My favorite day of the trip! We woke up before we arrived to the island and ate breakfast in concierge lounge. We really enjoyed the lounge! Soon we were docking at
Castaway Cay and we could just spot our Cabana in the Distance. I was excited to get on the island I guess too excited because I dragged my sister all the way down but the doors werent open yet. So we headed all the way back to our room to wait on the verandah.
While on the Verandah we heard the Captain play all of the horn sounds. I cant believe how many there were. My favorite was be our guest. I wish I had counted how many there were but it seemed to go on forever. It was a really fun way to start the day and I am so glad we went back upstairs to the Verandah to be able to hear it.
The horns signified that we could now leave the ship for the island. There was some confusion because Brent the cruise director said in his announcement that photo IDs werent required but the cast members wouldnt let people off the boat without photo IDs. It wasnt an issue for us since we all had our photo ids but it did snag quite a few who had to head back to their staterooms including our Scottish friends.
Well we were the first ones to Cabana #6 which was absolutely beautiful and much bigger than I expected. It fit the 9 of us very comfortably although it was rare that all of us were in the Cabana at once.
Kristine, Dad and I went to snorkeling first before it got too crowded. The visibility was poor because of a storm that passed through the day before. I think the Magic was at Castaway Cay the day before us and had really bad luck with weather. So far our weather was perfect.
We ran into our Scottish friends at the snorkeling rental. Our rentals were included in the Cabana. I brought my own mask and snorkel but did use the fins and of course everyone has to have a vest even if they arent inflated.
The swim out was a lot further than I expected. I think I heard Dory sing "just keep swimming, just keep swimming". First I was just heading toward the end and back (which is what my dad did) but then I noticed that buoys indicated sunken items. Like it looked to me one of the 20000 leagues under the sea submarine was sunken. I new about the sunken Mickey ahead of time but the submarine was a nice surprise. My dad was separate from us and ended up doing the entire snorkeling without seeing the sunken objects : ) Good thing I took photos.
After the work out we had earned an ice cream cone which was very convenient to the cabanas I might add. We went back to the cabana and noticed the sisters from buffalo were out on the tubes and floats in the water the cabana area has plenty of floats for anyone in the Cabanas to use. So the rest of us were soon out floating on the water. Our mom and dad stayed back in the shade of the Cabana life is rough : )
It was soon time for lunch cant believe how fast the day was already going. I thought the buffet was good. There was BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, and mahi mahi. My sister made herself a coke float mixing ice scream from the soft serve with coke. A good idea that I had to try later : )
Our Dad saw a heavy storm in the distance that he said would get to us by the early afternoon. As kids we would call him Mr. Weatherman because he was always looking at the weather radar and the sky for changes in weather. So I insisted we head to the bike ride before the storm hits.
It was my Sister, Dad and one of our Scottish friends who went for the bike ride. The bike rentals are also included in the cabana. I really enjoyed the bike ride. Just to warn you the bikes dont have handle brakes, which threw our Scottish friend for a loop that you have to pedal backwards to stop. Also the tires are big and squishy feeling, but I think that is because they are some kind of sand tire. I will definitely do the bikes again but will probably skip the snorkeling next time.
After biking we had earned another ice cream : ) This time I made a coke float. This was to help me float in the water : ) Sure, but seriously we spent almost the remainder of the time floating in the water. That afternoon we watched as the storm skirted by the island leaving us in sun for the entire afternoon. What luck Mr. Weatherman was wrong!
It really is so peaceful in the cabana area. There is such a difference between the cabana beach and the general beach. I was so spoiled by it! We will definitely have to try to get a cabana again on our Panama cruise.
We were one of the last off the island. PJ said he would call us a taxi back to the ship, which I laughed off as joke. So we walked back the ship. Turns out PJ wasnt joking there are golf carts to take people to the ship from the Cabanas. It was nice to walk anyway - more time to take in my favorite Island : )
It was then time to pack and get ready for dinner. My sister and I missed the show that night because we still needed to pack and get our suitcases out before dinner for the 10pm pick up. My mom and dad got to see the show since they both headed back to the ship earlier than us to pack. I guess that is the trade go back early to pack or miss the show.
We tried to watch it on the TV but there must have been technical difficulties in the broadcast because it wasnt on.
That night we were in Animators Palate and it was the Animation Show. Each of us picked a name from a hat so that we drew a picture of someone else in our group. So much fun. The show was great too. I cant believe how they animate the drawings. But the animation is actually at the very end. Before that there are great clips from the animate movies. And their special soup is the pop corn soup so unique, but in a good way. Seriously it was better than I expected. Ordering was confusing that night. It appears you get a choice of appetizers but really you get a taste of all three. Poor Lilly had to explain that so many times at our table! I think they give you less to choose from because they want to give you more time for your drawings.