A Williams Family Blog reader is about to embark on a
holiday cruise on the Disney Dream—how lucky are they!?! Anyway, their questions about their upcoming
adventure, got me thinking about Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s private
island in The Bahamas.
When I get whining about missing “my ship” and dreaming of
sailing with Mickey, one of the things I am usually missing is the pit of
paradise offered by Castaway Cay. We
have been to Castaway Cay—pronounced “key”—six times, which is more times than
we have sailed thanks to a couple of “double dip” itineraries that had more
than one stop at the island.
Here’s our top 10 list of why Castaway Cay is a favorite:
1. The ship pulls
right up to the dock or pier. No
tendering. Grab your Key to the World
Card and photo ID and walk right off.
Walk right back onto the ship anytime you like—well, before it sails
anyway.
2. Transportation throughout
the island is free. Hop a tram for a
ride to the Family Beach, Pelican Point, or Serenity Bay. Walking is also free. Bike rental has a fee though.
3. Dining on the
island is like dining on the ship—it’s included! Lunch is served at three locations on the
island and has the best BBQ ribs we have ever tasted. The ice cream machines and soda station are
also available. The boy loves getting an
ice cream cone for each hand and testing all of the flavors. I don’t worry about messes as he is in a
swimsuit and can be hosed down.
4. Pelican
Plunge. Take a swim out to the island
for some water play and enjoy the water slides.
Pelican Plunge a bit too adventurous?
Then try Spring-A-Leak, a fresh water play area near the bike rental
station.
5. Pristine beaches—the
smells, the sounds, the feel of the breeze.
This along with an abundance of lounge chairs, even some hammocks make
Castaway Cay even more like paradise.
6. Think you’ll be
bored? Think again! There’s plenty to do. . . fishing,
snorkeling, bike riding, kayaking, hiking, running, along with swimming and
splashing. We’ve parasailed and
snorkeled with stingrays, too.
7. Massages. Yes, there are private massage cabanas
available. Just schedule on-line or on
the ship.
8. Shopping. Even this tiny island offers shopping experiences
for guests. There are gadgets and gizmos
a plenty, even whoozits and whatzits galore in the various shops on the island.
9. One of my personal
favorites. . . photo ops. It is almost
as if Disney Cruise Line said, “Let’s design an island that is picture perfect”
and that is exactly what they did.
Everywhere you look it is a feast for the eyes and the camera lens.
10. And, it wouldn’t
be a Disney island without a few of your favorite friends also enjoying
paradise!
There you have it, our top 10 reasons why Castaway Cay is a
family favorite.
When we sailed an itinerary that did not have a stop at the
island, we felt as if our cruise was “missing something” and that something was Castaway Cay. We can’t wait to go back!
We totally missed out on the Castaway Cay experience on our June 2013 cruise - we had to make an emergency medical stop in Nassau and only had about 3 hours at CC in the late afternoon. No restaurants open, no excursions, etc. MUST take another cruise to try out CC again!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Beth, so sorry for that experience. CC is the most often missed port of call. So, yes, you must take another cruise and try out CC again. Did you rebook on board?
DeleteWe did! Hoping to go the summer of 2015!!
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