Like many of you, I love Walt Disney World. I love visiting all the parks, riding all the attractions, watching fireworks, and eating at my favorite restaurants until I drop. But, when my son Nate was young, my husband and I quickly realized that a toddler at WDW could not go all day and all night. As a result, our WDW touring plan became, and continues to be, go out early in the morning for a while, take a long break and go back out to the parks after dinner.
When Nate was very small, on our afternoon break, we would head back to your hotel. Nate (and usually my husband) would take a nap, and I would find a quiet spot in the hotel to catch up on my reading. When we were all refreshed, we would head out to do a short, fun, non-park activity, such as taking a pony out for a spin at Fort Wilderness, pool-hopping to the Grand Floridian for a leisurely lunch, or going to the arcade.
We quickly found that these slower-paced, non-park respites were some of our favorite vacation moments.
A flashback to non-park Disney fun: a pony ride at Fort Wilderness. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Fast-forward a bit. I am now mom to a very active 9-year-old, with a husband who has indulged my desire to visit WDW often. As a result, in addition to our routine midday respites, we now schedule at least one park-free day (sometimes two) on our trips to WDW. We continue to find that these pockets of non-park time, often spent doing something new as a family, breathe some relaxation into our otherwise hectic trip, and give us wonderful shared vacation experiences.
We've discovered lots of wonderful things to do on these breaks. On our most recent family trip, we took our son parasailing for the very first time at Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre at Disney's Contemporary Resort, and took Nate shopping at one of his favorite Downtown Disney destinations, Curl by Sammy Duvall.
A child prodigy, Sammy Duvall is a legend in the world of professional waterskiing. Now retired, and an inductee in the Waterskiing Hall of Fame, Duvall has established a very successful presence at Walt Disney World.
Curl by Sammy Duvall is the Downtown Disney retail destination for anyone who wants the latest and greatest apparel and accessories from any of the major surf company brands.
When you enter Curl, you are immediately warmly greeted by the young friendly staff who ask your interests; in my case, a 9-year-old son who is obsessed with bodyboarding and aspires to ride the big waves. At Curl, my son is always treated like a king, engaged by a staff member (who is usually a surfer or water sports fan) about his surfing dreams and immediately escorted to the hottest in surf attire for boys. On our most recent visit, Nate scored a prized Hurley T-shirt and O'Neill cap.
Parasailing high above Bay Lake. Photo by Donna Fesel.
What if you don't hang ten? Curl also has everything you need for your beach vacation. Curl carries what I believe to be the most comfortable flip-flop brand ever (Reef), as well as sunglasses, fun beach bracelets, cute swimsuits, T-shirts, bags, and great beach towels. Curl carries products for men, women and children. The children's clothing selection is a bit limited, but the accessories are fun for all ages. Other featured brands include Billabong, and Curl's own line. Curl also has a Web presence, with many of its products available from its online store.
Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre at Disney's Contemporary Resort is Duvall's other major WDW presence. Located near the feature pool at the Contemporary Resort, the Watersports Center is a full-service watersport paradise, offering state-of-the-art equipment and instruction for all levels of water-skiers, wakeboarders, and tubers. Rates are paid by the hour; you get a driver and instruction for the entire time and you can focus on any (or all) of the featured water sports. Although you have to be 18 to go out on a boat without a parent or guardian, all ages can enjoy these activities.
At the Watersports Centre you can also take out a personal watercraft (PWC—commonly called jet skis) either for an early morning tour of Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon led by the center's staff person, or if you are feeling bold, take out your own PWC for a “Free Ride” rental. To take out a PWC, you must be 16.
Last, but certainly, not least, Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre offers parasailing for guests ages 6 and older. Parasailing is when you are towed by a fast boat while tethered by a long line with a small parachute (a parasail on a harness), and you glide high in the air.
My two guys, getting ready for a parasailing adventure. Photo by Donna Fesel.
You can take a single ride or or go tandem with one other person as long as the combined weight on the parasail is between 130 and 330 pounds, and choose one of two rides:
- Regular – 8 to 10 minutes in the air, with 450 feet of line towing you
- Deluxe – 10 to 12 minutes on a 600 foot line towing you
We've parasailed at the center twice. Once, years ago, my husband and I went parasailing as part of a package. From what I recall, the package we booked offered points instead of just meal allotments, and we could spend the points on a variety of WDW experiences in addition to food.
My husband convinced me to go up on the parasail. I was so nervous. I'm not a big fan of heights at all, but I had my vacation persona on and was ready to be brave. It was an amazing experience! The Sammy Duvall folks were terrific. They gave me full information about what to expect, and provided careful instruction about everything I should do. With their reassurance, I found myself able to relax and get excited.
My husband and I parasailed on a beautiful, still, sunny day. I flew solo. Fitted to a harness with a lifejacket on, I was instructed to stand at the back of the boat. When the time was right, the staffer let out my line slowly and gradually. Up I went, higher and higher into the lovely summer sky. The ride was very smooth and relaxing. I could see all the way to Magic Kingdom. I love visiting WDW so much, and the opportunity to have such a beautiful bird's-eye view of everything was terrific.
A Duvall staff person watches carefully as she lets out the parasail line. Photo by Donna Fesel.
On our last family trip to Disney, we let my son choose a “bonus” activity on one of our non-park days, and he picked parasailing. Out we went to Sammy Duvall's. Nate didn't meet the minimum weight requirement, so he and my husband rode tandem.
A total of six people can go out on the boat, and any non-parasailing party members can travel if the boat is under the six-person limit. There were no other parasailers that morning, so I was able to tag along on the boat, documenting everything.
Joe and Nate get airborne on a parasail over Bay Lake. Photo by Donna Fesel.
We also paid $25 extra for Sammy Duvall's on boat photographer to capture the experience and provide us with a digital file. It was another beautiful sunny, still, Florida day. And again the Sammy Duvall staff provided clear, comforting instruction and my husband and son were airborne.
They had a wonderful time together, experiencing something unique in a setting that was uniquely Disney and we got more wonderful shared Disney memories.
One piece of advice: Make your reservation for earlier in the day when the weather is more stable. Orlando weather is so rainy during certain times of the year and the Sammy Duvall folks will cancel activities due to inclement weather.
Joe and Nate enjoy a beautiful Disney day parasailing with Sammy Duvall. Photo by Donna Fesel.
I know that WDW “bonus” activities like parasailing can be costly add-ons to an already expensive trip, so we take advantage of every discount we can to help with cost, such as buying shorter duration park tickets. Sammy Duvall's Watersports Center currently offers discounts for D23, Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members.
If you are at WDW, and looking for a fun, unique activity to try as a family – consider Sammy Duvall's.
