The four theme parks are certainly the cornerstone of a Disney vacation but there is so much more to enjoy beyond the parks. A couple years ago I booked one of the fishing excursions for the first time. Now, our kids have done some local lake fishing for sunnies but those outings usually consist of way too much time dealing with tangled lines, avoiding getting jabbed by hooks and freak outs over getting the fish off the hook in the event someone was actually lucky enough to catch one.
So as I was planning one of our way-too-many-to-count Disney vacations, I thought this would be the next experience for us to try. It sounded perfect – an expert would oversee our excursion and would handle all the yucky parts of fishing while the kids enjoyed catching something that gave a little more fight than a glorified pet goldfish. We were staying at the Beach Club Villas in August so I thought I would make our reservation early in the day so as not to interfere with enjoying the parks later plus, it would keep us from being under the Florida sun during the hottest part of the day.
While being at the docks before 7am was not my teen’s and tween’s idea of vacation, it was rather magical to be out on the boardwalk before most people received their Mickey wake-up call. The sun was just beginning to rise and we were starting to get excited about this brand new experience. Our Disney guide was preparing our boat as we arrived and right away I knew he was going to be one of those extra special cast members who are just fantastic at their job. He was excited for us and was ready to share a great morning. We learned some fishing skills along the way and while he was ready to do any part of the whole fishing experience for us, he also allowed and encouraged the kids (and me and my husband!) to do as much as we wanted whether it was the first time baiting live bait or learning how to handle a rather big and slippery large-mouth bass. The joke amongst the Disney boat captains is the presence of scuba divers under the water putting the fish on the hooks because everyone caught enough fish to make the trip very exciting. And because it seems that on every Disney vacation, we are touched by the occasional extra sprinkling of pixie dust when we least expect it, there was a huge benefit that came along with an early booking at this particular marina – we were able to go inside of Epcot before it opened to the public!! This was just the icing on the cake! Needless to say that when I asked my kids what was on their priority list for the next Disney vacation, all three shouted together “fishing!”
I love that Disney is a dynamic place and even after many, many visits, there is always something new to try. I encourage every family making their return trip to find at least one or two activities you haven’t done before and go for it! And when I book your next Disney vacation, let’s be sure to discuss this and other options for your family to enjoy. As always, my job will be to take care of the details while your job will be to make magical memories with the people you love most!
Fishing excursions are available from the following Walt Disney World marinas:
BoardWalk Resort
Caribbean Beach Resort
Contemporary Resort
Coronado Springs Resort
Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Old Key West
Polynesian Resort
Port Orleans Resort
Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
Yacht Club Resort
Downtown Disney Marketplace
Yep, that sounds great and all, but how many Disney dollars am I going to have to pay for this much fun? Each day, there are three time options you can chose from, and you can either do two or four hour options:
7 AM or 10 AM: $270 for two-hour excursion and $455 for four-hour excursion
1:30 PM: $235 for a two-hour excursion, four-hour options are not available at this time.
If you want to go fishing while the rest of your family heads to the parks, you can be a single on the 1:30 PM excursion for $170.
Please note, YOU MUST make reservations well in advance, these sell out quickly! To make reservations, call 407-WDW-BASS (939-2277).
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