Castaway Cay – Guide to Disney’s Private Island

Castaway Cay is one of the most popular destinations for Disney cruises. This Disney private island in the Bahamas is used by Disney Cruise Line to offer guests plenty of fun activities to enjoy.

My family and I have had the opportunity to visit Disney’s private island in the Bahamas on several occasions, and it is full of fun activities and amazing beaches with crystal clear water. Whether you’re looking for excursions to enjoy, cabanas to rent, or beaches to lounge on, Castaway Cay has something for everyone!

In the post below, we will provide a full guide to Disney’s private island in the Bahamas: Castaway Cay. We’ll include a picture tour with a full guide on things to do on the island as well as Castaway Cay tips on how to make the most of your visit!

Disney Private Island Location

Before we get started discussing all the fun things to do on Castaway Cay, let’s discuss its location. Castaway Cay is a private island located near Great Abaco in the Bahamas. Formerly known as Gorda Cay, the island of Castaway Cay is actually leased by Disney, so they technically do not own the land.

Castaway Cay Map

Your stateroom host will place a map of Castaway Cay in your room the night before you arrive on the island. The map will look similar to the one below with labels for activities and dining options.

Notice in the picture that the Disney Cruise ships are able to dock at Castaway Cay, so you can easily walk right off the ship. This brings me to an important point about your room location on the ship.

Best Views of Castaway Cay

If you book a stateroom with a verandah, you may have a preference as to which view of Castaway Cay you will see. The Disney ships usually reverse into Castaway Cay to dock. 

This means that the verandahs on the starboard (aka right) side of the ship would have a view of the beaches. If your room is on the port (aka left) side of the ship, you would have a view of the dock and the undeveloped side of the island. 

Although I find the starboard side more appealing, the port side view is still amazing. So, it’s not a deal breaker for us if we are unable to find a starboard side room when booking a Disney cruise. 

Castaway Cay Pronunciation

Before you visit Disney’s private island, you may be wondering how you pronounce Castaway Cay. The pronunciation of Castaway Cay can be tricky as most first time cruisers sailing with Disney Cruise Line have read about the island but not heard its name spoken.

When speaking the name Castaway Cay, the word Cay is actually pronounced Key. So, the correct pronunciation for Castaway Cay is Castaway Key. Although this may seem difficult to remember at first, you will get used to hearing the name of the island on the cruise ship.

Weather for Castaway Cay in Bahamas

The weather at Castaway Cay tends to be pretty mild year round. Even though the summer months can get quite hot, you will find lots of shade and even a nice breeze on the island.

If you are visiting Castaway Cay in the winter, specifically December, January, and February, you may find the water a bit chilly. My kids never seem to mind the water temperature; though, and they get used to it rather quickly.

If your sail date is during the holiday season, you will notice Christmas decorations set up throughout the island. The picture above is from a Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Magic in December.

Castaway Cay 5k

Your cruise itinerary will state the all-ashore time for Castaway Cay. This is the earliest you are permitted to get off the ship. However, those taking part in the Castaway Cay 5k follow a different schedule.

If you signed up for the 5k in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App, you would see a meeting time and location for those participating. When my husband ran the 5k, he had to meet in the theater the morning of the race at around 7:30 AM.

A Disney Cruise Line crew member will lead all the runners off the ship and to the starting line for the 5k. When the race is over, the runners can come back to the ship for breakfast, or they can go straight to an activity on the island.

Can you walk the 5k?

You are permitted to walk the 5k. However, there is a rule that strollers are NOT allowed. Also, children must be at least 10 years old to participate.

Things to Pack for Castaway Cay

If you are not participating in the 5k, the captain of the ship will make an announcement when you are able to disembark. The captain will also remind passengers to have ID’s and Key to the World cards on hand before getting off the ship. 

We typically take a day bag off the ship with us to hold items we plan to use on the island. These are the things I usually pack in my bag:

• Key to the World Cards
• driver’s license
• sunscreen
• sun hat
• water shoes
• coverups
• beach toys
• refillable water bottles
• sunglasses
• lip balm

Some things you DON’T need in your bag are:

• towels (more info. below)
• food (complimentary food is available on island)

I recommend eating breakfast at Cabanas or in one of the other dining venues before heading out to the island. Once you are ready to disembark, you head down to Deck 1, swipe your Key Cards, and walk onto the gangway to enter Castaway Cay. 

