Staying on ship on Castaway Cay day

[CisforCookie991]

Anyone ever stay on the ship during Castaway Cay day? We’re not huge “sit on the beach” type people (yes I realize the irony of going on a Caribbean cruise) and wondering what the ship is like if we do a half day on the island then head back. I know the kids clubs have limited operations, but is the rest of the ship (food, Aquaduck, etc) open as usual? Thanks for your help!

 

[kathi]

I think there are a fair number of guests who don’t spend a lot of time on the island. Keep in mind there are many things to do that are not sitting on the beach. Renting bikes and riding around the bike/walking path is something we do almost every stop. There are fun port excursions also. (Full disclosure - we are beach sitters and are often in the first off/last back on group on CC day!) 🏝

 

[ArielRae]

We don’t stay on the ship but we are always back on the ship by 1:00 the latest. We enjoy the beach for a little and then have some lunch on the island. We save our pool and slide time for Castaway Cay day. We like that the ship is empty and can enjoy them without crowds and lines. There are food places open if you want some lunch or a snack.

 

[ludari]

The last time on CC my friend and I ran the 5K and returned to the ship for the rest of the day. My friend wasn’t interested in any activities on CC and I’ve been on CC multiple times so I was okay with returning back to the ship. The ship had considerably less people and we enjoyed riding the AquaDuck multiple times, enjoying a nice lunch and watching a movie in the theater before the ship departed.

 

[CisforCookie991]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like we’ll be enjoying a nice morning on CC then spending the rest of the day on the Aquaduck!

 

[Cheburashka]

Anyone ever stay on the ship during Castaway Cay day? We’re not huge “sit on the beach” type people (yes I realize the irony of going on a Caribbean cruise) and wondering what the ship is like if we do a half day on the island then head back. I know the kids clubs have limited operations, but is the rest of the ship (food, Aquaduck, etc) open as usual? Thanks for your help!

Plenty of people only do the first half of the day on Castaway Cay. What is more rare is staying onboard for the first half of the day- the ship does resemble a bit of a ghost town in the late morning. If you plan on doing an afternoon only on Castaway Cay, you can enjoy an uncrowded ship the first part of the day, but there is a risk of afternoon showers spoiling your island time.

 

[OKW Lover]

Agree with the previous posts that its not at all unusual for people to just spend the morning on CC. My wife & I will typically get off the ship well after the morning rush. We spend a little time on the Adult beach, have lunch there and then mosey back to the ship.

On board its time for a shower, nap, and All Hands On Deck on our balcony. Sometimes we book a spa special that day.

 

[CisforCookie991]

Hmm well that’s good to know... maybe we’ll have to flip the original plan then. I guess it’ll depend on the weather forecast. Thanks!

 

[tvguy]

St. Thomas has basically become our stay on the ship port.
It was sprinkling on a warm day on our Castaway Cay and people fled back to the ship. We were snorkeling so we were wet anyway!. Ate lunch, rented bikes, in our swim suits in the drizzle. spent all day on the island.

 

[Sykes]

I horrified my table-mates on my last Bahamian cruise when I got off the boat in Nassau but stayed on-board at Castaway Cay. I just don't love Castaway Cay. The Dream was super quiet on Castaway Cay day and I absolutely loved it.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

For Castaway Cay, I start with the 5K, return to the ship for a quick shower, and return to the island for lunch with DW. DW leaves the ship about 10, takes pictures and checks out the character meet and greets, and we meet for lunch as soon as they start serving (which is typically scheduled for 11:30, but frequently starts by around 11:15 in our experience). After lunch, we head back to the ship for the rest of the day. We are not beach people, so that aspect of the island is not a big deal for us. We do enjoy the food served on CC along with the outdoor dining pavilions.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

We don't get off the ship at CC anymore. We have the pool to ourselves and hang out on the ship. No activities going on though. Even though it is just me and my 2 sons in the pool, the lifeguard was still there, walking back and forth - kind of funny actually. Usually after lunch time people start slowly getting back on board. Unless it rains, then you can see EVERYONE moving towards the ship at once.
But when (WHEN!!!!???? SOON I HOPE!!!) we cruise again I hope to bring my nephew on his first cruise and also his first time to a beach, so I will probably get off.

 

[Joe Brig]

The on board Disney magic feels like it is turned off when docked at CC. The opposite of a sea day. It only takes a few minutes to exit the ship though, you could always get lunch, walk around, and come back.

 

[Meriweather]

We get off when we can, wander around, sit on the beach and go back to the ship after lunch

 

[eddnandee]

Anyone ever stay on the ship during Castaway Cay day? We’re not huge “sit on the beach” type people (yes I realize the irony of going on a Caribbean cruise) and wondering what the ship is like if we do a half day on the island then head back. I know the kids clubs have limited operations, but is the rest of the ship (food, Aquaduck, etc) open as usual? Thanks for your help!

We went on a 5 day with 2 days at CC. The first day at CC, we stayed on the ship and LOVED IT. Felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. By the 2nd stop, we were on CC while a lot of others stayed on the ship. Best way to do it!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

The best thing is you are free to experience CC any way you want. I personally wish they would leave me there for a few days It is my peaceful place.

 

[cvjw]

On our last cruise, the 8 night southern in 2019, we came back for lunch at cabanas on CC day. They had half of the restaurant blocked off for cleaning. They were doing a deep clean involving the carpets.

It was very sad. We knew they were getting ready for the next group of guests and it was almost time for us to leave.

 

[KashasMom]

On our last cruise, the 8 night southern in 2019, we came back for lunch at cabanas on CC day. They had half of the restaurant blocked off for cleaning. They were doing a deep clean involving the carpets.

It was very sad. We knew they were getting ready for the next group of guests and it was almost time for us to leave.

Oh, I always thought that Cabanas was closed! We usually don't take a cruise with a CC stop but will remember that for the future. The food on CC is...not too good.

 

[CisforCookie991]

First, I'd like to say that I'm pretty new to Disboards, but I love it here! Everyone is super helpful and supportive and I'm so happy to have this resource.

I'm glad there are some food options on the ship, even if they're limited. I've heard that the CC food is not fantastic, and my husband is a vegetarian so I don't imagine there will be a ton of options beyond veggie burger with 3 BBQ places on the island.

Maybe we'll do a bunch of back-and-forth that day - do the 5k, go back to the ship and ride the Aquaduck then grab lunch, go back to CC and wander the beach...

 

[ukintheus]

We've stayed on before when we did a Double Dip. It was great because the pool was empty, but be warned that you will need to go on a scavenger hunt if you want an adult beverage! All of the bars are closed due to the servers being on the island, BUT Cove Cafe is open and we were able get a drink in there. The server was really helpful and even gave us the morning special prices on Mimosas and Bloody Mary's. (YMMV of course)