New security at Castaway Cay

[joannjoe]

So let's ask the REAL QUESTION. For all those who love CC.

If you do not have your ID do you have to stay on the island??

I say, build a resort there. I would think it would be booked 365 days a year with no problem.

 

[bumbershoot]

Never told us to bring ID off the ship!

Go back and check your Navigator. It has it on there. There are signs. Maybe no one said it out loud to you, probably because it's everywhere else.

Of course it goes hand in hand with the VAT. Not sure which came first, but it's no coincidence. But even before that structure, everything written said to bring that ID off the island with you.

 

[joannjoe]

Go back and check your Navigator. It has it on there. There are signs. Maybe no one said it out loud to you, probably because it's everywhere else.

Of course it goes hand in hand with the VAT. Not sure which came first, but it's no coincidence. But even before that structure, everything written said to bring that ID off the island with you.

Hay congrads with the weight loss!!!

 

[Sandisw]

When I was on the cruise, they were very clear that we needed to have KTTW and ID to get off the ship for Castaway Cay. There was a very unhappy person that morning who didn't want to go back to get his ID when we were heading out to do the 5K, even though they had told him he would need it as we left and wouldn't let him leave the ship. Our server shared with us that Castaway Cay is simply land in the Bahamas that was leased by Disney from the government for 99 years so ally rules, etc. are decided by the government so it sounds like the same security measures they take when you leave Nassau to go back to the ship.

 

[tvguy]

Aren't some of the staff on Castaway Cay people who come in my small boats from nearby Grand Abaco? So it isn't like the only people on the island when you are there are the Disney staff that live on the island, and folks who came on the ship.
I've been cruising for 35 years, and the worst thing NCL did with their private out island, Great Stirrup Cay is allow outside vendors to come in. Our first trip there was in 1983 and there had NO staff who lived there. Everyone came off the ship. 2 years later, they had a straw market setup with people who came in by speed boat from surrounding islands. Just wasn't the same anymore.

 

[hanscarlet]

well at least we can say we all knew CC before the security....the 'olden days'

 

[mahermusic]

You really believe that? How about if Bahama's army patrolled the beaches of CC using soldiers with uzis. Lots of them. And DCL had a private army (not the Toy Story soldiers) walking around the ship with machine guns in tow. "Can never have TOO MUCH security these days..."

MUN

That much security around me? That'd be AWESOME! I'd book ANOTHER cruise even before I got off the boat.

 

[SuperDry]

Aren't some of the staff on Castaway Cay people who come in my small boats from nearby Grand Abaco? So it isn't like the only people on the island when you are there are the Disney staff that live on the island, and folks who came on the ship.

That's right. Many of the third-party excursion operators commute daily from Grand Abaco, about a 30-minute ferry ride from CC.

 

[SuperDry]

Our server shared with us that Castaway Cay is simply land in the Bahamas that was leased by Disney from the government for 99 years so ally rules, etc. are decided by the government so it sounds like the same security measures they take when you leave Nassau to go back to the ship.

Well, that's partway true. It's true that the island is on a long-term lease, and isn't actually owned outright by Disney. But that has nothing to do with port security and the Bahamian government's ability to police international ports of entry into the country. Even if Disney owned the island outright, the Bahamas would still be the sovereign, and as such be able to tax, pass and enforce domestic laws with a police force, and control international matters such as Customs and Immigration at a port of entry.

 

[Amunet]

I think they just wanted permanent shade on the dock

 

[ppiew]

Well MUN, I was in Jamaica on an NCL ship and the scene at the shopping village was similar as you describe, only uzis were replaced by rifles with attached bayonets!! That aside, CC is not difficult to get to from other Bahamian islands via boat of course. Perhaps there has been a problem with 'intruders' spending the night in the new cabanas!! That ought to start a good rumor!!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Maybe but I trust Disney security to stop them far more than I trust the Bahamian government.

I totally agree.........However, I'll take any and all the security I can get to protect my family.

AKK[/QUOTE]

 

[lanejudy]

Ok, I think some are taking the comment to an extreme! I'm sure that there is a range of comfort with various levels of security -- be that at CC, WDW, the airport, your kids' school, etc. Some people would like more, some would like less. Whatever the underlying driver for the new measures at CC, it might be considered an annoyance at worst -- having to show ID twice. Nobody is doing searches, there are no armed guards, this conversation has gone way out of whack!

The bottom line is...an extra ID check has been added at CC. Make sure you have your photo ID and KTTW card, which has been the rules for a while.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

has to be the Bahamian government wanting to enforce the photo ID requirement.

Used to be the Disney crew would check your ID before you boarded years ago. They stopped.

 

[lds0191]

Cruised twice in 2014 and both times ID and KTTW cards were checked when reboarding. About 3 years ago we forgot to take our IDs and the crew was not real happy with us. We were asked cabin numbers, where we had left our IDs, etc.

 

[JimGA]

They are there to shake us all down for sea shells, the forbidden contraband from Castaway Cay.....

 

[OKW Lover]

Sounds like some pretty normal security precautions. I just took a week-long cruise around Hawaii. We departed from Honolulu, stopped at 5 different ports on the other islands and ended back in Honolulu. In each port the routine was the same, you needed both the ships card and a valid photo ID to get into the port area.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Sounds like some pretty normal security precautions. I just took a week-long cruise around Hawaii. We departed from Honolulu, stopped at 5 different ports on the other islands and ended back in Honolulu. In each port the routine was the same, you needed both the ships card and a valid photo ID to get into the port area.

But, as pointed out, in those ports, the ship docks at "regular" terminals. As in - working terminals with many ships. Security is necessary to keep unauthorized people from accessing the port areas.

On Castaway Cay, it's only one dock, and only one cruise line/ship that docks there.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

But, as pointed out, in those ports, the ship docks at "regular" terminals. As in - working terminals with many ships. Security is necessary to keep unauthorized people from accessing the port areas.

On Castaway Cay, it's only one dock, and only one cruise line/ship that docks there.

And you forget the local people that come by boat and work there and sell there, it's very easy to get to from other islands.

 

[stingfancb]

Was on Castaway on 2/24/15. We only needed our ship card. Walked through new "checkpoints" going on the island - never was asked to show any ID. Coming back - did not walk through it.