The unofficial guide to Disney Cruise Line ..

Part 12: Port Adventures Parasailing Guests looking for a bird's-eye view of paradise should check out this excursion. Floating hundreds of feet in the air, you're the master of all you survey, or at least it seems that way for several minutes. You board a speedboat and travel several hundred yards away from land. Then, in singles or pairs, you stand at the back of the boat and are harnessed to a line-bound parachute that slowly lets out until you and the parachute are 600-1,000 feet above the water. Enjoy panoramic views of your ship, Castaway Cay, and beyond. Each excursion takes about 10 people onto the boat. There are no ride-alongs--every guest on the boat must pay. Your actual parasail event will last about 5-7 minutes. Depending on the number of other guests, the entire experience lasts 45 minutes-1 hour. Open to guests age 8 and up, parasailing excursions cost $135 for both adults and kids. Guests must weigh between 90 and 375 pounds; those who weigh less than 90 pounds may be able to ride if they fly in tandem with another guest, but their combined weight may not exceed 375 pounds. Determination of single or tandem rides is at the discretion of the staff. Kids under age 13 must be accompanied by a paying adult age 18 or older. Guests ages 13-17 may go on the excursion unaccompanied but must be escorted to the Marge's Barges meeting area by an adult age 18 or older. All guests must sign a safety waiver. You must leave your shoes on the dock and are strongly discouraged from wearing a hat or glasses during your sail; a storage area is provided on the boat for your personal belongings. Wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility devices cannot be accommodated. No photography service is provided during the excursion--you're welcome to bring your phone or a camera onto the boat, but you assume all liability if you lose it in the ocean. Snorkeling This is one of the least expensive, most rewarding shore excursions offered on a Disney cruise. We recommend it for every family. The cost is $22 for kids ages 5-9 for one day, $33 for two days; guests age 10 and up pay $38 for one day, $57 for two days. First, find some chairs on the family beach, where you can store your stuff while you're in the water. If possible, choose something near a vertical landmark such as a tree; it will be easier to find when you come back to shore. Next, pick up your snorkeling gear at Gil's Fins and Boats , a short walk from Scuttle's Cove, the island's first tram stop. You'll be given a mask, a snorkel, fins, and an inflatable buoyancy vest to make swimming easier. Also pick up a blue-mesh gear bag, which makes it easier to haul your stuff back to your beach chairs. Put on your vest before you get in the water, but don't inflate it just yet. Wait until you're in hip-high water to put on your flippers because it's impossible to walk in them on shore (and they'll get sandy). Don't put your mask on until you get into the water. If you're snorkeling with younger children, plan on spending 10-15 minutes adjusting the fit of masks and vests. Inflate a kid's vest by blowing into the vertical tube on the left side of the vest, adding just enough air to keep the top of the child's head above water. (If you overinflate the vests, kids will have trouble getting their masks below the surface.) Also, practice using the flippers, which work best with slow, deliberate leg movements. Once everyone's gear is working, take one last look at the lagoon to get your bearings. Disney has placed orange-and-white buoys above the underwater sites, so head for those. There usually aren't a lot of fish in the first 30-40 yards nearest the shore, though it's possible to see almost anything once you're in the water. Fish species in the lagoon include yellowtail snapper, sergeant major, banded butterfly fish, blue tang, and barracuda. Excerpted from Disney Cruise Line 2024 by Erin Foster, Len Testa All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.