Ahoy, Katrina! With your cruise so close on the horizon, it's time to set your sights on Port Adventures. As Crush would say, "Dude, you've got serious thrill issues, dude." Seeing the world beneath the waves is quite a thrill, and I'm excited you're considering this excursion.
My husband and I scuba dive, and last summer, we chose the
Tropical Reef Safari Snorkel to introduce our kids to the sport gently. To answer your question, I looked at our photos, just in case Dory's
short-term remembery loss kicked in. We are wearing bright yellow vests that have a tube to inflate them. The vests are required for all swimmers for safety.
They are snorkeling vests, not life jackets. They are not the bulky, bright orange vests that come to mind when I think of life jackets, which are designed to keep you afloat in an emergency. They are light, bright and designed to support swimmers while snorkeling. I am naturally buoyant and can float without exerting any energy. My husband and son are not. They have to tread water to stay afloat. They added air to their vests and enjoyed swimming with the little bit of lift.
As for the conditions, I'm not sure if you've been to
Disney Castaway Cay, but if you've snorkeled there, you know the waters are very calm.
Disney Lookout Cay is a bit different. And this Port Adventure is snorkeling from a boat—not the shore. When we did this, there were mild waves. Not at all forceful or scary, but rolling waves that are common in open water. Don't tell my son I told you this, but he is not a strong swimmer. He plays in the pool and is comfortable in water but does not swim laps for fun. I was a bit concerned that he wouldn't stay in the water long, but he went back on the boat with just enough time to dry off and grab his flip-flops before the team called us all back. I've not convinced him to try to get scuba-certified (yet), but he would go snorkeling again.
Katrina, I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect. If you have any questions while putting the
fin-ishing touches on your
Disney Cruise Line vacation, please come see us again at
planDisney. We'll be like, "Whoa! Welcome back, dude!"
Just Keep Swimming!
Jana