Disney sure knows what they are doing by scheduling the stop at Castaway Cay on the final day of the majority of their Caribbean cruises. Visits to Castaway Cay are always quite memorable and our visit this time was nothing less.
We started the day early as a family because Hubby and I did the Castaway Cay 5k that morning. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed starting the day with exercise in the perfect tropical weather. The girls were dropped off at Scuttle’s Cove, which is the official site of the kids club on the island; it features a splash pad, tons of sandy areas to play and construct in and more. There is even a special area neighboring the Cove where the kids can have lunch with their friends under the watch of the staff members, just like in the Oceaneer Club and Lab.
After running the 5k Hubby and I relaxed on the beach for awhile; we had placed our belongings on two loungers closest to the water. It was nice to have some time to ourselves, to just chat, day dream and take in the beauty around us.
We were ready for lunch at exactly 11:30 when Cookies BBQ opened; Cookies is the buffet lunch available on Castaway Cay from 11:30-2pm. We picked up the girls and took them to the buffet for a hearty lunch. They wanted to stay in the kids club with their friends but I knew that the selections for lunch in the club would be limited for them and I wanted them to be able to share in all the awesomeness that Cookies had to offer!
We were not disappointed with lunch at all. There was an extensive spread including burger (veggie upon request), hot dogs, ribs, jerk chicken, spiced mahi, mahi, corn on the cob, cole slaw, chili, cold salads, pastries and more.
We took advantage of the fresh fruit stand outside the barbecue and feasted on mangoes, watermelon and pineapple. And of course, we had to end the meal with soft serve ice cream.
VEGGIE BURGER, GRILLED MAHI MAHI, CORN ON THE COB, STEWED BEANS, TOMATO SALAD AND COLESLAW. EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS AND TASTED FRESH
After lunch Jordan connected with her friends back in Scuttle’s Cove but Jasmine wanted to stay with us for a while. We went back to our seats on the beach and spent much of the afternoon relaxing, playing in the sand and in the water and getting to know the families sitting around us. It was fun getting to know our fellow cruisers and meeting people from all over (we met a family from Calgary, another from Wisconsin and a few from California).
WE STOLE A PEAK AT THE ADULTS ONLY BEACH ON CASTAWAY CAY (SERENITY BAY) WHILE WE WERE DOING THE 5K THAT MORNING
Around 3:30pm we headed back onto the ship as we had had a full day in the sun and were starting to feel exhausted. The girls begged to hit the water slides on the pool deck one more time and I was able to get in one ride on the AquaDuck with Jordan.
WE ALSO HAD A QUICK SPLASH IN THE AQUA LAB LOCATED BELOW THE AQUA DUCK, ONE LEVEL UP ON THE POOL DECK
We also had a light meal of pizza and cold sandwiches on the pool deck as we wanted to catch the early show (6:15pm) and switch to later dinner this evening in Cabanas.
THE GIRLS LOVED WATCHING THE CARTOONS SCROLL AS THE ELEVATORS MOVED BETWEEN FLOORS
After bathing and preparing ourselves for the evening we rushed down to the Walt Disney Theater for the last show of the cruise. This show was our least favorite. The cruise director filibustered for at least half of the time, interspersed with one or two musical/dance numbers by the Disney Characters and performer and a juggling/comedy act that was quite entertaining. We had had such an incredible time as a family at all the other shows this week we didn’t want to miss any at all, but this one was not worth the effort.
ARTWORK IN THE STAIR WELLS
After the show we went up to Cabanas which typically holds a sit down service for dinner most nights. Tonight it was closed for dinner!!!!!!! Now we were extra upset because we’d given up our final sit down dinner completely it seemed and we had had a disappointing show experience. My Hubby had an idea to call guest services right away and used one of the courtesy phones located near the aft elevators outside of Cabanas. They more than understanding and told us they would fit us in for a table at the late seating for dinner in our assigned dining room! We truly appreciated the work they did to accommodate us.
SORRY, I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE STUNNING ARTWORK FOUND ONBOARD THE DISNEY SHIPS
We headed back to our room to kill some time before dinner; I worked on packing our bags to be picked up outside our room at 10:30pm; normal procedure for disembarkation day is to place your bags outside your room the night before and retrieve them right before entering customs after you leave the ship the following morning. I was able to get most of the packing done before we headed to dinner.
Our final dinner was in the Enchanted Garden restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were seated with our regular dining staff, Ronaldo and Dwayne!! They were happy to see us and quickly attended to our needs, immediately filling our drink preferences and providing menus.
OUR SERVERS, NOTING THAT OUR GIRLS WERE WARN OUT AND ON THE EDGE OF MELT DOWN KEPT THEM ENTERTAINED WITH NAPKIN ANIMALS AND OTHER SILLY CREATIONS..
We enjoyed our dinner though we were all very, very tired; our youngest was vacillating between giddy laughter and misery for the whole meal. It would have been hilarious if we all weren’t so exhausted, lol.
ANOTHER LOVELY CREATION BY THE DISNEY CHEFS
Back in our room for our final night we became overwhelmed with bittersweet feelings…. We had an incredible vacation together and though we would miss our home on the Disney Fantasy we were ready to return to our real home.
We truly had an awesome time on this sailing, especially because it featured the limited edition Star Wars Day at Sea ( you can read all about it here). Another magical Disney vacation was done and we have plenty of pics and memories to last us a lifetime. Or at least a couple years until we take our next Disney cruise 🙂
Have any of you been able to cruise as a family on Disney or on any other cruise line? I am a certified Disney specialist (formally, as a travel agent, and informally as a Disney cruise line fan) and I would love to answer any questions you may have and help you plan your family’s adventure on Disney Cruise Line. You can find more information and contact me directly here.
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