Castaway Cay advice needed

[tbserena]

I've heard that the day goes fast on Castaway Cay. I'm planning to do excursions at St Thomas and Antigua so I can have as much free time as possible at CC.
If you could do it over again, what would you do at CC and what would you not do, with your day?????

 

[DisneyKids]

Relax and take advantage of the beautiful island. If you have kids, consider putting them in the clubs for a portion of the day and heading to the adult beach. Although the family beach is awesome, it's great to have a little quiet time on the beach, as well. Don't feel you have to do too much. Castaway Cay, in my opinion, is a place to kick back, relax and enjoy! Oh, and have a Konk Kooler...awesome drink.

 

[crisi]

We aren't beach people. We were on the beach from 9:00 until 12:00, then went back to the boat where we swam in empty pools and saw the matinee of the show. We had PLENTY of time on the Cay.

The beach is really really beautiful, and we enjoyed every moment that we spent on the Cay. The kids loved the swimming and the sand (though they didn't like the salt in the water).

 

[tbserena]

Thanks! This is what I needed to know!

 

[mickeyboat]

Absolutely, relax there. It was the best day of our cruise.

We camped out at the far end of the family beach. We were close to the restrooms and not too far away from the Head's Up and Conked Out bars, and Cookies BBQ. No problem getting chairs although we just barely missed out on the hammocks.

It was also a lot less crowded down there. However, the ship's photographer never made it down our way. They took some GREAT pictures of kids at CC.

I had planned on taking my kids to Scuttles at some point, but they had so much fun just playing at the beach and they were so well-behaved, that I wanted to keep them with me.

CC is heaven on earth, really.

Denae

 

[KelNottAt]

1. I would have scheduled our banana boat ride for the first time slot of the day, instead of mid-day. Having that obligation in the middle of the day kinda messed up our flexibility. Don't get me wrong...the ride was great and we'd definitely do that again...it was just the timing.

2. I would have remembered to apply the Safe Sea, especially on the kids. Poor DS10 really was stung badly. Maybe the lotion would have prevented that.

Other than that, everything was absolutely perfect. We were the last passengers to return to the ship. We really didn't want to leave.


Kelley

 

[norma30]

Our family LOVED CC. The calm waters were perfect for my 22 mo old. We were one of the first groups off the ship so we had chairs right up front on the family beach. My DH rented a blue float. It was perfect for DD. We had planned on renting bikes but DD was having such a great time.

Take it as a relaxing day....after all your vacation will almost be over.

 

[EmmasGrammy]

You speak of Safe-Sea, and your little one being stung. Was that a jelly fish sting? What is safe-sea and where do you buy it?

We are NOT beach people and the ocean critters kinda scare me. I am not up on any types of sea protection we may need except for sun screen/bug reppellant and water shoes. Please clue me in . Thanks.

 

[WDWLVR]

Of all the times we've done CC I think I liked our last outing best.

Went snorkeling first thing on the trail. Then relaxed on the family beach until lunch time. Had lunch at Cookies and then went over to the adult beach. More snorkeling and then a quick trip through She Sells...and back to the ship. A perfect day!

 

[NYGiantsRule!]

The day goes very fast at CC. Even though the Navigator's say all aboard is at 4:30PM, they begin making announcements and moving people toward the ship not long after 3PM. I asked one of the CM and they said it takes along time to get everyone back on the ship so they start early. They start stacking the chairs and cleaning up the beach quickly.

 

[KelNottAt]

I learned about sea lice from this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=176596

Basically, they're jelly fish larvae that can get trapped in one's bathing suit. My son was the only one of us who swam near the grass, so that probably explains why he was stung. They're invisible and don't sting until you come out of the water. They say the Safe Sea product helps, but I'm not sure how it works. I'll have to wait till next time to find out.

Hope that helps.
Kelley

 

[EmmasGrammy]

Thanks for sharing the thread!!! YUCK!!!
Doesn't sound like a pleasent experience!!!

I much prefer a clorinated pool where I can see the bottom!!
I think I will spend my time on CC on the sand!!!

Any sand critters I should be aware of???

 

[mickeyboat]

We were just at CC last week and saw no jelly fish and experienced no sea lice. I asked the lifeguard if there had been problems with them lately and he said he has seen jellies almost all the way to the shore, just don't reach out and grab them and they should leave you alone.

All that being said, we applied Safe Sea (Check drugstore.com) just to be safe. I couldn't see ruining a beautiful day with a sting when it could have been prevented. The lifeguard said he had never tried Safe Sea and he wondered how it worked. I'm glad we didn't have to find out.

EmmasGrammy - we played in the sand and in the shallow water at the end of the family beach. We didn't even see a fish.

Denae

 

[EmmasGrammy]

Thank you so much! I am truly the world's biggest baby!!!
I hate anything creepy crawly. I am so looking forward to this "paradise" called Castaway Cay, but the stories of the creepy things is making me want to stay on the ship!!! I don't even really want to see any fish!!

 

[pooh luver]

We love CC. I also recommend doing anything like banana boat ride or parasailing the first thing. The only problem we had last time was getting a chair close to the water out of the sun. My DS loves the kayaking so we do that several times. He wants to try the sailing so we will probably try that next time. I would suggest snorkeling when the tide is the highest, for us it was always towards the morning. I also dislike the sea creature thing but it is so beautiful you have to go in, it is amazing. If you are planning on buying anything at the store before hitting the boat, do so early. It seemed sizes had been picked over before we left.

Enjoy and relax!!!!