What to do on Castaway Cay

[Bruiserknits]

OK, to be fair, the only reason we are going on a Disney cruise is because it is Disney. We are not beach people. We used to live on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and we are very fair and very burnable. We've swam with sea creatures and aren't interested in snorkeling or scuba diving or feeding sting rays. Sitting out in the sun on the beach bores me to absolute tears. I enjoy walks on the beach and collecting shells, but can only do it for a short period of time (reference the burnable part). Two of us are planning on running the 5K in the morning, but not sure what we will do the rest of the day. Any suggestions? How is the shelling? Any sea glass to find?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

OK, to be fair, the only reason we are going on a Disney cruise is because it is Disney. We are not beach people. We used to live on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and we are very fair and very burnable. We've swam with sea creatures and aren't interested in snorkeling or scuba diving or feeding sting rays. Sitting out in the sun on the beach bores me to absolute tears. I enjoy walks on the beach and collecting shells, but can only do it for a short period of time (reference the burnable part). Two of us are planning on running the 5K in the morning, but not sure what we will do the rest of the day. Any suggestions? How is the shelling? Any sea glass to find?

Not really much in the way of shells/sea glass. Most of the (guest accessible) beach is brought in, so the shells tend to be broken ones. Plus DCL does request that you not remove anything from the island in the way of "nature". The exact wording (from CC day Navigator): "Due to our commitment to the environment, we ask that seashells, coral, and other natural treasures be left undisturbed at Disney's Castaway Cay for all to enjoy".

We just walked around the last couple of times, and sat in a lounger (under an umbrella) for a little while. Had lunch, and returned to the ship. Aquaduck is usually a lot less busy that day. And it's nice not having a ton of people around when exploring the ship.

 

[jack87891]

There's a bike trail and an observation deck. That will be good for an hour or two. Lunch at serenity bay is a cut above most beach lunches.

 

[Drusilla99]

Get a massage with the sound of waves in the background, have lunch, then go back to the ship & see a movie or do a mixology tasting. The serenity bay bar is shady if you like to hang out & drink & maybe bring some cards.

 

[Bill B.]

Parasailing or Jet Skiing. Our jet ski port adventure was cancelled on our last trip because of rough waters but the next day we did get to do our parasailing adventure. We did the double dip to CC last November. That was our second time parasailing and I would do it again next time.

 

[basketlacey]

We love the water slide that you have to swim out to in the ocean. We had never experienced anything like that before. Otherwise, there are lots and lots of beach umbrellas if you want to sit in the shade. There are also character meet and greets, dance parties, games, etc. I think you could pretty easily kill the morning, have a nice lunch and then get back on the boat if you'd like.

We live in a landlocked state so we LOVE the opportunity to visit the beach and stay until we have to get back on the boat. BUT, we've stayed on the boat during other ports before and it's nice to enjoy it when it isn't as crowded.

 

[kiford]

We're not beach people either and we both fry pretty quickly in the sun. We usually go out to Serenity Bay for a drink and lunch. We've parasailed (it's been cancelled on us more times than we've actually done it due to high winds). We did the kayaking and walking tour which we enjoyed. We've walked the paths through the vegetation before but the tour takes you off the pathway. Occasionally we snorkel but I can only do that for short periods of time and we did enjoy the stingrays. Mostly we just do lunch and then head back to the ship. Even if we do an activity on Castaway Cay, we're not usually on the beach or on the island for much more than a couple of hours.

 

[over50visits]

OK, to be fair, the only reason we are going on a Disney cruise is because it is Disney. We are not beach people. We used to live on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and we are very fair and very burnable. We've swam with sea creatures and aren't interested in snorkeling or scuba diving or feeding sting rays. Sitting out in the sun on the beach bores me to absolute tears. I enjoy walks on the beach and collecting shells, but can only do it for a short period of time (reference the burnable part). Two of us are planning on running the 5K in the morning, but not sure what we will do the rest of the day. Any suggestions? How is the shelling? Any sea glass to find?

The 5K will be a blast. Sea shells are fairly easy to find in the water, especially at Serenity Bay, just don't keep them ("catch and release" lol).

