OH, LET US BE SHIPWRECKED ON CASTAWAY CAY!

Have you ever wanted to live in an island paradise? Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island paradise in the Bahamas designed for their cruise ship passengers sailing from Port Canaveral. It was transformed by Disney into its present idyllic state at a reported cost of 25 million dollars and opened in 1998.

Castaway Cay has acres of pristine sandy beaches, water sports, swimming with stingrays that have had their stingers removed, beach volleyball, lounge chairs and hammocks on the beach under umbrellas and palm trees, and numerous other activities for all ages and interests.

Food is brought ashore from the ship and prepared at multiple outdoor “restaurants” that are easily accessible from all the main beach areas. The atmosphere is like having a picnic at the beach with burgers, hot dogs, ribs, pizza, chicken, salads, fresh tropical fruit, ice cream and giant cookies.

The island is such a perfect place to spend the day that no one wants to get back on the ship and leave. As we wave to the 10 people standing on shore as we pull away from the pier, we think, “Wouldn’t it be great to be shipwrecked on Castaway Cay and spend every day in such a carefree way?”

The second question is, “How many people actually live on the island to maintain it and where do they sleep?” There are no houses visible, although undoubtedly some dwellings are hidden away from the public areas. Unless we work for Disney some day, we will probably never know the answer.

However, even if we cannot be shipwrecked on Castaway Cay, all is not lost. We can always plan for another visit by sailing on a future Disney cruise. Some dreams are possible for all ages.