Snorkling gear

[kimkatmom]

Does the ship provide you with snokling gear? I would rather not pack my own.

 

[dclwdwlover]

On Castaway Cay there is a hut that you rent them from as soon as you get to the beaches. You can pay for this at the Excursion desk in the ship's lobby before getting off the ship. You get fins, snorkel, mask and vest.

You can also rent prior to sailing (60 days prior) by utilizing one of their packages. There are several & we usually do the all day use package (CC Getaway Pkg) that also includes a float & 1-hr. bike rental.

 

[scyruslee]

Yes, you can rent snorkeling gear at Castaway Cay, but it's very pricey. It's $25 / adult and $10 / child. I just went to Wal-Mart and picked up a mask, snorkeling gear, and fins in a bundle for about $20, and it's my personal gear. We didn't have that big of a problem stowing them in our room or in our transportation to and from the port - just use the "bag inside of bag" technique - happy sailing!!!

 

[hydster]

If it were me (and it will be in 3 weeks) I would most definitely take your own mask and snorkel. That way you know it fits your face and doesnt leak and you KNOW who's mouth has been on the snorkel. I'm sure Disney sanitizes them really well but when we've done excursions on other islands before we became divers the sanitation of the mouth part of the snorkel was a quick dip in sea water and a quick dip in a bucket of fresh water. It was also really gross to feel bite marks from other people's teeth in the mouthpiece! A mask and snorkel don't take up much room and we are taking all 5 of ours with us..we just put them in between our clothes.

JMO
Heidi

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

I didn't see anything about renting snorkel gear PRIOR to CC, so if you want to snorkel on Cayman or Cozumel (which are two of the best snorlkeling places in the Caribbean, if not the world) you should bring your own. We did and were so happy about it. it really wasn't that big of a pain. Definitely worth it.

 

[traycie2201]

If you're going to chanaakab ? on your own it will cost you $10 to get in and around $5 for snorkel /mask hire, if you'll be doing a few swims you'd be best taking your own.

Trayciw

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I always take my own gear.

It only takes a little creative packing to include it. (The odd shape of the fins is the only difficulty).

 

[MarkRG]

We pack out own too. But there are reasons.

I have a mustache. The rental ones will leak with facial hair. They may even leak without facial hair. A good mask should be fitted to your face. My mask also has a valve in the bottom of it so if anything does leak in one exhale and it's gone. No sufacing to pour it out.

My DW has a prescription mask. No, it was not cheap, but has been worth every penny. She also doesn't wear contacts, so this was the only option for her.

I would also comment on both our masks they have a much wider field of vision than anything I've seen to rent. No impression of looking thru a tunnel.

The snorkel. I will never again use an ocean drinking straw. Which is all an open snorkel is. We bought these. click HERE This type will close completely off if you submerge it. No ocean water getting in. They too have a valve at the bottom so if you do get any in, which can happen around the mouthpiece, you can push it right back out. They are also so much more comfortable to wear than the rigid type ones.

They also have a treatment you can apply to the inside of the mask and it will not fog up under just about any circumstance. This is an incredible thing. I was completely frustrated by fog the first time I tried to snorkle with the rental stuff.

All of the above we bought from a local dive shop. If you intend to snorkle more than once, it is very much worth it to get your own gear.

As for fins, well, we dont own any. Everyplace we have been will rent just fins alone for a reduced price, and to us it's worth it to just rent them instead of dealing with packing/schlepping them.

 

[prymsu]

we almost always take all of our own stuff because we snorkel so much. If we don't have room for the fins, then we sometimes leave those home and rent buy always take our own masks and snorkel tubes, especially because my mask has prescription lenses in them.

 

[sklimuck]

We plan on just taking masks and leaving fins at home, also. They are what take all the room.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

How necessary are fins?

We have our own masks and snorkels, and have never used fins previously.

Do they really make the experience better/easier?

See - if I were a mermaid, I wouldn't need to ask this question!

 

[rjones69]

that is my questions as well. Do you have to wear fins?

 

[prymsu]

well you could try without the fins, but it just doesn't work as well and you will get pooped quickly.

 

[scyruslee]

When snorkeling at Castaway Cay (which is a rather spacious place to snorkel), using fins gets very exhausting and caused aches in my ankles from all of the swimming I did. Although that happened, I think I was rather glad I DID use them because of the large area of space there is there. I believe I would have been much more exhausted not using them. -BTW, it doesn't take much swimming to see stuff out there, but the further you go, the more fish you'll see because of the mass comotion closest to the beach. Check out this map for a better idea of what you'll be swimming. Also, try to find the "hidden" Mickey statue . Happy snorkeling!