Where do you suggest to rent water mice?

[TZMOM]

We're going down last week in August & I promised my DS (13) that we would rent water mice this time. Last year, we just ran out of time. From which hotel do you all suggest to rent these things & are they about (gulp) $30 for 1/2 hour? I've not done this yet, have jet skied a few times - I should be able to get the hang of it fairly quickly (I hope) - right?

Thanks for your help.

Jane

 

[dumbo33]

We rented ours from Fort Wilderness. From those resorts you can go all over the place. From the water area there to the 7 seas Lagoon to the front of MK, it is a great way to go. Some of the other resorts you can't go as far. Yes, it is expensive, but our kids really loved it, as I did. Enjoy

 

[GenePA]

The Contemporary is a good place to rent the water mice too. Anywhere along Seven Seas Lagoon I feel is best as there is a lot of area you can zip around. Last trip we rented from OKW and were able to travel down to DTD and over to Port Orleans Riverside too......I was surprised how far we were able to go.

If I recall, the price was around $18 for 1/2 hour....not $30. I could be mistaken but I do not believe it was higher than $18 for 1/2 hour.

 

[Ratpack]

I agree with other posters, rent from one of the resorts on 7 seas lagoon or bay lake, lots more area to roam. Also, when we were there last July, they were $20 for half hour or $30 for full hour. We too ran out of time but this year we will rent them.

 

[Illinois Mark]

We just returned last week and rented a Water Mouse from the Wilderness Lodge. It was about $25 for 30 minutes. They will charge you at 15 minute increments after 30. I think it was only another $7 for an extra 30 minutes (about $32 for 60 minutes). The Seven Seas lagoon is the place to be. From the Wilderness Lodge it took between 5-10 minutes to get over to the Magic Kingdom area and you can get great pictures of the Monorails, the Castle and the resorts. It is a GREAT experience go for an hour and spend the $32! I split the time with my 5 year old & 7 year old. I took them out for about 20 minutes each. They let me switch at the dock and were generous with my time. They only charged me for 30 minutes.

 

[ByJiminy]

I've never used anything like this, is it easy to do? Is it hard to control or steer, and what is the likelihood I'd tip it over?

Illinois Mark, great idea about the camera! What kind of camera did you use? I'm thinking a disposable water camera??

Laura B.

 

[peg2001]

The water mice are very easy to use. My DH took my DD5 on one from Fort Wilderness a couple years ago. They loved it. Everyone wears a lifevest and they have children's sizes. They ran about 10 minutes over their 30-minute limit but it was not busy at all and the CMs did not charge us extra.

I'm looking forward to trying it myself when we go again since our younger DD will then be 5!

Peggy

Edited to clarify that age 5 is not a Disney restriction. I just wouldn't be comfortable with a child younger than 5 as I'm not sure I could trust them to sit still that long.

 

[honeymo78]

I don't think the mice are that hard to steer. If you are uncomfortable with your driving ability be sure to stay clear of any other boat, including the mice, wakes b/c you will bounce around a good bit. As for tipping over I don't think that is very likely. My brother drove one when he was 12 and was a really bad driver and made lots of sharp turns and never flipped. When I take pictures I just use my regular camera. You can basically slow down the boat to almost a standstill to take pictures and I jsut had a washcloth to cover the camera on the seat. There was plenty of room to set my camera down because the seat is big enough for two.

 

[corky805]

Does anyone have a picture of the water mice or know where I can find a picture of one?

Thanks,

 

[ByJiminy]

Thanks for the reassurance on their ease of use. I guess the only thing I have in my mind that seemed comparable was having the kids in the bike seat behind me when they were younger, and that *really* made it hard for me since I'm on the petite side and if they shifted their weight it was very noticeable for me. I'm not too worried about me, but I don't want to tramautize the kids, LOL. They'll be six and eight, so I think they'll be good ages to enjoy it. And I won't say what age I'll be, LOL, but I think I'm at a good age to enjoy it also

Laura B.

