Disney Cruise Line’s Best Destination

By Kimkinyona Fox Cully

There are many great destinations to choose from in the Caribbean.  Disney Cruise Line features ports of call at: Cozumel, the Cayman Islands, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Costa Maya.  But the best stop, featured on every Disney Caribbean voyage, is Castaway Cay (pronounced “Castaway Key”) in the Bahamas.

Mickey and Minnie at Disney’s Castaway Cay

I know, the Caribbean is full of little islands most would herald a tropical paradise.  How can the statement be made that Castaway Cay tops them all?  That’s easy.  I can sum it up in three words:  relaxation, excitement and convenience.

Relaxation.  The first reason Castaway Cay tops the list is because it is so relaxing.  There are separate areas on the island for kids, teens, adults and families.  If the kids want to go off to the children’s area, they will be safe under the supervision of the same counselors onboard the ship.  The counselors have hours and hours worth of fun, interactive activities that will keep you little ones engaged and entertained.  So where does that leave you?  All of a sudden, you are free to enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

Hammock Relaxation on Disney’s Castaway Cay

You can spend it riding bikes on multiple paths around the island or kicking back in a hammock.  Maybe one of those white lounge chairs has your name written all over it.  Your kids are safe and entertained and you have the afternoon to yourself.  Ahhhhhh!!!

When you have had your fill of basking in the sun, you may be ready for more invigorating fare.  The next reason Castaway Cay is the best Disney Cruise destination is the excitement.  There are all sorts of discoveries to be had around the island.  You can enjoy learning firsthand what a stingray feels like on one of the island excursions.

Snorkeling at Castaway Cay

Maybe you’d like to go kayaking or jet skiing to explore what lies beyond the sand.  One of my favorites is snorkeling for sunken treasure.

Hidden in the waters around the island are various artifacts, including a submarine and a ship.   The peak of the excitement, of course, is finding the hidden Mickeys….so keep your eyes peeled!

Sunken Mickey at Castaway Cay

Additionally, the kids experience water excitement in the brand new Pelican Plunge water slide feature and Spring-a-Leak water play areas.  Before the day is out, everyone will have had a good time at Castaway Cay.

After a couple of hours of snorkeling, you are sure to have worked up an appetite.  And that brings us to the third reason why Castaway Cay is the best port of call.  Convenience.  Right on the island, a short walk away from the beach, are 2 or 3 Disney restaurants.  A popular one is Cookie’s BBQ.

Cookie’s BBQ at Castaway Cay

As with all amenities, the food on Castaway Cay is included in the price of the cruise, so there is no extra charge for eating at Cookie’s BBQ.  It is a buffet of all the best BBQ you could ever want:  grilled chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit, etc.  When you have eaten your fill, you can go back to enjoying other parts of the island or return to the ship.  Unlike most cruise lines, where you have to ride a tender boat to go onshore, Disney has built the island so that the ship can dock right on shore.  Getting on or off the ship is merely a matter of taking a few short steps!

Re-entering the Disney Cruise from Castaway Cay

This is especially convenient if you have small children because you can quickly take them on board for a midday nap, and then easily return on shore for a little more fun.

Castaway Cay is by far the best port of call.  It offers the tropical beauty of a Bahamian island, with the added amenities of uninterrupted hammock relaxation, the excitement of undersea treasure exploration and the convenience of food and ship access at your finger tips.  Castaway Cay is the best destination stop of the Disney Cruise Line.

To try it for yourself, book a cruise now at www.disneycruise.com.

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The Real Reason Disney is the Best Cruise Line

Cruise Tips –Part I – Mickey Ice Cream Bars

Cruise Tips – Part II – Spaghetti

Cruise Tips – Part III – Something New!

Cruise Tips – Disney Cruise Ship Food, Part II

By Kimkinyona Fox Cully

This is the second installment of our three tip series on the Disney Cruise ship food.  Tip #2:  the Spaghetti.  When I asked my youngest child what he thought was best about the food on our Disney Cruise, he insisted it was the spaghetti.  When I thought about it, I can see why he thought so.   Yes, spaghetti is wonderful and filling in your tummy.  But on a ship with Mickey Mouse, they manage to make even a simple dish like this one, special.

According to my son, the spaghetti on the Disney Cruise has lots and lots of noodles.  The sauce is extra tomato-ey. (If that’s even possible.   If that’s even a word!)  You might as well say it is real spaghetti and they cook it well too.  It is heated up enough to be yummy, but not too hot that you can’t eat it.  It’s just right.

Warm, delicious spaghetti

And then there’s those wonderful hats.

An extraordinary thing happens at dinner on the Disney Cruise. The wait staff surprises everyone by making hats out of the dinner napkins.  Hats that look like RobinHood.  Hats that look like Captain Hook.  And more! 

Napkin Hat

 

They gently balance the hat on your head, as you eat your dinner.  The wait staff does not make hats just for the kids.  Even the adults get in on the act.  The “big kids” at your table get hats that look like Lady Marion or a pirate.  Everyone becomes one of the Disney characters by the time dinner is over.   So there you are, eating your just right spaghetti, with all of its warm noodles, oozing with spaghetti sauce, and you are eating in character, just like a real pirate.  Arrrrr!!!