But there is a lot to consider:
- Biking and/or hiking (go see the cool observation tower)
- Various shops
- Lunch (really good comfort food)
- Listen to the live music seated nearby or at the bar
- Water sports, such as boating, jet ski, scuba
- Relax and read a book
- Excursion such as the glass bottom boat
- Lots of interesting plants and flowers for a photo hobbyist
- See the stingrays
- Sail around the island on the Island Cruise
- Kick back and read a book, and enjoy the world class private island. The ship will be there when you get back!

 

[ajgardner]

We are not beach people either. We get off the ship at the start of lunch time and go to the bbq, take a walk and browse the stores, take some pictures, stick our toes in the water and then head back to the ship. We are out on the island for, at the very most, 2 hours. We LOVE the ship when everyone else is off - so having just enough time to see the island for a bit and getting back on the ship is perfect for us!

 

[DCL4LIFE]

We spend the morning at the adult beach but at lunchtime return to the ship. I absolutely love eating at Cabanas looking out over Castaway Cay. From then we just stay on the ship and its great because it's nearly empty. If we didn't like the adult beach so much, I'm sure we would be perfectly fine staying onboard all day.

 

[bumbershoot]

Do the 5K and go back to the ship. No need to do something you truly don't want to do.

 

[Bruiserknits]

Great suggestions everyone. Disney has yet to disappoint me, so I'm sure I'll find something to do.

 

[Kimosabe]

I realize you said you are not snorkeling people, but the walk-in-off-the-beach snorkeling lagoon at CC is pretty cool and not your same ol' snorkeling. There are several buoys/balls marked around the lagoon (which is marked off with a rope, as well as with lifeguards, so that you don't get too far out), each of which represents a different underwater item. There are Mickey and Minnie statues, an old ride vehicle/sub from the now-extinct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at WDW, and some other nautical-related stuff. As a general rule, fish have turned these items into their homes, so it's pretty easy to find sea life if you follow the buoys. Recently, I brought my head up out of the water at one point, and another guy popped his head up, too, and said "I brought the fish." Had no idea what he was talking about, so I looked underwater again, and there was an absolute ton of various fish following him around (looked like he was feeding them...not sure if he was a CM or just a guy with a good idea for attracting fish, but it was pretty awesome, even if it did freak out my 10-year old daughter a bit, as she naturally assumed she was about to be eaten alive by lots of tropical fish).

 

[tobikaye]

Nothing says you have to stay out at CC all day. My parents, sister and I got off the boat for a total of maybe 3 hours total. We still enjoyed our time, but also enjoyed having a nearly empty ship when we got back after lunch. I know that we still missed a lot of what there was to do, but it worked out for this trip.

 

[mevelandry]

We loved the bike ride. It was fun!

 

[seelyt2]

While I realize everyone is different, we did the jet-skiing excursion for an hour (it was awesome, btw), snorkeled for about 45 minutes (fun!), swam with an innertube (my way of relaxing), went down Pelican Plunge a couple of times with the kids, ate lunch, got a specialty drink....and as soon as I got in the hammock it started to pour and we went back to the ship. We probably spent about 4-5 hours on the island. It was fun and relaxing while it lasted. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Do the 5K and go back to the ship. No need to do something you truly don't want to do.

Agreed. Enjoy the empty ship.

 

[CamColt]

After lunch we enjoy sitting under an umbrella at the Heads Up Bar...great view, great drinks, and some tropical music make for a relaxing afternoon.

 

[elfof2moons]

Can't comment on things to do since I haven't gone yet but I am in the easily burnable category too. You might want to look into swim shirts. They have made them for kids for years now but they are starting to become available for adults too. I plan on getting one for me and my daughter because being burned on a cruise is horrible. I found this out the hard way.

 

[kiford]

Can't comment on things to do since I haven't gone yet but I am in the easily burnable category too. You might want to look into swim shirts. They have made them for kids for years now but they are starting to become available for adults too. I plan on getting one for me and my daughter because being burned on a cruise is horrible. I found this out the hard way.

If you're not going to be out too long, a 100% cotton shirt will work just fine for sun protection when you snorkel. I burn just by thinking about sun so it's very important to me to be protected; I have a number of people in my family who've had skin cancer so I'm always careful. A 60 SPF sunscreen regularly reapplied and a white cotton T-shirt works for me if I'm not out more than a couple of hours at most.