Castaway Cay Question

JordanzMom123 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 09:40 AM

Hi there. I am brand new to this forum. I am taking my kids on the 4-day Bahamas cruise on the Disney Wonder on March 25th. I am curious to know if anyone would recommend booking the "Extreme Getaway Package" excursion during the day at Castaway Cay. It sounds like fun - snorkeling adventure, stingray encounter, bike ride and floats for the ocean. Is this a waste of my day, or is there nothing else to do while we're there? Any help you could provide would be GREATLY appreciated. I am BRAND NEW to this forum - and will be reading as many of these posts as possible for the next 12 days until we leave!!!!

Thank you,
Elyse in St. Louis, MO

MonorailGuy · #2 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 10:07 AM

Hi Elyse, and welcome to TD!

That sounds like a great package. I did the Stingray encounter at the Grand Cayman, and while the rest of the day was fun, that was the part that really made the entire trip. So I would say go with it. The rest of the excursion sounds really fun in itself, but it'll all be nothing compared to the stingrays. If anything, it's unfair to book ANYTHING with a stingray encounter.

I hope that helps!

DisneyCruiser · #3 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 08:40 PM

I have never taken that excursion.. I can tell you that most people love castaway cay! So much so that disney is going to trial a few 4 day cruises with stopping there 2 times! It all depends on what you like to do.. The package is worth it but you will miss out on the island itself.. So if you think you would rather spend your time doing those things then soaking up the sun or relaxing at the beach and bbq then I would go with the excursion. I have done the snorkeling lagoon that was a lot of fun! I usually find myself hanging out at the adult beach on most of my trips... It is so quiet and beautiful there its a great place to relax and swim!

drcorey · #4 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 09:33 PM

some trivia on that island, for years some people have said that is the island pictured in the opening and closing credits of Gilligan's Island, which is not true. the real island used in the tv show was Kaneohe Bay near Oahu Hawaii. also the island where the creature from the black lagoon was shot too.

madpan1 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 11:46 PM

Castaway Cay is amazing, anything you do there will be a great time. I will say this, though, beware of NAssau, that island is really not that great, the only part really worth seeing (excursion-wise) is Atlantis, but I would really recommend just staying on the boat and enjoying all it has to offer. man am I jealous, its been just over a year since the cruise I went on (4 day) and it feels like forever ago, it was all amazing

DisneyCruiser · #6 (**permalink**) 03-14-2007, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madpan1

Castaway Cay is amazing, anything you do there will be a great time. I will say this, though, beware of NAssau, that island is really not that great, the only part really worth seeing (excursion-wise) is Atlantis, but I would really recommend just staying on the boat and enjoying all it has to offer. man am I jealous, its been just over a year since the cruise I went on (4 day) and it feels like forever ago, it was all amazing

I have to agree!! atlantis is great Nassau is not so great... Unless you like straw markets....

MonorailGuy · #7 (**permalink**) 03-14-2007, 10:07 AM

Yep, that reflects what my parents said about Nassau after having been there four days ago. Nice to know they weren't just getting the short end of the stick.

ladylilo · #8 (**permalink**) 03-16-2007, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JordanzMom123

Hi there. I am brand new to this forum. I am taking my kids on the 4-day Bahamas cruise on the Disney Wonder on March 25th. I am curious to know if anyone would recommend booking the "Extreme Getaway Package" excursion during the day at Castaway Cay. It sounds like fun - snorkeling adventure, stingray encounter, bike ride and floats for the ocean. Is this a waste of my day, or is there nothing else to do while we're there? Any help you could provide would be GREATLY appreciated. I am BRAND NEW to this forum - and will be reading as many of these posts as possible for the next 12 days until we leave!!!!

Thank you,
Elyse in St. Louis, MO

Hi there! Welcome to TD

We hired the snorkeling gear and floats at CC (the Stingray encounter is new). We used the snorkelling gear all day but not the floats so much (too busy snorkelling!). It sounds like you would have a very busy day with the bike ride and stingray encounter as well. I suppose it depends on how old your kids are. If they are old enough to go off on their own then you might want to have a relax. Don't miss out on the BBQ lunch either, it was delicious!

It might be worth working out the costing of hiring the snorkel gear and the stingray encounter separately.

My DS and DH are keen to try the stringray encounter, but I would prefer to soak up the sun!

I am sure you will have a fabulous time whatever you do. Best of luck

Schwinncoll · #9 (**permalink**) 07-08-2007, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madpan1

Castaway Cay is amazing, anything you do there will be a great time. I will say this, though, beware of NAssau, that island is really not that great, the only part really worth seeing (excursion-wise) is Atlantis, but I would really recommend just staying on the boat and enjoying all it has to offer. man am I jealous, its been just over a year since the cruise I went on (4 day) and it feels like forever ago, it was all amazing

Nassau isnt that great? Sorry but we have friends that live there and its a beautiful place. There are good and bad places everywhere you go, you just need to know what areas to stay away from.

Mike