Castaway Cay Plan?

[Debonna]

Sailing on the Dream next Spring with my family. This is our first Disney Cruise. DH is a reptile and likes nothing more than to lounge, eat, and bask in the sun. DS will be 17 and has mild autism. He is a bit sun/heat sensitive and fatigues easily. DD will be a month away from 14 and is somewhat adventurous, but has a slight fear of oceans. I just like to look at the water, put my toes in the sand, eat, and shop a little.

Here's what I was thinking. We disembark a little later than most so we can have a leisurely breakfast on the ship, maybe do Aquaduck with low lines (depending upon hours), knock out one of the Midship Detective activities, etc. Then, late morning, make our way to CC, grab some lunch, drinks, look in the shops, etc. Then perhaps find some chairs, wade in the water, and enjoy the scenery.

DS thinks Pelican Plunge looks fun, BUT - I'm a bit leery for him. He's a good swimmer, but I'm not sure how he will handle the salt water in his face and inevitably going into his nose and mouth. He won't hardly dunk his head under in the swimming pool at home. Plus, he wears contact lenses, which is another reason he doesn't go under much for fear of them coming out. He prefers them over glasses, but I'm a bit afraid he'd lose glasses in the water, or the salt would damage them. (Can you tell I"m an over thinker - LOL!!) We could try goggles with contacts, I suppose, if he will tolerate them.

Anywho - - I had heard that most passengers disembark early and head back to the ship mid to late afternoon. We were thinking this plan may beat some of the rush to get off the ship and let us enjoy what the Dream has to offer with less crowds. Although I also heard the characters on CC mostly meet in the a.m.....

Appreciate any suggestions or feedback from seasoned CC visitors. Thanks!

 

[nolatravelgirl]

Those suits are hot and most of the characters are on the pathway down to the main family beach area. If characters in their swim attire is a priority you probably want to get off sooner rather than later. I believe life jackets are mandatory for all patrons under 18 years old at Pelican Plunge so it isn't like you will be under water for much. I wear contacts and have never lost a contact while swimming. You may want to talk to your doctor and see if they can prescribe you some daily disposables for just this exact purpose.

 

[Debonna]

Those suits are hot and most of the characters are on the pathway down to the main family beach area. If characters in their swim attire is a priority you probably want to get off sooner rather than later. I believe life jackets are mandatory for all patrons under 18 years old at Pelican Plunge so it isn't like you will be under water for much. I wear contacts and have never lost a contact while swimming. You may want to talk to your doctor and see if they can prescribe you some daily disposables for just this exact purpose.

Thank you, he does wear daily contact lenses. Puts in a fresh pair every morning.

 

[Flip flops in winter]

Just a helpful tidbit about Pelican Plunge (life jackets were not required as of June when we were last there) - it's a lot deeper than it looks. I've seen kids needing rescue because they couldn't make the swim to the ladder on more than one visit. One happened while I was waiting for my son at the exit and I saw the kid tell the lifeguard he was a "great swimmer" before he went in the water.

 

[Bonnie1222]

I can't assist you much with the activities as it is only my husband and I and we don't have kids.

A thought for your son and the glasses - can he wear the glasses until he gets to the spot you will be settling in, then go without them to play in the water? I wear contacts and have never had an issue with water, but if he/you are unsure and his eye sight isn't really bad maybe he can just go without to play and the wear the glasses to go back to the ship?

The ship is usually pretty quiet if it is a nice day out. DH and I get off early, but not first thing and walk the 5K path, then head to the adult beach for a little beach time and lunch. Then head back to the ship a couple hours before we leave to enjoy the pool and hot tub without the crowds.

 

[RavenDreamer]

We recently visited and have a 1 y/o so we couldn't "do" much, but we still had a fantastic time! We disembarked around 10am, most everyone was already off the ship by that point so it was a quiet walk to the beach. We missed a lot of the characters but that wasn't a priority for us. Then we lounged on the beach, dipped our toes in the water. The water is shallow enough to sit in and relax, we held our baby and floated around without our feet leaving the sand. I did not dunk my head underwater because I am a contact-wearer haha.

We grabbed some food around 1pm, checked out the kiddy splash pad, lounged around a bit more, and then headed back around 2:30 and shopped on the way back. It was a totally chill day and we didn't feel like we missed out by not doing waterslides or activities. You can rent inner tube floaties, I believe it was something like $15 for the day. That could be fun as well.

Hope you have a wonderful time!!

