Don't Flame Me -- Does Anyone Else Think Castaway Cay Is Not All That Great??

[FOJMO]

I mean, don't get me wrong -- it's very nice, but after about 2-3 hours, stick a fork in me, I'M DONE! About the only thing I really like is Cookie's BBQ. I read about how some people would like to go there more than once during a cruise and I don't know why??

Now, don't be afraid, there must be someone else who isn't that crazy about Castaway Cay...

 

[CM_Mom]

Not flaming but I don't agree. There were a lot of activities we wanted to do but chose to lounge on the beach instead - with LOTS of sunscreen. I would love to have one day for the beach and one day for hiking, glass bottom boat, biking or maybe a different excursion. On our cruise, it was a toss up whether we liked Castaway or St. Johns better.

 

[yamahaboy]

i deff think that Castaway Cay isnt as great as some people make it out to be. YES it has a very nice beach and is a very nice area. im a teen so was on the teen beach for awhile and we all agreed that it got very boreing. durning lunch there were bugs everywhere (NOT disneys fault by any means) and the water we freeing. family also agreed with me.
Eric
(i know i cant spell^^^^)

 

[TooPure4u]

I had an "ok" time at Castaway Cay when I was there. I was also in a huge fight with my brother and sister so that didnt help. This time I have the eco tour with the waverunners scheduled and am also going on the banana boat. Last time I didnt do anything but try to swim in the freezing water. I plan to "do it up" this time.

 

[ohiominnie]

I just always wish it wasn't on the last day (I know, 4 day cruises have changed this, but I've never experienced it)....I just had the CC day, then the rush to get back, get the kids showered, to their clubs, debarkation talk, kids program, dinner, pack, pack, pack, pack.....UGH.

 

[scrapperjill]

To each there own...Your opnion is yours and worth voicing. I however loved CC...not because there was so much to do...but just because there wasn't much to do. I enjoyed lounging on the beach and swimming in both the lagoon and the adult area. If there was more to do there I fear I'd feel rushed and hurried to get from one activity to the next to be able to do as much as possable. At the other ports I always had this feeling of what didn't I see or what did we miss....but at CC there wasn't that much to do...therefor I felt real satified when we got back on board...Of course I could have stayed longer...

 

[inkkognito]

My husband and I love the island, but over the course of 40-some cruises we have met several fellow cruisers who are not "beach people." Many of them would do maybe an hour or two and then head back to enjoy the ship. That's the great thing about cruising...there's something for everyone! We are that way about Nassau...we pretend it's a day at sea.

Although I love CC, I must say that I liked CocoaCay (RCCL's island) very much in another way. CC is "themed," while CocoaCay was more rustic, which I enjoyed.

Barb

 

[HooKooDooKu]

CC is a day at the beach. If your a beach kind of person, you'll enjoy it. If your not a beach kind of person, then you won't.

 

[missmulan]

i didn't enjoy CC as much as it was hyped here either. the water was too cold and the lounge chairs were all taken. frankly, i was glad to be back on the ship.

 

[justmestace]

I'll be the first to agree that Castaway Cay isn't very exciting. They do have more to offer now than they did at first.....BUT......Castaway Cay does exactly what Disney intended for it to do: Provide an opportunity for people to simply relax and enjoy themselves after a cruise filled with rushing.
There are no towns or villages or old forts or historical sites or dolphins to rush to. But there are a fair amount of water sports, a few offerings on land, and the chance to just slow down, unwind, and reflect. And I think that's exactly why DCL has Castaway Cay.

 

[budwmn]

I love Castaway Cay and I'm not even a beach person.

Yet, I do see a need for more activities. They've made a great attempt at doing this by adding the glassbottom boats and waverunners. However, I keep looking at Holland America's Half Moon Cay which has horseback riding, a stingray city, and a kid's waterpark and wishing DCL would put some of these things in at CC.

 

[Verandah Man]

DW and I are "NOT" beach people per say, but we really do enjoy our time at CC. We do go in the water, even though on our last cruise (Jan 4-8, 2005) the water was quite chilly, we still had a good time. We also enjoy just relaxing in our chairs, taking in the sun, and having lunch at Cookies.

 

[missmulan]

I love Castaway Cay and I'm not even a beach person.

