The WL/DCL/BCV Extravaganza! Trip Report - UPDATE 1/29 NOT FINISHING THIS

[Rora]

Great pictures!!!!

Jenny- Have a GREAT Thanksgiving!! Can't wait for the next update!

 

[jenny105]

The party looks like a lot of fun!!! You talking about Minnie's rap song reminded me... My brother and I used to have a Mickey Un-Rapped tape! We LOVED that thing! It was Mickey and Minnie and friends rapping!

I don't know if I ever had that but I had a tape of the characters singing Disco songs. Donald was Disco Duck!

Well, Jacob has to sleep and actually protect and stuff. Edward has a lot of free time, being a vampire and all...he probably can't help being overbearing. He needs a hobby!!

I've heard such a smorgashboard (is that how you spell that? Is it even a real word?) of rumors about Breaking Dawn!! Someone told me their mom actually saw a teaser trailer with her all pregnant and stuff...though I think its highly made up. I've just heard a lot and I want to know!! I guess one day, we will see though!! You are probably right...

Anyway, Pirates IN the Caribbean looks uber fun. Joe makes for a good pirate, except that he looks too nice. Other than that, I was convinced. You rock the pirate ears though!! I love them!! They are so cute. It sounds really great and like they put on quite a party!! You didn't see any other ships trying to get the fireworks too did you? I've heard they do that a lot...I hope I don't see it!! I bet its SOOOO awesome out there.

Can't wait for your Castaway Cay day!! Don't hold back on pictures!!

I haven't heard anything about Breaking Dawn yet. I'm really surprised they didn't have a trailer cut for Eclipse yet since it's coming out in June. Or at least a teaser before New Moon. Not that they really have to market it because it'll do well no matter what but still!

We didn't see any other ships around during the fireworks. We didn't really see very many at all. As we were sailing back to Florida, we saw another ship sailing toward the Bahamas in the distance but that was about it.

I have LOTS of pictures from CC.

Great pictures!!!!

Jenny- Have a GREAT Thanksgiving!! Can't wait for the next update!

Thanks! I hope you had a great one too!

 

[jenny105]

It's time for the Castaway Cay post(s)! This was my favorite day of the trip and probably the one I was looking forward to the most. Before the cruise, I would just spend hours looking at other people's TRs reading about Castaway Cay. Let me tell you, it's AWESOME. Every cruise line has their own island in the Bahamas but Castaway Cay puts the rest to shame. Nothing even comes close to this!

We woke up around 8 and put our swimsuits on and packed up some towels and sunblock then headed up to the buffet for breakfast. Man, I wish I could have a breakfast buffet everyday. I was getting used to those chocolate Mickey waffles. It was a little after nine when we finished and when we walked out to the deck, this is what I saw!

I was just waiting for the Dutchman to sink under water and resurface on the other side of the ship. It was TOO cool to see that docked out there. I hope they'll eventually get the Black Pearl too!

We headed downstairs to disembark and we were some of the first people off the ship. We were headed to paradise! A closer look...

As Joe and I were walking, we saw someone wandering along the beach. "Is that Jack Sparrow?" Why yes, yes it was. I was really impressed. There was absolutely NO ONE around but Joe and I and this guy was COMPLETELY in character. He was pointing at things and asking the CMs what they were.

We had the DCL photographer snap a picture of us with him. Sorry I don't have it scanned in. Funny thing was that I was wearing a Jack Sparrow tshirt and he pointed at it and said 'Hey, that's me!' This guy was GREAT!

As we headed down toward the family beach, we also saw Lilo & Stitch. We had the DCL people snap a picture of us with them as well and Stitch took Joe's towel from him and threw it in the bushes. Joe went and got them and Stitch did it again! I love the characters, they get so involved with everyone!

After that, we bumped into our cruisemate Karen who told us she and her DH Gary were going jet skiing in a bit. Awesome! We went off to find a spot of our own on the beach. We found a couple of empty chairs near one of the entrances to the beach and put our stuff down. We had booked the Getaway package which included snorkel equipment, bike rentals, float rental, and Stingray Adventure which was at 10 am. We had time to snap a few pictures first!