We have never been stuck in a long line to get off the ship at Castaway Cay. I think people tend to disembark at their leisure after eating breakfast. Once you finally set foot on Castaway Cay, you will see towel stands where you can grab beach towels for your family. 

When you return to the ship at the end of the day, DCL will provide bins for you to put your used towels in. There are also towel return bins in various spots throughout the island. 

Castaway Cay Shuttle

Disney Cruise Line provides a shuttle to take you from the ship to various parts of the island. These trams are similar to the ones at Disney World that pick you up in the parking lot to take you to the gates at the theme parks.  

Even though the tram service is convenient, my family and I enjoy walking from the ship to the beach because it’s only a 15-minute stroll. It’s also really scenic! Below, I will include a picture tour of things you will see as you walk or ride by in the tram.

The walking paths are stroller friendly, so it’s easy to walk to the beach even if you have a baby or toddler. We tend to take our stroller off of the ship to use on the island. If you would rather grab a stroller or a wagon once on the island, you can do that too.

Near the family beaches, you will see an area with wagons, strollers, and beach accessible wheelchairs. These are free to borrow as needed.

Things to Do on Castaway Cay

As you enter the island, you will pass the Castaway Cay Post Office. If you mail a letter or postcard from the post office, it gets stamped with a special postmark. Near the post office, you will see some of the areas where port adventures take place.

Shore Excursions

After the post office, you will pass the harbor where you’ll see some of the charter boat rentals. Many excursions like parasailing and fishing meet in this area. 

Before arriving at the first family beach, you will see another area for port adventures. This is where you will find equipment for snorkeling, kayaking, jet skiing, etc. 

Climbing Feature

Although the excursions mentioned above cost extra for visitors to Castaway Cay, I will also provide some super fun options of activities that are included for free.

I’m not totally sure what the playground pictured above is called, so I’m referring to it as the climbing feature. This is a kids-only climbing feature and that adults are not allowed to climb. You can stand in the water nearby to observe your kids playing though. 

*Tip- The beach area in front of this climbing feature was never busy during our last visit. Even as the crowds started to grow, this area had tons of chairs and space available. So, this is a great place to find seats on Disney’s private island!

Pelican Plunge

Another fun water play area that is free to use is Pelican Plunge. This huge water playground sits just off the shore and has two separate water slides. Kids must be at least 38 inches tall to slide.

Life vests are available near Pelican Plunge and are required for those who are under 48 inches tall. (Adults are allowed to slide as well.)

If you have a toddler who is too small to slide, there’s a little deck directly across from Pelican Plunge that is a great place to watch your family members on the water slides. 

In-Da-Shade

If your kids want a break from the water activities, they can check out In-Da-Shade. This is a play area for kids that features games like basketball and ping pong. 

Castaway Cay Beach Areas

When visiting Castaway Cay, the ultimate free activity is the beautiful beaches! Although a couple of the beaches are reserved for adults-only and cabana guests, you will find plenty of space for families to enjoy the clear water at Castaway Cay.

Castaway Family Beach

The first beach you will see near the Disney cruise ship sits right next to the snorkeling lagoon. Lots of loungers (some with umbrellas) and shorter beach chairs are available in this family beach area.

There are also hammocks in this area. We have never had a problem finding chairs at Castaway Cay. Granted my kids wake up early, so we are often off the ship by 9:00. 

However, we never rush to get down to the beach, and there have always been loungers, umbrellas, chairs, and hammocks available. My husband and I usually carry the short beach chairs to the edge of the water. This is where we sit as our kids play in the sand and ocean.

When you walk into the water, you will notice it’s crystal clear and shallow. 
There usually aren’t waves, so it’s a great spot even for toddlers. As it gets later in the morning, you will notice more people at the beach, but we never find it to be too crowded. 

I will warn you that there tend to be small rocks and seashells present. You may want to pack some water shoes to protect your family’s feet while on the beach. 

