Intro
Welcome back for Part 2 of our Disney Cruise recap, from our recent trip on the Disney Wish! I just couldn’t fit all of the excitement into one post and I can’t wait to share the second half of the cruise with you all. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part 1 on the blog, for the first half of our Disney Cruise recap!
Castaway Cay Day
Breakfast
This morning we wanted to relax a bit before our big day at Castaway Cay, so we ordered breakfast from room service! To have your breakfast brought right to your door, just fill out one of the door tags, which will usually be in a drawer inside the room. With this form, you can checkbox what food and drinks you would like with your room service. They have a selection of juices, milk, coffee, fruit, cereal, breads, and various other pastries. Just hang that door tag on your door before 3AM and you can select a delivery time for your relaxing room service breakfast!
As always with any room service, it is included in the cost of your cruise, but tips are appreciated for delivery!
Castaway Cay
Getting off the ship on Disney’s Castaway Cay is such a breeze! Typically, they will need to see your Key to the World Card and a photo ID, so be ready with those as you get near the gangway.
Exploring the Island
Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, is truly a paradise! There is so much to do and explore, but it is also the perfect place to just lay back and relax. There are excursions that you can schedule in advance, bikes and other rentals, and even a kids club so the little ones can have entertainment!
To start off our day, we walked towards the family beach and even saw some characters along the way! There is a tram that can take you around the island, but you can still walk and will end up seeing more characters that way too.
We spent some time at the Heads Up bar to start the day. This location has an amazing view of the beach and the ship, so it is a wonderful place to hang out for a bit!
Port Excursion- Parasailing
On our last cruise we did a Glass Bottom Boat tour at Castaway Cay and I am even more excited to have Parasailing booked as a Port Adventure for today! The group for Parasailing met at Marge’s Barges, which is right near where the ship docks.
Check in was at the main booth and then someone came by to give some safety instructions. We boarded the boat with a small group (we had about 10-12 people with us) and there were a few more announcements from the folks on the boat with safety information.
We were lucky enough to go first, so we got right to it after the boat took off! This experience was so fun and something I cannot wait to do again. Once you get up in the air, it feels like you are floating and the views are incredible!
The excursion itself lasted about an hour and cost $129 per person. To me, this excursion was definitely worth it and something I would recommend to anyone! Even my partner, who is not a fan of heights, really enjoyed it.
Lunch
Grabbing lunch on Castaway Cay is always a must! Cookies BBQ (along with Cookies Too and the dining location on the Adult’s Only Beach) provide great options for lunch and don’t cost any extra. They feature mostly barbecue, but have plenty of things for everyone to enjoy as well. There is also as much soft serve ice cream as you care to enjoy, which is always my favorite part!
Serenity Bay
Following lunch, we hopped on the tram and made our way to the Adult’s Only Beach, Serenity Bay. If you are traveling without any kids under the age of 18 (or you kids are enjoying the kids club), you should definitely take advantage of Serenity Bay! This beach is typically less crowded and a little calmer than the family beach. There is also a bar and a dining area, so you really don’t have to wander too far to find anything you might need!
Back to the Ship
We had an amazing time on Castaway Cay, but had to start making our way back to the ship! Guests typically need to be back on the ship by 4:45pm and we always want to be sure we have plenty of time to get settled before dinner.
Star Wars Trivia
Since it is sadly our last night on the ship, we wanted to be sure to do as much as we could! After getting cleaned up and changed from our Castaway Cay day, we headed to Triton’s Lounge for Star Wars Trivia. I like to think that I know a little bit about Star Wars, but this trivia was definitely for hard core fans. It was fun to see people so excited and learn a few new things about Star Wars!
Hyperspace Lounge
For a quick before dinner drink, Hyperspace Lounge was the place to be! I really wish we could have spent more time in this space, because it was so extremely well themed. There were so many fun drinks to try and the atmosphere was amazing. On our next cruise, we will for sure be spending some more time in Hyperspace Lounge!
Dinner
It is fitting that Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure was our last dinner on the ship, because it allowed us to really save the best for last! I have been so excited for this restaurant as a big Frozen fan. The theming for this restaurant starts down the hallway from the entrance and makes you feel like you are walking through Anna and Elsa’s castle.
The restaurant stays with the theming and you are dining in the castle, at a party hosted by Oaken. There are musical performances and Frozen characters will come around as well! The one downside about this restaurant is that there are definitely tables that are better than others. We were at a spot where we couldn’t see the stage very well and the characters were not able to stop to visit with us. Before you cruise, be sure to add your preferences for location to your dining reservation, if that is something that is important to you and your family!
