Best way to say on Castaway Cay

[fairyqueentati]

As we all know, going to the parks can be manageable because you can bring your own food and what not. You also have options outside the parks for food and lodging. But when you are in a Disney cruise, you are pretty much stuck. Are there any tips and ways to save when you are literally stuck in a Disney island? How do you save on drinks and excursions?

 

[havaneselover]

I'm lost. I think this would be better on the Disney Cruise forum. I don't drink alcohol so I don't pay anything for drinks on a Disney cruise. And all of the food except popcorn at the theaters and the adult restaurants is included. As far as excursions, you can book those on your own but if you aren't back on time and the ship leaves without you that can be very expensive. Last cruise (April) my bill was the tip, one souvenir (Tervis tumbler), 2 float rentals at Castaway Cay, one popcorn, and our excursion in Nassau (which wasn't worth it--should have stayed on the ship). Also, people do bring their own food and drinks (including bottled water, soda, and alcohol) on the ship.

 

[Narnia_girl]

When you are on Castaway Cay all the food is included, too! It's a full BBQ lunch. My family adores it (not my favorite, but that's just a taste issue). You can eat as much as you want on the island, just like onboard. And if you don't like the food, you can get back on the ship and eat.
You can do the Castaway Cay 5K for free. Just walk it if you want, and you get a ribbon for a souvenir. Spend your day on the sand and water, and you don't need much money. The bikes are affordable.

For other excursions, it depends on which ports you mean. You can do your own booking for cheaper, but there are some minor risks involved.

Like havaneselover, we don't spend a lot of extras on our Disney cruises--they are expensive enough and include plenty to keep us busy. We don't drink alcohol there, and maybe get one fancy drink for the kids. I used my Disney Visa rewards to pay for any onboard charges, and my travel agent gave me $50 per $1000 spent in credit so that paid for my tips last time.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I definitely second the recommendation to go over to the cruise forum. There's a great post about what's included in your cruise fare and what isn't. You can also learn more about excursions and if booking them yourself is valuable to you.

Excursions are not needed for Castaway Cay, but many people do budget for bikes or floats.

I'm not sure if you can bring alcohol off the boat on the island, but you can have your "free" alcohol from home on the ship.

 

[havaneselover]

I definitely second the recommendation to go over to the cruise forum. There's a great post about what's included in your cruise fare and what isn't. You can also learn more about excursions and if booking them yourself is valuable to you.

Excursions are not needed for Castaway Cay, but many people do budget for bikes or floats.

I'm not sure if you can bring alcohol off the boat on the island, but you can have your "free" alcohol from home on the ship.

The rules changed on bringing alcohol this week. You still can, but only two bottles of wine or a six pack of beer per adult. Nothing else. I don't drink so it doesn't impact me, but people aren't happy.

 

[Ariel484]

As we all know, going to the parks can be manageable because you can bring your own food and what not. You also have options outside the parks for food and lodging. But when you are in a Disney cruise, you are pretty much stuck. Are there any tips and ways to save when you are literally stuck in a Disney island? How do you save on drinks and excursions?

food, ice cream and pop is included in your cruise fare, just like on the ship. Or if you prefer, it's easy to go back to the ship for lunch since it is docked right there.

Personally we don't ever do excursions on Castaway Cay - just treat it as a relaxing beach day - so that helps. So the only money we end up spending on Castaway Cay goes to alcoholic beverages and souvenirs.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

The rules changed on bringing alcohol this week. You still can, but only two bottles of wine or a six pack of beer per adult. Nothing else. I don't drink so it doesn't impact me, but people aren't happy.

Apparently, I need to go over to the cruise board! I haven't been on in a couple weeks since the hot tub drama....

 

[havaneselover]

Apparently, I need to go over to the cruise board! I haven't been on in a couple weeks since the hot tub drama....

Oh gosh, I missed that! I read this on Facebook.

 

[UCFGrad01]

I don't ever spend money on Castaway either. One of my favorite places in the world, and I'm so happy to just veg on the beach and in the water. Food and basic drink (soda, etc) is included just like it is on the ship.