 

[Calantha]

There are 2 slides on the plunge (and unfortunately I don't remember which is which). Let's say for the argument that one is open and one is closed. I believe the closed one is fast and you hit the water pretty hard. The open one goes a bit slower and is a lot of fun. Identify the 'slower' one and don't ride the other.

 

[lanejudy]

Lifejackets are allowed on Pelican Plunge but I don't think they are required; maybe for kids without an adult (we swim out with DD). It is deep water. If he's a "good swimmer" I would think he'll be ok.

I do not recommend trying to do Pelican Plunge with glasses on -- DH once lost a pair of sunglasses doing just that. CMs will dive for the glasses and bring up several pairs, but I wouldn't want to trust good prescription glasses just in case something happens or they aren't found. I used to swim with contacts and just didn't open my eyes under water, never lost one but I understand your concern.

Don't forget the Vibe kids have their own hang-out area on CC and your son may want to do some of those activities. I think another thread mentioned your daughter possibly going to Vibe as well.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I think your plan will work well. The challenge you may have is finding chairs together but after lunch guests begin to go back to the ship so you may be able to locate some to gather together.

I'm pretty sure the AquaDuck will not be open in the morning but does open later in the day.

 

[Debonna]

We recently visited and have a 1 y/o so we couldn't "do" much, but we still had a fantastic time! We disembarked around 10am, most everyone was already off the ship by that point so it was a quiet walk to the beach. We missed a lot of the characters but that wasn't a priority for us. Then we lounged on the beach, dipped our toes in the water. The water is shallow enough to sit in and relax, we held our baby and floated around without our feet leaving the sand. I did not dunk my head underwater because I am a contact-wearer haha.

We grabbed some food around 1pm, checked out the kiddy splash pad, lounged around a bit more, and then headed back around 2:30 and shopped on the way back. It was a totally chill day and we didn't feel like we missed out by not doing waterslides or activities. You can rent inner tube floaties, I believe it was something like $15 for the day. That could be fun as well.

Hope you have a wonderful time!!

Thank you, sounds lovely!

 

[Debonna]

There are 2 slides on the plunge (and unfortunately I don't remember which is which). Let's say for the argument that one is open and one is closed. I believe the closed one is fast and you hit the water pretty hard. The open one goes a bit slower and is a lot of fun. Identify the 'slower' one and don't ride the other.

Very helpful, thanks!

 

[sjuncfan]

My two cents... Castaway Cay is such a great, relaxing day. We've been on 7 cruises so it's the same-old, same-old now but the first few times it was magical and the best part of the cruise. If you get off the boat late and end up loving it, you can't get that time back. I personally would get off the boat earlier... that gives you the option to hang out on the island all day or go back to the boat if you've had enough.

i normally wear contacts but wear glasses in the water and haven't ever had an issue. Maybe just make sure you have his glasses with you in case he does lose a contact.

 

[kps7795]

My daughter refuses to try contacts, so she goes on Pelican Plunge with her glasses. I would recommend a glasses strap. It keeps her glasses on whether it's the Pelican Plunge or even the Velocicoaster at Universal Orlando.

 

[Debonna]

My daughter refuses to try contacts, so she goes on Pelican Plunge with her glasses. I would recommend a glasses strap. It keeps her glasses on whether it's the Pelican Plunge or even the Velocicoaster at Universal Orlando.

Good idea. My son is extremely near sighted, so taking them off to swim over and slide would literally be a blur for him. I like the strap suggestion.

 

[kps7795]

Good idea. My son is extremely near sighted, so taking them off to swim over and slide would literally be a blur for him. I like the strap suggestion.

FWIW, my daughter wears her glasses in our pool every weekend and has (obviously) worn them at Castaway Cay without anything happening to them like rust or other corrosion. It would be wise to rinse them off once he is done though. They have fresh water basins at the Pelican Plunge exit and also by the stand where you rent snorkel equipment.

Are any of you runners? If so, there is the Castaway Cay 5K in which you get a ("free") medal for completing the 5K. It used to be an actual race with bibs and a group start. Now, you just run the 5K course on your own and get a cute rubber Mickey Mouse medal for running (or walking) when you are finished at the bicycle rental stand.

 

[MomOTwins]

I wear contacts and I go on pelican plunge without an issue, but I do scrunch my eyes shut right before entering the water, and I always do the slow slide (i.e., the one that that is open on top and closest to the top of the stairs) rather than the enclosed slide (i.e., the really fast one).

