Island-hopping

At the end of breakfast, we take the dishes to the kitchenette sink and wash them, wiping them each with a dish towel and placing them gently in a drying rack on the counter. We likewise clean our glassware and silverware. After allowing them to air-dry, we stack them neatly to await pickup by the serving staff.

Nah, I’m just kidding. The dirty dishes stay on the table. We've each quickly become accustomed to being waited upon hand and foot, so no one even suggests otherwise. Someone will take care of the dishes!

Castaway Cay awaits! This beautiful Caribbean island is wholly owned by Disney, and they have adapted its natural beauty for the benefit of their cruisers, with water sports and boating areas, a family beach, a teens-only beach, an adults-only beach, a children’s club area, dining pavilions, shops, and more. Like the theme parks’ well-kept fantasy versions of the real world, this real-world island is kept beautifully and makes for a spectacular experience.

If you like beaches, that is. We skipped it on our last trip.

We really do enjoy the island, but none of us are really the type of people who like to hang out at the beach for unlimited hours. We did spend a short while at the family beach on our first trip, in 2003, but went back aboard before lunch, when the weather turned threatening. In 2005, as I said, Becky and the boys and I stayed on board and enjoyed the almost-empty shipboard pools – and I rested my hurting feet!

Today we’re itching to get back and enjoy it again, though as before we probably won’t stay all day.

We change into swimsuits with t-shirts, hats, flip-flops, etc., while Toy Story plays on the television. It’s still tempting to stay in, but it’s also shaping up to be just a beautiful day outside.