Convince me on Castaway Cay

[PrincessShmoo]

Interesting. I've read more than one report that the boat captain was requiring people to go up tandem. Maybe it depends on weather conditions?

All I know is on our boat there were 9 of us, my & hubby; two women together; some other duo (sorry can't remember); and a mom/dad/adult daughter group.

Mom and adult daughter went first, then two women, us, other duo, and then when it was dad's turn, they asked daughter if she wanted to go up again. She did, but she didn't have to, dad was going by himself at any rate.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Maybe it's just not for you. We went to CC and loved it, but then after spending a week at an all-inclusive in Mexico, CC doesn't seem as "special" as it once did. It's still a great experience, but if you're perhaps used to other beaches and/or beach resorts then it might lose it's luster.

 

[bumbershoot]

no food or drink on island

Why? Did they explain? There are two fully set up food places on the island, after all.

You know that’s a misunderstanding or an anomaly, right?? That they do generally have food and beverages?

no excursions

Was it windy? When it’s windy, even if it’s just up high, they can’t do excursions that are affected by the wind.

Again, an anomaly.

As for the snorkeling, they wouldn’t even let us in the water.

Makes zero sense. They allow the use of your own equipment.

You say they wouldn’t let you in the water. Were you at the snorkeling lagoon? That’s the only place you can snorkel. They have lifeguards stationed along the U of the area to keep everyone safer.

Did you have the bright vests? Even if you don’t use their equipment everyone has to use their vests (don’t have to inflate them, it’s just a visibility thing).

How long is the parasail? That’s the kind of excursion I think my boys would like. Anyone have any info on that or other excursions that are recommended would be appreciated and help me convince my wife.

And parasailing is the exact sort of excursion that will be cancelled if windy. Just keep that in mind.

CC (or any of the cruise lines' private islands/peninsulas) is at the core a prepaid beach day. If you're not into beaches then it's kind of a waste.

Yep.

Except that I thought I wasn’t a beach person until I got to castaway.

It's beautiful and peaceful and safe. That's the attraction, basically.

Exactly.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There are two fully set up food places on the island, after all.

But the food comes off the ship. Possibly they were delayed docking due to the winds, and didn't want to delay guests getting off the ship (as they usually do to off load food and such). And they wanted to be sure they didn't have to wait to reload all supplies if the weather required a quick get-away.

 

[Disney mac]

But the food comes off the ship. Possibly they were delayed docking due to the winds, and didn't want to delay guests getting off the ship (as they usually do to off load food and such). And they wanted to be sure they didn't have to wait to reload all supplies if the weather required a quick get-away.

There were winds. So they canceled all excursions and wouldn’t let anyone snorkel. Took the captain 4 approaches to dock the boat. They never took any food off the boat and didn’t have any beverage stations(kids were extremely thirsty too), although they had an ice cream machine that didn’t work there. Worst part was 30 minutes after we got off the boat, the winds all died down completely. We were only on the island for 2-3 hours.
As for snorkeling, they wouldn’t let us use a vest or go anywhere past 30 feet from the shore. Then to have to deal with the crying kids and family (4 nieces and nephews also had the sea lice) from the sea lice by the family beach (apparently they are notorious for being under the slides) was not a great situation. Loved the cruise, just had a very bad experience on castaway. But I was able to convince my wife to try again this June...just looking for what to do to try to make the experience better.

 

[Dug720]

There were winds. So they canceled all excursions and wouldn’t let anyone snorkel. Took the captain 4 approaches to dock the boat. They never took any food off the boat and didn’t have any beverage stations(kids were extremely thirsty too), although they had an ice cream machine that didn’t work there. Worst part was 30 minutes after we got off the boat, the winds all died down completely. We were only on the island for 2-3 hours.
As for snorkeling, they wouldn’t let us use a vest or go anywhere past 30 feet from the shore. Then to have to deal with the crying kids and family (4 nieces and nephews also had the sea lice) from the sea lice by the family beach (apparently they are notorious for being under the slides) was not a great situation. Loved the cruise, just had a very bad experience on castaway. But I was able to convince my wife to try again this June...just looking for what to do to try to make the experience better.

Many times the winds also mean strong currents. That is what makes docking difficult and causes many of the excursions to be cancelled. I would imagine that is what the deal was with snorkeling as well.

