Castaway Cay costs

[MrBill]

We just got back from our 1st Disney Cruise and I must admit, I am very disappointed with the way that Castaway Cay was promoted as compared to the way it was experienced.

On our last day at about 7am I was watching TV in our stateroom and there was a presentation about Castaway Cay, it was informative and definately got me looking forward to spending time with the family on this "Private Island" as they kept saying. We hadn't arrived yet but I was ready to enjoy the place ... until !!!

I found this to be a bit upsetting:

After all of the money we had spent to get to the ship prior to sailing, ontop of the money we had spent throughout the course of the trip on alcohol and photos and gifts from the shops, not to mention the expected tips which were defined on the paper left in our stateroom the night before Castaway Cay. This person on the TV was explaining the activities which we could do such as tubing, it was lots of fun and made available for us to enjoy - "tubes were available for rent". Also there were the foam mattresses, it would be lots of fun and made available for us to enjoy - "mattresses were available for rent".

I just could not believe that after all that we had been required to pay for, that at the end of this week, the last bit of fun our 7 and 10 year old kids were going to have was to swim carefree but obviously not cost free.

Is it really necessary for a company the size of Disney or DCL which made as much revenue as they did off the cruisers over the past 6 days to charge for the use of Tubes or Mattresses? After all, they kept promoting that this was "Disney's Own Private Island", and with that said, you would think that the last place we would visit would be an escape not yet another burden associated with nothing more than money.

Some of you may disagree with me, and that is of course your right, but I firmly believe that on the last day, we should not have to dish out "once again" more money to experience a little fun, especially with small children.

 

[cristit14]

I thoroughly enjoyed Castaway Cay when we were there last summer, but I do agree with you that there really shouldn't be a charge for the floats. I mean it's not like we are going to take them with us.

I can't wait to go back though!!!!

 

[westjones]

Well we just got our 'free' soda, so maybe this will be next. I agree, this is something that bothers us. People have been known to take other peoples floats, and it causes hard feelings. Also, who wants to 'watch out' for a float all day long (like what do you do when you go to eat lunch)?

I am hoping that eventually they do away with this policy also.

DJ

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Yeah I agree. There was one time that could have been uncomfortable for us. Ds went to use someone else's float (thinking it was ours) So I had to run over to him with ours and give it to him. The people may not have cared but i ran over in order to avoid an awkward situatiuon. Worrying about the float something you have to keep your eye out for. If they were free then it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I am sure they have enough to go around.

 

[noseybuddy]

I agree 100%. Makes no sense to charge money for that. I have not cruised DCL yet but I did cruise on RCCL. I was happy to see on this cruise that we didn't have to pay for rock climbing, ice skating, or mini golf, but we did have to purchase a soda card for the kids, which is ridiculous, so I would have the kids get sodas for me.

 

[zakatak]

I totally agree with the floats. We had one of ours stolen within minutes of settling down. I have no idea how! One minute we had three, the next only two...

I think that both the floats and the tubes should be included in your cruise price. Lobster and shrimp is and you can eat as much as you want! A couple of $6 floats should be too.

 

[cpdrn7]

I totally agree...we got four last time and three got taken !! It really shouldnt be an added expense.

 

[westjones]

I totally agree...we got four last time and three got taken !! It really shouldnt be an added expense.

We don't even bother getting them any more. I don't want to deal with them. My kids would love them, but I don't want to keep track of them.

I hope Disney changes this sometime in the near future. It really doesn't work well they way they are doing it.
DJ

 

[MrBill]

I think that both the floats and the tubes should be included in your cruise price. Lobster and shrimp is and you can eat as much as you want! A couple of $6 floats should be too.

Hello everyone,

Well I really didn't think much about how many responses I would get when I created this thread, however, since I added the Poll, I am beginning to see that my thoughts are shared by many others.

What I am going to do is, let this thread run for some time, maybe the next couple months or so. Then I will print off all of the remarks that people have added and provide a screen shot of the poll. I will take this information and then on behalf of all the Disney Cruisers who have taken the time to participate in this discussion, I will prepare a document and present it to the appropriate people at DCL.

I can't honestly say that things will change, however, I believe the remark made by "Zakatak" will carry some weight, it only makes sense that an inexpensive toy for a child be included as compared providing Steak and Lobster till you explode... LOL

 

[jlcbshaw]

Although I have not cruised yet, 1st one coming 09/05, my research did prepare me for this added expense. I totally agree 100% with everyone that this should be not be an added expense. I want to go snorkeling while we are at CC, but for $25 I can probbaly buy my own equipment at Wal-Mart and save it for future use.

