Disney Castaway Cay - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Disney Castaway Cay
Disney Castaway Cay
4.5
About
Bahamian Out Island currently owned by the Disney Corporation, which is accessible only by arriving on a Disney cruise ship.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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  • Carly Penney
    Colchester, United Kingdom448 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Most beautiful place
    Literally the most beautiful, tropical place i’ve ever been! White sands and clear blue water, can’t go wrong! We bought the cool bag and canned water when getting off the ship, not necessary but we found it useful and used it rest of the trip! The trams were great from getting one end of the island to the other. Couple disney shops with island exclusive merch but there was also local Bahamian style shops. We went to the adults only beach, plenty of sunloungers and umbrellas. Has its own bar/restaurant and toilets. Food was ok but the bbqs were so smokey it made my eyes stream waiting to collect my food. Character meets and photo opportunities with photographers were plentiful. All excursions were cancelled sadly due to high winds so bare that in mind, we were happy to just chill in the ocean. The day goes by quick, hope to visit again one day!
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 17, 2023
  • monkeycowmeow
    Elma, New York456 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Everything you need is there
    Lovely island that you will of course visit but only on a Disney cruise. I thought i would like the other island we went to better, grand cayman, assuming this would be too fake feeling. I was wrong. Sure, it was clearly cultivated to suit the needs of humans. But there was still loads of natural beauty. Everything was just so convenient. The trams and did and bathrooms and everything else right near by. Plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas and space. Kind of wish they docked there a night or two.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written July 27, 2023
  • queenieduong
    San Jose, California421 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice beach to spend the day
    Beautiful calm and sandy beach...perfect for family with young kids Came here on the Disney Magic in July 2023... raining most of morning and stop in afternoon so it wasn't too hot... Cookies BBQ had nice selection of burgers, bbq meet and hot dogs. chairs and umbrellas were adequate
    Visited July 2023
    Written August 2, 2023
  • Cool Dude
    England, United Kingdom45 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Best part of the cruise
    Had an amazing time here with family. We did the kayaking for half an hour which was amazing! The water was so beautiful and clear and we had a great experience. We also did the snorkel rental for the day and had a great time. One thing to note though is that the buoys where the objects are can be very far out so make sure you are comfortable swimming out that far if you plan to do so. After the snorkelling we got lunch. The food was great and the queues seemed to be managed ok. We really enjoyed our day here and would love to come again.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written September 3, 2023
  • Wannabe Maui
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The best cruise excursion!
    We went recently and is the same great Disney Cruise experience extended to a beautiful island. We did the extreme stingray package with stingray experience and snorkel gear. The snorkel location itself is not as impressive as many other places, but the expansive cove had family friendly water with low depth, no waves, and occasional fish to see. The water slides are great, as is just hanging out at the beach. Disney has so many beach chairs and umbrellas available, there were always some available without a fight or line, which made the experience fantastic. The food was excellent too. And the service is what you'd expect from Disney. 5 stars and we will look forward to returning in the future.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 14, 2023
  • Kenny S
    299 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A wonderful last stop on our cruise!
    This was our favorite stop on our cruise. No harassment from local vendors, just an opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the Bahamas with a lot of kid friendly activities. Our kids loved the beach, the unlimited soft serve, and all the water activities. My wife and I enjoyed a chance to peacefully relax, enjoy the sun and fully soak in the last day of our trip. We loved it!
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written January 21, 2024
  • Conny Wylie
    Ottawa, Canada932 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Just Hanging Out.
    Disney Cruise Lines Castaway Cay is located in the Bahamas near Great Abaco Island and is the homeport of several Disney Cruise ships. Our visit to the island was one of the highlights of our family cruise as we enjoyed our exclusive beach-day playground embracing a fun, hassle free, day of sunbathing & watersport on the island. What I liked the most was that everything was taken care of ........making the day a truly family focused decision-less event............just hanging out.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written February 17, 2024
  • matt h
    Grosse Pointe, Michigan4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Serenity Bay very (too) serene but better lunch!
    Everything about this beautiful Caribbean island has already been written so I'll focus on two areas. 1) we made a beeline via trams for Serenity Bay and it was beautiful and truly serene as the name implies. We were a party of 8 adults (half in their 50's and half in their 20's) and after a couple of hours it was TOO SERENE so we headed back to the 'crowds' where there was still plenty of room, chairs and umbrellas just like at Serenity Bay. 2) the lunch spots are all very nice but we found the food a bit more adult-like at the Serenity Bay lunch spot. Luckily arrived just before 11:30 and had no line (it was quite a queue when we were leaving). This location had ribeye steaks and teriyaki salmon plus a few salads that I did not see at the Cookies BBQ locations and you can still eat with your toes in the sand or take a plate back to your lounge chair/umbrella.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written March 6, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,916 reviews
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1,563
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221
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74
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29