Two years ago in Feb I was on the Fantasy Eastern and the currents were really bad. I'd done a non-ship excursion in St. Maarten, and even that had to pull a snorkeling site because the currents made it too dangerous for us. We managed to dock at CC, but it was very iffy. We did have food and drink - but all excursions were cancelled that day. I don't go near the family beach or snorkel area as I'm far to enamored with Serenity Bay, so I have no idea if they let people snorkel that day. But I know all that week the currents were rough - and the winds were high. They often go hand in hand.

 

[bumbershoot]

But the food comes off the ship. Possibly they were delayed docking due to the winds, and didn't want to delay guests getting off the ship (as they usually do to off load food and such). And they wanted to be sure they didn't have to wait to reload all supplies if the weather required a quick get-away.

Sure. But I was asking the OP what info was given to them. They are condemning the island for something that happened on THAT sailing, and I it's not a failing of the island, but an issue with THAT day. The way they told the story sounded like they think there's no food or beverage on ALL days. See what I mean?

If I were plunked down on the island and nothing was told to me and there was no food, it would be one thing.

If I knew there were high winds, it took ages to dock, all the activities were cancelled because of high winds, I knew that they coudn't unload the food because of the delay, etc etc etc, it's a whole different feeling of the day.

But of course I'm home just after Princess where loads of things were announced and written and still people were doing the exact opposite of what we were told to do and not do, so.... I'm a bit...nervy.

So they canceled all excursions and wouldn’t let anyone snorkel.

OK, now you're saying that the winds are what caused the lack of ability to snorkel. Earlier you said it was because of your equipment.

As for snorkeling, they wouldn’t let us use a vest or go anywhere past 30 feet from the shore.

When you say they wouldn't let you use a vest...how did they deny you? I'm not saying this didn't happen, but it's not making sense the way you're telling the story, and I'm trying to piece it together. Because people who have their own equipment on a normal day go to the rental shack and ask for a vest, and it's given to them. I'm sure there's a checkout process with the seapass, but still.

It really sounds like this is FAR more an issue of the weather that day.



Sea lice are jellyfish larvae, in case you don't know. Not sure why they use that inflammatory name (though Im not sure that jellyfish larvae is any better for some people LOL). When the larvae are around and you swim through them, you might get stung. Not sure why the protective Safe Sea the kids had on didn't work. That's really too bad. I do hear you have to use a ton of it to create the barrier under the swimsuit. But...things happen. Go into the ocean, and ocean creatures are around. I'm very sorry your children were crying.

Should it happen again, the info I see doesn't say that vinegar is a good solution for the skin (swimsuit yes).

• Do not rub your skin. If larvae are on your skin, rubbing will cause them to sting.
• Remove your swimsuit as soon as possible. Since larvae can become trapped in the fabric of your suit, it is important to remove a contaminated suit to prevent more stings. If available, rinse your suit in household vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Wash your suit in hot, soapy water and dry it in a dryer, if possible, before you wear it again.
• Shower with fresh water. Apply soap and vigorously scrub your skin. Do not shower with a contaminated suit on. If larvae are trapped in the fabric of a suit, a freshwater shower will cause the larvae to sting.
• Take an antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine or chlorpheniramine, or apply hydrocortisone cream (1%) to help control itching. Note: Do not use the cream on children younger than age 2 unless your doctor tells you to. Do not use in the rectal or vaginal area in children younger than age 12 unless your doctor tells you to. Also, don't give antihistamines to your child unless you've checked with the doctor first.
• Use an ice pack to help relieve pain.
• Keep the rash clean. Wash it every day with soap and water.

 

[Disney mac]

Sure. But I was asking the OP what info was given to them. They are condemning the island for something that happened on THAT sailing, and I it's not a failing of the island, but an issue with THAT day. The way they told the story sounded like they think there's no food or beverage on ALL days. See what I mean?

If I were plunked down on the island and nothing was told to me and there was no food, it would be one thing.

If I knew there were high winds, it took ages to dock, all the activities were cancelled because of high winds, I knew that they coudn't unload the food because of the delay, etc etc etc, it's a whole different feeling of the day.

But of course I'm home just after Princess where loads of things were announced and written and still people were doing the exact opposite of what we were told to do and not do, so.... I'm a bit...nervy.



OK, now you're saying that the winds are what caused the lack of ability to snorkel. Earlier you said it was because of your equipment.



When you say they wouldn't let you use a vest...how did they deny you? I'm not saying this didn't happen, but it's not making sense the way you're telling the story, and I'm trying to piece it together. Because people who have their own equipment on a normal day go to the rental shack and ask for a vest, and it's given to them. I'm sure there's a checkout process with the seapass, but still.

It really sounds like this is FAR more an issue of the weather that day.



