Do you really have to RUN for a beach chair????

[kcatoir]

O.K. all you CC veterans,
Do you really have to be off the ship first thing and run for a beach chair and umbrella on CC?????
We're talking about the family beach here.
We are first time cruisers and I am envisioning this very comical scene with everyone standing at the door behind some sort of rope barrier when they blow a whistle, drop the rope and everyone takes off, laden down with parifinalia sp?, all jockeing for position running down the gangplank toward the beach.
Survival of the fittist right?
with those who couldn't make the cut straggling behind left to scour the beach for a chair with a down trouden look on their face.

So am I anywhere close??????
Excuse the humor but this whole idea makes me lol!!!!!

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Do you really have to be off the ship first thing and run for a beach chair and umbrella on CC?????

Nah, if you're a good shot you'll be fine...

 

[kcatoir]

"good shot"???

 

[RellingTwin]

On our 3 trips to CC, all 3 times we left the ship about 30 min after passagers were premited to go ashore. All 3 times we found 2 chairs with umbrella near dinning area. There were empty chairs around us all day. I'm not sure if this was because we cruise in the "off season" but I do know that last years trip the ship was full. The year prior was just 11 days after 9/11 and the ship was NOT full.

 

[4myguys]

There was a lot of jockeying to be first off the boat. And as much as I hate to admit it, I was in there with them. I even had my kids run ahead and grab a chair. Next year I don't think I'll worry too much about it. Who am I kidding? I'll try to be one of the first off again.

But seriously, they have tons of chairs. And the family beach is pretty large. I wouldn't grab the first set that you see, though. I think the seats further down are better.

 

[professorandmom]

NO no and definately NOT

It was one of my fears after all the posts I read.

We were on a sold out Wonder a few weeks ago and were NOT the first nor 50th off the boat. We ate a calm breakfast and then headed off the boat about 930-945. We walked down near the wooden water structure - ALL the chairs we could have wanted. Only disappointment - no way on the hammock.

Enjoy the day and just don't wait until noon

Barbara

 

[AnnMorin]

We stroll off around ten and never have had a problem getting a set of chairs/umbrella- never have gotten a hammock but that's ok.. it really does not have to be a mad rush.. relax - we like the sun so if we could not get an umbrella that would be fine too.

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by Buckaroo's Dad
Nah, if you're a good shot you'll be fine...

 

[kcatoir]

LOL!!!!!!! Ncligs....that's HILARIOUS!! LoL!!!!!!

 

[MarkRG]

I would echo the others advice: You'll be fine, just walk to the far end of the Family Beach. Everyone sems to always crowd to the closest point to the ship. The far end of the beach will have kids, but never ever gets crowded.

 

[disney6]

We did not get off with the crowd either. I do suggest going to the far end of the family beach. Go past Cookies, to the restrooms and turn left. (I think the shuttle to adult beach was on the right - never made it there so not sure). There were plenty of chairs, loungers and umbrellas (no hammocks but with five kids I had to be "on alert" the entire time anyway). We had chairs right in the front and literally steps from the washroom (a plus). The climber was in front of us too. I just set my short chair on waters edge so my feet were in the "surf", ordered my Konk Kooler from roaming waiter and was happy as can be. We were a ways from the kids clubs and shop but didn't care. Suggestion: take beach toys. We took a bag of buckets, shovels, etc. and EVERYONE around us used them! Our 10 yr old boys even played in the sand for over an hour!

 

[moinab]

We were on the July 17, 3-day, which was full to capacity. There were plenty of empty umbrellas and chairs from around 9:45 AM, when we arrived, until 1:30 PM, when we went back to the ship. We sat at the far end of the family beach. It was a bit of a hike in the heat, with a toddler and an infant, but it was much less crowded. In the photo below, you can kind of see how much more congested it gets toward the ship, but there were plenty of empty seats around us.

 

[ToDisney]

We had parasailing reservations for 9:30... so we didn't get to settle down until we were through and we still found chairs in the shade.

 

[floridaminnie]

We were also on the full July 17th 3 day cruise and we went to the adult beach after sleeping in. No problem with finding chairs and an umbrella.

 

[CathyCanada]

I've done 10 Disney cruises and have never had to run for a chair. We go where disney6 suggested, near the end of the Family Beach, close to washrooms and not far to walk for lunch either.

Relax and enjoy, you'll be in paradise!!!!
CC

 

[kajohn]

If you just want chairs and umbrella, you don't have to run, but if you want a hammock, you must run for it! My DH and DS7 got off the ship and ran instead of taking the tram and staked out a hammock and chairs right infront of the climbing thing on the family beach. Then myself and DS's 5 and 9 leisurly took the tram and the rest of our stuff and found our way to them.

It had always been my dream to lay in a hammock by the beach, so they came through for me! It was a wonderful day!

 

[anitad]

We are leaving on Wednesday for some pre-cruise relaxation at the Swan. We are on the 8/9 Magic. It seems to me that the hot tip is to go to the far end of the family beach. We have a group of 9 and 7 of us are scheduled for parasailing at 9:30 am. I know that saving seats/beach chairs is frowned upon, but should we dump our things in some chairs before our scheduled parasailing?

 

[jrabbit]

Like others have said, just go down to where the "Big Toy" (wooden climbing/play structure) is in the water. To get there just stay on the paved path and walk past Mt. Rustmore, the shops and continue for a little ways past the Adult beach tram stop. From there you can head down to the beach and find chairs and umbrellas.

If you pre rented floats / inner tubes you DO NOT have to pick them up from the snorkeling area. There is another pile of them down past the adult tram stop. Thinking about it, you can rent them here to since I remember seeing a podium for that purpose. Picking them up from this end of the beach saves a lot of work hauling them down to the other end - and they are heavier than they look, and it's a long walk in the sand from the snorkeling area.

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

I know that saving seats/beach chairs is frowned upon, but should we dump our things in some chairs before our scheduled parasailing?

Definitely! I'd recommend the chairs in your stateroom...

 

[inkkognito]

Definitely leave your things on a beach chair. I see that as an entirely different issue than the whole pool chair thing. When you are on the ship, you have access to your stateroom...people are saving the pool chairs even when they are off doing something else and their stuff could be just as easily kept in their stateroom. Conversely, on Castaway Cay, you are staking out your spot for te day, as it's not easy to get back to your stateroom. It would be total and utter mayhem if people just tossed other people's items into the sand and claimed their chairs while they were having lunch, taking a dip, parasailing, or whatever. And if you get up early in the morning, you are fully entitled to the "spoils" (i.e. a chair in a good location or even one of the coveted hammocks). Of course, I have been known to share my hammock when I'm going to be away from it for a while. I see people leave their things on "their" chairs all the time, and I've never witnessed any "beach chair rage" on Castaway Cay yet (although I did see a pretty nasty instance involving a hammock on RCCL's island).
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com