Should I get Castaway Cay Getaway Package for Upcoming December Cruise?

[pinkdragonfly]

Should I get Castaway Cay Getaway Package for Upcoming December Cruise?
I want to take advantage of the package price but worried the water is gonna be too cold to swim in.

 

[Bear3412]

IMHO, no. Check out the island, weather, if you decide to bike or snorkel, then rent equipment. Some have regretted prebooking package once on island. You may only do 1 thing in package, yet paid for all.

I suppose it's somewhat of a gamble. But in December?? IMHO, no.

HTH

 

[Namsupak]

We have been in December to CC and we enjoyed the water. It is really subjective. In our state we get a good bit of snow and it is rather cold so any improvement is nice for us. We have bought the package before and found that we wouldn't really use it to the full potential. You can also wait till you get on your cruise and then book onboard. This will also kind of give you a feel for the weather and what the forecast is going to be. Also, you can just book it and then when you are onboard just cancel it if you feel like you aren't going to need it due to the weather.

 

[carolinagirl268]

I was at Castaway Cay on Tuesday (11/6) and didn't want to hang around in the water. We brought our own snorkel equipment and used it for one trip through the snorkel lagoon. I was dreading getting in the water. It was fine once we got going but I definately didn't want to float in the water on a float. I also didn't think it was warm enough to go to Pelican Plunge. There were plenty of people in the water so its not like the water activities are out of the question. It's more of a matter of why make yourself cold if you could just relax on the beach. For what its worth I'm from South Carolina where it usually snows once a year.

One last thing, don't worry about them running out of bikes or snorkel equipment. If you want to just rent once you get there you'll be fine.

 

[pinkdragonfly]

Now I feel dumb.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences

 

[Bear3412]

Now I feel dumb.

Please don't. DCL counts on this package to rake in the $.
When you return you can tell us we were dumb, steering you away from said package.

 

[carolinagirl268]

Now I feel dumb.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences

You should feel smart because you figured it out before the cruise! That makes you smarter than me because I actually did book the package on my family's first cruise. We were at CC on New Years Day.

 

[westjones]

We went once in December and the water was chilly. Now we did do the Kayaking excursion and it was really nice because the temperature was just perfect for that.

 

[GrandCanyon]

Will it be too cold to enjoy the Cabana we paid for?

 

[kcashner]

Will it be too cold to enjoy the Cabana we paid for?

There is no way to predict this months in advance. We've had December cruises when it was in the 80s, and some when it was less pleasant. I'd suggest that you look at the forecast about a week before you cruise. If you cancel the cabana at least 3 days before embarkation, there is no fee (right? this is the policy on excursions). So, if the forecast is showing a high in the 60s, I might decide to save the money. On the other hand, if it shows 80s and sunny for your day, keep it.

I'm another vote for not getting the package in advance. If you still want the savings, you can book it the day before while on the ship. By that time you should have a good handle on how the weather is going to be for the next day. And if you use everything in the package, it is a good value. Skip one item and you would have been better just getting what you wanted.

 

[sparklechicks]

You should feel smart because you figured it out before the cruise! That makes you smarter than me because I actually did book the package on my family's first cruise. We were at CC on New Years Day.

We are scheduled to be there for this New Years Day - what was the weather like when you were there? Too cold to enjoy swimming?

 

[swalesfamily]

i would not book the package however if you wanted to do the stingray part of the package I would book that part. If the waters are murkey and it's windy on the beach they will cancel that part of the package and refund you that part of the $ however you are still suck with the snorkel gear and inner tubes for the day and you may not want to go in the water. If the weather is nice and you do want to go in the water there are always plenty of snorkel gear, bikes, and inner tubes to rent as you would want them. If you do it all seperately it may cost more but my guess is you won't use everything in the entire package. I have sailed twice in Jan and once it was hot hot hot and the other time not so hot.

 

[carolinagirl268]

We are scheduled to be there for this New Years Day - what was the weather like when you were there? Too cold to enjoy swimming?

The water was cold but we still went swimming. Of course we had prepaid for the snorkel equipment and floats so we had to use them! . The weather was very nice so it wasn't a bad time on CC. Again, I'm just not one to torture myself with cold water unless absolutely necessary. There were lots of people in the water.

 

[Ccann]

We cruised in 2010 in August (hot hot hot) the sand was so hot you needed shoes to go anywhere except in the water. Anyways I pre-ordered package we didn't use half the stuff, I actually gave my tickets for snorkel and bike gear to someone I knew on the ship.... (Small world but my sons pre school teacher and her family was on the same cruise). They used it. I would wait and do it separately... But that's my personal preference.

 

[pinkdragonfly]

Thanks again, everyone.