I know some do not like a thread question within a thread, but I have to ask and wonder why Disney doesn't apply the same policy they have for Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach. I was able to use their float on the lazy river all day and also snorkel through Shark Reef several times without any added costs.

I mean are the floats being taken because they offer a Disney dollar for the return of the float like they do for the strollers at WDW or are they afraid that the floats will be taken as souvies?

 

[jeannief]

While I agree that the float costs should be included (heck, I think they should have free shovels and pails that could be left behind instead of paying $16 dollars for a pail set that was used for 1 hour) I think the answer may be that the float booth is a concession, not a "disney" thing. I could be wrong. Maybe the rental cost is due to that. Just a thought. Does anyone know for sure?

We rented one and stayed at the beach till almost the end, when there were at least a hundred homeless floats left behind.

 

[tarzanman]

That is what I was thinking too. Just like the wave runner tour, the banana boat and other items, I don't know if the snorkel, tube, raft, bike, or sailboat rentals are contracted out to the companies on the local island. Does anyone know about this?

 

[MrBill]

The idea of having things provided is obviously something which most of you agree with. There are many opinions and ideas of how things should be dealt with, but in the end it is DCL which will decide what the customer will get for the ol' mighty dollar. True enough, it may be a consession stand approach, and for that much, the majority of things which are done at CC could be handled that way, but for my two cents worth, there should be no cost.

Imagine if you will, going to a water park, a large one with say 5, 6 or maybe even 10 slides, of all sizes and for all ages. Now imagine showing up, paying to get into the park, and then after you and your family get changed into your bathing suits, you stand in line to rent tubes for the slides. Hmmm, something tells me, that park would become less and less popular.

Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of how things are handled at CC, or maybe how they were supposed to be handled. I would be interested to know. Now lets look at the food ... I must say, the food we had was top notch, we each had different selections and not one of us complained about the amount we received, or the quality of the food. The staff were helpful for our experience, I saw staff constantly cleaning and picking up, not to mention restocking the things which needed attending too.

We went parasailing, had a blast and would consider doing it again, we booked through DCL, I didn't have a problem with the cost for the two of us, seeing as it was our first time, but next time I don't think I would do it if the cost was the same or higher. The small shop which was selling t-shirts and such, for me it was a bit pricy, but then again, I dress out of the 70's so $7.00 is too much (lol) - or so I am told, over ... and over ... and over ...

Does anyone have any input about any of the other activities on CC?

 

[BeenHad]

At least you got to Castaway Cay. Some of us were unable to dock because the Disney Ship did not have picture perfect weather to dock.

 

[MrBill]

At least you got to Castaway Cay. Some of us were unable to dock because the Disney Ship did not have picture perfect weather to dock.

For those of you who did not get to CC, can you tell me if DCL provided you any kind of compensation. I am just curious, I know that there have been many discussions about it, and I have my own opinion of that, but I was just curious if DCL does anything when this happens.

 

[jollytammy]

I think what is so disappointing is that so many other things are provided free that I expect everything to be included. I can understand that they may need to charge to use the items, but the rental fees I thought were high. We rented bikes for four of us, and that adds up! (In fact, we would not have rented the bikes, but my husband won the jackpot at bingo, so we had a "little" extra cash to spend.)
And when you go to somewhere like Cozumel's Paradise Beach, where almost everything was free to use as long as you purchased a food item or drink, makes it even harded to have to rent items. And think about it when you go to a water park, everything is included--the rafts, the life jackets, etc. So when you go on a cruise and to their island, the assumption is that everything--within reason--should be included in the price.

 

[Turtlegirl]

I totally agree-Disney should provide the floats at no cost to cruise passengers on their private island-this should be a benefit on Castaway Cay that you can't get on a public island. It makes Disney look petty and penny-pinching and a bit unhospitable. Bikes I can see charging for, floats I can not-especially if it make so many passengers experience on the island uncomfortable because they're always watching their floats. I'm sure that people will return their floats at the end of the day even if they're not renting them, and, if not, staff can collect them-it's not as if the floats are going to disappear.

 

[jillane88]

Based on what I've read, we will be bringing our own "cheapie" Target floats and rings. Heck, if we end up leaving them behind, it would only have cost us a couple of bucks.

Heather


1st Disney Cruise 5-6-06 Western

 

[BeenHad]

I have been corresponding with DCL several times about this situation and they will not budge at all. We only asked for a discount on a future cruise and they are sticking to their high profit NO.

I have started a blog page and will publish it soon if no acceptable answer from DCL. As of now with our experience, I would say shop elsewhere.

 

[goofygal1975]

When you sit and think about it....do you have to pay for the floats at Disney's Water Parks? We didn't the last time we were there...it was included in the cost of the park tickets. I would think/expect that they would be included in the price of the cruise also.