

If you just want to enjoy the beach, the last hour or so on Castaway Cay is the best time to go. We noticed that it was least busy and most pristine first thing in the morning, so if you plan on doing any activity, early in the morning is the best time for that. If you don’t plan on doing the Family Beach all day, our recommendation is to get here early or late. Your swords from Pirate Night will come in handy as you defend your spots from other guests attempting to pillage and plunder. If you plan on spending all day at the Family Beach, arrive early and stake claim to your spot. This combination of proximity to the ship and things to do is a dangerous mix, which results in this beach being by far the most popular. It’s also where almost all of the beach activities are located–we will cover these in ‘Things to Do’ below. This beach is sort of like multiple beaches connected into one, and it’s the area that is closest to the ship. BeachesĬastaway Cay Family Beach is the main beach on the island, and as the name implies, is for everyone. The Pirates of the Caribbean films have certainly opened that door, and a rum-running backstory would make more sense on the context of the island and would be easier for guests to grasp. If you ask me, Disney should just sanitize the real backstory a bit and have Castaway Cay tell the story of rum-running in the Caribbean. If you ask, some Crew Members will give you this real backstory to the island, although it is not the Disney-approved backstory, for obvious reasons. I’ll give you context to some of what you see, and make the experience more enjoyable.Īs for the real life backstory of Castaway Cay? It was previously known as Gorda Cay and was literally overtaken by an American businessman named Frank Barber used the on the airstrip as a hub for smuggling drugs into the United States, before ultimately being arrested.

GET RID OF TRASH CASTAWAY PARADISE FULL
We recommend reading the full backstory ahead of time–or even taking it with you. However, it’s not possible to grasp the whole backstory from what you see alone. Like so many things Disney, there is a convoluted backstory to go along with Castaway Cay, some of which you can pick up on as you wander the island, looking at signs and other little clues. The walk really isn’t that bad, and can actually be faster than the trams. This is because you’ll the Imagineered-highlights all the way there, and then get to see additional details on the ride back over the runway. We recommend walking to Serenity Bay and taking the shuttle back at some point during your day at Castaway Cay, even if you don’t plan on enjoying the adult beach. It’s not as heavy on Imagineering as Typhoon Lagoon, likely because Disney wanted to strike a balance in making it appeal to Disney fans and ‘serious’ cruisers, but there is a ton to see, and plenty of Easter eggs.

Some of my best memories of the island are just its sense of place that I soaked up as I wandered around and explored the environments. Castaway Cay is not just a private island, it’s Disney’s private island. There are a couple of trams on the island, but one of our biggest pieces of advice for Castaway Cay is to not over-rely on these trams.
GET RID OF TRASH CASTAWAY PARADISE HOW TO
We’ll start our guide with how to explore the island to see these details! Exploring the Island Alternatively, you can take the walking trail to fully explore Castaway Cay, which has its own touches of Disney details. In addition to that, we recommend packing a small day bag without any valuables in it to ‘guard’ your beach chairs is a good idea–but you could.Īs soon as you get off the ship, pick up towels, and pass by the old gas station and post office (make sure to send something from here–they have a special Disney postmark) as you head towards the trams to get to the Family Beach and Serenity Bay, the adult-only beach. You’ll want to take your Key to the World card and an ID with you when you exit the ship. We’ve done several cruises to the Bahamas, and Castaway Cay is our favorite stop–it’s actually the main reason why we keep doing these itineraries! DCL’s ships dock right on the island, making for an easy on-off experience. ( Updated December 27, 2019.)įor starters, Castaway Cay is a 3-mile long, 1000-acre island used exclusively by Disney Cruise Line guests and Crew Members. This guide provides info & tips for visiting, including things to do, planning advice, and how to make the most of your day. Castaway Cay is Disney Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas, and is a common port of call for virtually all DCL Caribbean-bound itineraries.