Castaway Cay Cabana Rentals

From Pelican Plunge, you can see the beach cabanas and private beach area. This section looked really neat on our last visit because it seemed to feature a giant sand bar.

Kids were fairly far out in the lagoon, but the water was only ankle deep. Even though they are quite expensive to reserve, the cabanas usually sell out really quickly.

Platinum cruisers and those who are booked in Concierge staterooms tend to reserve all the cabanas since they are able to check-in much earlier than other cruisers. 

Adult Beach

Serenity Bay is the adults-only beach on the island. Castaway Cay provides even more cabanas on this beach, which is at the far end of the island. If you want to experience Serenity Bay but are traveling with kids, you have the option of using Castaway Cay’s kids’ club, Scuttle’s Cove. (The clubs on the ship typically offer open house time on Castaway Cay day.)

Food on Castaway Cay

While on Castaway Cay, you can grab lunch from a buffet at either Cookie’s BBQ or Cookie’s BBQ Too. On our last visit to the island, Disney Cruise Line started serving lunch at 11:30.

We arrived to Cookie’s BBQ around this time, and there were no lines or crowds. Cookie’s BBQ offered the following items at the buffet:

• burgers 
• hot dogs 
• spicy chicken sandwiches
• baked beans
• coleslaw 
• fresh fruit
• chips
• potato salad
• corn on the cob
• soft-serve ice cream
• and probably a couple other items I am forgetting…but you get the idea (hopefully)!

Gluten Free

My husband has dietary restrictions and cannot eat gluten or meat. Our server took his Castaway Cay lunch order at dinner in the main dining room the night before. When we arrived at Cookie’s BBQ, my husband gave his name to one of the crew members at the buffet. 

Then, they put his plate of food together based on his selections from the previous night. There are covered pavilions with picnic tables near Cookie’s BBQ. Castaway Cay actually offers a lot of shaded areas, which is nice when it’s super hot!

Shops and Bars

Once you walk past Cookie’s BBQ, you will see shops selling souvenirs and beach merchandise. There are also stands set up for things like hair braiding.

We purchased goggles and sand toys from one of the shops because we forgot ours at home. If you have kids who like to build sandcastles, I recommend buying collapsible sand pails for the cruise (or for any beach trip). You can find the ones we use in our Disney Cruise packing list.

In addition to shops, you’ll see several beach shacks that serve drinks, smoothies, and snacks. 

Things to Do with a Toddler on Castaway Cay

If you have a toddler in tow while cruising with Disney, Castaway Cay has plenty of activities for younger kids. In addition to the toddler friendly beaches, my two-year-old loved the splash zone called Spring-A-Leak. This is a well-shaded area tucked away near the bike rentals. 

You will also find Disney characters on the island with fairly short lines for meet and greets. In addition, Castaway Cay provides lots of fun scenery for toddlers.

I usually end up taking my toddler back to the ship early in the afternoon on Castaway Cay days. The ship is nearly empty during this time, so it gives her a chance to play in the splash pad area and kids’ club without crowds.

Castaway Cay Tips

If you are looking for some tips and tricks to make your day at Castaway Cay run smoothly, here are my top suggestions:

• Prepare a day bag the night before.
• Eat a large breakfast onboard.
• Apply sunscreen before you disembark.
• Don’t forget your Key to the World Card and ID’s.
• Use a stroller.
• Grab a towel on the island.
• Walk instead of taking the tram.
• Sit by the climbing feature for less crowds.
• Pack water shoes to protect from rocks and sea shells.
• Take time to explore the island.
• Go back to the ship early for short water slide lines onboard.
• Try to relax and take it all in!

Final Review of Disney’s Castaway Cay Bahamas 

Disney’s Castaway Cay is most definitely the prettiest place I’ve ever been. It’s so clean and organized, and it offers lots of fun things to do with your family. Not to mention the crystal clear, calm water that makes you truly feel like you’re in paradise.

If your Disney Cruise Line vacation includes a stop at this gorgeous private island in the Bahamas, you can look forward to all the fun activities and entertainment options included. 

You and your family are sure to enjoy this magical experience in paradise!