3-Night Bahamian Disney Cruise Line Report — Part 3
The next morning of our cruise aboard (read the previous day’s report here) the Disney Dream was Castaway Cay day. For me, this meant the Castaway Cay 5K, something I haven’t done on our past cruises. We started out by meeting in one of the District’s clubs, where a lot of explanation was offered by a couple of enthusiastic crew members.
I’ll probably do a separate post about the Castaway Cay 5K since a lot of people care about that and they might not see it in a cruise report, but it went fine. It’s nice that Disney Cruise Line has added something like this and was a fun little event, but it feels a bit like an afterthought.
I’m glad I did it once to see the course and collect the (rubber) medal, but I wouldn’t do it again. The course was uninteresting and even towards the beginning of the race, the humidity and heat were brutal. If there were a way to run this at dawn (I know there are limitations on when Disney can allow guests to go ashore), I’d be all in.
On the plus side, without much to see along the course, I didn’t really stop for photos, and finished with my best 5K time ever. I know, it’s totally meaningless; but in my head, anything can be contorted into a competition.
Sarah wasn’t doing the Castaway Cay 5K and I had not eaten breakfast, so I returned to the ship after the run to meet her, change clothes, and eat. In hindsight, I should’ve brought a change of clothes out to Castaway Cay and just waited for the buffets on the island to open. I didn’t see anyone else going back after the race, and I felt like I was swimming upstream trying to get back to the boat. It was also a lot longer of a walk than I remembered.
We did the buffet at Enchanted Garden for breakfast again. I was reasonably “proud” of myself, because instead of piling my plate with unhealthy deliciousness, I piled my plate high with only smoked salmon and trout. I felt like a sophisticated grizzly bear who eats at a table and wears pants.
After breakfast, it was time to go ashore. The mass exodus of people departing was mostly over, but there were still a moderate number of people near the boat. In this area, there was a line to meet (I think) Daisy Duck, which was still pretty long.
We blew past that, starting the long walk to the adult beach. When we got to Mount Rustmore, to our surprise, Goofy and Mickey were out with maybe 2 people in each line.
We waited in lines that were 5 minutes long (at most) to meet them, and then followed up with Minnie after a set change.
These were by far the shortest character meet & greet lines of the entire cruise. My assumption is that we were at the tail end of their sets, and most guests had either met them–or made the decision to skip them entirely–and were already situated on the beach. So I guess being slow to get off the ship does have some upside.
Continuing on, we decided to stop at Cookie’s BBQ, as the lunch buffet was going to start in about 10 minutes. It probably says something about us that we’ve come to the point where we find ourselves ‘rope dropping’ Disney restaurants just as often as actual attractions.
Cookie’s BBQ opened early, and we had a couple of plates before continuing on to Serenity Bay. The food was mostly standard stuff, but was still pretty good. I’m not particularly sure why we opted to stop here, as the Serenity Bay buffet is the only one that has steak, so usually we go there.
(We have a bunch of other tips and ‘hacks’ for Castaway Cay like that steak one in our Castaway Cay Tips & Tricks post, so check that out if you’re planning your own Disney cruise.)
In any case, we arrived at Serenity Bay, found lounge chairs and I promptly fell asleep. I probably slept for over an hour, which is a rarity for me. We go to the beach fairly regularly, but I’m never one for lounging around. As far as adults go, I’m fairly hyperactive. Sitting in one spot for any amount of time is not my thing.
However, this was shocking enjoyable and relaxing. I still wouldn’t make a regular habit of lounging, but it is a nice change of pace, and definitely a nice way to decompress. (I realize I’m talking about lounging on the beach as if I made some grand discovery–I realize everyone reading probably already knows all of this, ha.)
After that refreshing nap, we decided to enjoy the water for a bit. While I prefer the jagged, photogenic coastline we have in California, it’s not much for swimming. We go to the beach pretty regularly, but the last time I went swimming in the ocean was over a year ago.
There’s really something to be said for the clear, calm, and warm waters of Castaway Cay. It was nice to sit in the water, and it was also nice to swim a while. I even wandered way out to a sand bar that I didn’t know about previously, and just sat out there in the sand for a bit.
Our time at Serenity Bay flew by. Normally, when I’m not really doing anything, time crawls. I wish we would’ve had more time out there (we were on the beach for a good 4 hours), but we wanted to spend a bit of time exploring Castaway Cay and getting some photos, too…
Approximately 103202% nicer and more logical than the Magic Kingdom cabanas.
