Castaway Cay Floats? Do People "steal" Them?

[Poly Pal]

If you rent floats for the day at CC where do you leave them when you go to lunch / go bike riding / go on an excursion / go back to the ship / etc.?

Do the same people who "steal" other folks strollers at WDW also sail on the Wonder and Magic? You know who I'm talking about... the pool hopping chair hoggers....LOL!

Seriously though, will your paid for floats go missiong while you are off doing other things at Castaway Cay?

 

[4myguys]

It's always possible. There's not alot of room to keep them on shore. We rolled up our floats and tucked them inside the innertubes. You might could tuck the folded floats under your seat.
Also if you're first off the boat you might want to stay in your seats until a lot of the others have picked their seats as well. We put our stuff in 2 lounge chairs and 2 short chairs directly in front of our lounge chairs (there were 4 of us) and when we got back from bike riding everyone had crowded around us so much that we could hardly get into the chairs. Some of our stuff had even been moved. I realize there are some chair hogs but not everyone is and others shouldn't take it upon themselves to move things only 1/2 hour into the day.
That said, when we came back some did offer to move their things from our seats.

 

[kcatoir]

We did have our inner tubes taken. Fortunately we didn't notice till we were pretty much done for the day. We looked around and said "hey where did our tubes go??"
Unfortunately ALL the tubes look the same so there is no way of discovering who the culprit is.........in all fairness being that they all do look alike they could have been taken in error.

KC

 

[NalaNYC]

By the end of the day empty tubes were floating around and there were literally 30 beached tubes on the shore. At that point we decided to claim two, since there was only about 45 mins left and we assumed most, if not all, were abandoned.

 

[dis4me]

My dds tube was stolen while she was in the water. I told a CM and he gave her another one. I watched a whole family walk up and just take them while the cm was helping someone else. I went to grab mine after the cm had checked our tickets in and she pulled it out of my hand. I told her you have to pay for them and she said that her TA told her they were included in the price so she was taking one for each of her family members. The nerve of some people. Anyway the cm had to radio in and get me more from another spot as I had prepaid for 4 and there were only 2 available.

That said on 4 cruises we have gotten both snorkle gear and tubes/floats and no one touched them at our seat. I think people assume if it is loose in the water you have abandoned it. I think that is why my dds was taken as she had left it to play in the sand.

 

[Bbethparsons]

After a while on Castaway, people quit using their floats, go back to boat, and leave their floats everywhere. We have rented floats all three times and have never had anyone take ours. However, I am not sure if my kids let them go long enough for anyone to actually take them. LOL

 

[inkkognito]

You may want to just bring cheap inflatable rafts with you. We got a couple for $1.50, and they are brightly colored so no one would steal them and get away with it!
With all the chair hogs and other "interesting" people I've met on DCL, none has ever been as brazen as the float stealer I encountered at a water park in Indiana. I had rented a tube and was floating in the wave pool, hanging on to it to hold me up but not inside of it. A boy swam over, grab it, and started yelling that I'd stolen his tube! I just gave him a death look and said, "That b.s. is not going to work with me," and he went away. But I wonder if it's ever worked it anyone else. That was bold!
Barb

 

[MrsPete]

We didn't have any problems with anyone stealing our floats, but then we positioned ourselves waaaaay at the far end of the family beach -- down by the Heads Up bar -- and we were pretty much alone most of the day. I suspect that in the middle of the family beach, "theft" could happen unintentionally.

At lunchtime we shoved our floats under our chairs (thinking they might blow away), and they were untouched when we returned.

 

[Pammy jo]

This is a really silly question I know but, do people use the tubes just to float around in the ocean with or is there some type of lazy river that they drift with? And how much do they cost to rent?

 

[dis4me]

Nope No lazy river but they are great for the ocean. They are 6 all day or $32 for the getaway package which is float, snorkle gear and 1 hour bicycle.

 

[jrabbit]

There are mat floats and inner tubes. If you rent one type you can trade for the other type thoughout the day.

 

[westjones]

Maybe this should be the next item Disney includes in the cost of the cruise. I would think it would be easier for them to just provide floats and not have to deal with rentals. There is no way to really secure them when you go to lunch.

I would think it would make the time on the beach a lot more relaxing if floats were just available for use by anyone, and when you are done, just return them for someone else to use.

DJ

 

[chinamom3]

On the June 12-19 cruise, my dd let go of hers while we were in the water and less than two minutes later, when we noticed, we started asking everyone within distance "Is that your inner tube?" and, of course, the answer was always yes. We could have gone and gotten another, just didn't feel like walking up to get one. She enjoyed our blue mats better than the inner tube anyway, but, yes, it does happen.

 

[cjsmith]

On our last 2 time at CC, someone helped themselves to our blue mats. We had pulled them all the way up to our chairs right near our stuff. You could clearly tell that they were someones and people took them anyway. We have sat in the water and watched families help themselves to other people's mats. I guess it takes all kinds.

 

[kcashner]

We've not had a problem. In fact, as the day wears on, we've had people ask if we wanted their floats (they're too lazy to return them!)

If you have a receipt and your's disappears, the CMs will replace it.

 

["Ginger"]

My DD and her freinds were playing with a float we rented for them. They turned it loose for 1 minute and some woman grabbed it. I asked her if it was hers or if maybe she just found it floating in the water, I know it was my DD float because it had a big identifing mark on it when we rented it. She was very quick like to say it was hers, in a sharp tone of voice. I was smiling and told her I tought she was mistaken and it was my DD's float because of the markings on it. She started called me one name after another... in front of children. That's when I told her she must be guilty because she was being so rudely defensive. I also added that I hoped her last day on the ship was as enjoyable as our conversation.... although she was most likely getting off on it. She seems like that type of person. I walked away, she was still yelling offensive things at me.
I went back to the float and tube place with my receipt told the CM what happened and got my DD a tube. Once I got it back to our chairs I tied a lime green ribbon around the handle. No one touched that one.

So to answer your question, YES, YES, people do steal. I wouldn't take anything onto Castaway Cay of any value.

 

[westjones]

Originally posted by "Ginger"
I was smiling and told her I tought she was mistaken and it was my DD's float because of the markings on it. She started called me one name after another... in front of children.

I have read many other stories like the ones on this list. That is one of the reasons I think Disney would be wise to just include the cost of floats in the cruise. There are people who do steal them, and even though Disney will replace them, it leaves a 'sour note' on your last day of the cruise.

The floats are only $6 each, that could easily be put into the cost of the cruise, and it would prevent these types of encounters.

DJ

 

[dis4me]

Ginger I love the ribbon Idea. Alo I sent you a pm about the halloween cruise.

 

[cjsmith]

While I know that Disney will replace the floats that get "stolen", I find it annoying that I have to walk all the way back and drag another heavy float back to my chair. I've had the same experience with people lying right to my face about "borrowing" my float after other people seeing them help themselves.