It was time to head over to Castaway Ray's! We were in the same time slot as our tablemates Mary and Tim. We got there a little early so we had some waiting around to do and then they brief you on the different species of Stingrays you may see around Castaway Cay. Then it was time to fee the Rays! You walk in water thats about knee deep and there are these white ramps in the water. The stingrays swim up the ramp and are trained to stop at the Mickey head to get food. Before you go in the water, they tell you to do the 'Stingray Shuffle' which is basically shuffling your feet so the sand rises up around you so if a stingray is hiding in the sand, it'll know to swim away before it gets stepped on! Joe and I each got a couple of turns to feed the stingray. It's a weird sensation, they just suck the food from right in between your fingers! There are stingrays swimming in every direction, brushing up against your legs and feet. We loved it and would definitely do it again! After the feeding session, they let you snorkel around the lagoon a bit before the next group of people come in. The stingrays were all playful when they know its feeding time but after that, they don't want to be bothered! They swam around for a bit and the majority of them buried themselves in sand. You had to be really careful where you put your feet down because you could have stepped on one! Some of them were REALLY well hidden. We snorkeled for about a half hour and then decided we'd had enough. They gave us our collectible pin that came with the excursion and then we were off to rent bikes!

Coming up:
Our bike trip around Castaway Cay
Hermit crab races!

 

[princess_momma]

WOW!! Castaway Cay is SOOOOO amazing!! I can't wait until the day I get to see it for myself!! That's so awesome about Jack and Stitch being out there!! And feeding the rays looks so fun!! I can't even imagine how weird that must feel.

Okay...I have a possibly stupid question. So I can imagine they don't want you stepping on the rays for obvious reasons, but is there a chance of them getting mad and stinging if you step on them? Or is it just for general safety of yourself and the rays?

 

[jenny105]

WOW!! Castaway Cay is SOOOOO amazing!! I can't wait until the day I get to see it for myself!! That's so awesome about Jack and Stitch being out there!! And feeding the rays looks so fun!! I can't even imagine how weird that must feel.

Okay...I have a possibly stupid question. So I can imagine they don't want you stepping on the rays for obvious reasons, but is there a chance of them getting mad and stinging if you step on them? Or is it just for general safety of yourself and the rays?

Castaway Cay is absolutely beautiful. I wish the ship could just dock there for two nights and skip Nassau altogether.

The rays in the lagoon don't have barbs on them so there is more harm to them if you step on them. I tried really hard not to! However, if you see rays swimming around outside of the stingray lagoon, they have barbs so beware! We didn't see any though.

 

[Rora]

Jenny- I'm so happy you loved Castaway Cay! Isn't it amazing??!

I've never done the stingray feeding! That looks fun- but I am actually terrified of fish. Do they feel slimy like fish when they bump into you? I know Jackson would LOVE tofeed them next time we go but heck, last time I went snorkling I hypervenilated!

Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL!! and.. I know what you mean about those waffles! YUM! Can't wait for more!!

 

[princess_momma]

Castaway Cay is absolutely beautiful. I wish the ship could just dock there for two nights and skip Nassau altogether.

The rays in the lagoon don't have barbs on them so there is more harm to them if you step on them. I tried really hard not to! However, if you see rays swimming around outside of the stingray lagoon, they have barbs so beware! We didn't see any though.

Oh I'm glad they can't sting you at the lagoon!! But I still wouldn't want to step on them!! I'd definitely be super cautious outside of there though!!

Can't wait for more!!

 

[stacikristine]

I don't know if I ever had that but I had a tape of the characters singing Disco songs. Donald was Disco Duck!

What a great start to the day!!! Feeding Sting rays just sounds incredible! That's awesome that Jack was walking around. I can't wait to see more! Oh, and here's a sample of the songs on the Mickey UnRapped cd! Click Here

 

[jenny105]

Jenny- I'm so happy you loved Castaway Cay! Isn't it amazing??!

I've never done the stingray feeding! That looks fun- but I am actually terrified of fish. Do they feel slimy like fish when they bump into you? I know Jackson would LOVE tofeed them next time we go but heck, last time I went snorkling I hypervenilated!

Your pictures are BEAUTIFUL!! and.. I know what you mean about those waffles! YUM! Can't wait for more!!

CC is the BEST! I can't wait to go back.

I don't really like fish either but the stingrays didn't bother me. They do feel a little slimy but they aren't as skittish as fish. I think that's what I don't like about fish. It freaks me out when they're out of water and flopping around.

Oh I'm glad they can't sting you at the lagoon!! But I still wouldn't want to step on them!! I'd definitely be super cautious outside of there though!!

Can't wait for more!!

We were very careful not to step on them! They sure like to hide under the sand!

