Lifting off from the boat…one of us is more excited than the other.

When it comes to “things to do” at Walt Disney World, many of them have Disneyland Resort counterparts. While they may be larger or have more variety, Downtown Disney, the theme parks, and the resort hotels all have some kind of frame of reference for a Disneyland fan. But when it comes to the activities available on Bay Lake, this is all new territory.

It certainly was for my wife and me when we went to The Vacation Kingdom of the World in October of 2010 to celebrate our anniversary. We decided that since this was such a momentous occasion, we should mark it by doing something out of the ordinary for us, and parasailing–something my wife had wanted to do for years–certainly fit the bill.

Bay Lake is located right on the other side of Disney’s Contemporary Resort from the Magic Kingdom (the waterway in front of the park is the Seven Seas Lagoon), and the water sports dock is a short walk past the pool area. These activities are not owned and operated by Disney. They are contracted through Sammy Duvall’s Water Sports, but they went through a rigorous review process for Disney to decide to use them, so the quality, service, and safety are on par with anything you’d find operated directly by Disney.

The brown building on the left (in the foreground) is where you check in for you flight.

The Arrival
 We had made reservations in advance (always recommended) for our first full day out there. The bus dropped us off right out in front of the Contemporary, and since we had to walk through the hotel to get to the dock, we also made use of their facilities to change into our swimsuits. These weren’t required, as you take off from and can land back on the boat itself, but we wanted to be prepared.

The check-in window faces the lake, and is clearly marked. If you’ve pre-registered, you can simply walk up and check in. It is here that you receive the paperwork to be filled out, including the waiver, and have the opportunity to purchase a photo package add-on if you wish.

It was at this time that I had my first glimpse of what kind of service Sammy Duvall’s provides. The sign for the photo package says it is $25 for $25 photos, plus some stock photos. I was hesitant to get the package since that seemed like a lot to pay for relatively few photos. But the attendant at the check-in area said that what they really do is use their digital camera to take photos from shortly before you take off all the way until you land, and then give you the memory card from the camera with all those photos on it.

We decided to purchase the photo package–especially since it cost just about the same amount as we’d saved with the discount we got for being annual passholders–and I’m glad we did. Not including the stock photos, we got over 90 pictures in the 10 minute flight.

One of the pictures I took. I think we’re at the full (600′) height here.

The Experience

When it was our turn, we boarded the boat–boat rentals for these activities is private, with just you and the crew, no strangers–and set out for the parasailing area. Bay Lake is large, but it’s not that large, so there specific limits to the areas for various activities. We had chosen to ride tandem–both us us together on a shared line, with my wife in front of me–partially because I wasn’t willing to do it on my own and partially because they have weight restrictions. The total weight of the riders must be at least 130 lbs and no more than 330 lbs in the parachute. I would have been able to ride on my own, but my wife would not, so we went together.

When I signed us up I had the choice of the Regular flight (450 ft. high, 8-10 minutes) or the Deluxe flight (600 ft. high, 10-12 minutes). I figured once we were up 450 feet, another 150 feet couldn’t be that bad, so we did the Deluxe flight. As they began to harness us in and go over the safety instructions, I began to question my judgment…and my sanity.

However, I watched what they were doing very carefully, and they were obviously very professional, skilled, and capable. They were great at putting my mind at ease, and reminding me that this was going to be fun.

We settled into our shared harness, and they began to let out the line. It was a faster ascent than I’d expected, but not bad. It took roughly two minutes to reach our full altitude, and it was during the next seven minutes or so that I learned 3 important lessons:

1. It’s not as quiet up there as I had expected. Most of the noise from the water level, like the boat’s engine, was gone, but there is a lot of wind noise when you’re up there.
2. The view from 600 feet up is amazing…the first 2 or 3 times. Unfortunately, because of the amount of space they can use for parasailing, the boat makes large circles, which means in the total time of your flight you see the same views of the Contemporary, Space Mountain, the Wilderness Lodge, and downtown Orlando several times each. At least for me, this got old, but this is personal preference as much as anything.
3. Do not look straight down. Even if you don’t have a fear of heights if you have even the slightest inclination towards motion sickness, do not look straight down.

We were ready to descend about a minute before it was actually time, so we scissor-kicked our legs as we’d been instructed. When you’re ready, they can’t just lower you immediately. They have to make sure the boat is heading into the wind so the proper tension on the line is maintained, so by the time we got down, we’d had our full flight time anyway.

My wife was feeling a bit woozy (that’s how I learned not to look straight down), and we were the last flight of the day for them, so they were kind enough to actually take us over to the dock at the at the Wilderness Lodge, where we were staying, and dropped us off right there. They didn’t have to do that, and we greatly appreciated it.

One of the many times we saw this view. Beautiful, but…

Advice

Would we go parasailing again? Absolutely. Would we do it again on Bay Lake? Probably not. Not because of Sammy Duvall’s–they were fantastic and I highly recommend them–but because of the large circles we made in the air. Personally, I would suggest parasailing at Castaway Cay on a Disney Bahamas or Caribbean cruise. The water is crystal clear and you are taken on more of a straight line from the dock towards the ship and then back, which I think I’d like better.

Another piece of advice is that if you’re coming to Walt Disney World from quite a distance away–say, California–give yourself a couple of days before doing this. It usually takes the body that long to adjust to the travel, being in a new time zones, etc. and adding parasailing in the midst of that wasn’t the wisest choice for us. If we had it to do over again, we’d wait until day 3 or 4 to do this.

One tip I’d heard that served us well was to take a disposable camera up with us. I wasn’t willing to take my good camera, just in case I accidentally dropped it 600 feet into the water, but I still wanted pictures from up there. I couldn’t zoom–or even really focus on anything specific–but it did give me the chance to take some pictures from up there. I even took some straight down, without looking, of course.

Yep, that’s us up there!

When guests think of things to do at Walt Disney World, theme parks, shopping, dining, shows, and pool time are usually the go-to activities. But there are so many more choices, and for the more adventurous types, parasailing can be a great one. Even if you’re nervous about heights, like I am, you may want to challenge yourself and give it a try. I knew that if I was going to do something like this, there was no place I’d rather do it than on Disney property, with a company that represented Disney. Now, I say the same thing to you. It was absolutely worth it!