 

[hollypoast]

As we all know, going to the parks can be manageable because you can bring your own food and what not. You also have options outside the parks for food and lodging. But when you are in a Disney cruise, you are pretty much stuck. Are there any tips and ways to save when you are literally stuck in a Disney island? How do you save on drinks and excursions?

I believe we are on the same cruise.

As many have said, Castaway Cay is easy. We also tend to get room service and bag up snacks to take with us at other ports or for on the beach at CC. (bring some ziplock baggies along and order room service the night before-- we usually take fruit, cheese, crackers, etc.) I have seen other posts from past cruisers saying that they often find floats & snorkel equipment laying around mid-day that people have left behind when they are done that they have used to avoid renting. (I've never done this... I'd be nervous someone would come back for it.)

One thing that we are doing to save money is sharing snorkel gear. We are a family of six so I just ordered three sets per day. We will take turns using it and relax on the beach in between. I also bought some inflatable floats on clearance at Target for $6 that we will use instead of renting.

Happy cruising!

 

[UCFGrad01]

It's usually illegal to carry anything off the ship that isn't factory packaged/sealed at different ports. Especially fruit, there are usually super heavy fines for that. Just don't want anyone getting in trouble

 

[hollypoast]

It's usually illegal to carry anything off the ship that isn't factory packaged/sealed at different ports. Especially fruit, there are usually super heavy fines for that. Just don't want anyone getting in trouble

We are cruising in the Bahamas... the last time we went there were no restrictions but, true, other locations may have restrictions. The food will just be confiscated before you get off the ship.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

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[JenzyHP]

We are cruising in the Bahamas... the last time we went there were no restrictions but, true, other locations may have restrictions. The food will just be confiscated before you get off the ship.

Really? That's news to me. I can't imagine them wanting the possible pests that fruit can bring.

 

[crisi]

One thing to be aware of with self excursions - be back at the ship BEFORE it leaves port. If you take a sponsored excursion (Castaway Cay is all sponsored excursions - but if you are tempted at any other stops) they are responsible for getting you to the ship, which means if your tour bus hits traffic, they'll hold the ship. Go with "Bob's Fly By Night Mayan Ruins Tours" and you may find yourself standing on an empty dock.

For Castaway Key

• Snorkel equipment is rental. You can bring your own. Its expensive to rent, but if you don't own any, its more expensive to buy. But its free to borrow from a friend who bought it for their vacation . Ask around - you want decent snorkel gear - not WalMart specials for playing around in the pool. You'll need a vest, Disney will loan you that for free.
• Sand toys you buy, and they are expensive! If you have little ones that will be digging in the sand, bring sand toys in your luggage the you buy at home or at the Cape before you get on board.
• Likewise, sunscreen is expensive. Pack plenty so you don't run out.
• Souvenirs are expensive - its the only place you can get anything that says "Castaway Cay" on it, and people eat up the towels and t-shirts.
• Food is free, including soda (but not alcohol) but its a walk to get it in the heat. There is fruit and ice cream out all the time - no need to bring it from the ship. Lunch is out limited hours. If your kids are older, the menu on the adult beach is different and some people like it better
• You'll pay for alcohol, and it isn't cheap on the cruise or on the beach. With the alcohol rules change, that's going to pinch a lot of budgets. DCL always has a "drink of the day" which is a fairly good deal - its often something that you'll get fat before you get drunk (lots of fruit juice or ice cream and a little alcohol) - frou frou umbrella cruise drinks

 

[mjkacmom]

We are cruising in the Bahamas... the last time we went there were no restrictions but, true, other locations may have restrictions. The food will just be confiscated before you get off the ship.

There are definitely restrictions in the Bahamas! Only prepackaged food.

 

[GC&S]

We didn't rent any floatation devices but by mid day there were so many just laying around or floating in the water. We had two families offer us theirs when they left. We didn't rent bikes but walked to the tower. I wished we had rented bikes - it was a long hot walk!!! DH and I bought the souvenir cups for discounted drinks and that was our big splurge. Our dd was happy just to spend the day on the beach and that's basically what we did. We enjoyed our drinks and she enjoyed the free ice cream. There was plenty of food at lunch so no need to bring any additional food.