A day on the island

this guy was gone...just the Fresh Catch part was still there...good place to pose with ship in background

we didn't get a picture this time...but here's one from 1999...these girls are 25-26 now!

The best part of the Disney cruises is the trip to Castaway Cay; the privately owned island in the Bahamas. All the ships have similar stops...but Disney is the only ship that pulls right in to a dock on the island and you can walk off the ship. No tender to take you over to the island...in other words...no waiting in line for a boat, riding over and waiting in line to get back...you can walk on and off the ship as many times as you want. It's great.

There are naturally photo opportunities when you get off the ship...currently they have the Christmas tree and some sand people

They time the arrival of the ship to be morning on the last day of the cruise. We were docked and cleared to get off the ship by 8:30...(I think)
. Here's the view from our stateroom. It was a little cloudy at first...but the skies cleared and it was a beautiful day. We were happy for all the people from Washington (St), Canada, Chicago, Ohio, etc...some of whom had never been to the beach before! It was perfect. A staff member told us it was the nicest weather they had had for the day at Castaway Cay in the last 3-4 weeks. When the boat arrives...crew member get off and set up the beach chairs, get the food going, etc. Once everything is set up...people are allowed off the ship. We watched as the jet skis, ski boats, etc arrived. (They came around our side of the ship.)

and the zoomed in picture

The first time we went on the Disney cruise back in 1998...there wasn't much on the island. There were deck chairs of course, hammocks in the trees, snorkeling and bikes to rent...but not too many activities. They did have the teen beach area and the adult only part of the beach...so everyone could relax and enjoy the day. I remember our friend Gayle T. trying to sneak over to get a picture of our then teen aged kids...and getting "caught". Crew member told her she was too old to be in that area...hahaha.
There is a paved "runway" maybe leftover from days gone by...probably when people used the island to bring in illegal substances.... That has been there all along...fun to walk down the road and see the plane at the end...along with a bar or two...here's what it looks like now...15 years later...

                        tucked in nicely among the trees and plants...used to be standing on it's own...

This has also been there since the beginning....

play area

John and I decided we would take a walk around the island...versus walking around the deck of the ship like we did the day before. We did not participate in the 5K...but that might've been fun. Saw people coming back
 after they finished. They were the first group on the island.
We walked around for 2 hours! I snapped pictures along the way...

there are various old rusty anchors along the path...probably found when dredging around the island...my guess anyway

And the the extra Disney touches of course...

Pelicans are kind of the "theme"...these decorations and the Pelican Beach play area

bike rentals or wheelchairs for beach; also had wagons for toting kids around

I liked the signs :)

There are play areas for various age groups, a splash park area, covered pavilions where they serve lunch

There are also little shops (but of course!) and places where you can get your hair braided...in case you haven't done that yet!
At the end of the island...there are cabanas that groups can rent...for their own private place to relax for the day. Kind of nice.

Each one looks a little different...with a little chalkboard out front with name of family/group

The teen beach area was also back there somewhere. They offered a 4-hour package...kayaking, snorkeling,sailing,  etc ....I'm sure the kids had a blast!
They now have para-sailing, jets skies, Hobie Cats,  fishing...all sorts of fun things to do on the island for all ages......all you need is the $$$$$$
They have an Observation Tower out at the end too...we went up and saw the view...nice!

we met up with a few bike riders while were were there...everyone took turns taking pictures...hahah
After we got to the tower...we made our way back.

I'm guessing this BIG rat?......( definitely bigger than a mouse trap) was not part of the island decor...hahah
John thought I was crazy...taking pictures of everything...hahah
 As I said...the best thing is you could take a walk around the island...then walk back (or ride the tram) back to the ship...freshen up...or hit the pool and the AquaDuck (no lines...everyone's at the beach!) and then head back out in time for lunch!
Lunch on Castaway Cay...hamburgers, barbecue, some chicken and fish, fresh corn on the cob, cole slaw, chips,etc. Cookies and ice cream for dessert...fruit...plenty to keep everyone happy.