A word of caution on your plan. The reason a lot of people recommend going ashore as soon as they open the doors is that it can be very hard to get good loungers in the shade/close to the water if you delay. By late morning when you go on the island, everyone else will be there in their loungers and tend to stay through lunchtime. If you are going to try to beat the crowd with a late arrival, you should really stay on the ship for lunch and then head to the island around 1pm. Arriving late morning will put you right in the thick of peak crowds. If you do go, just expect you'll likely only be able to find loungers in the sun and near the back.

 

[tmoor]

We've been to CC several times and most recently a few weeks ago. I have never seen where there was a requirement to wear a life vest under the age of 18, however, they have vests available. My daughter is 14 so she went on the Pelican Plunge slides many times by herself or with her friends without being told to wear a vest. I will say I remembered it being a lot deeper swimming to the platform on previous visits (pre-pandemic) so was prepared for it to be pretty deep and possibly tough swimming out to it. I was pleasantly surprised that it seemed as though that side had sand added so that it was just up to my chin maybe a tad deeper (I'm 5'8"). Now, when you come off the slides and have to swim to shore, that side was quite deep for quite a ways as you swim over and across in front of the lifeguard. The slide on the left I believe is the uncovered slide, which goes slower and you know when you are about to hit the water so you can be prepared to hold your nose or close your eyes. The one on the right was the first one I did and it was covered and I totally wasn't prepared when I shot out of the end of it. I kept my eyes closed because I do wear contacts, which made me hit the water blindly and I did end up with water up my nose and swear it filled half my lungs! The water is very very salty.

Definitely try to go there early to get a good spot where you can choose a good shade tree or close to the water, depending on your preference. But if you do wait until most people have been on the island for several hours, you can find plenty of shaded loungers and even empty hammocks.

 

[Calantha]

Glad we’ve established a consensus that the open slide is the slower one, that’s what I thought, but wasn’t sure!

 

[Flcruising]

Sailing on the Dream next Spring with my family. This is our first Disney Cruise. DH is a reptile and likes nothing more than to lounge, eat, and bask in the sun. DS will be 17 and has mild autism. He is a bit sun/heat sensitive and fatigues easily. DD will be a month away from 14 and is somewhat adventurous, but has a slight fear of oceans. I just like to look at the water, put my toes in the sand, eat, and shop a little.

Here's what I was thinking. We disembark a little later than most so we can have a leisurely breakfast on the ship, maybe do Aquaduck with low lines (depending upon hours), knock out one of the Midship Detective activities, etc. Then, late morning, make our way to CC, grab some lunch, drinks, look in the shops, etc. Then perhaps find some chairs, wade in the water, and enjoy the scenery.

DS thinks Pelican Plunge looks fun, BUT - I'm a bit leery for him. He's a good swimmer, but I'm not sure how he will handle the salt water in his face and inevitably going into his nose and mouth. He won't hardly dunk his head under in the swimming pool at home. Plus, he wears contact lenses, which is another reason he doesn't go under much for fear of them coming out. He prefers them over glasses, but I'm a bit afraid he'd lose glasses in the water, or the salt would damage them. (Can you tell I"m an over thinker - LOL!!) We could try goggles with contacts, I suppose, if he will tolerate them.

Anywho - - I had heard that most passengers disembark early and head back to the ship mid to late afternoon. We were thinking this plan may beat some of the rush to get off the ship and let us enjoy what the Dream has to offer with less crowds. Although I also heard the characters on CC mostly meet in the a.m.....

Appreciate any suggestions or feedback from seasoned CC visitors. Thanks!

I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the non- character photographers. If so im sorry. But If you want pics with the ship behind you or other unique settings on CC sans characters you may need to get off earlier. I don't know if there's a specific time those photographers pack up but they don't hang around long after most are off. On the couple times we headed back right after eating they were gone. You could maybe ask one of them onboard and adjust your schedule if that's important.
One of our 4 has contacts and swims with goggles.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

We are not big 'beach' people but we still enjoy Castaway. The characters are available on and off for most of the day in various locations around the island. They also so at least one dance party and Mickey usually makes one appearance at the Dig Site. Characters you are expect at the Fab 5, Chip and Dale, Daisy, Olaf, Stitch, Hook & Smee, Jack Sparrow. There usually are posted times but often they'll just show up. There are characters near the dock when you return of an afternoon too. These are usually the longest lines. There are also photographers around the island to take photos of you with the ship in the background.