Booked our first cruise!

[DVCPluto]

We are sailing for the first time with DCL on the Oct 15th sailing out of NYC!

My mom, stepdad, husband, and son (and myself) will all be on the trip. This is something that my mom has always wanted to do and we are thrilled to get it on the calendar. We have one standard stateroom and one with a navigator's veranda.

We get one park day at WDW and one day at CC. My mom can't be in the sun (for medical reasons), so I'm hoping to score a cabana at CC. Any tips or advice on what to plan while we're at CC or how to get a cabana would be really appreciated!!

Very excited!!

 

[EOD K9]

Getting a cabana on the Family Beach is tough as there is a limited amount and the get snapped up pretty quickly by Gold and Platinum Castaway Club members. As soon as you can, jump online and try to book though, Don't try to do too much on the island. You can snorkel, swim, run, rent a bike, tube, parasail, jetski, play with stingrays, etc. Just go with the flow and be sure to relax. There are plenty of lounge chairs on the family beach right under palm trees and umbrellas. You may want to try to get one of those if you cant score a cabana. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[belledream]

Castaway Cay! Agree with the above - even if you can't get a cabana, there are plenty of colorful umbrellas that you can lounge underneath while on the beach. We snorkeled, rented a watertrike, did the stringray adventure, and rode bikes throughout the island and had one of the best days ever. Have so fun much!

 

[DVCPluto]

Getting a cabana on the Family Beach is tough as there is a limited amount and the get snapped up pretty quickly by Gold and Platinum Castaway Club members. As soon as you can, jump online and try to book though, Don't try to do too much on the island. You can snorkel, swim, run, rent a bike, tube, parasail, jetski, play with stingrays, etc. Just go with the flow and be sure to relax. There are plenty of lounge chairs on the family beach right under palm trees and umbrellas. You may want to try to get one of those if you cant score a cabana. Good luck and enjoy.

Thank you! Since we haven't sailed before, is the window for cabanas the same as it is for activities? 75 days?

Castaway Cay! Agree with the above - even if you can't get a cabana, there are plenty of colorful umbrellas that you can lounge underneath while on the beach. We snorkeled, rented a watertrike, did the stringray adventure, and rode bikes throughout the island and had one of the best days ever. Have so fun much!

Thanks!! Do you need to book the stingray adventure ahead of time? We will definitely want to do that!!

 

[belledream]

Thanks!! Do you need to book the stingray adventure ahead of time? We will definitely want to do that!!

Yes, book it when it's time for you to book your Port Adventures! You can find details about it on DCL's website. Also might be helpful to note that we bought it as a part of the Extreme Getaway Package which also included the bike/float/snorkel rentals...so kind of a bundled deal that costed less than everything would have costed added together. You might want to consider that option as well.

 

[Phonedave]

I'm not sure how much sun your mom can take. Are we talking 15 minutes and she is done? How is she at a beach normally. Remeber, the UV rays reflect off water and off sand, so even under an umbrella, if she is super-sensitive, she may have some issues.

A cabama will be hard to score, as they are limited,. and Castaway Club members who are higher in status get an earlier shot at them.

However, there are places she can get some relief from the sun. The bars and dining areas are all under shade. The gift shops are indoors, if you really feel like hanging out there. If she can handle some time in the sun, I would do something like the sting rays (you can book that ahead, and it is at a given time, so no waiting around in the sun) and then maybe stop at the bar for a drink in the shade.

One thing to remember is that at Castaway Cay, most people leave the ship. This means it is a great time to do things on the ship - spa treatment time slots open up, the various entertainment venues are easier to get into, and the ship is generally much less crowded. Since the ship docks right on the island (as opposed to offshore with tenders as some other lines do) you get a great view of the island. If not from your room, then from any of the outside decks. Starboard rooms see the lagoon, the beaches, etc. Port side rooms see the dock, the sand dredge area, and support structures.

 

[EOD K9]

Amazingly enough, there are still two cabanas left for Serenity Bay and we are under 55 days.

 

[DVCPluto]

I'm not sure how much sun your mom can take. Are we talking 15 minutes and she is done? How is she at a beach normally. Remeber, the UV rays reflect off water and off sand, so even under an umbrella, if she is super-sensitive, she may have some issues.

A cabama will be hard to score, as they are limited,. and Castaway Club members who are higher in status get an earlier shot at them.

However, there are places she can get some relief from the sun. The bars and dining areas are all under shade. The gift shops are indoors, if you really feel like hanging out there. If she can handle some time in the sun, I would do something like the sting rays (you can book that ahead, and it is at a given time, so no waiting around in the sun) and then maybe stop at the bar for a drink in the shade.

One thing to remember is that at Castaway Cay, most people leave the ship. This means it is a great time to do things on the ship - spa treatment time slots open up, the various entertainment venues are easier to get into, and the ship is generally much less crowded. Since the ship docks right on the island (as opposed to offshore with tenders as some other lines do) you get a great view of the island. If not from your room, then from any of the outside decks. Starboard rooms see the lagoon, the beaches, etc. Port side rooms see the dock, the sand dredge area, and support structures.

Thank you!! That's very helpful - they can always retreat to the boat and sit on their verandah or use the other amenities.

I think DH, DS and myself will be a bit more adventurous and book a package like @belledream suggested (thank you!!)