 

[PatriciaH]

Has anyone pretty tall rented one of the water mice? DH is 6'4 and we were wondering if he would fit ok Is there a weight limit? I am only 5'1 so I am wondering if we can go together. We would weigh about 340 together.

 

[Simba's Mom]

DS #1 is 6'3" and he had no trouble. When we were at WDW 2 weeks ago, renting "zippy" water mice was the BIG priority of our DSs. They ended up at GF, and were happy with the ones there. If, like them, you want to do a little pre-scouting, watching them on Seven Seas and picking the resort to rent from, based on which water mice look fastest (this is what our DSs did), red life jackets are from GF, green-FW or WL, blue-CR, and yellow-Poly. At least that's what they assumed and made their decision from.
I'm pretty sure there's a weight limit, but don't remember what it is.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Originally posted by PatriciaH
Has anyone pretty tall rented one of the water mice? DH is 6'4 and we were wondering if he would fit ok Is there a weight limit? I am only 5'1 so I am wondering if we can go together. We would weigh about 340 together.

I think the weight restriction is 350 lbs ... My boyfriend and I were trying to figure out how much weight we would have to lose to fit onto the boat together *lol* I think we were about 50 lbs over the limit ...

But I think, the more you weigh the slower the boat will go.

 

[Uncle Scar]

Definitely choose a 7 Seas Lagoon resort (Contemporary, Polynesian, Floridian). Nothing beats driving up to Magic Kingdom and seeing everyone going in and monorails zipping by.

They are easy to use. You're throttle is a lever to your right. Push forward to go, the further forward the faster you go. Move it center for Neutral and back for reverse. The steering wheel is just like a car.

Take a few minutes to play around with the steering when you get out in the lagoon, and you should be OK.

They have Harbor Patrol boats on constant watch, so if you have a question or need help just signal them.

We do it every time we go, it's a tradition now.

 

[dgaston]

And remember if you have more time, there's the Captains Plan with up to five drivers and unlimited use of boats including water mice for $199 for length of stay or 7 days.

That's what I'm thinking about for April if we have DS's friend with us--the Boston Whalers will be busy helping those 15 yo remember all the rules! (of course if they do mess up, they won't be driving again! LOL)

 

[donna in Oz]

When we were trying to decide "who rides with who" on our last visit, the CM told us the weight limit was 300 lbs.

But if you're close to that limit, you can plan to move pretty slowly in comparison to those who are riding alone or with much less weight.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Originally posted by dgaston
And remember if you have more time, there's the Captains Plan with up to five drivers and unlimited use of boats including water mice for $199 for length of stay or 7 days.

That's what I'm thinking about for April if we have DS's friend with us--the Boston Whalers will be busy helping those 15 yo remember all the rules! (of course if they do mess up, they won't be driving again! LOL)

Sounds interesting! Do you just ask to purchase this plan at the marina? Is it only good for one resort or at all of them?

 

[luvindisneyworld]

we rented the mice at VWL and had a blast.i would suggest that each adult get a boat of their own.we were going to get just one but the CM talked us into 2,she said if i did not like it in the first 10 minutes to bring the boat back and i would not be charged.i did enjoy it alot.My DH and I raced and i won because i weigh so much less than he does so i could not imagine how slow it would move with 2 people in it.

 

[msmouse]

The watermice are great. It is a tradition for my son (24 today!) to rent one on our first day there. This past January, we both rented one from the Contemporary. Just a word of warning. If a large boat passes you, which it did in my case, don't stop your boat! I pulled over to the side of the lake to let the very large boat pass. The wake of the boat came over my boat and I was drenched! It was January mind you and it was a bit chilly. I had jeans on, so I stayed wet quite a while. But, I had a great time out on the water with my boy.

 

[TZMOM]

Thanks everybody for your replies!!! I think we'll try out of the Wilderness Lodge this year. We're staying at ASMu so I think we'll take the bus to MK and then the boat to WL - does that sound right? Can anyone tell me where we'll need to go once we get to WL - is it pretty clearly marked where to rent the boats? Getting excited to go now - especially since it's RAINING AGAIN here for what feels like the 100th day!!!

Thanks for all your responses!