Disney's Castaway Cay
- Amaris Scipione
- Feb 21
- 7 min read
Let’s talk about fish extenders. Disney Cruise Line has a much different cruise culture when it comes to doors. Decorating your door and setting up a fish extender is part of the experience. If have you haven’t been on a Disney cruise you probably don’t know what a fish extender is. It really means two things. One is the physical fish extender which is basically a cloth pouch that is hung from your room number. From what I’ve heard, the room number was a fish design on the first Disney ship, so the name comes from this because you are extending below your fish. The second meaning of the phrase is gift exchange. You can sign up for Fish Extenders in your sailing’s Facebook page. You are paired with other families, and you’ll need to bring little gifts and deliver them to other fish extenders and in return they gift you. This is not Disney-run and is something guests coordinate.
I thought about signing up for a fish extender, but January is often the busiest month for my business, and I didn’t have the bandwidth to do it. Also, I was a little intimidated by what others were gifting. Many gifts are handmade and really cool! I was in the Facebook group, and several people were showing the suitcases of stuff that they were bringing to handout. I decided to order a fish extender a couple days before we left and see what happened if I hung one up. I’m so glad I did. We received random stuff in our pocket every day of the cruise and my son loved it! He loved seeing what would be in there. We received a beach ball, Disney Destiny keychain, Belle hair clip, several Disney figurines, a Disney coloring booking, and lots of stickers. We delivered one gift ourselves and my son wrote a handwritten note to go with it. We delivered it to the stateroom that delivered our first gift which was the beach ball. Next time we’ll bring more to gift!
Today we are docked in Disney’s Castaway Cay and it’s another beach day! This island is logistically easier than the beach we visited yesterday. It’s a short walk to the tram and the tram drops you off close to the beach. We spend the day at the beach which has the obstacle course. It’s a family-friendly beach and located next to the two activities we plan on doing today. But first, hole digging. There are several children digging a giant hole and my son joins the mission. Brian and I relax in our chairs as he digs.
I scrolled through the activity options with my son a few weeks ago. He carefully considered each option and decided he wanted to go in the peddle boat and snorkel. We walked from our beach to the one closer to the ship where all water activities start. There is a large check-in building and we went there first. This is the wrong one and is the check-in for snorkeling expeditions. We walk to the sand and there is a little desk on the sand. This is the check-in for water sports and the whole area is surprisingly empty. After check-in, we grab life jackets and then ask a lifeguard for help with getting the peddle boat out. We are in a four-seater with my husband and I at the front to peddle and my son at the back to sit back and enjoy the scenery. A couple minutes out my husband is complaining about how much his legs hurt and my son is complaining that he doesn’t get to peddle. They switch. We peddle up to our ship and near the sting ray snorkeling area. Our rental is 30-minutes long which is the perfect length. It was enough time to see the area and I was ready to be done at this mark.
We return back to our chairs, and I suggest the obstacle course. My son and I swim to the structure. I notice a sign that says this is for children only so I stay in the water to watch while my son climbs to it. He goes up the ladder, runs across the bridges, and stands near the monkey bars. He watches and studies the situation and then reverses his journey. I check on him and he said he wants his goggles. We go back and get his goggles and try again. This time he doesn’t go to the monkey bars and instead goes to a rope. The idea is to grab the rope and move yourself across it while hanging and make it to the target. He grabs the rope with both hands and moves his hands to shimmy down the rope. He gets close to the target and one hand slips. He dangles with one hand on the rope and I’m ready to watch him splash. He reaches back up with the fallen hand and grabs the rope. He’s recovered! He makes it all the way to the target and for a moment he’s proud, but the realization sets in that he still needs to fall into the water. It’s high. He hangs on for a while to mentally prepare for the drop. I reassure him that I’m right here and then he drops and splashes. Mission accomplished.
We brought some snorkeling gear with us, and we make our way to the snorkeling beach. We pass by a lifeguard, and he tells us we either need to wear a yellow vest or a life jacket to enter the area. We each grab the yellow vest and begin to swim. The water gets deep and at this point my son has an issue with his goggles. It’s hard to help since we’re treading water. I decide we should switch from the vest to the life jackets because it will be easier to help if this happens again. My son and I go back to shore to switch. The time is 3:30pm and we realize we don’t know the all aboard time. We ask the lifeguard who tells us 4:15pm and he also says we have time to snorkel. We spend 15-minutes swimming to get to the first statue. I decide to turn around with my son because we have a 15-minute swim back, a walk back to gather our stuff, and then a tram ride to the ship. We’re cutting it close! My husband continues swimming and sees the other statues and then catches up to us. We scan our magic bands at 4:12pm to re-enter the ship. We think we’ve cut it close, but the lifeguard told us the wrong time. The real all aboard time is 4:45pm so we not as close as we thought.
Dinner tonight is back at 1923 with a different menu. We start the meal with cornbread and a dipping sauce. I order the mango soup and it’s amazing. It’s basically a mango smoothie served in a soup bowl and tastes similar to a mango lassi. My son loves mango lassi so I ask if he can have the soup too, but in a cup. They deliver it and he’s in heaven. My entree tonight is lamb with potatoes and green beans and it’s delicious too. It took a couple days to get everything with my allergy settled, and I’m happy to have a delicious meal. The hard part is that the food is awesome, but I’m not that hungry. I had some chicken fingers and fries before dinner because I wasn’t confident my meal would be okay.
Our son asks to visit the kid’s club which has become the after-dinner routine. He goes there and we check out a new bar. We start at The Rose which is a Beauty and the Beast themed bar. You walk down a hallway that feels like you’re in a castle and have stepped into the movie. It’s elegant and adult-only. The drink I order, Plant & Fleurs, comes in this delicate glass and is very good. Brian orders a Crazy Old Fashioned which he says is good too.
We find some new parts of the ship to explore. We venture into the adult-only area where there is an adult-only pool. There is a bar back here as well and a hidden coffee shop. This coffee shop is Moana inspired. We walk outside the adult-only area and a show is starting by the main pool. We watch a couple minutes of it and then decide to move inside because it’s a little chilly. Cask & Cannon is next on our little bar crawl. It is a pirate-themed bar which is also the sports bar. It’s the only bar with TV screens playing the game and it’s lively with Duke fans. The bar has a lot of rum on the menu and when I order my drink, the server warns that is strong.
Going to the bar on a Disney cruise is kind of funny. Most of the adults on the ship are here with children and bar time is borrowed time. At any moment our phone will buzz with a notification from the kid’s club that your child is ready to be picked up. It’s a topic that comes up whenever we talk to other adults at the bar. How long did your child last? The theme is that most of the children absolutely love it and the time spent in the kid's club exceeds most parent’s expectations. Despite my son liking structure, he loves the freedom that this kid’s club provides. It’s organized, but not stifling.
We made it to two bars and did some exploring so it was a good night. Our phones buzz and it’s time to pick-up. The other thing I like about the kid’s club is that they are conveniently located near many of the bars.
It’s pirate night and many are dressed in pirate gear. If you didn’t bring any pirate gear, they do give each person a pirate bandana to wear. The fun thing about pirate night is the fireworks! They aren’t until 10:15pm though which means I watch them with all the new friends I’ve made onboard and not with my husband and son who have gone to bed. I absolutely love Disney fireworks, and this alone makes the trip worth it.
