Ahoy there Michelle! Thanks for sailing our way here at planDisney!
AH, a fellow card-carrying SCUBA diver I see! Open Water? Advanced Open Water? Nitrox? Dry Suit?
Sorry, it's not every day we get a question that plays into my goal of being the "most interesting man in the world!" We can chat another time about our dive logs, but let's do our pre-dive checks and make a great stride into your question! The clear waters of the Bahamas are always a great dive - next thing you know, you'll be booking a
Southern Caribbean Itinerary to make a stop in Bonaire - easily the top dive destination to which Disney Cruise Line sails!
I definitely understand feeling more comfortable with your own gear! When we were getting certified, our local dive shop actually required us to have our own "starter kit" equipment to start us off on the right fin feeling as comfortable as we could be taking our first breaths underwater! Mask, snorkel, boots, fins - you probably wouldn't find me diving without my own of those anywhere!
When my wife and I dove on our last Western Caribbean itinerary on the Magic in Grand Cayman, that was the case as well - and she even brought her own wetsuit since she tends to dive cold! From a packing perspective, we opted to leave our regulators behind but we were sure to bring our own dive computers - gotta log those dives the same every time, right?
In my experience, the dive shops that Disney Cruise Line works with to lead any SCUBA-certified
Port Adventures have been top-notch SSI or PADI shops, so we felt comfortable using the tanks and regs supplied by the dive shop - especially since some SCUBA gear like dive knives and cylinders are on the prohibited items list! But if you've got a great reg you love to dive with, you can bring that without issue!
Most importantly - be sure you bring your logbook and your certification card - you'll need your C-Card to verify your eligibility for the Port Adventure, and I'd hate for you to miss out on that! We always keep our logbooks and cards with our
travel documentation, just so all our essential documents are in one spot in our carry-on luggage!
Oh, and one last planDrew-approved tip, if your regulator setup is DIN, be sure to pack a DIN-to-yoke adapter just to keep yourself covered! We've had to lend ours to some fellow divers from Europe on occasion since most of the equipment we've encountered on Disney Cruise Line Port Adventures uses yoke.
Do you think we've confused all the other guests and planDisney panelists enough yet? Haha! I hope so - I love talking shop with fellow divers!
I hope that helps you take a deep underwater breath of relief, Michelle! Thank you so much for sailing my way with your question, and I can't wait to hear how your dive goes. If you run into any other questions as you're performing the rest of your pre-dive...er...pre-CRUISE checklist, please signal to me any time here at planDisney!
I wish you fair winds, following seas, clear visibility, warm water, and amazing wildlife on your dive!
Happy sailing and happy diving!
Andrew