There are some minor Frozen tie-ins on Castaway Cay because…well…it’s Frozen. I don’t know.
Mimicking Olaf’s pose for this photo seemed like a much better idea in theory. I almost didn’t include it for obvious reasons, but oh well. Let it serve as a cautionary tale.
I wonder how many Disney fans who know who Bob Chapek is approve of the job he’s doing. (That’s not a judgment on my part one way or the other–I think it’s nearly impossible to judge from the outside.)
We’ve never done a cruise that has not stopped at Castaway Cay, and it’s something I’d definitely miss. While other destinations interest me quite a bit more, the lack of Castaway Cay would be a definite downside. I love the vibe of Castaway Cay, and it reminds me a bit of Typhoon Lagoon.
I know the natural beauty of the island (namely, the beaches) is the main allure of Castaway Cay, but I love the elements that have been built by Imagineering. In fact, I’d love to see the Imagineered elements fleshed out a bit.
I don’t mean anything lavish like a lazy river or that sort of thing, but more in the way of the island’s ‘village’ and perhaps even a scavenger hunt or some type of offering along those lines.
Even as it stands, I love Castaway Cay. The atmosphere is so inviting and relaxing, with the ambiance being conducive to relaxation.
The vibe of the island almost forces you to slow down and unwind, as that’s the main emphasis of Castaway Cay. Unlike Nassau or other ports, there are no alternatives, no unknowns, no external variables.
Experiencing a foreign place with its culture, history, and unique wrinkles is a ton of fun–one of my favorite things to do, but Castaway Cay is a dramatically different experience that’s also really enjoyable for completely different reasons. Sort of like Typhoon Lagoon v. the four main theme parks.
We lingered around the family beaches for a while at Castaway Cay, enjoying the beaches after most other guests had gone back to the Disney Dream. Every time we’ve been to Castaway Cay, we’ve noticed that almost everyone leaves around an hour before is necessary to be back on the boat.
Presumably, a lot of these people have had enough of the sun and sand, but I’d hazard a guess that others worry about being left behind or just stress out over being “late.”
I’m basing this assumption off of the number of people who ask about buses leaving them behind if they stay to watch the Kiss Goodnight at Magic Kingdom. Disney will not leave you stranded. This is true of the buses at the parks, and it’s definitely true of being on an isolated island in the Caribbean.
This isn’t to say you should just chill in a lounge chair until a search team from the boat comes looking for you. I don’t think the crew members or your fellow guests would appreciate that. Rather, it’s to say that the ‘all aboard’ time is the time you need to be back on the ship, not an hour before that “just to be safe.”
We also mention this because these late afternoon hours are the best time to be on Castaway Cay. It’s still an hour or more before sunset most of the year, but the sun is starting to go down and the heat with it. It’s also a much more photogenic time, as you start getting some golden light, depth in the clouds (if there are any) and deeper colors. The lack of people is another big upside, of course. We were back on the Disney Dream at least 5-10 minutes before the ‘all aboard’ time, and I didn’t see a single other guest behind us when we boarded the ship. On Page 2, we’ll cover some of late afternoon on the ship…
Did you book directly through Disney to get the last minute fare? Believe it or not, I’ve been on two Disney cruises and missed docking at Castaway Cay both times due to wind/weather. I have to go back because I feel I missed the best part.
Directly with Disney. Highly unlikely you’ll find any good deals on the Bahamas now–they are entering their prime seasons.
A question about DCL food, specific to the Dream and Fantasy. Our cruise experiences have always been about food, I tend to vacation with my stomach in mind. Our first cruise (I think it was the Magic, before the rebuild) we made reservations for Palo. It was good. definitely not a bad place to eat at all, but I didn’t feel it was so far above the “normal” cruise dining that the extra money (and missing a dining room) was really worth it. Fast forward a couple years, and we had the opportunity to eat at Remy on board the Dream. I was more than impressed. I’m not sure Michelin Guide would ever do Cruises; but if they did, Remy would make their list. It was reason enough for me to cruise again.
I have enjoyed reading your food reviews throughout the parks and DCL, I was wondering if you have had a chance to enjoy Remy and what your thought were on it.
To be fair, my mom and I got left behind once at Wild World of Sports after a minor league game. Came out of the stadium with a handful of people who stuck around for the whole thing and there was no transportation to be found. This was back in the day before cell phones, but that was a hell of a night trying to find a phone to call for a cab.
