Tell me about Castaway Cay

[jenseib]

I am still debating on wether we want to do the DCL. The price is so much higher, so I am gathering infor to see if it is worth it to us, and also to have reasons to convince DH to go on this line over Carnival.
Is food included on the island like on the ship?
Do you have to rent snorkling equiptment? Is there a place to snorkel? I see that the sting ray encounter cost, and is for kids 5 and over, which I didn;t know, so I guess that one is out, since DD will only be 4.
Scuttle cove? Can the whole family go and play together, or do you have to drop off he kids. Do you get a beeper if you do drop them off. Is it near the family beach?
Is it a far walk to everything or are there shuttles?
Any advice or help would be great!

 

[RLP817]

Hi! We loved CC. When you first board the ship and register your children you will receive a pager to keep the entire cruise. This is how the counselors will reach you whenever the kids are with the Kid's Club, whether it is on the ship or on CC. The pagers, however, do not work at other ports. Not sure if you can enter Scuttle's Cove. I loved the idea that Scuttle's Cove is NOT near the water. It is not far from the family beach and I was totally comfortable dropping her off for 2 hours. She had lunch there and I was even more impressed that they did not have to take the kids to Cookie's for lunch, but that they had their own buffet in the Scuttle's Cove area.

I believe you can use your own snorkle equipment, but I also believe you HAVE to wear a lifevest. If I remember correctly my daughter was trying out her snorkle equipment on the family beach and the lifeguard informed us that lifevests were required. Someone, please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Food on the island is included just like it is on the ship.

There is a short walk from the ship to the shuttle. It took us down towards the family beach. I didn't go to Serenity Bay, but I believe there is also another shuttle to that location.

Hope this helps!

 

[saradela]

Like everything that Disney does is wonderfull, CC is almost paradise. They have a Theme for the island, and the food and refreshments are included. The sand is white and very well taken care of. To do the snorkeling they provide a life vest( for free) and you can take your own equipment, and the water is incredible clear, in fact, they have put some fish so you can swim with them. They have some tours, so it depends on you, but you don´t need to spend a dime if you dont want to. From all the other cruises that i have been to, this is the best island so far. It is like a pretty picture, the ones that you see in the vacations magazine, plus they provide entretaiment for little ones(at the beach) if their parents just want to be lying in the sun.(also included)

 

[nikkistevej]

I agree with the above posters- CC was paradise to my family. We did the Stingray excursion- my DD had just turned 5 the week before, and wouldn't touch the water AT ALL- there were a couple of castmembers building a huge sandcastle on the beach- so any kids that didn't want to do it- could help with the sand castle. Everyone on the island was just so friendly, and it was beautiful. I have been on 2 Carnival cruises, and a RCCL cruise, and the service was OK- but Disney provided the best service, and the kid clubs are the best at sea- especially for your 4 year old!! There are so many activities on the ship- or you could just chill out. We rebooked the first day, because we loved it so much!!

 

[nokidz]

you can use your own snorkel equipment, but you have to wear the DCL life vests. They are at every lifeguard tower. AS PP's have said, meals on CC are included as well as most beverages. Alcohol and specialty drinks, i.e. smoothies, are charged to your KTTW card.

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Thanks everyone for the great info this is our 2nd cruise but the first time we did not get to make to cc due to the weather and water current so i am so psyched about this trip hoping for better luck. So am I correct they have activites on the beach for the younger children so you can relax and they take care of them for a while at no charge?

 

[jenseib]

Thanks.
What if you don;t have your own snorkle equiptment? Can you rent or buy? We used to from our last cruise, but we moved since then and I'm sure it is long gone.

 

[RLP817]

jenseib... yes, you can rent the equipment there. Check the DCL website under the Castaway Cay ports of call section and then the excursions. They will give you the rental prices.

mommylovesdisneymore.... YES... the children (ages 3+) can go to Scuttles Cove. It's the same idea as Oceaneer Lab/Club on the ship. No extra charges! Check your Navigator, it will list the organized activities there. When we went my daughter went on a treasure hunt and had lunch. She loved it and at the same time I got to rest on the beach

 

[Belle de la Bois]

My parents are veteran cruisers but this was their first Disney cruise. For me, it was my first cruise EVER. My parents said nothing else compared to this cruise. We were on the Wonder this past week 8/10-8/14 (I'll be posting a complete trip report on that board soon).

CC was nothing short of paradise. My niece (7.5 yrs) and nephew (4.5 yrs) were in heaven in Scuttle's Cove. I went over there to visit them and they were so busy playing they barely realized I was there...I quickly left so as not to disturb their fun.

I hung out at Serenity Bay and couldn't have been happier...peace and quiet. Lounging in a hammock or chaise with the drink of the day, chocolate chip cookies, a book, some conversation with newly-made friends in the chaises next to me...what more can you ask for? I rented a tube on the 2nd day on CC and enjoyed being pushed along the surf down the beach. My dad enjoyed the float too.

Our drink server, Sandra, was fabulous. She was attentive and kept us "hydrated."

I went parasailing and had the time of my life. Bear in mind, I have a fear of water, heights, and ships but I LOVED the parasailing and would do it again in a minute. It was not scary at all. It was peaceful and heavenly (once you got up in the air...the boat ride to the middle of the ocean was bumpy and wet but fun nonetheless).

To work off some of the endless calories enjoyed on this vacation, I walked from the ship to Serenity Bay (it's not quite a mile). However, there's a tram from the ship to the family beach and then another tram from the family beach to Serenity Bay. I also did yoga on the beach--probably the best thing I did on the island! It was beyond relaxing and refreshing...don't miss it. You don't have to be a yoga expert to do this. Anyone can take this class.

As for convincing your husband to spend the extra $$$ to take a Disney cruise, have him read these boards. I have a friend who's a travel agent...he has been on four Disney cruises and prefers them over all the others (how's that for an endorsement?). And as I mentioned in the beginning, my parents said this was above and beyond any other cruise they have taken. I'm telling all my friends to save their pennies now so they can take one of these cruises...it's really worth it.

 

[LindaBabe]

My husband (retired military) is aka Mr. Safety - he can find a guy in uniform anywhere, lol - and he found a coast guard inspector on the Magic. Inspector said he rarely found any violations on the Disney ships, and if he DID identify something, it was corrected before the next inspection, unlike some other cruise lines, which he named, but I have forgotten. The inspector apparently had other nice things to say about Disney safety, and now dh won't consider cruising with any other line. Which is an issue, since I'd really like to cruise to Alaska , , ,

 

[samily]

Here's a thread on CC that may interest you:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1906502

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

thanks

 

[jenseib]

Here's a thread on CC that may interest you:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1906502

Thanks, I'll check it out