Disney Island Logistics

[DisneyMamaintheDesert]

Over thinker and over planner here… on Castaway & Lighthouse Point… do you stake out a spot on the beach and leave everything there when you go to explore, shop, eat, & swim? Or pack up and take stuff with you? We have little ones so beach toys, sun screen, swim goggles… that sort of stuff. And do you need to bring your passports to these islands or leave them on the ship?

 

[OKW Lover]

Our practice might not work for you, but we prefer to stake out a spot with some chairs and an umbrella. From there the spend time in the water, do a quick tour through the shops, and spend more time just sunbathing. Somewhere along the way we will get lunch and then back to the ship.

 

[Skippyboo]

You don’t really need passport. Just DCL card and photo identification for adults. If you are doing Lookout the couple of shops are at the tram stop and end of long pier so it’s probably easier to look at them on your way back to the ship. I brought a drawstring bag with a water bottle, sunscreen, phone in it. Brought with me when I ate but left the towels on the lounger.

 

[unrequited23]

We set up a base at the beach chairs and leave our stuff there all day. The only thing we take with us to lunch are phones and drivers licenses. (We've never been asked to show ID beyond a KTTW card.) I take a mesh beach bag for the sunscreen, goggles, mini beach toys, water bottles, towel clips, etc.

If you plan to get to the beach early (before 9:45) grab a mini box of cereal from Cabanas/room service. Lunch service usually doesn't start until 11:30 and my kids were always "starving" by 10:30 when they were under 3rd grade. (They were the same way at the zoo.)

 

[Dug720]

Castaway I leave things there when I go to the bathroom or to lunch - it is an island to itself.

Lookout I haven't decided yet - it isn't as isolated as Castaway, so I may either cart stuff with me or invest in a locking bag.

 

[Gdes1]

Yes, now that the kids are teens, everyone carries one bag so they have their own water bottle, snorkel stuff, etc. The days of the Mom the Packhorse are over. We grab towels when getting off the ship, and then set up camp and stay there until we want to head back. I think most people do this. The thing I thought was kind of disrespectful was that people would pack up and leave, but leave towels and the kid life vests on the chairs, and others looking for chairs couldn't tell what was available and what wasn't. For ID, we left passports in the stateroom safe, but adults tucked our drivers licenses into the sleeve of the lanyard with our kttw card.

 

[tvguy]

We just figured, since the ship was right there, we would go back to our stateroom if we needed something at Castaway Cay.. We took the bare minimum with us. Waterproof disposable camera, sunscreen and DCL card and a towel. We snorkeled all morning. Had lunch. Rented bikes and road all the trails all afternoon until it was time to get back on the ship.
But it WAS sprinkling on and off, and I was amazed at how many people went to the ship before lunch time.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

They will tell you over and over again that everyone 18 and older will need government issued ID to get back on the ship. This can be a passport or drivers license.

You will also need your KTTW card or Magicband+

While on the islands we leave stuff behind to basically stake out our spot but we don’t leave anything behind that we would be upset about losing. Passports, phone Etc go with us.

Enjoy your trip !!

 

[holula]

But it WAS sprinkling on and off, and I was amazed at how many people went to the ship before lunch time.

I always go back to the ship before lunch on CC as I find the food on the island so poor.

Thankfully didn’t have the same experience at Lookout.

 

[meliscan]

We always leave our passports in the safe onboard and use our DL to get on and off the ship. I don't like the idea of my passport going missing in a foreign country. You will most likely be totally fine to leave your bag with your chair on the island. You can look into a beach safe or portable lockbox for your phone or other valuables etc if you want to take it off the ship but not carry it around the island.

 

[cvjw]

I always go back to the ship before lunch on CC as I find the food on the island so poor

Same. Every single time on castaway!

 

[DisneyMamaintheDesert]

We set up a base at the beach chairs and leave our stuff there all day. The only thing we take with us to lunch are phones and drivers licenses. (We've never been asked to show ID beyond a KTTW card.) I take a mesh beach bag for the sunscreen, goggles, mini beach toys, water bottles, towel clips, etc.

If you plan to get to the beach early (before 9:45) grab a mini box of cereal from Cabanas/room service. Lunch service usually doesn't start until 11:30 and my kids were always "starving" by 10:30 when they were under 3rd grade. (They were the same way at the zoo.)

Thanks for this tip! My kids eat lunch early at school and would be starving waiting until 11:30!