Vacation Report #8 Castaway Cay

If you know anything whatsoever about Disney Cruise Line, you would know of Castaway Cay. It is Disney's private island and all Disney cruises make a call there. It is simply paradise! It is in the Abaco chain of the Bahamas about 250 miles due east of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I woke up and saw the island coming into view from our porthole as Captain Tom backed the ship in. What a beautiful site. Soon the ship was docked, breakfast was in our stomachs and we were off! Dad, Tracy, Elaine and I had an early excursion booked. We were going parasailing. Mom took Sam and Jay to the family beach where we would meet them after flying like Peter Pan!

We went to our meeting spot, had our orientation and soon boarded the boat with our Bahamian guides. Elaine was a little nervous about getting dipped in the water. She kept telling our guide Gibson that she didn't want to be fed to the sharks. Soon, Gibson was calling Elaine, "Bahama Mama." We were the last two groups to go up> Dad and Tracy went up before Elaine and I. While they were in the air, we were strapped in our harnesses. Soon they were back on board and Elaine and I were strapped in the parachute. The captain flipped a switch and we were off into the wild blue yonder. After a couple of minutes, I made the mistake of fidgeting just enough that I was no longer in a seated position, but in a standing position. This translated into a huge wedgie! Elaine could tell I was uncomfortable, but I soon relaxed, albeit slightly uncomfortable and enjoyed the ride. When we were being pulled back in, we got dipped not once, but twice! Elaine felt honored and enjoyed her double dip! Once back on shore, we boarded a tram and went to meet mom and the kids.

Right away, I got into the magical azure waters and splashed around. Sammi was really trying to swim but was a little nervous. She kept swimming back and forth to me and dad/grandpa. After a short time in the water, we made our way to Cookies Bar-B-Q and enjoyed hamburgers, barbecue chicken, corn on the cob, and awesome chocolate chip cookies. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the aforementioned azure water. It was sooooooo warm! Regretfully, it was time to make our way back to the ship.

Dad asked me to take him to the computer lab and help him check in with Southwest. As we were wrapping up, we looked out the windows and saw the water swirling. The Magic was underway. It was a double whammy...airline check in, and departure from Castaway Cay! Soon it was time for our final meal. It was a sad time, the tips were given out, and shortly after dinner we were in the Walt Disney Theatre for the "Remember the Magic" show.

After the show, our luggage was tagged and left outside our door. This was too much! Our vacation was nearing its end, but the last straw was the Til We Meet Again presentation in the atrium. At 10:15, all of the characters and stage people come to the atrium for a final farewell. The kids were able to say goodbye to all of their favorite characters, then all of them line the staircases and wave to everyone! I wish I could post more than one picture to show the photo op! This was it! We would go to bed and wake up in Port Canaveral! After the Til we meet Again, I took a walk around the ship and retired for the evening! The next day we would eat breakfast and walk off to our rental car. However, we still had a day in Florida before our 7:50 flight...We are going to Sea World! That will be my final vacation entry.