Parasailing with Sammy Duvall at Walt Disney World

When planning a vacation to Walt Disney World, extreme watersports might not jump to the forefront of your mind however for the more adventurous visitor, Sammy Duvall's watersports centre at Disney's Contemporary Resort has lots to offer.

Robyn Suited Up In The Harness

I must be honest, I didn't even realize you could do this sort of thing at Disney World, it was only when I received the info booklet that came with my annual pass and saw that I could get a discount I found their website www.sammyduvall.com and had a look at what they had to offer. Some of the sports they offer are; waterskiing, wake boarding, tubing, parasailing and personal watercraft hire (jet skis and boats), they even offer guided tours on the water. Being a bit of a baby where water is concerned - there are alligators in that water you know - I decided to give parasailing a go as they let you out and pull you back in from the boat, thus no touching the water! I'd never done something like that before, but its been on my bucket list for years and what better place to try it out than Walt Disney World?!

Once I had decided I would like to try parasailing I mentioned it to my husband, there is an option to do a tandum parasail (weight permitting) so I asked if he would like to do it too? I wont repeat his answer but needless to say he was quite happy just watching me 600 ft in the air.

Getting Ready To Take Off

I went online to find out how to book and noticed that there was an option that showed the offers of the month, luckily for me there was an offer on the deluxe 600ft parasail was even better than the annual pass discount - so that's the one I was going to do! I had to call up to reserve and leave a contact number and a credit card to secure the booking. The credit card wasn't charged though, I paid on the day. They asked that I book the sail for early on in the trip in case of inclimate weather so that it could be easily rebooked so I booked it for our second day.

Up Up And Away!

Sammy Duvall's watersports centre can be found at the Contemporary Resort boat dock, not to be confused with Disney's own boat rental centre (they are very close to each other so you could be easily confused). There's not much to tell them apart other than the obvious, one has Sammy Duvall written above it. When we got there we both had to fill in a form, one for me for the parasail and one for Simon as he was coming out on the boat with me. It's not guaranteed that guests can accompany you in the boat but they do their best where there is room.

When we got on the boat they got me to take my shoes off and put them underneath my seat while they got me fitted in a harness and explained all about the sail to me and what to do if I wanted to come back down early. When I was happy I was led to the back of the boat and got in position, before I knew it I was flying high in the sky!

There's A Great View From Way Up There

I can't really explain the feeling I got, it was so serene and peaceful up in the air, I could barely see the boat below. I could see for miles and miles. I was welcome to take a camera up with me however I wanted my hands free to hold on so you will have to trust me on the amazing view (or maybe try it yourself!). The only thing I wasn't so keen on up there was just how queasy I felt, I do suffer with motion sickness but it just hadn't occurred to me that I might feel a bit sick up there bouncing around in the wind. If I was to go up again I would take some travel sickness pills as it did impact my enjoyment just a little bit.

Before I knew it, 10 minutes had passed and I was on my way back down again. It was very easy to land back on the boat, I just put my feet down and stood up, easy peasy! I then went to sit back down and take off all the gear while we headed back to the dock.

The Adventure Of A Lifetime

I thanked the guys for the wonderful trip with a nice tip (and just in case you forget, there a big sign to remind you on the boat near the exit) and we headed on our merry way to enjoy the rest of our day at Walt Disney World. I may have come back down moments ago but it was a long time before I floated back down to earth afterwards.

A big Walt Disney World for Grown Ups thanks goes out to guest author Robyn Watson for sharing another great Disney adventure with us! Have you ever gone parasailing over Bay Lake? Would you like to? Leave a comment and let us know!