Sea lice are jellyfish larvae, in case you don't know. Not sure why they use that inflammatory name (though Im not sure that jellyfish larvae is any better for some people LOL). When the larvae are around and you swim through them, you might get stung. Not sure why the protective Safe Sea the kids had on didn't work. That's really too bad. I do hear you have to use a ton of it to create the barrier under the swimsuit. But...things happen. Go into the ocean, and ocean creatures are around. I'm very sorry your children were crying.

Should it happen again, the info I see doesn't say that vinegar is a good solution for the skin (swimsuit yes).

• Do not rub your skin. If larvae are on your skin, rubbing will cause them to sting.
• Remove your swimsuit as soon as possible. Since larvae can become trapped in the fabric of your suit, it is important to remove a contaminated suit to prevent more stings. If available, rinse your suit in household vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Wash your suit in hot, soapy water and dry it in a dryer, if possible, before you wear it again.
• Shower with fresh water. Apply soap and vigorously scrub your skin. Do not shower with a contaminated suit on. If larvae are trapped in the fabric of a suit, a freshwater shower will cause the larvae to sting.
• Take an antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine or chlorpheniramine, or apply hydrocortisone cream (1%) to help control itching. Note: Do not use the cream on children younger than age 2 unless your doctor tells you to. Do not use in the rectal or vaginal area in children younger than age 12 unless your doctor tells you to. Also, don't give antihistamines to your child unless you've checked with the doctor first.
• Use an ice pack to help relieve pain.
• Keep the rash clean. Wash it every day with soap and water.

Thanks for the info on sea lice. As for your questions. The shack would not check out any equipment to anyone (snorkeling vests included). When I showed them I had my own, the lifeguards told us that no snorkeling was allowed. When we asked them why, they said the winds earlier in the day had caused the decision to not allow any water sports or excursions (they did the 5k on the boat too). When we pointed out the winds were gone, they said the decision had already been made. Like I said earlier, there was no food, beverage, and all that was provided was liquid ice cream. It was a bad situation. I’d say most people spent at most an hour on the island.
As for the sea lice, the lifeguard shack has this spray bottle they recommended for all the kids. Again, the reason I started this thread is I want to give it any other chance. It took me months to convince my wife to go on another visit to CC. I’m looking for things that people like about it to try to make the experience better this time. I’m grateful to you all for the help. I’m going to try to sign up for the parasailing when my window opens. Thanks again all.

 

[cyclenut]

Thanks for the info on sea lice. As for your questions. The shack would not check out any equipment to anyone (snorkeling vests included). When I showed them I had my own, the lifeguards told us that no snorkeling was allowed. When we asked them why, they said the winds earlier in the day had caused the decision to not allow any water sports or excursions (they did the 5k on the boat too). When we pointed out the winds were gone, they said the decision had already been made. Like I said earlier, there was no food, beverage, and all that was provided was liquid ice cream. It was a bad situation. I’d say most people spent at most an hour on the island.
As for the sea lice, the lifeguard shack has this spray bottle they recommended for all the kids. Again, the reason I started this thread is I want to give it any other chance. It took me months to convince my wife to go on another visit to CC. I’m looking for things that people like about it to try to make the experience better this time. I’m grateful to you all for the help. I’m going to try to sign up for the parasailing when my window opens. Thanks again all.

What you described is unusual, but could happen again if a similar weather condition occurred. It sounds like they planned to spend so little time on the island, they didn't want to have to manage a lot of the usual logistics. It's also possible they thought the weather could return quickly and wanted an exit plan for passengers and crew. Just guessing based on what you wrote. Your experience would make me want to stay on the ship if that were to occur on one of my sailings. Most of the time the ships are able to dock on time, the experience is much different. It's worth another trip just to see what "normal" is and then make a decision about the future.

A few have commented that they don't care much for Castaway Cay. I can sort of understand it. There really isn't much there and what is there is very "sanitized". But I like to just hang out on the beach, ride the bikes, check out the area from the observation tower and sip rum drinks while reading a book.

 

[IrishEye]

Age is a factor, if under then have to go tandem, adults go individually. We had 7 on the boat, 3 tandems and then 1 single adult. We had a great time on the boat enjoying the excitement you could see on the faces of the people up on the sail. We also enjoyed the hike and kayak into the mangrove and private swim on the back side of the island. And always enjoy the beach, usually do the family because there is more room and head to adult beach for lunch. In last few years we have seen a significant increase in the population of Serenity Bay, for years it was like having a beach with just you and a couple dozen of your closest friends. Now the beach is very busy and not a good swimming area. Still nice if you are looking to sit in the sun and enjoy the sea air.

