There's only one way to get to Castaway Cay... on a Disney cruise ship ! If you're lucky enough to be going on a Disney cruise and counting down the days, spend some time here and get to know the island. It will help you be prepared and get everything YOU want out of it.
On most itineraries that include a stop at Castaway Cay, you'll be allowed on the island between 9 and 10 am and you're due back on the ship by 5 pm. That leaves only a precious few hours to enjoy this tropical paradise. Some guests will choose to enjoy Castaway Cay's brilliant white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise water. Others may choose to just swing in a hammock under a palm tree with a cool drink. More adventurous guests can explore hotels new orleans an abandoned runway, bicycle down a hidden jungle path or parasail high over the island.
History hotels new orleans of Castaway Cay Finding Your Way Around The Island Castaway Cay Beaches Castaway Cay Food and Drink Castaway Cay Shopping Castaway Cay Activities Castaway hotels new orleans Cay Daily Events Bicycle And Boat Rentals Castaway Cay Excursions Cabana Rentals What Should I Bring To Castaway Cay ? What Will The Weather hotels new orleans Be Like ? Where is Castaway Cay ? Castaway Cay For Those With Limited Mobility Castaway Cay Video Tour Have You Been To Castaway Cay? Disney Cruise Insider Tips Learn More About The Disney Cruise Line Fleet
History of Castaway Cay Finding Your Way Around The Island Castaway Cay Beaches Castaway Cay Food and Drink Castaway Cay Shopping Castaway Cay Activities Castaway Cay Daily Events Bicycle And Boat Rentals Castaway Cay Excursions Cabana Rentals What Should I Bring To Castaway Cay ? What Will The Weather Be Like ? Where is Castaway Cay ? Castaway Cay For Those With Limited Mobility Castaway Cay Video Tour Have You Been To Castaway Cay? Disney Cruise Insider Tips Learn More About The Disney Cruise Line Fleet
Castaway Cay, formerly known as Gorda Cay, didn't always have a squeaky-clean Disney image. It's history dates back to the 1700's with stories of pirates using the island as a stop along a popular trade route. In the 1950's, treasure hunters from the Bahamas actually substantiated some of the rumors when they found coins and a silver ingot just off the shoals of the island traced back to a Spanish galleon lost in the area in 1733.
Real estate developer Alvin Tucker was fascinated by the island's simple beauty while flying over it in the 1960's. He purchased large portions of it and built an airstrip that still stands today. (but has since been retired, only to serve islands guests on bicycles and trams). The island caught the attention hotels new orleans of Frank Barber in the 1980's who began using the airstrip and assumed control of the island for illegal smuggling activities. The activities quickly stopped hotels new orleans after a raid and Barber's arrest.
Disney purchased the island from the Bahamian government in the mid 1990's and spent 18 months and $25 million hotels new orleans dollars to convert the island into a tourist stop for it's up and coming hotels new orleans cruise ships. The work included dredging a spot deep enough to allow the ships to dock and guests to disembark right onto the island, an exclusive hotels new orleans in the cruise ship industry for private islands. Castaway Cay opened for business on July 30, 1998.
The island is themed to look like a group of ship-wreck survivors hotels new orleans living hotels new orleans as a community of castaways . The attention to detail, as only Disney can do, is stunning and apparent every where you look. The first good example of this detail is right on the front porch of the Post Office, only a few steps from the ship. The Mail By Sea rack with it's messages in bottles is quite unique...and take note of the post office manager's name...
The island is in full swing three or four days a week when Disney ships visit but it has a full-time staff of 70 maintenance people living on the island at all times. hotels new orleans When a ship visits, the staff triples in size and is supplemented by crew members from the ship. Food and supplies used on the island are delivered by the ship. After the ship docks and before guests are allowed on the island, the dock is bustling with activity unloading supplies and crew.
The island underwent an expansion in 2009 in preparation for the larger Disney ships, the Dream and Fantasy, beginning in 2011. The objective of the expansion was to spread people out along the beach and offer more services. The family beach was extended and new water features, both on land and in the water, were added including Pelican Plunge, a floating deck in the family beach lagoon and Spring-A-Leak for younger kids. A second eatery was also added appropriately named Cookies Too , as homage to the original Cookies BBQ .
After a recent visit to Castaway Cay sailing on the Dream, I can tell you they did a great job. The island never felt crowded and it still offered the same quiet island feel I had remembered hotels new orleans from past visits when sailing on the smaller ships.
A small, low-elevation, sandy island formed hotels new orleans on the surface of coral reefs. hotels new orleans Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans (including in the Caribbean and on the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef), where they provide habitable and agricultural land for hundreds of thousands of people.