What a great start to the day!!! Feeding Sting rays just sounds incredible! That's awesome that Jack was walking around. I can't wait to see more! Oh, and here's a sample of the songs on the Mickey UnRapped cd! Click Here

Jack was awesome. SO in character. I'll have to check that link when I home. Work blocks amazon and ebay.

 

[jenny105]

Ok, so I left off with feeding the stingrays. After this, we decided to go over and rent bikes and then spend the rest of the day splashing in the water! The bike rental place wasn't far from our spot on the beach and soon, we were off! I was a little bit nervous because I hadn't been on a bike in years but it's true...it's something you never forget how to do! They have trails that take you all over the island. A loop through the bushes and wilderness of the island, where you come upon a lookout post and another trail that goes along the adult beach; there's a spot overlooking the water where you can take pictures and there's a water cooler fortunately. It was very hot! This trail isn't a loop. You have to turn around and go back the way you came. There is this road that looks like a runway that takes you to both trails and it has Castaway Cay spelled out in huge letters. Watch out for the trams! After we did both trails, we returned our bikes. We had them for maybe an hour, doesn't take long to complete everything. Here are some pictures we took along the trails...

The Wonder from the lookout point.

Around the lookout point.

They have these weird bird cutouts set up around that area.

These are from the picture spot at the end of the trail that runs along the adult beach.

This is in front of the entrance to the adult beach trail.

After we returned the bikes, we saw a CM who was making fresh margaritas and mojitos. Joe got a margarita and I got a mojito. They. Were. FABULOUS! Everything was made from freshly squeeze juice, no mix that sits around behind the bar. Awesome! While we were waiting for our drinks, the hermit crab races started right beside us. I managed to snap a couple pictures and we ended up watching it until the end. Very entertaining! Each family names their crab, I believe there are 8. They have heats and the winner of each heat advances to the next round.

I forget the name of the crab who won. Each family gets to name the crab!

After finishing our drinks, we went snorkeling for a bit which completely tired me out! I went really far out in the snorkeling lagoon and it took me a long time to swim back to shore! The snorkeling lagoon is HUGE and they have things sunken to look out, like Mickey Mouse and I think what was once part of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction. We saw a LOT of fish, tons of schools of fish. I'm not a fish person so I didn't get too close but it was neat to see. I lost Joe in the lagoon so I had to wait for him to swim back to shore before we could continue our Castaway Cay fun.

We decided to rent a water-trike, these 2 seater paddle boats with three HUGE wheels. You can rent them for a half hour and paddle out for a closer look at the Wonder and Flying Dutchman. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me at this point because I was afraid I'd get it wet.

We had gotten a lot of exercise this day so it was time to rent some tubes and be lazy! We just laid back and let the current take us...right over into the kids play area where one almost jumped on my head! We waded away from that quickly and floated around the back area of the family beach. Very relaxing but I think this is when I got sunburned! Ouch. I was using aloe heavily for the rest of the trip.

We went to get a couple more drinks, I got a conch cooler which is a frozen fruity drink just so I could get a souvenir glass. We brought our chairs down by the water and sat, drank, and just took in the beauty of Castaway Cay until it was time to go. The CMs literally have to kick people off the island. No one wants to leave!

 

[jenny105]

Cont from previous post...

We packed up our stuff and started walking back toward the ship. There were still some pictures I wanted to take along the way!

Mt. Rustmore, of course! I had to ask where this was. The CMs have no idea we DISers call it this because the woman I asked looked perplexed. We eventually found it!

The Wonder. Look how tiny the Flying Dutchman looks in comparison!

I probably should have taken a picture of this sign on the way in but I was way too excited.

The Castaway Cay post office!

Hey, I know this guy!

Home sweet home...

That brings our time at Castaway Cay to a close.

Coming up:
A few stateroom pictures
Dinner at Triton's
Return to WDW

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Just coming into say that I am loving your trip report and also to provide some info on Castaway Cay. The runway like road is actually is a remnant of the islands past when it was know as Gorda Cay and actually had a landing strip on it for private planes.

 

[Belle_373]

I'm really enjoying your TR!

You guys are such a cute couple!

This cutout is really kinda creepy! The bird looks possessed.

 

[jenny105]

Just coming into say that I am loving your trip report and also to provide some info on Castaway Cay. The runway like road is actually is a remnant of the islands past when it was know as Gorda Cay and actually had a landing strip on it for private planes.

Thank you! I didn't know it was part of the island's past, that's interesting! I wonder if Disney ever uses it? Thanks for letting me know.

