Castaway Cay?

[Lilias]

Can someone please explain the hype to me? Husband and I just got back from our first Disney Cruise and LOVED it, but were immensely disappointed with Castaway Cay. I had heard SO MANY great things about it, and it just felt like a very touristy, artificial, basic, crowded place? We walked all the way to Serenity Bay on accident, because we couldn't find the tram (oops), so I'll admit we were a little cranky at the time. Every single chair was already taken by like 10 AM, but the beach wasn't even pretty? We took one look at it and turned back around (we found the tram on the way back, lol). We briefly checked out the family beach, which seemed a little better, but we just went right back on the ship. We might have been beach-spoiled because we had just been to Bermuda, but dang.

People on my social media group for the cruise were being so emotional about Castaway Cay and not wanting to leave etc, and I still just don't get it!
Is it the excursions that make it special?? We chilled in the (empty for once! ) hot tub and watched people do water sports-y excursions, which looked cool. Seeing the characters in their outfits was nice, too, but not like CASTAWAY CAY IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND IN THE WORLD nice. Which is the kind of thing I was expecting after seeing all the vloggers gush about it, posts on here, etc.

AM CONFUSED.

Please don't hurt me

 

[AquaDame]

I honestly feel a lot of the hullabaloo is from the cruises that hit Nassau and Castaway. When you compare just those two ports, it seems a lot safer/cleaner. Add in some other bustling Caribbean ports as well and castaway still seems quiet and devine.... but Bermuda is also incredibly safe and clean, so the difference isn't as stark. I think a lot of folks appreciate the food is free and drinks there cheap too, and there isn't far to go on public transit or port adventures to be able to relax either.

 

[dcassetta]

I might suggest that you did not look far enough down the beach at Serenity to see the open chairs. The beach is long, but the area at the entrance can fill up.

It's interesting that you did not find it beautiful. Your avatar image is very similar to a picture that I have standing at Serenity with the pale sand and the blue ocean behind me.

 

[dreamer17555]

I love the color of the water at Castaway. Is it the most perfect beach that ever existed? I’m sure it’s not however, it’s incredibly safe. There is a thread going about how to keep your stuff safe on Castaway and most people just bring the key to the world card and their phone and don’t worry about either.

I know when I’m on Castaway I don’t have to worry about watching my back or my surroundings. I know that drink service will come around to offer to grab me something from the bar, and that I have unlimited soft serve right down the path.

I could easily see parents enjoying knowing that there are lifeguards on the ocean as well as knowing there’s a kids club, so if they want a break they can get it.

Plus parasailing, there was incredible. The views of the ship were outstanding.

 

[brentm77]

One of the cleanest, prettiest, safest, beaches in the world, with a passable lunch included, soft serve, easy to access drinks, nice clean facilities, and quick access from the ship. What isn't to like?

I get it if you aren't a beach person, but if you are, it seems so obvious to me that I don't even know how to really explain it. We have been to other beaches that are rated the best in the world, and Serenity Bay easily compares, without many of the downsides of the other beaches (crime, garbage, lack of facilities, etc.). And when the kids were young, there was plenty to keep them interested. We have never had trouble getting chairs either, but we get off the ship early. After the long treks on excursions to other beaches on our last cruise, some of which were beautiful but filled with garbage or had gross facilities, it was a breath of fresh air. You get so much more time than you do on excursions to beaches too. It's the perfect day for us, but we love just relaxing, swimming, enjoying a fruity drink, and feeling the warm sun.

 

[cvjw]

I might suggest that you did not look far enough down the beach at Serenity to see the open chairs. The beach is long, but the area at the entrance can fill up.

It's interesting that you did not find it beautiful. Your avatar image is very similar to a picture that I have standing at Serenity with the pale sand and the blue ocean behind me.

Nope. I was there early Saturday morning too. All the chairs were full with the exception of a few random empty ones near the end. The Bermuda cruise had lots of adult couples on the ship. Couples who went to serenity bay.

OP, I agree with you. The Bermuda cruise was our 10th DCL cruise. We enjoy castaway, but are ok staying on the ship too. We have been to many gorgeous beaches all over the Caribbean while staying at all inclusive resorts. Castaway just doesn’t compare to a lot of them.

 

[BabyYoda]

I was also curious about Castaway Cay after hearing all the hype about it, and we went there on our first DCL cruise ever 2 weeks ago.

I loved it! A lot of it probably comes down to whether you are able to get chairs (which we did), and the water was beautiful and I took my 9/10 year old nephews snorkeling and it was so cool! They have sunk things like Dumbo and other statues down there which is cool to see and we also saw lots of fish and a huge stingray!

My wife and I also had fun dancing at the character dance party by the gazebo, and I thought lunch was pretty good too!

Edit: We never did make it to the adults only beach!

 

[Geomom]

I could definitely see how walking to Serenity Bay would already put you in a bad mood, especially if you couldn't find chairs then. We have only been to Castaway once, last June. We had a great time because we stayed busy. We're not the type to just sit at the beach.. DH and DD18 did the Stingray adventure while DD22 and I did the snorkeling trail. After that we took the tram to Serenity Bay to eat there. Had lunch, then the kids went back to the ship. DH and I did the bike rental from Serenity Bay, biked past the cabanas to the scenic vista then back and to the observation tower, and then dropped the bikes at the family beach and went back to the ship. I did think the island was beautiful, partly due to seeing the natural areas...and it was a gorgeous sunny day.

