Trip Log:

Started off the morning heading up to Deck 12 to watch the ship back into Castaway Cay.    Headed for breakfast at Cabanas.  After breakfast time to head ashore and explore Castaway Cay.  Walked through the family beach areas and out to Pelican Point for some pictures.  Continued on to the airstrip and then out to the Observation Tower before joining the rest of my group at Serenity Bay.  Hung out there for a while then took the tram back to Pelican Point.   Grabbed lunch at Cookies Too BBQ before strolling back along the path.  Saw a character dance party along the way and took a bunch of pictures on my way back to the ship.  Once onboard made a quick stop by the room to drop off the camera gear then up to the Aquaduck for three rides.  Grabbed a snack at Maters then some pictures off the back of the boat before heading back to the room for showers and to get ready for the busy evening.   Headed down to the atrium to see what was going on around 4pm and got side tracked watching them load/unload some cargo from the day along the way.  Hung out in the atrium getting some character pictures and then went outside to watch us set sail from Castaway Cay.  At 5:45 it was dinner in Animators Palate for Pirate Night.  After dinner up to deck 12 to watch the Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean show.  After the show stopped by the Walt Disney theater to catch the dangerous comedy of Wilde and James.  Had some time to kill so stopped for a snack and then found a spot for Buccaneer Blast Fireworks.    Stayed around for a couple songs at Club Pirate then wandered down to deck 11 and Cabanas to check out the Buffet before returning to my room to call it a night.

Thoughts & Observations:

• Today we were at Castaway Cay for the morning and afternoon.  I was eager to go ashore and explore the island so I was done with breakfast and on my way fairly early.   As you will see in the pictures there is some work going on near where the ship docks.  I could not figure out what they were doing and I asked several cast members and they had theories but nothing sounded firm or final.  Does anyone out there know the real deal?
  
  
• Overall I really enjoyed exploring Castaway Cay.   I am not a huge beach person so I did not go with the intent of lying around on the beach or playing in the water.  I went to see the sights and walk the island.    There were plenty of activities to choose from and seemed to be plenty of space if you wanted to claim some sand for yourself to relax (I have to note that I went back to the ship in the early afternoon so not sure if things were more crowded in the afternoon).
  
  
• I was surprised by how much there was in the way of Christmas decorations on the island.  Where the ship docked as well as the walkway leading the family beach there were a lot.  I was expecting less.   As you went further into the island things seemed to dwindle and by the time you reached serenity bay there was nothing to speak of.
  
  
• Since it was my first time to Castaway Cay I decided I was going to “walk the island”.  I walked from the ship all throughout the family beaches and then out to the airstrip toward serenity bay.  I took a detour and walked out to the observation tower which is almost a mile round trip.   Coming back I took a brief tram ride from serenity bay to the first stop then walked the rest of the way back to the ship.  This added up to a little over 5 miles of total walking.
  
  
• I really enjoyed my time out on the observation tower.  For most of the walk and then the visit to the tower I had the place to myself.  A couple families on bicycle passed by but that was it.  As I was leaving a couple more groups were arriving and you could see the bike riders were finding their way out there.   I thought the quiet time to look over the island was great though! 
  
  
• I met up with the rest of my group at serenity bay.   They were hanging out on the beach.  I am not really a beach person so this only held my interest for a few minutes before I wanted to get moving again. 
  
  
• Our initial plan was to stay out at serenity bay and eat lunch there but due to some plumbing problems (namely a backup in the restrooms) we took the tram back and used the restroom there and since there was no crowd or wait ended up eating at Cookies Too.
  
  
• As I walked back down the main walkway it was alive with activity after lunch.   Seems things started to come alive while I was out at the tower.   There were several character photo ops and activities hosted by the cruise staff.
  
  
• As I was walking around it seemed like the trams were always running and never looked full, so it seemed there was plenty of access for those that wanted to ride vs walk around. 
  
  
• It was extremely easy to move between the ship and shore.  There were two gangways open and I never noticed a line.  But I am guessing later in the afternoon when more people returned there was probably a minor wait for the screening.   When you re-boarded the ship you had to send backs through an x-ray machine, just like at an airport.   I thought this was a little odd since you were on Disney’s Island and everything there they brought but guess you cannot be too safe and it really was not an inconvenience.
  
