A day on Disney’s private island is part of most of their Caribbean cruises. The first cruise we went on was in February and we were unable to visit the island as the sea was too rough for the ship to dock, so when we had a second chance in October we were really excited. It was a beautiful day, calm seas and temperature in the 80s, so no repeat of the earlier problems. We had a stateroom with a veranda at the rear of the ship and as the ship reverses into the dock, we had a fantastic view. As usual with Disney the whole operation of docking and getting the crew ashore went like clockwork. Once the crew had gone ashore to prepare the island for us, we were allowed to disembark.
As we disembarked there were the usual photo opertunities with the ship as a back drop. We headed straight for the small train that runs along one side of the island. The train took us to the adult’s only beach – a beautiful sandy beach with crystal clear water. It was easy to find loungers and an umbrella and we settled down for an hour in the sun. Before long we could not resist the call of that warm sea and we spent some time swimming and relaxing on an inflatable ring that we had hired for the day. Then it was time for lunch.
Lunch – a BBQ, was included in the price of the cruise, unlike most trips ashore. The food was fantastic, I would especially recommend the beef and spare ribs. We followed lunch with a walk along the back of the beach to the shops for yet another T-shirt and an ice cream.
The afternoon was spent on the family beach. Again plenty of chairs and umbrellas in shady spots. On the family beach you can hire boats of various types or visit the snorkeling area. After an hour or so we strolled back to the ship ready for the 4pm departure. We did pop into the islands post office to send a postcard home but as it took 4 weeks to get back to the UK, we were home long before it reached our family!
The day on Castaway Cay is usually the last full day of a cruise as it is just an overnight sail from either Port Canaveral or Miami – Disney’s two home ports in Florida and it is a great way to finish a busy cruise with a relaxing day.
As we disembarked there were the usual photo opertunities with the ship as a back drop. We headed straight for the small train that runs along one side of the island. The train took us to the adult’s only beach – a beautiful sandy beach with crystal clear water. It was easy to find loungers and an umbrella and we settled down for an hour in the sun. Before long we could not resist the call of that warm sea and we spent some time swimming and relaxing on an inflatable ring that we had hired for the day. Then it was time for lunch.
Lunch – a BBQ, was included in the price of the cruise, unlike most trips ashore. The food was fantastic, I would especially recommend the beef and spare ribs. We followed lunch with a walk along the back of the beach to the shops for yet another T-shirt and an ice cream.
The afternoon was spent on the family beach. Again plenty of chairs and umbrellas in shady spots. On the family beach you can hire boats of various types or visit the snorkeling area. After an hour or so we strolled back to the ship ready for the 4pm departure. We did pop into the islands post office to send a postcard home but as it took 4 weeks to get back to the UK, we were home long before it reached our family!
The day on Castaway Cay is usually the last full day of a cruise as it is just an overnight sail from either Port Canaveral or Miami – Disney’s two home ports in Florida and it is a great way to finish a busy cruise with a relaxing day.