Castaway Cay

A few years ago, we took our first seven-night Disney cruise.  We went to the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas and St. Maarten), which were absolutely gorgeous, and then made a one-day stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas.  It was such an amazing experience that every subsequent cruise we took, the day at Castaway Cay was the one we were all really looking forward to.   We've now been to Castaway Cay three times, all in January or February, and each time we are there, I cannot get enough of the scenery.  

In the morning on the day when we get to Castaway Cay, we usually eat breakfast at the buffet restaurant (Cabanas on Disney Fantasy), outside, while watching the ship getting docked.  We then pack up all the beach essentials (although there is also a store on the island where forgotten items like sand shovels and Disney pool towels can be purchased) and then deboard the ship for a few hours.  We spend the day on the beach and eat lunch on the island.  Disney serves a great barbecue around noon.  The kids run in the water, build sand castles, and we talk about just how nice it is to escape all the cold and snow in the wintery Kansas City.   We then return back to the ship about an hour or two before the crowd to ride the Aqua Duck without any wait time.