what if you cant swim?.

[cruisecrasher]

My four and six year old (then three and five) learned to swim at our Y during the six months prior to their first cruise.
No time like the present!

 

[insureman]

Absolutely.


If you don't do that, don't let your kids get in the water, especially the ocean. What a recipe for utter disaster and heartbreak.





Regarding sharks.....
Here's a sign that's on Castaway Cay.

Wow, there's ocean life in the ocean? That's how Disney legal put it's stamp on Castaway Cay

 

[juliamarshall001]

Enroll them in swimming school maybe they enjoy learning swim in group lessons with other mates, I did the same with my 2 years old later he started going happily to Pengu Swim School and has made many friends.

 

[hardis5]

IMHO I would not let my children participate in an ocean or deep water activity unless they were capable and confident swimmers. I think lessons critical to kids/youth/adults developing skills around water and gaining confidence to know how to react to situations involving water. Even with a life-jacket, someone not having confidence around water fall into deep or unknown to them waters could easily panic.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

The family beach on CC has a predator net. However, SB doesn't and I can assure you there are sharks. Last cruise we were lying on the beach when I saw a dark shadow moving pretty quickly through the water. After a while the shark turned and swam back the other way. By this time a small crowd of people had formed along with a couple of CMs who were pointing at it so I walked down with my camera and caught a good glimpse of it through my lens. It didn't look that big, maybe 3 or 4 feet. It wouldn't keep me from swimming at SB in the future though, I haven't ever heard of a shark attack at CC.

We rented a cabana on the family side. Are the family Cabanas included in the shark net area? I know it’s closer to serenity bay so I was just curious. We are cabana 20 if that helps.

 

[smiths02]

My younger children can't swim really (5 years old). My 12 year old can swim, but he isn't a strong swimmer (we've tried several times). We didn't really swim. I did ride the Aqua Duck with my younger son. All my kids did the kid water slide on the ship (it lets out into just a puddle of water, not a pool). Younger kids did the splash area on the ship. We stayed on the ship in Nassau. Castaway Cay days the older one did a fishing excursion (wearing a life jacket). I did the stingray excursion with my 5 year old. The water isn't deep, he wore a life jacket, and I just held onto him the entire time. (The area is roped off and not deep. I could stand most of the time. I could even use my snorkel while pretty much standing. I don't think a shark would get into that area easily unnoticed). We did walk into the water for a second to feel the ocean, but no swimming. On the other CC day, we walked around the island, had lunch, met characters, etc. So anyhow, we either did other things or we had one strong swimming adult with one child and the child had a life vest.

That's not to say that you don't have time to get your children swimming, but we had lots of fun without swimming. I don't really like swimming or beaches, but we had a great cruise.

 

[smiths02]

All the beaches Ive been to in the caribbean have life jackets, either included in the admission to the beach, or for rent. The water is too warm for sharks

My son caught a 3 foot shark on his fishing excursion from Castaway Cay. This was in June, so the water was definitely warm.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Most sharks are not dangerous. Jellyfish are a lot more hazardous than the average common shark.

 

[Sytrace]

I am interested in the Disney cruise western 7 day (Fantasy). I was browsing the web and saw as the ship stops they do a bunch of fun stuff. One especially was on the ocean they has this huge bouncy ball kids were climbing and jumping off of into the Ocean. What if your child cant swim?. My kids are 14 and 11 (not strong swimmers at all). Also what about sharks?

The water play areas will have life vests that all must wear in order to participate in that type of activity so nothing to worry about in that respect.
Some things to consider though about water safety:
1. Swimming lessons and getting comfortable being in the water. I am a firm believer in swimming lessons no matter what the age and especially if they are not comfortable in water. One needs to know what to do in a variety of circumstances and to stay calm. Panic and not being prepared are very large issues when in the water.
2. Lifeguards and beach coverage
3. Being aware of where your kids are in the water and staying alert. Go out there with them.

Sharks are in the water. So are jellyfish, stingrays and other sea life that must be respected. You are playing in their home after all so you would want to feel comfortable with that aspect on water or beach based activities. They are out there, but in the case of those water activities that are structured in contained areas, there are less chances of actually seeing a shark.

 

[starvenger]

Someone better inform the Caribbean Reef sharks that the water is too warm for them.

You can tell them. I’ll wait on shore while you do

 

[KashasMom]

Someone better inform the Caribbean Reef sharks that the water is too warm for them. This photo was taken on a snorkeling trip in Nassau thru Stuart Cove, and the shark was only about 6 feet below me. Having said that, it was not aggressive in any way, just kind swam around and looked bored. BTW, this snorkel stop was made just so us crazy people COULD snorkel with the sharks....hubby stayed on the boat.

OP, please consider swimming lessons for your children. There is so much to see and do when in the Caribbean/Bahamas. If your children learned to swim and became comfortable swimming in the open ocean, it opens up a whole new world of amazing sites to enjoy. Hubby has never forgotten getting 'noggin' from a sea turtle the 1st time I coaxed him into an open water snorkel adventure. Of course, he's also never forgotten being the main course for a school of yellow-tail snappers, either.

Off topic...but nice photos. What camera did you use?

 

[Jess_S]

*

 

[FigmentSpark]

Off topic...but nice photos. What camera did you use?

Those were amazing photos. However that poster was last seen in 2014, so you won't likely get an answer.

Also, the OP posted 5 years ago. This is great information, but for an old cruise.

 

[smiths02]

OASN, my DH and I did a cruise with NCL-eastern Caribbean. We did things like eat at a local restaurant, visit the Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza, horseback riding on the beach, hike on a mountain. Anyhow, we are not really beach or crowded pool people and we had a great time.

 

[smiths02]

Those were amazing photos. However that poster was last seen in 2014, so you won't likely get an answer.

Also, the OP posted 5 years ago. This is great information, but for an old cruise.

Didn't even notice

 

[phinz]

They were fibbing to you. If you are in salt water, there can be sharks, and a variety of species live in the area around Cozumel. However, please remember that millions of people go in the ocean every year and there are fewer than 100 reported attacks.

Swimming lessons should be of much greater concern than sharks.

Truth. Harvey, a 7' 9" Mako shark, has come plenty close to Cozumel in the past. Keep in mind, this tracker only knows where they surface and only if they surface long enough to get a location, but it's a fascinating thing to look at.

http://www.ocearch.org/profile/harvey/

 

[cruiser21]

First time poster brought back a zombie thread. This thread is 6 years old.

 

[southerngirl528]

ost sharks are not dangerous. Jellyfish are a lot more hazardous than the average common shark.

Agreed on both counts!

 

[dcassetta]

We rented a cabana on the family side. Are the family Cabanas included in the shark net area? I know it’s closer to serenity bay so I was just curious. We are cabana 20 if that helps.

This image will show you where cabana number 20 is located. The lagoon area in front of the cabanas is pretty shallow, and is within the netted area. Is there a remote possibility that there could be a shark over in that area, yes, but extraordinarily unlikely.

 

[All about me]

First time poster brought back a zombie thread. This thread is 6 years old.

On the up side, I learned whole new ways my granddaughters can be harmed while on a Disney cruise!