Flow Rider

[CRUISING71]

How much does it cost learn the flow rider?

[Ernie B]

Believe we paid $60 for a one hour lesson this past March for our son. We registered for it before we sailed. Our son ended up getting personal attention for the last 20 minutes because the others in his group all quit earlier. He had a blast!

[Eng23]

Generally the Flowrider is free to use when operating. It can however be rented for private lessons or group lessons.

[BillOh]

Believe we paid $60 for a one hour lesson this past March for our son. We registered for it before we sailed. Our son ended up getting personal attention for the last 20 minutes because the others in his group all quit earlier. He had a blast!

 

To the OP, if you think you would like the Flowrider, doing this lesson early in the cruise may pay off in enjoyment using it later in the cruise when the lines are longer. As a note, I've only watched a couple of the lessons, but from what I have seen, its a fair value compared to many things on the ship.

[CRUISING71]

So it is free for all, you don't have to make reservation?

 

Only charge if you want to take lesson right?

[kamusta1]

That is correct.

 

So it is free for all, you don't have to make reservation?

 

Only charge if you want to take lesson right?

[sunsetbeachgal]

We didn't ride it but got lots of enjoyment watching people ride it! If you are female, suggest you bring a tee shirt to wear over your bathing suit...saw several ladies show more than they wanted to after a wipe out!!

[Laurie S.]

I just signed up for a private lesson on my upcoming cruise. Decided to wait for the second sea day because I'm diving in all three ports and didn't want to be sore from learning the Flowrider. :)

[mation101]

The cost of my one and only "lesson" on the flow rider was a bruised knee(not serious) and very sore neck back and arms for the rest of the cruise.

 

And I am not a couch potato, I work out 4-6 days a week, and run 15-20 miles a week. But you use way different muscles doing the FR than normal weights at the gym

 

Cant wait to try it again

[cello56]

The staff that work the Flow Rider are more then willing to help you learn how to do it. While a private or group lesson would certainly speed up your learning curve, there is no reason why you could not learn this during open hours. The boogie board part is dead easy, and I imagine if you are at all physically fit you would pick it up in no time. I certainly did and I am a mid fifties, overweight housewife!! The stand up board takes more time to learn and is much more difficult, but I did try it once and was able to stand alone for about six seconds!!

[mgoblue19]

The staff that work the Flow Rider are more then willing to help you learn how to do it. While a private or group lesson would certainly speed up your learning curve, there is no reason why you could not learn this during open hours. The boogie board part is dead easy, and I imagine if you are at all physically fit you would pick it up in no time. I certainly did and I am a mid fifties, overweight housewife!! The stand up board takes more time to learn and is much more difficult, but I did try it once and was able to stand alone for about six seconds!!

 

I agree. My fiancee and I both learned pretty well from the free times and waiting in line.

 

If I were doing a Flowrider ship soon I'd schedule a lesson just to get better than I was, but you don't need to pay.

 

The poster above is right, the knee one is a lot easier than the surfing type board, but once you figure out how to stand up and balance you feel so great for doing it. My fiancee couldn't stop smiling after she stayed standing for 15ish seconds!

 

Loved the flowrider, recommend it to anyone who is somewhat active and enjoys trying new things!

[swwake]

We love the Flow Rider. It's the main reason we choose RC Freedom and Oasis class ships.

 

On our first cruise with a Flow Rider on Liberty, there was no such thing as private lessons. What people have said here is correct. The sports staff are patient, enthusiastic and more than happy to help you learn.

 

Assuming you want to ride stand-up, I recommend going early and often, at non-peak times. Be first in line when general riding opens and you'll get quick rotations. Try to go during dinnertime (early seating) and when at port. Once you can "load" yourself (which isn't too difficult), you can attend the "advanced" sessions that start an hour before open riding every day (usually about 8am). Don't let "advanced" fool you. You just need to be able to load yourself to do it. I.e., the sports staff is there for safety, and will encourage you, but won't hold your hands (literally) to get you going.

 

During "advanced" sessions, lines are short and rotation is quick. You'll probably get to ride about every 8-10 minutes, vs. every 45 minutes or so at peak times. You can gauge the wait time at about 1-2 minutes per person in line. At peak times, there may be 30-40 people in line (both sides).

 

Sometimes the "goofy" (right foot forward) line is shorter than the "regular" side. When you're looking at the flowrider from a spectator position, regular is the line on the left, goofy on the right. If you aren't sure which you are, try the shorter line first.

 

We pay for 1-2 private lessons per cruise, but that's just because it's the main reason we do cruise, so we budget for it. The private lessons include a sports deck coach/instructor, and limit participants (to 6 or 8, if I remember right). This ensures plenty of play/ride time.

 

You can also get a group together and rent the Flow Rider before or after hours, or while in port, at an hourly rate. I can't remember the rate, but this can be economical if you have a group to pool with. You still get sports deck staff, but they are there more for safety and encouragement and less for coaching.

 

One more thing, the Flow Rider water is actually heated. So don't let evenings or a cool rainy day scare you away. These are the best times to ride with short lines.

 

I hope you enjoy your experience. We are obviously big fans!

[swwake]

The cost of my one and only "lesson" on the flow rider was a bruised knee(not serious) and very sore neck back and arms for the rest of the cruise.

 

And I am not a couch potato, I work out 4-6 days a week, and run 15-20 miles a week. But you use way different muscles doing the FR than normal weights at the gym

 

Cant wait to try it again

Core. Core. Core. That's all I can say.

 

We have had some bumps and bruises, but nothing too bad. For those who haven't ridden, keep in mind that most of the machine is padded, and the base underneath the water is like a trampline. Springy and relatively soft. Where you'll get hurt is if you slam your head/neck falling backward, or don't "tuck and roll" when you fall and the wave takes you up to the top.

[Ernie B]

Should have been more specific in my first post. You pay for private lessons but you can learn easily for free with patient instructors who are very knowledgeable. (They were great!) If you do take a lesson, take it early in the cruise because not everyone can master the knee board and tricks and jump to surfing right away. Only you can judge how much you want to get out of it. Since we cruised during a Spring Break trip, the lines were long and private lessons afforded more one on one time and more board time but it is fun to watch everyone and you learn just by doing that alone. Enjoy your cruise!

[praline3001]

My DH and kids did the flowrider lessons. They had a blast and learned a ton in that hour. It was $60 per person. You can book it online and I do suggest you do so if possible. The classes are only offered a few times a day, stay very small, and do fill up quickly.