griffithjack21
Mission Viejo, CA8 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Overall Castaway Cay was great. My issue is specifically with the Banana Boat excursion, which is run by a contracted Company. The description of the excursion on the app is misleading and factually inaccurate in the following ways:
1) in the title it says the excursion is 30 minutes. If you read further down the time on the Banana boat is only 15 minutes.
2) it says the excursion is for six people. The boats seat up to 12 people.
3) they take breaks when pulling the banana boat which is also not noted in the excursion description.

We paid for our four kids to go on the excursion which was $45 per person. For about half of the time on the boat, the driver dove for a conch shell and talked a bit about it and then ate it. It was probably less than 10 minutes of Banana Boat time for $45 pp or almost $300 an hour per person. I complained to guest services who referred me to port activities. They gave me a 15% discount which really was not worth the time to complain. A minor disappointment on an otherwise great trip but I want people to be informed. I would never do this excursion again based on the value received.
Written August 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

joshuabarbs
Region of Waterloo, Canada14 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
The beach is amazing. Clean and easy to navigate. The food was not on par with the on ship food, the burgers were super burnt and the whole food area smelled like hot garbage because they had the garbage bins baking in the sun. the kids place is awesome, the kids wanted to go back. The 5k is a really nice walk or job and you get a badge if you complete it. Do not do the water trikes unless you want your legs to fall off lol.

HATED that they charged $35 USD to rent snorkel gear. This island is owned by disney, it should be built into the cost of going. Even just to rent fins was $18 USD. A tube rental was $19. Not worth it in my opinion, not at all. You can buy snorkel gear for cheaper than that. Staff are super helpful and always killer. The place is so clean except the garbage thing. The rental thing really got me.

Hope to see some pickle ball courts in the future. It would be PACKED!
Written January 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sightseer446681
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Family
This is the second time we go on the Disney dream with the hopes of visiting Castaway Cat and the second time - I have to tell my kids we can’t see the Disney Island because the ship can’t dock due to weather. This excuse worked the first time but hearing a second time and then to hear from Disney employees this is common; seems very disingenuous of Disney. There’s all kinds of literature and disclaimers but not one that stands out about the wasted money and more serious the disappointment on our kids faces. We are avid Disney fans. Even worse was also the disappointment in the other group I invited to join us.
I feel by now knowing that this is common- Disney should consider not selling a cruise to castaway cay during certain times of the year that this happens. Or invest in small boats like other cruise lines to transport passengers to the island. Or invest in the infrastructure of a better dock where the ship has better feasibility to dock.
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gingers_in_the_sun👩🏻‍🦰☀️
Ottawa, Canada274 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Family
Our kids, 5 and 7, loved “Scuttles Cove”, the Castaway Cay extension of the Oceaneers Club. Super secure with family password, lots of Disney employees playing games with them. It’s away from the water so I felt safe with the kids there but they still got to play in a splash pad. Only downside is the ship wifi doesn’t work well on the island so we didn’t get the notification that my 5 year old wanted to be picked up. We checked in regularly so it worked out in the end.

TONS of character appearances (Daisy, Goofy, Mickey, Smee, Hook, Jack Sparrow) before noon (9am-11am mostly). Photographers set up at some ideal photo spots. If you got the photo package, this is a GREAT opportunity for family pics.

