with a one-way valve. this will prevent any water from getting into the mouthpiece when you dive under the water for a closer look at the fish. I believe the snorkle equipment at castaway cay still has the mouthpieces with the open tops.

Jenni

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

hayesktrm, not sure how soon you're going but if you have a Sam's Club near you, check there for snorkeling equip as well. They carried Body Glove last year, adult and junior, with the Desert Dry (one-way valve) tops. Ours are wonderful. DD3, got comfortable with hers in the pool before we cruised and looked like a pro when we were in Grand Cayman.

 

[kcashner]

You can rent the snorkel equipment, floats, and bicycles at the beach on Castaway, or you can reserve them ahead of time. Either way, you pay with your KTTW card/account. There is a package that includes all 3 and saves a little money. However, we also bring our own snorkel equipment. The cost of one rental just about covers the cost of the equipment.

There is no guarantee that they will have the size/type bike you want, even if you reserve it in advance. They usually have a good selection, but on one cruise they didn't have anything left, and we lost what we had paid for the bikes! Didn't like that one, but didn't fuss about it.

So...by bringing our own snorkel equipment, we can go over to the bike area and see whether they can outfit us before we plunk down the KTTW card.

 

[Little Twin Stars]

Originally posted by kcashner
You can rent the snorkel equipment, floats, and bicycles at the beach on Castaway, or you can reserve them ahead of time. Either way, you pay with your KTTW card/account.

Thans Kcashner. I have been waitiing for someone to help me for this question for a long time and finally you came to my rescue again

 

[lotsofboys]

If you have a Costco, they have US Divers snorkel sets for kids and adults that include fins and a carrying case. We bought ours for our first cruise in 2002 and used them again last week. Definitely a better deal to buy instead of renting.

 

[minniemoms]

I didn't sign up for it before hand because I wasn't sure I would want to snorkle. I have only snorkeled in a swimming pool. However when I got there, I couldn't stand it , I Had to go. So I went right up and got my stuff. There were many lines for the pre-registered guest, but only 1 line for those just walking up. But I just walked right up. No line at all. I did enjoy it. I went first thing in the morning, because I had heard it gets murky. So there weren't many out there, but I had an underwater disposable camera strapped to my arm, and took lots of pictures. They turned out very well. Since I have never snorkeled before, I can't compare the water or the fish, but I am very glad I did it. I went way out past the sunken Mickey and the ship wreck. WE saw a nurse shark or so the person next to me told me. That scared me half to death, but she swam down to it, to find out which kind it was NO thank you But I took pictures. So rent it if you want, but you don't need to sign up ahead of time. I didn't have enough room in my luggage to bring my own.

 

[Little Twin Stars]

Originally posted by minniemoms
WE saw a nurse shark or so the person next to me told me. That scared me half to death.

Thanks for sharing your experience. For sure I am going to rent that right at the beach.

We have checked with Costco but did not see any snorkel equipment. Perhaps we should try again this weekend.

By the way, where did you see the shark?

Hope that it was not at the snorkeling trail for beginners because the water should be shallow and more importantly that's where we will try snorrkeling at.

 

[SeaDog]

In a word... dismal. It's an artificially created environment... would probably suit a beginner but for my money I would do my snorkling elsewhere...

 

[SweetSpot]

The do supply the vests (the type you blow up) and they are required if you go in the water in the snorkeling area. My 8yr old DD got out of our sight and when I was desperately trying to find her a CM was determined to get that vest on me. (They have an excellent system for finding lost kids btw)

I have to agree that the snorkeling isn't amazing at Castaway Cay. I had never snorkeled before that cruise but after spending a day at Coki Beach and snorkeling with all those amazing different fish I found the snorkeling at Castaway Cay a big waste of time. It is murky and crowded (even early) and at the time we were there fish were few and far between. I'm sure that isn't always the case but I don't think I'd ever bring the equipment along if only for Castaway Cay again.

 

[jrabbit]

Yes, the view when snorkeling at CC is not the best. It's nothing like natural reefs that have grown up over the centuries!! THere obviously was not any reefs there when they leased the Island. By the time the lease is up (in about 90 years) the artificial reefs they are trying to build (with the aid of Sea World) may start looking good and being home to a lot of critters. If nothing else this is a good science experiement in attempting to create a reef.

Since this is the real, open ocean, Disney can't control the fish / sea critters from comming and going as they please (they do have nets up out at the break water to keep larger critters out of the bay). Once while we were snorkeling, another group came along with some crackers in a zip lock bag and started spreading them around and you would not believe how many fish showed up for that feeding. It was pretty cool. Oh yeah, and I don't recommend doing that (feeding the fish), human food isn't too good for the fish.

 

[abitjaded]

If you swim out far enough, the water will not be murky, as long as the waves have not stirred things up. We have dived and snorkeled many places over the years. What most say here is true. CC is pretty poor compared to St Thomas, St John, St Maarten or Cozumel, Cayman or the reefs off Mexico.

That said, if you have your own good gear, you can snorkel anywhere and for the amount of time you want. It is worth it to follow the bouy trails at CC. Your kids may get a kick out of it. There is a sunken Mickey and even one of the boats from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride. Don't just go looking for the most fantastic variety of fish or coral. Take the time to hover over the sunken junk at CC. Don't just swim as fast as you can. Stay a bit. Watch the fish. Their behavior is fascinating. We once watched small schools mob a spotted eel as he moved from amphora to amphora. If you take time and look closely you may be surprised how many fish there are. Some of the smaller ones are beautiful and fun to watch. Figure out which travel in schools and which have a pair relationship (check out the little Golden Tangs). DCL is doing a good job of creating an environment.

We don't miss any opportunities to snorkel. Our gear goes with us always. It really can be a lifetime hobby. We have some friends who have spent their life studying just a few pairs of fish off the coast of Hawai'i. They often see something new. You may, too.

Carla

 

[hayesktrm]

We just got back from Costco and bought to snorkel sets for the kids. My DS is only 11, but he wears a men's size 10 1/2. I thought DH and my DS could share a set. I'll go out with both kids (I'll just rent mine). DH doesn't really swim so he won't use it much. We got one junior for DD and one adult for DS. The junior was $25.99 and the adult was $37.99. They are both very excited and want to try them out in the bath tonight They were made by US Diver (I believe). Hopefully, I did okay. It looks like a good set. They were in the seasonal section in the middle of the store. Snorkelers out there, any tips. I think someone said you are supposed to suck nose in the get a good seal. Is that correct? Also, does anyone know if you can snorkel at Cable Beach in Nassau?