Yet, I do see a need for more activities. They've made a great attempt at doing this by adding the glassbottom boats and waverunners. However, I keep looking at Holland America's Half Moon Cay which has horseback riding, a stingray city, and a kid's waterpark and wishing DCL would put some of these things in at CC.

ooooohhhh, a waterpark at CC would be great!

 

[CMscrapper]

If you live in Florida or travel to the Carribean much, you will probably not be as thrilled with Castaway Cay. Since the DW and I are scuba divers and own a timeshare in Grand Cayman on the water, I am holding lower expectations on Castaway Cay (therefore hoping to enjoy it more).

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

We travel to lots of nice luxury beaches and resorts and still loved castaway cay. We even had a really cold and cloudy day there on our 10 night and couldnt swim.Still had fun relaxing on the beach and chatting with people. Went on a fun walk to. Its ment to be a tranquil beach area to relax and have a good lunch. They made it like that and dont want it to be a big commercial island with big a hotel like some people want. Its suppose feel somewhat deserted and rugged. I love castaway cay but love visiting other beaches on the other islands to.

Matt

 

[allears]

I really like the boards best when we share the positive stuff and exchange information. Yet there still seems to be a need to share what we don't like or our bad experiences. And of course we're all entiled to our opinions and it's a free, mostly forum.

As for me and my house, we love CC! My DW and I are totally not beach people, but we really enjoy CC. We like the fact that we're the only passengers there, it's clean, beautiful and resort like. We usually cruise in the winter and yes sometimes the water is chilly, dah! But it sure beats January or February in New Jersey.

Sometimes we spend a lot of the day on the island and others more time back on the ship. But I for one would love another stop there and do wish it wasn't on the last day. We missed CC in September because of Hurricane Jeanne, we're very much looking forward, (hopefully) to getting there this time.

 

[disneygatorfan]

I love castaway cay, but it's probably not the most beautiful beach I have every been to. Trunk Bay probably takes that, or Honeymoon Beach... both on St. John. But I love Castaway all the same. I think some things that are nice, are the fact there is an adult beach, away from the kiddies... also the fact you just walk right off the ship, and don't have to tender. It's a nice relaxing day, and is a great time for people to get the tropical beach experience, if they don't necessarily have the money or want to do an excursion.

Its a very nice beach all the same, and I would hate to not go there, but I am not one of those people who would want to loose a port day to go to Castaway Cay twice. Once is plenty. It's a nice end to a fun cruise.

If you are looking for gorgeous beachs, St. John has the nicest I have ever seen.

 

[smchan]

About the only thing I really like is Cookie's BBQ.

LOL! Cookie's, to me, was the worst part of CC. I thought the food was, at best, average.

Sam

 

[bwvBound]

Count me in. The "private island" was the only thing I distinctly disliked about our first-ever-cruise (DCL Magic, Sept 98). Too many rules, too little space to explore.

Gladly, I've learned since that the ship itself can be "a destination" and that is ok to skip a port if you feel like it.

9/98 DCL 'Magic' - 4night Bahamas
10/99 NCL 'Dream' - Holy Lands
6/00 Renaissance 'R2' - Iberian Treasures
11/00 NCL 'Wind' - Panama Canal repo
2/01 Marine Expeditions 'Yermalova' - Antarctica
9/01 NCL 'SS Norway' - Farewell Transatlantic
10/02 NCL 'SS Norway' - She-didn't-retire Eastern Carrib
5/04 Celebrity 'Summit' - Pacific Coastal repo +Alaska
4/05 HAL 'Ryndam' - Mexican Riveria
8/05 DCL 'Magic' - Panama Canal repo

 

[WDWLVR]

I'm not a beach person but I do love Castaway Cay. I guess because it is Disney I know I can relax. No one is trying to sell me a chair or going to come up to me and push beads and trinkets at me. I can go in the water and feel that my stuff is safe on my chair (not that we take anything valuable to the island with us). To me there is nothing better than doing some morning snorkeling and then relaxing under an umbrella with a good book.

Having said that it isn't for everyone. On the 10 day it was cool on CC day and the family beach was closed and our waverunner excursion cancelled. We only spent about a half hour on the island and went back and enjoyed the ship and did our packing

A few years ago on the DVC Member Cruise in Feb. we thought the water was a little too cool for us. So after a few hours relaxing and reading on the island we went back to the ship and swam in the adult pool which was uncrowded and very warm.

That's my favorite part of cruising. You can do as much or as little as you want. If CC isn't for you just stay on board and enjoy a quiet uncrowded ship.