Were there still Cast Members at the stadium? If so, they should have called a bus for you. However, maybe Disney was not so accommodating with transportation then? Or, maybe that’s how WWoS always has been and still is…I’ve never been there late.
I do know that you could not get yourself stranded at one of the theme parks no matter how hard you tried.
Your beautiful photos make me want to take another Disney cruise–but one where the sun is shining and the sea is calm. (We still had fun, riding bikes around Castaway Cay and enjoying its ambience, but it wasn’t the tropical paradise I’d anticipated.). ‘Looking forward to Part 4.
Tom,
I don’t recall you ever talking about how easy or hard it is to enjoy a Disney cruise when you are traveling sans kids. That is are adults able to enjoy the cruise by themselves. Apparently the answer was yes for this cruise, but any tips for adults only Disney cruising?
If you can enjoy the parks without kids, you can enjoy a cruise without kids. I know people associate Disney with family-friendly entertainment, but Disney Cruise Line strikes me as something that can be enjoyed by a really wide range of demographics. I’ll do a post on ‘DCL for Adults’ at some point, but for now I’d just stress that it’s really easy to have fun if you’re an adult with kids.
Some people might miss the gambling (as compared to other cruises), but we don’t gamble, so that doesn’t even register for us.
Thanks, Tom. But can you avoid the kiddos when you need to?
Honestly, Jeff, I found it really easy to mostly avoid kids when I wished to when on Disney cruises. During the day most of them are at the kids pools and kids clubs. Of course you’ll see them running around, but usually they’re on their way to go do something. There is a adult only pool area for relaxing in (because of the placement of the rear elevators you may have kids cutting through the area, but they are only passing through and if they try to linger I have seen cast members asking them to move along), and on the dream and fantasy there is also Satellite Falls on the top deck for lounging which is adult only and doesn’t have the elevator placement issue (and that tends to be much less crowded to boot)
Non-pool related there will be several bar areas throughout the ship, in particular the nightclub area. During the day these are not strictly adult only (the bigger dance club area will sometimes hold family events during the day, and sometimes the smaller pub like area will hold an all ages trivia or something). However, outside of specific family/ all ages events, you don’t find a lot of kids in those areas, and throughout the day you will also find adult only events like trivia and alcohol tastings (the tasting have an up charge but tend to be a pretty good value and a lot of fun). Besides the events, you can also just go an have a quiet drink and relax in these bars too- I highly recommend Skyline if you’re on a ship with that area. After 9 these area do become adult only, and there will often be some sort of enterianment going on- a DJ, a adult act, a game show type thing- stuff like that.
Mealtime in the main dinning room and the shows you will be around kids. In the main dinning room if you aren’t traveling with kids you likely wont be seated at a table with kids, and at the evening shows usually it captures the attention of the kids enough to not be a big deal. You may want to op for the later dinner- most families with younger kids want to have dinner a bit earlier then 8, and midway through the second seating family have the option to let the kids be gathered up and lead to the kids club, so it tends to be a bit calmer then the early seating. Of course, the up charge dinning is always adults only.
Castaway Cay- no worries there! Just make your way to Serenity Bay, find a beach chair, and enjoy the blessed quiet. 🙂
It is a Disney Cruise, and there will be a lot of kids on board. Just due to the nature of it being a ship you won’t be able to avoid them completely. But I do feel that Disney has done an excellent job of providing adult only spaces on board, and of providing plenty of entertainment for all ages, so that adult only traveling parties don’t feel overwhelmed by kids running everywhere. It also helps that nobody is walking through the parks for 10 hours, so you also largely avoid the epic meltdowns you can sometimes see in the parks. 🙂
I’ll respond to your question about kids: I actually think a Disney cruise is better than most other lines for dealing with kids. My theory is that Disney knows they will have a higher percentage of children, yet cater to a higher-end clientele, so they are SUPER good at keeping adult spaces (of which there are many) truly separate and kid-free. I never saw a kid at the adult pool — partly because they kick them out, and partly because they have so many kids-only spaces to inhabit there are no reasons for them to be in adult areas. I cruised with my husband and my parents last year, and because our party was all adults, we were seated in an area with all-adults parties. I don’t know if that was unique to our experience or what, but it was clearly done on purpose. There were still kids in the restaurants (of course) but they weren’t on top of us and that was a nice surprise.
