Our sea legs have gotten us to our third day of our 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream.
As were heading up to Cabanas, the ship was backing up to the pier at Castaway Cay. We were excited to see if what everyone had been telling us was true about this tropical paradise.
(Spoiler alert: It lives up to the hype!)
(Spoiler alert: It lives up to the hype!)
We decided to sit outside on the deck at Cabanas, so this was our view as we ate some Mickey waffles.
Doug got a shot of me to "prove" we were there.
It was about time for the "all clear" to go ashore so we made our way down to the gangway. Deck 11 was quiet, but we noticed some people had already claimed their chair with a towel.
This is the quick service area of the ship on deck 11. Flo's V8 Cafe is where you can grab a burger, pizza, chicken strips, and much more.
It was a little calmer in the atrium this morning.
We weren't the first off the ship, but we were very close.
There is a tram that can pick you up at the end of the pier and stops in several spots on the island to save your feet. There was a line of people waiting for the first tram of the day to depart so we decided to walk and enjoy the view.
A great view back at the ship just as we got near Mt. Rustmore.
And we have arived at Mt. Rustmore. We made the first foot prints in the freshly raked sand.
We picked up our Snorkling gear and took a few pics of the Family Beach. It was nice and calm at this time. We were the first ones into the snorkeling lagoon. This was a goal of Doug's he wanted to get there before everyone else started to kick up sand and lower the visibility.
The place to pick up the snorkling equpment is about the first thing you come to on the island and is located right by the snorkling area. They have several different makers in the water to help mark the snorkling area.
Heading out to the deeper water.
It really never gets "deep" and there is no true reef in the lagoon at castaway. Disney has added many things to simmulate a reef and get a fish population here. Is it the best snorkling in the world? No. But it is very accessible - no waves to deal with and lifeguards are keeping a helpful eye on you.
We saw lots of different fish. Lots of tiny colorful fish that did not really photograph well. This was our first time with a waterproof camera and I thought it did a good job. It was really nice not to have to worry about getting our camera wet on the beach.
A true Disney fan will recognize this sunken treasure.
Some people recommend bringing your own snorkeling equipment if you have it. We don't have anything as nice as the rentals so it would not be worth it for us to buy stuff then pack it all the way from Nebraska. But if you have it and you have room for it then bring it. Disney will make you wear one of the inflatable vest but they will give that to you for free to use.
Tons of tiny fish were zooming in and out of this sunken sub. We had fun snorking, but it was a workout. Remember to put suncreen on your back especially if you go later in the day! Once we were done snorkeling we returned the gear and walked down the family beach a little.
We found our way to Pelican's Plunge. There are two water slides on the little floating structure. You have to swim about 30 yards or so out to the platform. They had life jackets availble for kids. There is no height requirement for the slides. They must figure if you can get to them you can do them. The large bucket dropped water every now and again and there are some other water gun type things you could shoot off the side of the platform.
We went down both slides and one is much faster then the other! We really only had to wait for about one or two people each time.
After sliding a couple times it was time to grow up a little bit and head down to the adults only beach Serenity Bay. We chose to walk. You get to walk down the old air strip. In hind site, we would have taken the tram from Pelican's Plunge down to Serenity Bay. Along this path is an old airplane wreck and a path that leads to an observation tower.
We made it to the adult only area! Lots of chairs and umbrellas. We went about half way down the beach to find a spot. There were waiters roaming around to bring you drinks. The best part is you just show them your room key and that was it. You did not have to worry about cash on the island, it was just like being on the ship. Lunch time rolled around and we headed to the BBQ. They have three locations to eat on Castaway. Two large areas on the family beach side and a smaller location down by the adult area. It was nice not having to go a long ways for food. It was a buffet with chicken and burgers and lots of other stuff. No one went hungry! Also soft drinks were available at no charge just like on the ship as well as soft serve ice cream. The food was slighty better than the quick service locations on the ship, but not quite as nice as Cabanas.
After sitting in the sun for a few min after lunch we decided that was the most relaxing we could handle and caught the tram back to the family beach. We checked out the store on the island as it has items that can only be purchased on Castaway Cay!
We got a picture on our way back to the ship!
Tried to stop at the Post Office to mail some postcards, but it was closed because it was Saturday. We ended up giving our cards to guest services on the ship and they mailed them for us the next time they were in Castaway Cay. (It took a month for the postcards to reach the kids!!)
After we boarded we got the salt and sand off us and then headed down to the future cruise desks and booked our next cruise adventure. (Tip: don't wait till the last day to do this. It was nuts. Go a day earlier and you can just walk right up. ) If you book another cruise onboard the ship, you will pay a reduced deposit, 10% off the cruise fare, as well as special onboard credits!
We had a couple snacks and wandered a bit.
Then went to dinner in the Enchanted Garden. It was another great meal. And another great time with our table mates sharing stories of the day. After dinner we got to hang out for a little while with our new friends. We got to see one of their rooms. They had a balcony and invited everyone else at the table to check it out. It was nice. We were glad when we booked earlier in the day that we went with the balcony room. After spending a little time there, we made sure our luggage was in the hallway and ready for debarking the next morning. (Disney will take all the luggage except your carry on luggage, just like when you got on the ship. You will connect with your luggage before you go through customs the next morning.) Next, we headed to the Walt Disney Theater.
Doug went into research mode knowing that we now planed on bringing the kids next time. We checked out the view from the balcony. We decided it is much better from the main floor. It's not that the balcony is bad it is just we liked the main floor better. The third night the show was Disney's Believe. It was a great show. It is a little hard on fathers that left their kids at home to go on the cruise, aka Doug.
Pluto!
Goofy
Donald Duck
Minnie Mouse
Then the princesses. They all come down and you can meet about half of them!
Pluto & I
(I have collected Pluto merchandise since I was a little girl!)
There is Ariel meeting people .
Donald still has no pants...
Daisy & I
Chip & Dale
We went and found the stateroom door for our next cruise!
Back to the room and some towel art.
Doug ended the night with some room service by getting some Mickey bars. Room Service food is included with your cruise fare. Drinks are not included, however, as well as prepackaged snacks. You should also carry a few $1 bills on the ship to tip them with. (Tipping Room Service is the only thing on the ship you'll need cash for!)
Stay tuned for our final morning and debarking the ship...
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