 

Sometimes, while you are eating dinner a special guest arrives to join in on the fun.  It’s Mickey himself!  What a treat!!  He greets all of the people at the table with warm hugs and joy.  He is so excited to meet you and your entire family.  We all feel so special to have met him.  Before Mickey leaves, we get to take a picture with him, to commemorate the moment.  And sometimes, we even do the limbo with him!  It is all wonderful fun!  Dinner on a Disney Cruise ship is an adventure indeed.  An adventure complete with marvelous food, fanciful hats and a visit from a Disney character or two.

Other recommended posts

The Real Reason Disney is the Best Cruise Line

Cruise Tips – Disney Cruise Ship Food, Part I

Palo:  Disney Cruise Line’s Signature Restaurant at Sea

The Real Reason Disney is the Best Cruise Line

 

We had finally arrived in Orlando.  My family and I waited in line behind the other passengers to register and get onboard. They had probably scrimped and saved, penny by penny, as we did, to take this cruise.  I had been waiting for a year for this vacation and I knew that the Disney Cruise would be fun for the entire family.  As we stepped forward, I noticed that there were quite a few people waiting in the waiting area.   Kids looking bored, parents visibly tired.  This was not at all the fervor and excitement that I expected from people ready to take a week long cruise.  I know I was excited.  I was ready to go!  At least until I got to the front of the entry line.  It was on this cruise that I learned how Disney deals with negative situations.   Why Disney’s service differentiates them from the rest of the cruise industry.

When I got to the front counter, the attendant gave us the news.  It fell on us like a ton of bricks and dashed our hopes for an impending vacation.  Bad weather was delaying our ship, the Disney Magic, from returning to Port Canaveral.  The cruise ship was stuck at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.  How long will it be stuck there, I wondered.  How soon could it get back so that we could get onboard?  And then I remembered the contract.  That dog-gone, pesky contract.  The one I signed that says if there is an act of God or some other uncontrollable circumstance, that Disney is not responsible for any losses on the part of the passengers.  And I will be a monkey’s uncle if weather wasn’t one of those uncontrollable circumstances.  We were sunk, and had no way to get recompense for the missed cruise.  Now I know why those parents in the waiting area had that look on their faces.  It was on my face now too.

The Disney attendant tried to reassure us that the wait would only be a couple of hours.  The weather would probably pass through quickly and then the ship could return back to Port Canaveral.  She tried to smile, but I saw right through it.  That weak glimmer of hope she was trying to give us was just to pacify the masses.  To keep us from rioting and tearing up the terminal like loose animals from Planet of the Apes.  I knew there would be no boat.  Weather doesn’t pass through that fast.  But there was nothing I could do but sit in the waiting area like all of the other families.  It was not looking good for any of us.

The announcement over the loud speaker said it would be a two hour wait.  Time slowly droned on.  I had to keep telling my kids to behave. 

“Don’t run around.  Stop hitting your brother!”

Time crept on, minute, by slow minute. 

“Tie your shoes.  Keep your jacket on.  Don’t throw it around!”

 Then the announcer over the loud speaker said the weather had not cleared and that it would be 4 hours, rather than 2.  I groaned.   As I turned over in my chair, still uncomfortable from the previous hours of sitting there, all kinds of scenarios began to run through my mind.  If the cruise is cancelled, we will need to get a hotel for the night.  Will all of the local ones be full?  Where can we get something for the kids to eat?  Will we be able to get a flight back to California tomorrow or perhaps the next day?  Since we didn’t pay for the cruise insurance (darn!), we won’t be getting our money back for the cruise.  Will we be able to change the dates for the return flight home?  How much will those fees be? 

“Don’t jump around in that chair!   You, come back over here where I can see you!”

Time continued to creep on.  It felt like forever.  I was now thinking of how we were going to get lunch for the kids.  When it happened.

The Disney attendant gathered the parents in small separate groups and told everyone that they had a new plan.  It was determined that the Disney Magic was not going to be able to arrive until the next day.  As such, for those families who wanted to, Disney was going to shuttle everyone over to DisneyWorld for the rest of the day.  They would give each of us park hopper tickets, meal tickets for food and put us up in a 4-star hotel for the night.  Lastly, they would shuttle everyone back over, first thing in the morning, to get on the cruise ship.  Now that would mean, that the cruise would be 6 days, instead of 7, and we would stop at one fewer destinations, but if we were okay with this, we could spend our day at DisneyWorld rather than inside the terminal.

My husband and I took one look at each other, saw the excitement in the other’s face, and immediately agreed to go.  I had never been to DisneyWorld before.  Now we would be able to have two vacations in one! 

The day, night and food at DisneyWorld was fantastic.  But better than that, Disney had taken care of us. 

Walt Disneyworld, Orlando Florida

They didn’t have to–by all rights, given that the weather had delayed the sailing, we should have been just out of money and out of luck.  Any other cruise line might have put us up for the night in an inexpensive hotel. 

But only Disney could turn being stranded, into 4-star hotel accommodations and a vacation day at Disneyworld.  If you are going to be stranded somewhere, there is no better place in the world to be stranded than Disneyworld!  It’s not just that Disney has the resources to take their guests to such a wonderful park, it’s that they were willing to, free of charge, when Mother Nature changed our vacation plans.

Disney prides itself on extraordinary service.  And that’s just what they delivered.  We bragged about it to all of our friends when we got back from our cruise, and we are still bragging about it now.  Why is Disney the best cruise line?  It’s simple, their service.  If on your next cruise, you would like to experience phenomenal service, as only Disney can deliver, book your vacation at the Disney Cruise Line website.