This was the day I was waiting for-- Castaway Cay (Pronounced Key)
I was looking forward to a nice relaxing day at the beach, even though i am not a huge beach fan. I was longing for some crystal blue waters and sunshine.
We ate a nice sit down breakfast (the only dining room that does this is the Royal Palace). Then we headed to the beach. The weather was the best it had been.....80 degrees and full of sunshine.
There were several photo ops along the path to the beach. I wished we would have gotten the one with the ship in the background, but instead we got the one with the character drums. It was still cute. It was a little bit of a walk (maybe 10-15 minutes) but it wasn't bad. They have a shuttle if you don't want to trek it -- or have small children who have little feet that get tired quickly. We found some beach chairs and an umbrella without much issue despite the fact that we were not the first ones off the boat. Aubreigh immediately headed towards the water. It was a tad cold, but not too bad. My mother found some sand pails that they were selling so the kids could get to work building their sand castles. Note to self: if we ever go again, pack some pails and shovels or spend $20 on new ones.
I also rented a tube ($6) for the day. Overall, I didn't feel the prices of the rental equiptment was bad at all. My sister and I did an aqua trike (one of those bikes that float on the water) for about $15. You had the bike for 1/2 hour, but the girl who rented us one said that they don't calculate the time you are on them. She said that you will get a work out on them and probably be ready to return it at about that time anyway. She was correct! I couldn't take Aubreigh on them because she was too small. I don't remember the exact age, but i think it was around 5 yrs old to ride them. That was fine, however, because I could only imagine how tired I would have felt to have to do all the peddling!
They had a special area called "Spring a Leak" for the tots. Michael loved it. He didn't care if the water shot right up and hit him in the face. He had a smile from ear to ear the whole time!
We also gathered in front of one of the Pavillions for a Character dance party. Mickey and Minnie came out in some beach attire and danced with the kids. Castaway Cay was turning out to be an awesome place. But really, how could it not be awesome with soft serve (self serve) ice cream stations that greeted you as you walked along the pathways?
Castaway Cay also provided lunch (so you didn't have to pay anything extra or go back on the ship). They had a huge buffet line of ribs, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, slaw and salads. It was pretty good:) And Aubreigh is a huge ribs fan, so she rather enjoyed herself.
For the last hurrah on the Island, Darren, Deneen, and I decided to try the water slide that goes into the sea-- Pelican Plunge. You actually have to swim out to the dock that it is on. The water was a bit could at first, but it was actually quite refreshing. There wasn't much of a line--maybe 5-10 minutes. All 3 of us did the second slide. The line was slightly longer on the first one. OK, so there was a reason for that. The slide we chose was the fast, enclosed tube slide. One second I was starting the slide, the next thing I knew had a rush of salt water up my nose. One thing for sure, my sinuses were cleared out afterwards! :::me thinks waiting for line 1 would have been the better option:::
Darren actually lost his sunglasses on the slide (i did warn him ahead of time. There was no way that i was going to lose my new Juicy Couture aviators- so I tucked them in a shirt and left them on the beach). One of the life guards heard us talking, and told Darren to check back with guest services later. Apparently they have a dive team that goes in after the slides close and finds all sorts of stuff that is lost. Only at Disney.... (but they never did find the glasses).
I don't remember the exact height restriction for the slide. However, I do remember thinking Aubreigh would almost make it, and she is only 3. And she is a peanut. I can't imagine a 3 y/o going on this. Let alone swimming to the dock (the water is 6 ft deep). I am sure they have to wear life jackets, but I still think I would want my kids to be 6 or 7 to do this....and to definitely wait for the first slide!
There is another area on the beach called Scuttles Cove. It is similar to the Oceaneers Club onboard. If kids are 3 and potty trained, you can leave them in the adult supervised setting (it was not near the water). Darren and I have said that we would love to go back when Michael is older. They also have special cell phones on the cruise. Every room has 2. You can call each other or other staterooms on the ship (and I believe Castaway Cay too) so you are never too far out of reach. Normally, I would be leery of kids clubs, however, I was very impressed with Disney, and I am sure they do all that they can to insure the highest standards since that is what their name is built upon and associated with.
After the Beach We headed back to get ready for Dinner and Pirate Night. Since there is still so much more to talk about, I think I will save that for the next post.
They may say that Disney World is "The Happiest Place on Earth", but I am thinking Castaway Cay may claim that title. Just think about it. When you go to the parks, kids are having melt downs everywhere, you are always waiting in line for something or another, and you are overwhelmed by EVERYTHING...trying to make the most of each second. On Castaway Cay, there is a nice balance of relaxation and stimulation. Heck I would like to take a vacation just to Castaway Cay:)
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