In one instance where a parent brought their kids into one of the bars at night, a cast member immediately went over and asked her to take her kids out. They were perfectly well-behaved, but that was the rule: no kids after 10pm in the bars. I so appreciated Disney’s ability to be proactive and not to enforce rules only after someone was disruptive. So to answer your question: yes, you can absolutely enjoy a Disney cruise sans-kids, and I think even more-so than the parks. 🙂
Tom, honest question (not meant to be rude, but more curious). Do you believe you have traveled so much it has jaded ur view on vacations? I would venture that majority of ur readers are never taking month long European vacations, multiple Japan trips, going to China…. so much so that u almost look down ur nose at a “tourist trap” like Nassau? I know it’s not exciting as place u have been but I think u do a disservice by poo pooing the entertainment available and not give it a stand alone rating not in comparison to much greater places u have been. Most people will never have the opportunity u and Sarah have, so seems a little condescending when u make the cruise seem nothing compared to a European vacation, but they don’t have to be compared to be enjoyed. Always love the blog, love ur reports. Keep up the hard and good work.
I get that same feeling when he writes now. Like he is just over Disney and a lot of other things
I was arguably hard on the Pirate Party and maybe Villains Tonight, but I feel like I was pretty complimentary to Nassau. If you read other online resources, you’ll find a lot of people who absolutely hate it and recommend to others not even getting off of the boat in Nassau. I pointed out that beyond the tourist trap areas, there is some great history and culture in Nassau. That Nassau has tourist trap areas is not a knock on it; some of my favorite places (including the gateway to just about any National Park) have them.
With this post, my comparison to Tokyo was intended to be incredibly high praise towards Disney Cruise Line. I understand many readers don’t have first-hand experience with this, but given how much I’ve praised Tokyo in the past, it seemed like that would provide some context.
I’m well aware that we have been fortunate to travel extensively, and that can change perspective. However, I think I’m pretty critical of every experience I have (for better or worse). My perspective is that this blog is a consumer resource, and as such, offering an ample amount of constructive criticism is more useful than copious praise. I strive for a balance (to the extent that I enjoy and dislike things), but sometimes I might miss the mark on that, I guess?
I thought your assessment of Nassau was fair. We have not traveled as much as you, but Nassau was not a great stop. We have taken two Disney cruises with the kids and didn’t bother on our 2nd one to get off the boat. On a 3 night cruise there is just too much to do on the boat to bother getting off. We had a wonderful day on the boat while everyone else was touring.
Well stated Tom. The intent wasn’t to challenge u but, just probe ur thinking. Ur logic is sound. U have very high praise for Tokyo, just at first read felt very high brow. I didn’t take it as negative. I too have many read the negative reviews of Nassau on any cruise line, so ur not out of line. Love ur work. Just keeping u honest… I guess? Lol
The Castaway Cay Challenge 5K is a much nicer version than the regular. This happens on the cruise that sails the day after Marathon Weekend. They have two separate 5Ks on that day. One is the regular one that anyone can do, and the other one is only for people signed up for the Castaway Cay Challenge. This one is cool because it starts very early in the morning before most of the passengers are allowed off the ship. Besides the weather not being as warm and humid, you also get to take pictures of the ship in the dark as you walk to the starting area, and this is not a view most people see! I was done with the 5K and back on the ship before they were even letting the regular passengers off. And runDisney was out there with race announcers, special photo opps, and the typical food boxes you get at the other races. And in addition to the usual rubber “medal”, I got the beautiful Castaway Cay Challenge medal that has the ship on it. It’s not something I need to do again, but I am glad I did it once.
I had no idea about this! That actually sounds really cool, and like a nice ‘bonus.’ I know that cruise is popular with runDisney people, though, so I’m guessing it isn’t normally discounted much…despite being during a time of year when DCL bookings are otherwise on the light side.
Even with those bonuses, I’m not sure I could justify paying extra for a cruise versus waiting a couple of weeks. (Of course, you’d already be in Florida for the Walt Disney World Marathon, so I guess that tips the scales of the value proposition…)
This was a big deal for me last year because it coincided with my first Dopey and I got a total of 8 MEDALS for the whole experience!!! On the cruise, I had all of the characters sign the ribbon on the appropriate medal. The ship seemed to be filled with mostly runners. You are right about the cruise not being discounted. We payed full price, and it was booked up pretty early. We stayed in the least expensive room category, and since it was a short cruise, we did not mind at all. It’s worth doing once, but it is not something I will need to do again. I think you would enjoy the rare photo opps of Castaway Cay and pictures of the ship before daylight.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll give that some thought if/when I do Dopey again. You’re right about those dawn/sunrise photos of the ship itself being appealing!