 

[kiford]

We're not beach people so we think that CC is nice, but not amazing. We've done some activities there which were fun - parasailing, snorkeling, kayaking, walking tour, stingray activity, etc. If we're not doing a pre-booked activity we get off for lunch and a drink then head back to the ship. Last cruise we didn't even do that. We just enjoyed the ship and ate lunch at Marcelline Market. I can appreciate the beauty of a tropical island and the beaches, but we just don't get that worked up by it. We like the warmth and sun in the tropics but I can skip a beach and be perfectly happy.

 

[CastawayCayLover]

First time at Castaway Cay was back in 2002 and I enjoyed it much more then than I do now. Serenity Bay was actually serene then, no lifeguard, no cast member on a Jet Ski policing the outer boundary. The water right in front of the bar was open to guests so you could hang out right there, go in the water, be near the bar/bathrooms/lunch spot, was much more enjoyable. The beach has also been hit with so many storms that it's different.

I still find the island to be beautiful, but it isn't the same.

 

[tvguy]

The appeal to me is the Gilligan's Island like feel. I am afraid overtime that may change to more like the water park feel other cruise lines have with their private islands, and we have been to Labedee and Great Stirrup Cay....both twice. But that was in the 1980's before Disney cruise line even existed. And they have gotten too commercial for me.
And I am afraid Lighthouse Point may fall into that trap too.
And I LOVE the option of just jumping back on the ship if your forgot something. Although we got off the ship and spent the entire morning snorkeling........at lunch......and spent the entire afternoon bike riding despite the light rain the entire day. A lot of people did end their day early because of the rain, but we were already wet, and it was warm, so no big deal to us.

 

[Kwami]

Eh. It's a safe, clean beach in a nice location where the weather is usually cooperative. The food is free, though it's not great. There are some good drinks at the smoothie stand. Serenity Bay tends to be quiet, which I like. The walking trails are also quite nice.

It's not the most amazing place that I've ever been, but it's a nice day off the ship without all the hassle of local people harassing me for money.

 

[PAGA2003]

I agree, Castaway Cay is lovely for what it is. We are beach people but we prefer more natural less crowded destinations. CC is just it's own thing though, you can't compare it to top beach destinations like Anguilla, Turks & Caicos or the Maldives. They are just totally different animals. I think if most are taking cruise beach excursions (my experience when doing those has been poor) that CC likely will stand out as better. But can it hold a candle to our recent trips to Anguilla and the Maldives, nope not even close but again it isn't a fair comparison.

 

[Flcruising]

Can someone please explain the hype to me? Husband and I just got back from our first Disney Cruise and LOVED it, but were immensely disappointed with Castaway Cay. I had heard SO MANY great things about it, and it just felt like a very touristy, artificial,

Did you do any of the activities? We like:
Run/walk the 5k and get a medal. Even just walking the 5k trail is interesting. How many times do you have opportunities to leave the beach and go deeper into undeveloped areas to explore an island. Always saw wildlife!
Go snorkling...vests are free we bring our own gear.
Some of the rentals are a blast
Eat lunch
Look for starfish
Pelican bay is fun
It's safe in terms of crime, harassment, and sharks.
Most of the island is fairly natural
Not all the frenzy shopping and begging Or price bickering
Never had a problem feeling crowded, finding umbrellas, chaise lounge and chairs.
No cars, traffic lights. Noise and more noise or parking issues ,high rise condos,
We live near a beautiful safe beach but always enjoy cc, actually more than many other ports.
But if someone is looking for a more touristy WDW, or disney magic stuff or even stuff found on other ports I can see why it may be disappointing.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Kwami]

The water: color, clarity, lack of wave action. It definitely could be deeper. Warm enough.

I've found this to vary a lot at Serenity Bay. On one cruise, we walked all the way out to the far buoy and the water didn't come up past my waist. On another cruise, the water was above my head before I made it half way there. Also, in early September, the water can be quite warm. In later September, it's a bit chilly. In February, it's way too cold for comfortable swimming. And what do you mean, "no substantial seaweed"? There's plenty of it in the water! I once went without water shoes, but I didn't make that mistake twice.

I still love Castaway Cay, though, and especially Serenity Bay. It's just very relaxing.

 

[tvguy]

. In later September, it's a bit chilly. In February, it's way too cold for comfortable swimming.

Temperature is subjective. The RECORD cold water temperature at Castaway Cay is 73. Here in California the gyms keep their outdoor pools heated to 72, so for many of us, that is warm, not cold.

 

[tvguy]

Seems like Northerners, Canadians, and British cruisers (yes, those last 2 are all “Northerners‘ ) see to find the water to be fine all year.

(I actually don’t cruise in the summer - the water does get less “refreshing,” as it heats up. I don't think I’ve been there in June, July, or August).

Californian here. People start using their pools here when the water hits about 65 degrees.
We were on Castaway Cay on January 2. The water was fine, but because the air temperature was close to the water temperature it did seem cooler when you were out of the water and were wet.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Kwami]

Seems like Northerners, Canadians, and British cruisers (yes, those last 2 are all “Northerners‘ ) see to find the water to be fine all year.

(I actually don’t cruise in the summer - the water does get less “refreshing,” as it heats up. I don't think I’ve been there in June, July, or August).

Not me. When I went there in February, that water was cold. Every one of us agreed. Cold, cold, cold. We stayed in for a while, anyway, because that's what you do at Castaway Cay. But we were all shivering and had goose bumps the whole time. Cold!

And I'm from New England. The water here is always cold. I don't swim in it.