Disney’s Castaway Cay Tips

Disney’s Castaway Cay is truly a little piece of paradise, with a lot of pixie dust and Disney magic.  This tiny little island in the Bahamas….only 3.1 miles long and 2.2 miles wide is a stop on every Disney Cruise Line itinerary out of Florida.   Clear blue waters, plenty of beach space, and sunshine on Castaway Cay makes it a welcome stop for Disney Cruise Line guests.  And currently, guests can even enjoy a “double dip” on some itineraries and you get to stop at this gorgeous island twice!  I want to share with you some Castaway Cay tips to help you plan your next Disney Cruise!

Tip #1: When you disembark at Castaway Cay, make sure you have your Key to the World Card with you.  This lets you on and off the ship.  When it is time to get back on, they will ask for your keys again.  I kept all our Key to the World Cards in my beach bag, so they were all in one place.  My teenagers did need them to check in and out of the kids clubs on Castaway Cay, so make sure your kids are wearing pants or shorts with button or velcro pockets so their keys are safe.

Tip #2:  They give you towels for Castaway Cay.  This is awesome, because that means you don’t have to take up room in your luggage with beach towels.  When you get off the ship, there is a crew member there to give you towels.  I left room in my beach bag for the towels, we grabbed some, and we were off!

Tip #3:  They sell beach toys on Castaway Cay.  And, they are not hatefully priced…..and you can charge them to your stateroom :).  So, we didn’t take our own from home, and I am glad we didn’t.  We picked up a Mickey shaped wire basket with sand toys inside for my daughter as we were making our way to the beach.  When we were finished playing, we gifted them to a little boy who was going to be on the island a little longer, and everyone was happy.

Tip #4:  They run a shuttle tram from the ship to the beach area.  This is free, and it is awesome.  However, for our family, we just walked.  When we got off the ship, the tram had just left, so we started walking.  By the time it dropped guests off and had started back to the ship, we had walked most of the way. I can see, though, how it would be awesome for families with a lot of stuff to carry or little kids.

Tip #5: Food abounds on Castaway Cay.  Did you know the crew members disembark the ship and serve food on the island?  Cookies BBQ is where you will have your lunch.  They serve from 11AM – 2PM, and it is a buffet, similar to what you would see at Cabanas.  Pizza, burgers, BBQ, sides, desserts….it’s all there.  Plus, they set up the soft serve ice cream and some drink stations for you to access on the island.  We especially appreciated the fresh fruit carts so we could grab a healthy, refreshing snack on our way back to the ship.

Castaway Cay was definitely one of the highlights of our Disney Cruise.  We did not book an excursions or activities on Castaway Cay, so we could just enjoy the beach and all the free activities.  The weather was perfect for sitting on the beach, but the water was a little cool for swimming in January.  All in all, it was a GREAT day at Castaway Cay for our family!