When you step off your Disney cruise ship onto Castaway Cay, you'll be in Arrival Plaza . Towels will be available and it will be a short walk past the Castaway Cay Post Office and Marge's hotels new orleans Barge's Boat Rentals to the first tram stop. Marge's hotels new orleans has a mini marina where you'll hotels new orleans catch a boat for many of the water-based hotels new orleans excursions offered on Castaway Cay including parasailing, fishing and glass-bottom boat tours.
The island is split into three areas with a tram stop at each. The first two stops, Scuttle's Cove and Pelican Point, will allow you convenient access to the island's family beaches and areas. The third and farthest stop is Serenity Bay and is reserved for guests 18 and older.
We'll split the larger map above into three sections and focus in on each of the three areas on Castaway Cay... Castaway Cay Map - Scuttle's Cove Area courtesy of suzysgarden through Creative Commons.
hotels new orleans At the first tram stop, Scuttle's Cove, its a short walk past She Sells Seashells and Everything Else which is well stocked with souvenirs and other things you might need for a day at the beach. You can rent snorkeling equipment or tubes at Gil's Fins and Boats. Castaway Ray's Stingray Adventure is right next door to Gil's.
Cookies BBQ serves a tasty lunch and Mom and Dad can have a cool drink at the Conched Out Bar. Kids will have a whale of a time at the Monstro Point Whale Dig site and the Scuttle's Cove Children's activity area. Even if you get off at the Scuttle's Cove tram stop, you can still walk to the Pelican Point family beach area without taking the tram.
If you can resist the urge that many guests have to get off at the first stop, stay on until the second stop, Pelican Point. It will usually be a lot less crowded than the first stop. Cookies Too serves lunch and adults can enjoy a cool drink at the Heads Up bar. More wet and wild fun is available at Pelican's hotels new orleans Plunge in the swimming lagoon and Spring-A-Leak, a children's play area. There's a spot reserved for everyone's favorite beach sports including tetherball, volleyball and soccer. hotels new orleans Bike rentals are also available and can be used along a marked path to the abandoned runway and observation tower. Teens also have their own spot at the Pelican's Point stop called the Hideout.
At the farthest end of the Pelican Point family beach are Castaway Cay's private hotels new orleans family cabanas that can be reserved for the day. The rental fee includes a long list of extra's and provides you and your party a really special private island experience on Castaway Cay. . There is a minimum rental fee for up to six guests and an additional charge per person for a maximum of 10 per cabana. We'll cover the cabanas in more detail hotels new orleans a little later.
The last tram stop, Serenity Bay, is for guests 18 and older. There are more private cabanas for adults and even some that offer ocean view massages. Serenity Bay also features a very quiet private hotels new orleans beach, the Castaway Air Bar where cool drinks and beer are served and yoga classes to unwind and relax. There is also food service at this stop which is not marked on the map above.
INTERESTING FACT : The post office on the island has special Bahamian hotels new orleans postage specific to Disney Cruise Line, and a Castaway Cay postmark. Guests can mail a postcard back home for a special hotels new orleans souvenir. Bring cash.
Experienced cruiser's know the secret... know before you go ...and before the PassPorter arrived, no dedicated guidebook hotels new orleans had existed for the Disney Cruise Line. Authors Jennifer and Dave Marx have packed thousands hotels new orleans of useful tips and planning information hotels new orleans into a single guidebook dedicated to the Disney Cruise Line. This new 2012 edition includes hotels new orleans updated information on the new Disney Dream and the Disney Wonder's new west coast ports of call including the Mexican Riviera and Alaska. No detail is too small - from dining room menus to detailed deck plans, daily activities to shore excursions.
The beaches at Castaway Cay have it all...pure white sand, crystal clear Caribbean turquoise water and gentle sea breezes. The water is comfortably warm most of the year and mostly calm in the protected cove. There are plenty of chairs, chaise lounges, umbrellas and hammocks to keep you comfortable. Lifeguards hotels new orleans are on duty on all guests beaches.
Tube and float rentals ($6.00 per day, subject to change) are available hotels new orleans at Gil's Fins and Boats on Scuttle's Cove family beach, Flippers and Floats at Pelican Point family beach and The Windsock Hut at Serenity Bay adult beach.
A 12 acre snorkeling lagoon is right next to Gil's and a great place for beginner and experienced hotels new orleans snorkelers. There are also a few surprises hidden under the water. Bring a waterproof camera or buy a disposal one at She Sells Seashells. If you do go snorkeling, go early. As the day progresses, the bottom gets stirred up by the other gues
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