Disney’s Caribbean and Bahamian cruises are known for the private island of Castaway Cay. Palm trees, white sandy beaches, blue water, this island is the description everyone thinks of when they think Caribbean. We had not booked any excursions for our day on Castaway Cay, but decided just to take it in and enjoy the laid back day.
The weather was beautiful. We had been lucky the entire cruise with this, actually. The water we sailed on was like glass and the days were sunny and warm. I think any bad weather or rough seas would have resulted in a different opinion of cruising for the first time, so I’m thankful we did get to have such easy weather on our trip. The motion sickness remedies never had to leave my suitcase.
After disembarking, we walked without a destination in mind. Mostly, we just wanted to see what the island had to offer. We made it to the family beach before catching the tram to the far end of the island to the adult’s only beach. I have heard from those that have experienced it that the family beach can get crowded, and noisy, but the adult beach was the complete opposite. While Disney is a top family vacation destination, and puts a great deal of focus on the children and their experiences, they always manage not to forget about adults and giving them a great experience as well.
The crew from the ship disembarks with the guests and become the beach bartenders and servers on Castaway Cay Day. We managed to snag ourselves a couple of lounge chairs near the beach bar, for shade and convenience. The server that arrived to take the order had also served us on a couple previous nights at one of the lounges on the ship, and recognized us immediately. That kind of recognition can really make someone smile and brighten their day a little. The Disney difference, as they say. During lunch on the island it’s all hands on deck, and the ship’s crew sets up areas around the beach that offer all-inclusive and delicious barbecue. After lunch, we returned to the Magic to enjoy our balcony for the afternoon. From our room, we were able to see the shadows of stingrays in the water alongside the dock and do a little people watching as everyone slowly made their way back to the ship.
That evening was the Disney Magic’s Tangled night. We watched the Magic’s broadway production of Tangled before having dinner at Lumiere’s. While we were scheduled to eat at two out of three rotational dining restaurants twice on the 5-night cruise, we were only scheduled to eat at Lumiere’s once. Turns out, I’m not much of a French cuisine eater, so this was okay with me. I would definitely recommend Animator’s Palate and Rapunzel’s Royal Table over Lumiere’s.
The one thing I was excited to see on Tangled night was the Snuggly Duckling takeover of O’Gill’s Pub. We snuck down before dinner to take a peek at the decor, and were told that it was only the beginning. The pub had set hours for families to enjoy the pub with kids, and then after a certain time would become adults only. We figured we would check it out again after dinner.
We did not make it back to see the finished product, nor did we visit the piano bar that night either. A consideration when choosing the early or late dining on a cruise – while I figured I was keeping an early dining spot open for a family with small kids who may need it by taking the late dining for myself (because I’m an adult and should be able to do this), it turns out I also struggle to keep my eyes open past 9pm. Late dining doesn’t begin until 8:15, and every night it was 10pm or later by the time we finished. I think I would likely choose the late dining again though, because I don’t have to rush to dinner at 5:30, but I need to do more planning for the activities still going on after dinner. Lessons learned for the next cruise.
