The night before your arrival to Castaway Cay, you should receive a map of the island in your stateroom. If you've never been before, take a quick look at the map before arriving, but don't worry about memorizing anything—there will be plenty of signage throughout the island. Now, let's begin our tour!
After disembarking on Castaway Cay, you can grab some beach towels and make your way through the Arrival Plaza to this island paradise.
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| View of the Arrival Plaza from the ship |
One of the first buildings you pass on the island is the Post Office. This is a fun place to mail yourself or friends a postcard or letter from the island. It's a nice little souvenir! The Post Office isn't always open when the ship is docked but there is a drop box outside the office for you to leave your items to be mailed. Stamps can be purchased from the Guest Services Desk onboard the ship or within the Post Office during operating hours. It can take several weeks to receive mail from the Bahamas, so don't worry if you don't receive your letter/postcard right away.
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| Castaway Cay Post Office |
After the Post Office, you'll find Marge's Barges & Sea Charters Dock. This is where you can check-in for your parasailing, fishing charter excursions, and more.
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| View from parasailing |
Next up is the Kargo Handling Tram Stop. This is the first tram stop on the island. From there, you can take the tram to the Scuttle's Cove and Pelican Point stops. If you're hoping to go to the adult exclusive beach, Serenity Bay, you'll need to transfer at the Pelican Plunge tram stop to the Serenity Bay tram.
The tram is a great, convenient way to get around the island, but if you'd prefer to walk, there is a nice path along the water to the left of the tram stop that will take you to the Family Beach. It's not too long of a walk, but if you're lugging a bunch of stuff and kids, the tram might be the better option.
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| View of the ship from the Kargo Handling Tram Stop |
Right next to the Kargo Handling Tram Stop is a fun photo opportunity. You can get a great picture of the ship framed within the Castaway Cay sign. There are some really great photo opportunities throughout the island, so make sure to have your cameras ready!
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| Walkway to the beaches on the left and the tram route on the right |
There are wagons, strollers, and wheelchairs available to use on the island and the best part... they're complimentary! These are available on a first come, first served basis so if you need one, it's best to get one early in the day.
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| Another great photo opportunity, Mount Rustmore |
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| Keep an eye out for characters in their beach attire |
Near Mount Rustmore, you'll find the check in area for Scuttle's Cove, the children's program areas on Castaway Cay. Scuttle's Cove is available to guests ages 3-12. There's also Monstro Point, a whale dig site, where the whole family can join in on the fun!
As you walk by Mount Rustmore, there's Boat Beach. This is the watercraft ski adventure meeting location and is also where you can rent various watercraft. You'll also have some nice views of the ship from this beach.
Castaway Ray's Stingray Adventure is right next to Boat Beach. Follow the signs to immerse yourself in this port adventure that allows you to feed, touch and snorkel with real-live stingrays. It's a 1 hour experience available for guests ages 5 and up.
Nearby you'll also find some merchandise locations, She Sells Seas Shells and Everything Else, and Gil's Fins and Boats for snorkel, tube and float rentals. This is where you can pick up your snorkel gear before heading into the Snorkeling Lagoon.
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| Crystal clear water |
The Castaway Family Beaches are where you'll find plenty of chairs and umbrellas perfect for lounging! There are also hammocks that are the epitome of island living.
Near the beaches, you'll find the Conched Out Bar where you can purchase a frozen drink, cocktail, or beer. You'll also find Cookie's BBQ with a ton of covered seating options at Pop's Props and Boat Repair, the Dig In or Gumbo Limbo. Food and fountain drinks from Cookie's BBQ are included in the cost of your cruise.
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| Food from Cookie's BBQ |
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| You'll find restrooms and outdoor showers throughout the island |
Past Cookie's and the outdoor seating area, you'll find In-Da-Shade Games. This area has basketball, billiards, ping-pong, shuffle board, giant sets of checkers, and more. It's a great place to get out of the sun and have some fun.
As you walk past In-Da-Shade, you'll find some Bahamian retail shops that sell Bahamian arts and crafts. This is also where you can get local hair braiding.
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| You'll find a lot of signage around the island |
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| Another merchandise location on the island |
Flippers and Floats is the second location on the island to rent snorkels, tubes and floats.
Summertime Freeze is where you can purchase smoothie specialty drinks. It's also a great spot for a photo opportunity with Olaf!
Pelican Plunge is a perfect spot for adventure seekers. It's a water slide out in the ocean. It's not too far off shore, but you do need to swim out to take a plunge. For those not ready to head into the water, head over to Pelican Point to observe those more adventurous.
Or better yet, head on over to the Heads Up Bar for some cocktails! Heads Up Bar is one of my favorite locations on the island because of its spectacular views of the ship.
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| Bar menu |
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| Cheers! |
Nearby you'll find Hideout, the Teens Only area of the island. Sadly, I've never been to Castaway Cay as a teen so I have no pictures to share of this area. I'll have to update you in about ten years when my boys are old enough to visit and report on the area. :)
This area also has a spot for Bike Rentals, Beach Sports (tetherball, volleyball and soccer) and Spring-A-Leak, a wet play area. You'll also find Cookie's Too BBQ, another area to grab some food that's more convenient for those sitting on the beaches near Pelican Plunge, and the Sand Bar. Like Cookie's BBQ, Cookie's Too is also included in the cost of your cruise.
Rounding out the Castaway Family Beaches are the Beach Cabanas. There are 21 cabanas available to rent on the family beach.
If you decide to rent bikes, make sure you ride down to the Observation Tower. You get some great aerial views of the island and the ship.
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| View of the ship from the top of the Observation Tower |
On the other side of the island is perhaps my favorite place to visit, Serenity Bay. Serenity Bay is the exclusive beach are for adults 18 years and older and it's truly a tranquil paradise.
Like the family beaches, Serenity Bay has plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas, but it's much quieter. Grab a spot along the beach, and then go check out the Windsock Hut to rent some floats for a casual float in the ocean or stop by the Castaway Air Bar for an adult beverage.
Serenity Bay also has 4 beach cabanas that are the ultimate luxury. I actually wrote a whole blog post about the awesomeness of these cabanas. Go check out that post for more details about what's included in your cabana rental.
And that's the island! Castaway Cay is by far my absolute favorite port of call aboard Disney Cruise Line. I look forward to visiting on each and every Caribbean and Bahamian itinerary I sail.
Ashley is a Gold Castaway Club Member and has sailed on all of the Disney Cruise Line ships. You can email Ashley at ashley@kingdomkonsultant.com.
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