Why I Love Castaway Cay
by Sabrina S - DVP
The first time I went on a cruise it was a three-day on the Disney Wonder. I wanted to see if my son and I would enjoy cruising and was more concerned about avoiding seasickness than where the cruise was going. That trip we both fell in love with cruising, we fell even more in love with Disney than we already were, and we found our new “happy place” - Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.
Since that first cruise in 2008, we’ve been on a total of three Disney Cruises, on three different ships, and have visited Castaway Cay four times! Our latest cruise in May 2011 was a “double dip” - meaning there were two scheduled stops at Castaway Cay - and I got to spend my birthday at my most favorite place in the world.
Let me tell you a little about this paradise, there are activities for every person - every age, every temperament, every activity level - really, everyone. There are water activities like snorkeling and boating. There are beach activities like lounging in a hammock and playing in the sand. There are bikes to rent and a bike trail. There’s a game pavilion, beach volleyball, and tetherball. There’s a water play area for the little kids and a floating water slide platform for the big kids (and the grownups too!). There’s more to do than I can list here, and that’s just the stuff you can do with your whole family. The little kids and the big kids each have their own area of the island, and there’s even a whole beach just for the grownups that includes open air massage cabanas and it’s own food pavilion. There’s so much to do on this island that we still haven’t done it all despite having been there for four whole days! Even my parents loved Castaway Cay - my mom who gets sunburned just thinking about the beach, and my dad in his huge power wheelchair (he’s a paraplegic). There was plenty of shade to keep my mom happy and Disney made sure all the activity areas we wanted to experience were accessible for my dad; they even have beach wheelchairs available if you need them.
I grew up going to “the beach” every summer, but I had never seen a beach like this… water so clear you can see your toes even when the water’s as tall as your knees, sand so clean and soft you don’t need flip-flops (unless you’ve just had a pedicure at the spa onboard, then it’s a good idea to bring them along). We’ve been especially lucky that each time we’ve visited the weather has been gorgeous, clear blue skies and sparkling blue-green water as far as you can see. But there is so much to do there that I’m sure we’d enjoy ourselves just as much on an overcast day.
Every time we pull into port and I catch my first glimpse of Castaway Cay, I relax and smile. I can’t help but be happy when I’m there. Whether I’m snorkeling with the stingrays, parasailing with the Dream in the distance, or just lounging around with a drink in my hand and my toes in the water, Castaway Cay is heaven on earth. And once you cruise to Castaway Cay I bet you’ll agree!
The first time I went on a cruise it was a three-day on the Disney Wonder. I wanted to see if my son and I would enjoy cruising and was more concerned about avoiding seasickness than where the cruise was going. That trip we both fell in love with cruising, we fell even more in love with Disney than we already were, and we found our new “happy place” - Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.
Since that first cruise in 2008, we’ve been on a total of three Disney Cruises, on three different ships, and have visited Castaway Cay four times! Our latest cruise in May 2011 was a “double dip” - meaning there were two scheduled stops at Castaway Cay - and I got to spend my birthday at my most favorite place in the world.
Let me tell you a little about this paradise, there are activities for every person - every age, every temperament, every activity level - really, everyone. There are water activities like snorkeling and boating. There are beach activities like lounging in a hammock and playing in the sand. There are bikes to rent and a bike trail. There’s a game pavilion, beach volleyball, and tetherball. There’s a water play area for the little kids and a floating water slide platform for the big kids (and the grownups too!). There’s more to do than I can list here, and that’s just the stuff you can do with your whole family. The little kids and the big kids each have their own area of the island, and there’s even a whole beach just for the grownups that includes open air massage cabanas and it’s own food pavilion. There’s so much to do on this island that we still haven’t done it all despite having been there for four whole days! Even my parents loved Castaway Cay - my mom who gets sunburned just thinking about the beach, and my dad in his huge power wheelchair (he’s a paraplegic). There was plenty of shade to keep my mom happy and Disney made sure all the activity areas we wanted to experience were accessible for my dad; they even have beach wheelchairs available if you need them.
I grew up going to “the beach” every summer, but I had never seen a beach like this… water so clear you can see your toes even when the water’s as tall as your knees, sand so clean and soft you don’t need flip-flops (unless you’ve just had a pedicure at the spa onboard, then it’s a good idea to bring them along). We’ve been especially lucky that each time we’ve visited the weather has been gorgeous, clear blue skies and sparkling blue-green water as far as you can see. But there is so much to do there that I’m sure we’d enjoy ourselves just as much on an overcast day.
Every time we pull into port and I catch my first glimpse of Castaway Cay, I relax and smile. I can’t help but be happy when I’m there. Whether I’m snorkeling with the stingrays, parasailing with the Dream in the distance, or just lounging around with a drink in my hand and my toes in the water, Castaway Cay is heaven on earth. And once you cruise to Castaway Cay I bet you’ll agree!
