If you’re taking a Disney Christmas Cruise to the Caribbean, you’ll most likely be stopping by Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. With Sand Snowmen and Reindeer Trams, there are fun decorations and holiday-themed photo ops to add to your holiday on Christmas Island. Check out the extra holiday magic you can enjoy for Christmas at Castaway Cay on Disney’s Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise.
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Disney Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise
Adding a Christmas Cruise to your holiday season is a great way to get in some extra fun, extra relaxation and a chance to take in all that Christmas has to offer, without the chaos back home. For the best prices and your personal holiday sanity, we recommend aiming for a Disney Very Merrytime Cruise early in the holiday season. Not only are those dates cheaper, but it also gives you enough time to enjoy the season and grab those last-minute gifts once you return back home.
As most of the Christmas fun happens on the boat, be sure to take a look at our Very Merrytime Disney Christmas Cruise Guide for how it’s different than a non-themed cruise, and everything you need to know before you go. And if you’re looking for all the reasons that a Disney Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise is Special, check out our Top 5 Things to Do on A Disney Very Merrytime Disney Christmas Cruise. This will give you a great idea of what’s in store, so you don’t miss the festive fun.
Christmas at Disney’s Castaway Cay
When sailing on a Disney Cruise, your Castaway Cay day is by far one of the best. With the promise of beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery and a whole island that’s easy to navigate is such a treat. Literally too, because lunch is free and so are the cookies and ice cream. As such, just being on Castaway Cay is a break much needed. But, during the holidays, you get a little extra magic. From decorations to photo ops and special treats, here’s what you can find on Castaway Cay at Christmastime.
Christmas Decorations
From the moment you disembark the ship, you can see the Christmas changes. A towering tree, Mickey sled, sand people, and more await your arrival near the entrance to the island.
Christmas Tree and Sleigh
Most notable is the gigantic Christmas Tree that towers next to the ship. Covered in flowers, sand creature ornaments, and Christmas baubles of all kinds, you can marvel at the decorations and get some ideas for your own tree back home. Next to the tree is typically the sleigh, complete with presents, beach chairs, and Mickey life preservers.
Sand Snowmen
Another holiday scene includes the sand snowmen, welcoming you ashore. This is a great place overall to stop and snap a photo. As these decorations are only up for the Disney Very Merrytime Cruises, it’s good to capture the memories while you can.
Reindeer Tram and Santa Buoys
Another Christmas treat to keep an eye out for is the Reindeer Tram. If you’re heading to the beach by tram, instead of walking, you’ll hop aboard the tram, decorated like Rudolph himself. Complete with reindeer antlers and a nose that glows. You can catch the tram on Castaway Cay at four tram stops; Kargo Handling, Scuttle’s Cove, Pelican Point, and Serenity Bay.
If you choose to walk the path to Castaway Cay instead, then you’ll see the Santa buoys. These little buoys are turned upside to make Santa’s face and beard cheerily decorated for the season. They hang from the posts along the path, so if you take the tram, you may miss them.
Disney Castaway Cay Guide
Once past all the Christmas decorations, Castaway Cay returns to its typical jolly island demeanor. You can find Olaf-themed drinks at the Summertime Freeze Frozen Drink Stand and run or walk the FREE Castaway Cay 5k. And if you are an adult traveling without children, you can head to Serenity Bay for some downtime, music, and drinks. Check out everything you can do on the Disney Cruise Castaway Cay Island for Adults.
From lounging on the beach to biking, snorkel rentals, and waterslides, there is so much to do on Castaway Cay that you’re sure to wish you had more than one day! ( And on some longer cruises, you do!) Be sure to check out the Disney Cruise Castaway Cay Guide for everything to do see and eat during your Island day at Castaway Cay.
Castaway Cay Restaurants
And if you’re sailing during the holidays, you may even get some specialty holiday treats on the island. Restaurants include Cookies BBQ, Cookies Too BBQ, and Serenity Bay BBQ. All of these serve food that is INCLUDED in your cruise costs, so no payment is needed. You can also head to additional seating at the covered pavilions nearby or at Pop’s Props and Boat Repair, Dig In, Gumbo Limbo, and Grouper. And you can also grab specialty drinks, for both kids and grown-ups at Summertime Freeze, featuring the Olaf sipper, and all things Frozen.
And if you’re looking for places to grab a drink, you can head to several bars on the island, all of which offer drinks at an extra cost.
- Conched Out Bar near the Family Beach and Cookies BBQ
- The Heads Up Bar is located on the boardwalk, overlooking Pelican Plunge
- The Sand Bar is nearby Cookie’s Too BBQ
- Castaway Air Bar is located on Serenity Bay Beach
Disney Christmas Cruise Shirts
And we just couldn’t finish the post without sharing our Disney Christmas Cruise Shirts! Whether you’re dressing for Christmas on Castaway Cay or need a festive shirt to layer under your cardigan, we’ve got a few that we made special! These Disney Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise Shirts are perfect to grab a souvenir before you go. Grab the designs in our Disney Christmas Cruise Collections in the shop.
- Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise Shirt
- Castaway Cay Christmas Island Shirt
- Merriest Disney Christmas Cruise Shirt
Christmas on Disney’s Castaway Cay
There you have it. Some things you can do on Castaway Cay at Christmas that you can’t any other time of year. We hope this mini guide has been helpful, and given you an idea of what to expect on your next Disney Christmas Cruise to the Caribbean.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
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