It was a breezy day in March so we didn’t spend too much time in the ocean. TONS of umbrellas and chairs available. Even on a hot day it would not have get crowded. Lunch was a simple BBQ but tasted great…and of course…ice cream! Bring your own beach toys, however. One castle shaped bucket was $11!! Would definitely want to return on a hot day.
Written March 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carly Penney
Colchester, UK448 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
Literally the most beautiful, tropical place i’ve ever been! White sands and clear blue water, can’t go wrong!
We bought the cool bag and canned water when getting off the ship, not necessary but we found it useful and used it rest of the trip!
The trams were great from getting one end of the island to the other. Couple disney shops with island exclusive merch but there was also local Bahamian style shops.
We went to the adults only beach, plenty of sunloungers and umbrellas. Has its own bar/restaurant and toilets. Food was ok but the bbqs were so smokey it made my eyes stream waiting to collect my food.
Character meets and photo opportunities with photographers were plentiful.
All excursions were cancelled sadly due to high winds so bare that in mind, we were happy to just chill in the ocean. The day goes by quick, hope to visit again one day!
Written July 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

queenieduong
San Jose, CA421 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
Beautiful calm and sandy beach...perfect for family with young kids

Came here on the Disney Magic in July 2023... raining most of morning and stop in afternoon so it wasn't too hot...

Cookies BBQ had nice selection of burgers, bbq meet and hot dogs.

chairs and umbrellas were adequate
Written August 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

matt h
Grosse Pointe, MI4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
Everything about this beautiful Caribbean island has already been written so I'll focus on two areas. 1) we made a beeline via trams for Serenity Bay and it was beautiful and truly serene as the name implies. We were a party of 8 adults (half in their 50's and half in their 20's) and after a couple of hours it was TOO SERENE so we headed back to the 'crowds' where there was still plenty of room, chairs and umbrellas just like at Serenity Bay. 2) the lunch spots are all very nice but we found the food a bit more adult-like at the Serenity Bay lunch spot. Luckily arrived just before 11:30 and had no line (it was quite a queue when we were leaving). This location had ribeye steaks and teriyaki salmon plus a few salads that I did not see at the Cookies BBQ locations and you can still eat with your toes in the sand or take a plate back to your lounge chair/umbrella.
Written March 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dennis K
Plano, TX245 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Family
Castaway Cay is a lovely island with a little something for everyone. There are plenty of beach chairs for everyone that arrives on one of Disney’s cruise ships. If you are there during the hotter months, definitely bring comfortable flip flops or sandals as the sand and pathways can get really hot.

Disney offers a number of excursions from Castaway Cay. My favorite is parasailing. It is on the pricey side though. Also, they will cancel if it gets too windy. Beyond that, feeding the stingrays is fun. Guests can also rent snorkeling gear, water trikes, and other water gear. There typically fishing excursions as well.

If you enjoy running, they have a 5k course that you can run for a medal. Currently, it is not a scheduled event. Instead, you complete it on your own and then collect your prize afterward.

There are a number of bars on the island. They serve several cold concoctions for adults. There is a staff that also roams the beach and will take drink orders too.

Each day there is a BBQ served from a couple of locations (Cookies and Cookies II). I have found it to be quite good. I’d suggest getting there as they start serving lunch to avoid lines and find an easy place to sit.

There are several shops on the island perfect for picking up that must have Disney Cruise souvenir. There is also a Bahamian post office if you want to send home a postcard postmarked from the island.

Castaway Cay is a great part of your Disney Cruise.
Written January 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kenny S
299 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
This was our favorite stop on our cruise. No harassment from local vendors, just an opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the Bahamas with a lot of kid friendly activities. Our kids loved the beach, the unlimited soft serve, and all the water activities. My wife and I enjoyed a chance to peacefully relax, enjoy the sun and fully soak in the last day of our trip. We loved it!
Written January 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Conny Wylie
Ottawa, Canada932 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
Disney Cruise Lines Castaway Cay is located in the Bahamas near Great Abaco Island and is the homeport of several Disney Cruise ships. Our visit to the island was one of the highlights of our family cruise as we enjoyed our exclusive beach-day playground embracing a fun, hassle free, day of sunbathing & watersport on the island. What I liked the most was that everything was taken care of ........making the day a truly family focused decision-less event............just hanging out.
Written February 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Disney Castaway Cay - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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