  
• One thing that really seemed odd to me was at the bars you could purchase coke products.  The odd part was at all the dining locations there were beverage stations (as well as ice cream) so you could drink all you wanted there and it was included (free).
  
• I finally made it onto the Aquaduck.   Once back on board I headed up to give it a try and went on a handful of times in under an hour.   The longest I waited was maybe 5 groups in front of me.   After my last ride though the line was backing up and visible and it just kept growing as more returned from shore.
  
  
• So what did I think of the Aquaduck?   I really enjoyed it.  This was the first water coaster I have been on (keep saying I need to visit Typhoon Lagoon but have not), so I really cannot compare to others.  The ride itself has a nice little thrill with the couple upward thrusts, but really is not a thrill ride, so it was perfect for just about anyone.   I did find that the information channel lied.  It said the water was 87 degrees.  There is no way that water was.  It was substantially colder.  The first time the water hits you it was cool.
  
  
• I grabbed a snack at Maters and opted for the chicken strips.   Disney has discontinued chicken strips at most of its properties so it was different for me.  I thought they were really good and kind of wish they were in the parks again vs the nuggets.
  
• As we were setting sail from Castaway Cay Captain Gus came on the loud speaker to give us an update and say there had been a Medical Emergency so we may be heading back to Nassau or they were looking at other options (in the end we did return to Nassau in the early morning hours).  He updated us the next day that the injury was a bike injury with a severely broken leg.  The guest was in the hospital with their family and resting comfortably.  I thought it was a nice touch the follow-up.
  
  
• The evenings theme was Pirates Night.  We were in Animators Palate for the evening, all three dining rooms served the same menu.   I have to say I was not impressed with the menu and actually ended up eating very little at dinner.   Luckily I had grabbed that snack earlier and did get some more food after so I did not go hungry… but I was disappointed with the offerings.  Also was a little disappointed that our server or assistant server did not seem to take more of an interest in the issue.  They did talk to me and said tomorrow’s menu was better.  But on previous cruises the wait staff had gone above and beyond and if they noticed someone not eating they would offer to find something else and in one case went above and beyond and actually got me something from a previous night’s menu even.  Here there really was no offer made.  I know I probably could have asked for another dish or something but decided it was not important to me.
  
  
• The first show of the evening for me was Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean up on Deck 11.  This show featured the Disney Characters and some Pirate activities.  I thought it was a decent kids show but not something that inspired or really entertained me too much.  I was a little disappointed that they had to cut a couple of things due to the ships movement.
  
  
• In the Walt Disney Theater this evening was a comedy duo.  The attendance was extremely poor but the team was good.  We enjoyed the performance.  It was very typical and not Disney but it still worked as a change of pace.  Especially since we had it sandwiched between two Disney shows.
  
  
• After the show we headed up to Deck 12 to find a spot for Buccaneer Blast Fireworks.  Disney is the only cruise line right now that does routine fireworks on its cruises.  The show itself is fairly short but fun.    I had a tough choice to make.  Did I want a spot to see the stage portion or the fireworks.  I opted for the stage which meant I could see the fireworks but all the pictures came out kind of boring, just fireworks in the air.  I would have really wanted to shoot them from the other side where I could get a funnel or something in the shot to show we were on a ship.   Following/during the fireworks was a Captain Jack Sparrow skit/performance.
  
  
• After the Buccaneer Blast Fireworks  Deck 11 became Club Pirate and was a dance party featuring the performers.    I thought this was a fun activitiy and seemed well attended.  I felt bad for anyone with a room on Deck 10, one reason you never want a room right below a common deck if you can avoid it.  I am assuming it was quite loud down there.
  
  
• There was a dessert buffet at Cabanas to conclude the evening.  I walked through and it seemed to be regular fair. 

Pedometer Information for the day:

Part I Pictures: Arrival at Castaway Cay	Part II Pictures: Castaway Cay - Family Beaches, recreational areas	Part III Pictures: Castaway Cay - Observation Tower/Serenity Bay
Part IV Pictures: Heading back to the ship, character dance party, and one last look around Castaway Cay.		Part V Pictures: The Afternoon aboard the Disney Dream and setting sail from Castaway Cay, concluding with Pirates Night.