How important is CC to you when booking?

[bcwife76]

Not important to us at all. Would not stop us from booking a Disney cruise. However, we don't always cruise out of Florida ;-)

 

[GPaLarry]

Out of 8 cruises, we have been to CC 4 times. Believe me, I have tried to stop more often. When we started our second leg of a B2B (Med./Trans) last Sept. I asked one of the officers, at the evening reception, if there was any way they could skip Nova Scotia and New York and just head to CC. I got a firm, "no." The Baltic Capitals (Northern Europe) cruise was a stretch so I didn't try. During our Alaska cruise last month I petitioned for Hawaii, not CC, but acceptable...again, NO! Love to snorkel for the sunken Mickeys...hard to find on any other beach.

 

[longboard55]

We look forward to it, but the truth is 2 out of 3 trips have hard lousy weather

 

[Kaleea]

We just got off the Fantasy and while Castaway Cay was nice, it in no way would be a deal breaker for us. We liked the beach in Jamaica better.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I enjoy the snorkeling beach a lot.

Still we usually go back to the ship for lunch.

 

[ChicosWife]

I think is CC is a true paradise would love it if EVERY itinerary, I go on, would stop there. Since, I am aware that is logistically impossible, I would answer your question and say that is definitely a highlight, but if I want to see any other part of the world, then it can't be a deal breaker.

 

[remlap]

On your West Coast and Alaska, did you miss CC or was it a great cruise experience without it?

Alaska is amazing, can't speak highly enough. However, it is not, obviously, a beach vacation.
The West Coast were all "2 night cruise to nowhere" and they are so jam packed crazy didn't miss it.

Castaway is great. I wanted to visit Disney's Island, and I did (twice now) and I highly recommend it. That said, you'll have a great time no matter where you cruise to/from. If you think you'll be miserable because no castaway, you probably will be. If you think of all of amazing things you'll see in Alaska or where you Disney Cruise ship actually is, you'll have a great time.

 

[remlap]

Not the original poster, but my Alaskan cruise was my favorite cruise I've done. I would take the sights of Alaska over a stop at CC.

Alaska is 100% different from a "beach" vacation. It is beautiful and no, you don't miss Castaway Cay at all. That said, if you're looking for Atlantis pools and Castaway Beaches, Alaska isn't for you.

 

[Shanti]

If I'm cruising to the Bahamas/Caribbean, it's very important. We did a 7-night Eastern and CC was still our favorite port. The Caribbean islands we visited were so run down and touristy, the beaches just weren't that pretty, even the famous ones that all the travel guides describe as "magnificent"...Yes, we went to those & were greeted with dozens of chairs & for-sale umbrellas haphazardly clogging the beach, people trying to sell you things, ugly buildings right on the beach, etc. It's unfortunate, but the reality of what these islands are currently like. We still swam at those beaches and had fun, but they didn't compare to Castaway Cay, which is so clean and pretty everywhere you look.

 

[msmama]

I've done 2 DCL cruises without CC. My first one will be coming up in a few months.

Itenerary is #1 priority and Caribbean and Bahamas don't appeal to me. I'm not much of a beach/island girl. So we've done Canada and norway/Iceland. Obviously I didn't miss a beach day when I had so much cooler stuff!

I am certain I will enjoy it on our upcoming cruise (Bahamas from NYC) but if we had to skip it I wouldn't care. I like sea days as much as I like port days.

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

I know there will be a variety of answers, but curious how important Castaway Cay is to you when booking your cruise? I have never been on a Disney Cruise and part of the draw for me would be seeing CC, as well as having my kids have a safer beach to explore. That said, some of the cruises out of TX are a much better deal (naturally) and most do not hit CC. DH and I are going back on forth on if the savings is worth skipping CC, as much as we want to see the island! Is it top priority for you? Thanks for your thoughts...

Honestly, I was so incredibly underwhelmed by cc. We spent time at Magen's bay in st. Thomas earlier that week, and that beach was perfect. White sand, nice depth gradient to water, plenty of shade. Ccs sand had so many rocks and seashells that I cut the bottom of my foot. If you weren't amongst the first off the boat, you didn't get a seat under an umbrella. I felt like we were packed in like sardines. And at both the family and quiet beach, you had to squat in the water just for your shoulders to get wet. My girls didn't like it any better or worse than st. Thomas beach. If you're hitting up a beach elsewhere, you can definitely skip it.

 

[Pens Fan]

It's not important to us at all. Don't get me wrong, we like it and think it's a nice beach. But it's still just a beach. Probably the only impact that CC would have for us picking an itinerary is that we would not pick one that goes there twice in the same cruise. One day is enough for us and we'd rather see something else.