Aladdin – The Musical
The show tonight at the Walt Disney Theater was Aladdin and I could not wait to see this performance! The shows on Disney Cruise Line are always top tier and broadway caliber. I wish we could have seen every single show during our cruise, but I am glad we were able to make it to Aladdin. I really enjoy that these shows are shorter and have unique stories, making them ideal for all ages!
Exploring the Ship
For our last night on the Wish, we wanted to take some time to walk around and enjoy the ship before packing up. We walked around the decks, said hello to Pluto in the Atrium, and watched the Kiss Goodnight!
Packing
The hardest part of a Disney Cruise is saying goodbye! But, tonight, we had to start packing and getting our luggage ready to be picked up.
If you want to take advantage of Disney’s luggage service, you can leave your bags outside of your stateroom before 10PM. Cast Members will pick up your luggage and you can retrieve it after you debark. Be sure to place the luggage tags that were left in your room on each bag and remember which tags you were given. I always take a picture so we can’t forget! They will be using these to call guests for their time to debark.
Be sure to keep anything you may need with you, since you will not have access to your luggage until you are off the ship. I usually keep a change of clothes, medication, and other toiletries in my carry-on bag, so I am prepared for the next morning!
Gratuity and Comment Cards
A few other things to be sure to take care of before leaving the ship are your gratuities and comment card. You do have the option to prepay your gratuities, which will go to your onboard charges. One of the last nights on your cruise, you will have envelopes and perforated paper that you can share with your Room Host, Server, Assistant Server, and Head Server. The paper will include the amount of gratuity if you pre-paid and you can always add more if you have great service! We typically bring some cash for this purpose, since Disney service is always spectacular.
Comment cards will also be left in your room for you to share about your experience. If you had any issues on your trip or want to acknowledge anyone who went above and beyond, this is the place to do that.
Lastly, to commemorate our last night, we ordered our favorite snack, Mickey Premium Bars, from room service!
Debarkation Day
Leaving the ship after such an amazing Disney Cruise, is a really hard thing to do! However, Disney makes it extremely simple.
Breakfast
To get everyone off the ship in a timely manner, breakfast starts bright and early on Debarkation Day! Since we were assigned early seating for dinner, we were also assigned the early breakfast time on Debarkation Day, which was at 7am. Anyone who had late seating during the cruise had breakfast around 8am.
You will always eat breakfast at the same restaurant as where you had dinner the night before, so we were able to see Arendelle one more time!
Luggage
Since we chose to use Disney’s luggage service, we did not need to worry about bringing our suitcases to breakfast. For those who wanted to carry their own luggage, they were able to store it at the front of the restaurant.
Those who brought their luggage with them to breakfast, were able to debark after breakfast whenever they were ready. Since we checked our suitcases, we needed to wait for our luggage tags to be called. By the time we got out of breakfast around 8am, our tags had been called and we were able to get right in line to debark!
Check Out, Luggage, and Customs
Once we were ready to get off the ship (after crying in the Atrium for a bit), we found the line to debark with the help of some friendly Cast Members.
We checked out with Disney, by simply showing our Key to the World cards. Next, you head to a large space where all of the luggage is stored. We spotted our luggage tag sign and easily found our bags. From there, it is time to go through customs. This process goes very quickly as well, as long as you are ready with the proper documentation!
Transportation
Finally, it was time to hop on a Disney Cruise Line bus to get back to the airport. Disney always suggests not scheduling a flight before 11:30am or 12:00pm on Debarkation Day, just to be safe. Our flight left the Orlando International Airport at 12:30pm and I felt like that was the perfect time. We were able to grab lunch and be very relaxed at the gate!
For anyone planning their own travel day, guests onboard are expected to be out of their staterooms by 8am and off of the ship by 9am. It takes over an hour to travel from Port Canaveral to the Orlando International Airport, so definitely plan accordingly.
That marks the end of our trip and I want to thank you all for following along on our Disney Cruise recap! Have you ever been on a Disney Cruise? Let us know in the comments!
Overview
- Travel Day
- Embarkation Day
- Food: Marceline Market, Cove Cafe, Joyful Sweets, 1923
- Extras: Sail Away Party
- Nassau Day
- Food: Marceline Market, Mickey & Friends Festival of Friends, Enchanté, Worlds of Marvel, Joyful Sweets
- Extras: Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party
- Castaway Cay Day
- Food: Room Service, Cookies BBQ, Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure
- Port Adventures: Parasailing
- Debarkation Day
- Food: Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure
