4 Disney Cruise Lines

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Bahamas: Disney Castaway Cay

Reserved exclusively for Disney cruise Guests, Castaway Cay is a port-of-call paradise on Disney Cruise Line Bahamian and Caribbean cruise vacations, where you enjoy such tropical leisure as snorkeling, boating, swimming and old-fashioned sunbathing. Disney's private island in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas is 3.1 by 2.2 miles in size and features a post office with its own unique Castaway Cay postmark. As the Disney Magic or the Disney Wonder pulls into port along dock, observe the Flying Dutchman, the antiquated-looking pirate ship used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Things to Do and See
Castaway Cay visitors find an island completely outfitted for premium family leisure, evoking a "happily away from it all" mood. In addition to open-air BBQ dining, a gift shop featuring Castaway Cay gifts and souvenirs, and island music broadcast throughout the island, you enjoy:

The Snorkeling Lagoon, the Swimming Lagoon, sports and more at the all-ages Castaway Family Beach

Swimming, kayaking, sports and more at the private Teen Beach

Open-air massages with an ocean view, a yoga class and a bar at the secluded, adults-only beach, Serenity Bay

Biking, nature trails and organized walks and runs

Watercraft use such as kayaks and paddleboats in the Boat Harbor

Port Adventures for everyone in the family, including stingray interactions, glass-bottom boat tours, parasailing, fishing, jet ski tours and offshore snorkeling

Free childcare at Scuttle's Cove, an expansive child's area supervised by Disney counselors

Disney Character Greetings, including a Dance Party with Lilo and Stitch

Past and Present
Formerly known as Gorda Cay, Castaway Cay is located amid the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas, an area first occupied in 1783 by European settlers in exile from the American Revolution. More than two centuries later, Disney purchased the island—used as a location in the classic 1984 Disney film Splash—to create a private paradise for Disney Cruise Line Guests. It took builders 18 months to perfect the rustic, "castaway" landscape and motif that lend the pristine scenery additional charm. Of the island's 1,000 acres, only 55 have been developed for Guest use, leaving the remaining land unspoiled and untamed.

Castaway Cay invites cruisers to enjoy balmy tropical weather and world-class recreation on a Bahamian oasis with signature Disney hospitality. You may use your Key to the World cards for retail transactions on the island, and can obtain beach towels after disembarking to Castaway Cay. While still on board, be sure to get the Castaway Cay-vents activities schedule from your stateroom so you know when and where to find all the unique island fun.

Disney Dream Cruise Ship

The new Disney Dream starts sailing on January 26, 2011—reserve your place today!

The Disney Dream™ is the majestic third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. Boasting 14 towering decks, a ship length of 1,115 feet and a maximum width of 125 feet, the 128,000-ton vessel includes 1,250 staterooms and has the capacity to comfortably accommodate 4,000 passengers—along with the over 1,458 Crew Members who tend to the needs of every cruise Guest each and every day.

Building on the classic style of the previous 2 ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, the Disney Dream is a valiant vessel distinguished for its classic early 20th-century design—which harkens back to the golden age of cruising—and state-of-the-art technology. As can be expected from Disney, the cruise liner was specially designed with families in mind, combining sleek style and convenient facilities with splashes of magic and cruise-industry firsts—like the splashtacular AquaDuck, the very first water coaster at sea.

Construction of the Disney Dream
Disney Cruise Line began construction on the Disney Dream in March 2009 with a steel-cutting ceremony at the world-renowned Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Constructed as a thematic extension of the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Dream was designed to reflect the glamour of the golden age of cruising during the 1930's. Scheduled for completion in early 2011, the new ocean liner will feature the same attention to detail Disney is known for, while introducing new and immersive, one-of-a-kind venues and experiences for everyone in the family—be they young or simply young-at-heart.

Interior Design of the Disney Dream
To step aboard the Disney Dream is to be instantly transported to an age of adventure and wonder, where elegance and sophistication mingle with Disney storytelling and whimsy. Inside is an attention to detail one would only expect from Disney. Lavish decorative murals mingle with sparkling fixtures and furnishings. Original paintings, statues and woodwork envelop Guests in a radiant Art Deco ambiance that is both rich and distinctive. And wondrously themed venues—including charming youth activity clubs, resplendent restaurants, intimate lounges and stunning theatre spaces—transport Guests of all ages to faraway places where memory and magic come together.

Stroll through the radiant lobby atrium and behold a bronze statue of Admiral Donald—an installment designed by Walt Disney Imagineers to evoke the feeling of fun, adventure and sophistication that can be found throughout the ship.