I'm really enjoying your TR!

You guys are such a cute couple!



This cutout is really kinda creepy! The bird looks possessed.

Aw, thanks!

Those cutouts were very creepy lol. I was like 'What is up with this?' It was nothing Disney related. If they're going to put cutouts out there, maybe use Mickey and Minnie? And not a bird in something that looks like an outhouse?

 

[Lynn5700]

JENNY!!!!!!!! I'm flipping here!!! UGH I feel so bad. I'm so behind on everybody's TRs!! I'm sorry! I have been busy with school, but it's almost over so YAY!

Joe is hilarious! I love all his faces and poses in your pictures.

I think it's so cool that you guys were picked to open the park in DHS!!! You got some awesome pixie dust there!! So happy for you!! Sorry you didn't beat him in TSM, I know the feeling. One day I'm going to beat Tim, lol.

MNSSHP is so much fun. Looks like you guys had a blast!!

OMG The Wonder! I love that ship. I LOVE the pic of Jack Sparrow just roaming along the beach! I love him, lol. Isn't Castaway Cay the best!! I love it there!!

Looking forward to more!!!!

 

[stacikristine]

What a fantastic day!!! It looks like you and Joe had so much fun! What I wouldn't do for some relaxation on a beach right now... Your pictures are great--What a fun time!!! And to think...you were getting tons of exercise too!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Thank you! I didn't know it was part of the island's past, that's interesting! I wonder if Disney ever uses it? Thanks for letting me know.

Nope it's been decommissioned. If they had to in an emergency they could probably land a helicopter, other then that it would see no use whatsoever.

 

[jenny105]

JENNY!!!!!!!! I'm flipping here!!! UGH I feel so bad. I'm so behind on everybody's TRs!! I'm sorry! I have been busy with school, but it's almost over so YAY!

Joe is hilarious! I love all his faces and poses in your pictures.

I think it's so cool that you guys were picked to open the park in DHS!!! You got some awesome pixie dust there!! So happy for you!! Sorry you didn't beat him in TSM, I know the feeling. One day I'm going to beat Tim, lol.

MNSSHP is so much fun. Looks like you guys had a blast!!

OMG The Wonder! I love that ship. I LOVE the pic of Jack Sparrow just roaming along the beach! I love him, lol. Isn't Castaway Cay the best!! I love it there!!

Looking forward to more!!!!

Hi Lynn! I was wondering where you were!!

Joe is always making crazy faces in his pictures. He's very animated!

We were so lucky for DHS! The CM just walked right up to us. We had rubbed Humphrey the Bear's nose for good luck at WL at the start of our trip so maybe that had something to do with it! That was a tip I picked up from the boards!

The Wonder is gorgeous and Castaway Cay is the best island EVER. I really wish we had just skipped Nassau and spent both days there. I can't wait to go back.

I get another shot at TSM in February!!!

What a fantastic day!!! It looks like you and Joe had so much fun! What I wouldn't do for some relaxation on a beach right now... Your pictures are great--What a fun time!!! And to think...you were getting tons of exercise too!

Castaway Cay is fabulous. I really hope you get to be there someday soon, you and Michael would love it!

Oh, I listend to the samples of Mickey UnRapped. HA! Ice, Ice Mickey

Nope it's been decommissioned. If they had to in an emergency they could probably land a helicopter, other then that it would see no use whatsoever.

Oh, ok. You sure know a lot about CC!

 

[princess_momma]

Wow everything on Castaway Cay looks so fun!! I bet the hermit crab race was pretty entertaining!! Did the families just have to name the crabs? And did they get to pick at all? Did they have to handle them? I ask because I would like to name one but that's about it...I don't want to touch!!

All the sites and sounds look perfect! I can see why you'd rather have another day here than at Nassau. It really looks like paradise!

 

[jenny105]

Wow everything on Castaway Cay looks so fun!! I bet the hermit crab race was pretty entertaining!! Did the families just have to name the crabs? And did they get to pick at all? Did they have to handle them? I ask because I would like to name one but that's about it...I don't want to touch!!

All the sites and sounds look perfect! I can see why you'd rather have another day here than at Nassau. It really looks like paradise!

The crab race was really cute. There is a number on each of their shells, 1 through 8. You get handed a whiteboard with the number on it and you write in your family's name and whatever you want the name of the crab to me. The families didn't handle them at all, that was all done by the CM. They just had to name and cheer on your crab! I think you can see the whiteboards in one of the pictures.