 

[AuroraB]

Just got back from our first cruise, Eastern Carribean on Fantasy, and I have to say, that Casraway Cay was the least favorite part of our trip.

First let me say, we are beach people, we snorkel every chance we get, and Scuba dive when we don’t have the kids with us.

My husband and I both just thought it was too busy, and a bit too artificial. They sand wasn’t that amazing, I would have rather had Bahamian food, and I we would have preferred to spend the day in Exuma or Freeport, or any other of the amazing beaches through the Virgin Islands.

 

[Dug720]

Just got back from our first cruise, Eastern Carribean on Fantasy, and I have to say, that Casraway Cay was the least favorite part of our trip.

First let me say, we are beach people, we snorkel every chance we get, and Scuba dive when we don’t have the kids with us.

My husband and I both just thought it was too busy, and a bit too artificial. They sand wasn’t that amazing, I would have rather had Bahamian food, and I we would have preferred to spend the day in Exuma or Freeport, or any other of the amazing beaches through the Virgin Islands.

Just curious...did you go to Serenity Bay at all? It's much more natural than the Family Beach.

 

[AuroraB]

Just curious...did you go to Serenity Bay at all? It's much more natural than the Family Beach.

No, we had a 2.5 year old with us so we couldn’t make it without too much back and forth to the nursery, and we really just wanted a family beach day. I just felt really perplexed why someone would prefer Castaway Cay over a place like Jost Van Dyk!

We will most definitely go on another Disney Cruise, it was really the only part that didn’t live up to our expectations.

Well that, and charging for popcorn, that is just silly! ha.

 

[Dug720]

No, we had a 2.5 year old with us so we couldn’t make it without too much back and forth to the nursery, and we really just wanted a family beach day. I just felt really perplexed why someone would prefer Castaway Cay over a place like Jost Van Dyk!

We will most definitely go on another Disney Cruise, it was really the only part that didn’t live up to our expectations.

Well that, and charging for popcorn, that is just silly! ha.

Ah. Too bad. I love Serenity Bay - not enough money in the world to get me to the Family Beach...when I walked over there once just to see it, it was noisy and splashy and chaotic. Never been to wherever the other place you said was, so I can't compare. But then again, I look at each place as its own thing and try NOT to compare. I'm weird that way though.

 

[Dolewhipt]

Well now I’m all freaked out about sea lice. And flesh eating bacteria. Perhaps I am meant to remain to landlocked.

So where do you buy sea lice protection? Do they sell it on the ship?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Well now I’m all freaked out about sea lice. And flesh eating bacteria. Perhaps I am meant to remain to landlocked.

So where do you buy sea lice protection? Do they sell it on the ship?

We've never bought, or used sea lice protection. And never had a problem with them.

We've been at Castaway Cay in May, Jun, Sep, and Oct.

They sell Sea Safe at WalMart.

 

[MonaMN]

Ah. Too bad. I love Serenity Bay - not enough money in the world to get me to the Family Beach...when I walked over there once just to see it, it was noisy and splashy and chaotic. Never been to wherever the other place you said was, so I can't compare. But then again, I look at each place as its own thing and try NOT to compare. I'm weird that way though.

Noisy, splashy and chaotic... yup, that about describes life with kids!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Noisy, splashy and chaotic... yup, that about describes life with kids!!

Our first DCL cruise there were hardly any kids on the cruise. Lots of adults. Serenity Bay was a zoo, you couldn't find chairs, and the servers were frazzled.

We spent our time on the Family Beach and it was very quiet. We had chairs at the front of the group, and changed to a couple of different locations as we moved down the beach.

 

[FigmentSpark]

The food is just meh. That's true. But I think the beach sand is beautiful. And it would be nicer if people weren't saving everything.

 

[Pens Fan]

We have enjoyed our time on Castaway Cay, but I do think it gets oversold on this forum. For us it's a really nice beach, though in our opinion the food is pretty bad. We have had some really great times there, but I'd certainly never plan a vacation around it.

It is also very Disney-fied if you know what I mean. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it's kind of like comparing WDW World Showcase to the actual countries. I love the World Showcase. It's actually my favorite part of WDW. But I don't for one second think it's real. Neither is Castaway Cay. Again, that's not a bad thing, but I think you have to be ready for that when you go and just enjoy it for what it is - a family friendly, super clean beach (seriously, where else are you going to find a beach that clean???) with a lot of great Disney touches.