Flow Rider lessons on Freedom

[LeCricket]

Anyone done them? We have two girls (11 and 14). They are excited about trying the Flow Rider. I was thinking they might benefit from the lessons. If we did them the first morning, they could benefit from them all week. Are they worth it? RCI's website doesn't say how long the lessons are.

 

Thanks for any input!

 

Cricket

[ksawyercruiser]

We did it. There were about eight people in the class. You could boogie board or surf. Younger kids have to boogie board. The lesson lasted about an hour and was worth it IMO. We did it first thing in the morning on our first sea day.

 

Enjoy! :)

[pseudoware]

I took the lesson w/my then 12 y/o son on Liberty. After seeing the Flow Rider in person, we decided that the lesson would be better for us than just trying to "wing it". It can take some practice and patience getting adjusted to the speed of the water, and the lesson allows for that.

 

IMO, for a beginner, I felt surfing the Flow Rider (standing up) was more difficult to get a handle on than other board sports, due mostly to the water speed. Nevertheless, we had a great time. YMMV.

Edited March 29, 2015 by pseudoware

[BLAMBKY]

I felt like they were worth it. Our group was smaller though, maybe 6? It was around dinner hour time and I would recommend this time frame, due to sunset. It was just beautiful and enjoyed it, while in between our kid's turns. One piece suits are NEEDED for girls. ;)

[LuCruise]

How much do the lessons cost?

[ATCMickey]

Definitely do the lessons. It helped both my kids immensely.

 

I would also highly recommend reserving a lesson slot as soon as possible after the cruise begins (i.e. day 1 or no later than day 2). The regular (non-lesson) lines, during the week, can get long and usually your turn is done after you "wipe out". If they can get ahead of the learning curve early in the cruise by completing a lesson, their turns during the non-lesson open sessions will last longer and they will progress much faster. Definitely start with the body-boards first and when they get comfortable they can try the stand up. They'll get comfortable on the body boards much quicker than the stand up. It's all about building on success early on and not getting frustrated...the body boards will do that for them.

 

Encourage them to be patient. It takes lots of tries and lots wipe-outs to get comfortable, but it's worth every wipe-out when things finally start to click. We won't go on a cruise now without a FlowRider and one of my kids is beginning to board competitively...but it all started for them with an early lesson and lots of cruises.

 

ATCMickey

[BLAMBKY]

The lesson we had (been over a year) was $70 per person and I believe it was an hour.

[LuCruise]

The lesson we had (been over a year) was $70 per person and I believe it was an hour.

 

Yikes...a bit pricey...especially if you have 2 or 3 in your family (we're four but my youngest will be 6.5 years so too young to even boogie board). Are the lessons private for your family?

[LeCricket]

Thanks for all the information. We're going to do it! We are on the Eastern itinerary mid-April. Right now, they have 6:30 pm, day one and 9 am on day (those are the two times left that look good to me). We have 5:30 seating for dinner, so if we did day one, we'd have to eat dinner at the Windjammer and miss our first night in the MDR. I have cruised before, but my DH and kiddos haven't. I was excited about our first night's dinner and really don't want to do the WJ that night, but will if we have to. As far as day 2, that's Coco Cay. We probably wouldn't make it off the ship until 10:30 if we did that option. In your experience with Coco, will we be missing out on much if we get off the boat later? What would you do?

[ATCMickey]

What would you do?

 

Wouldn't sacrifice the main dining room, but might delay slightly on CoCo...but not too long :-)

 

You might check at the Sports Desk up by the FlowRiders as soon as you get on (or as soon as they open). We've done, and repeatedly seen, lots of later night lessons (i.e. 8-9pm). They may have some cancellations or be able to do something to accommodate your kids if they can fit you in. Can't hurt to ask and they've been incredibly helpful when we've worked with them to fit something in.

 

ATCMickey

[LeCricket]

Thanks, atcmickey. Do you know, if I book and pay now, will I have to pay a charge to change the time onboard?

[ATCMickey]

Thanks, atcmickey. Do you know, if I book and pay now, will I have to pay a charge to change the time onboard?

 

I'm sorry I can't say for certain, but I don't see why. We've changed other excursions before and never paid a re-booking or change fee. But, it wouldn't hurt to call to confirm before committing yourself.

 

All of the sports deck staff do a really great job coaching FlowRider newbies. Also, you'll hear everyone in line trading tips back and forth. Everyone helps each other.

 

The lines will never be shorter than the first couple days. After that, everyone else decides to give it a try. If your kids are really ambitious, have them bring their swimsuits on board in your carry-on. The FlowRiders start up about 12:30-1pm. Most everyone else's swimsuits will be in their checked bags which may not be delivered for some time. If they get there right as it opens, they very well may have almost the whole FlowRider to themselves without a divider. It's a great opportunity to get a ton of practice really quick. As the week goes on, they'll really appreciate how nice it was to have used the FlowRider without a divider (the divider makes the usable surface much smaller to accommodate more riders...also harder to surf with divider).

 

Hope you have a great time!

[ATCMickey]

PS...I'd be remiss not to mention one more thing...

 

As the father of a daughter who was about the same age when she first started FlowRiding, do not underestimate the power of the water and it's ability to peal a 2 piece swimsuit right off. I would highly recommend a 1 piece swimsuit or, at an absolute minimum wearing a rash-guard shirt over any 2 piece (and that only saves the top). No reason to tarnish a really fun experience with the embarrassment of finding out the hard way what 20,000 gallons per minute flow can do.

 

ATCMickey

[LeCricket]

Thank you! We will most definitely do the one pieces on it!

[LeCricket]

We will book and try to do the lessons ASAP on boarding day. Your advice has been so helpful. :)

[xpcdoojk]

I wouldn't take boogie board lessons for the purpose of learning to boogie board, but it would increase the amount of time on the wave. It is pretty pricey to do something that they will learn after a few goes that are free. Now for stand-up surfing it will bean even better benefit as stand-up is much harder.

 

Remember they have height minimums, I think it is something like 48" for boogie boarding and 52" for stand-up.

 

jc

[Betsynh]

We're on the Freedom April 19th Eastern and booked a FlowRider lesson for hubby on the first sea day. He picked 7am so fewer people would be out watching! It was $69 for one hour, and the fine print said they need at least 4 people signed up to not cancel it. If you're sure you want to try it, why not book now and get your preferred day and time? I love the idea of going prepared on day 1 and testing it out, too! Don't forget that you can sign all waivers online in advance to speed up the process on the ship.

[LeCricket]

We're on the Freedom April 19th Eastern and booked a FlowRider lesson for hubby on the first sea day. He picked 7am so fewer people would be out watching! It was $69 for one hour, and the fine print said they need at least 4 people signed up to not cancel it. If you're sure you want to try it, why not book now and get your preferred day and time? I love the idea of going prepared on day 1 and testing it out, too! Don't forget that you can sign all waivers online in advance to speed up the process on the ship.

 

I'm on the same cruise as you! I actually had the 7am first sea day slot reserved, but forgot to pay for it. I'm going to pay for the 9am today and hope to change it to 7am or early on day 1 (before dinner). :)