Disney Dream Day 2: Castaway Cay & The 5K

Our first port day on our most recent Disney Dream cruise was at Castaway Cay. We had plans to run the 5K, then hang on the beach the remainder of the day. Since it was Brayden's first time at Castaway Cay (and the beach in general), we wanted it to be extra special and memorable for him!

Fun tip I never knew: If you have a small child and are interested in running the 5K, there's a drop off point for Scuttle's Cove on your way to the start line. The 5K cut off age is 10 years old, so it was nice being able to drop Brayden off right there on our route. Scuttle's Cove is entirely enclosed with no access to the beach (it's more of a splash pad type area). Super convenient and easy!

As we docked at Castaway Cay, we spent a little time taking in the beauty of the island. It was such a pretty day, too!

Breakfast in Cabanas consisted of (of course), Mickey waffles!

Prior to previous Castaway Cay 5K's I'd run, this one was a little different. Instead of meeting as a group in the Walt Disney Theater and walking to the start line together, we were directed to meet instead on the island itself. As I previously mentioned, we were able to drop Brayden off on our (LONG) walk to the start line. Castaway Cay 5K's seriously bring back memories from half marathons at Walt Disney World and the crazy long walk to the start line!

It's a great way to see the island early in the morning without the crowds, though!

Another change since I last ran this race was the start line! Instead of staring the race at the start/finish line area, runners were directed to continue walking to the air strip to start the race.

I wasn't sure how my IT Band or hamstring would hold up during this race since I had so many issues running the half marathon just two days prior, so I decided to stick towards the back and take it kind of slow.

With the recent hurricane Dorian that hit the area, I could see much more of Castaway Cay than I remembered. It seemed as if a lot of the areas that were usually full of greenery no longer were. It was very nice and clean, but I was amazed at how much of the island I could now see!

The Castaway Cay 5K takes runners and walkers down the airstrip and around the bike path. All along the way, there are various coolers of water with cups and it's so refreshing during a hot run!

They also had a set up of water in cups about midway through and it was manned by a couple of cast members.

I spotted my friends on one of our out and back loops! Hi husband and friends!

With that, it was almost time to finish the race! I love how the course is well marked, too!

Believe it or not, I was worried for nothing. Castaway Cay is SUPER flat, so my IT Band and hamstring gave me zero issues during this run! I was so excited!!

We were all so excited to have another medal to add to the collection!

After finishing our run, we all changed into our beach attire and told our friends to go to Serenity Bay. I wanted them to fully experience the amazingness of that little slice of heaven and since they weren't traveling with kids, it was the perfect opportunity!

In the mean time, we picked Brayden up from Scuttles Cove (where he had a ball) and headed over to the family beach! Life jackets were in abundant supply and we had no problems finding one for him.

He LOVED swimming and playing in the sand. It truly was a magical experience for all of us!

Midway through the day, we snagged lunch at Cookie's BBQ. This is one of my favorite parts of a Disney Cruise as the food is so delicious!

This child still talks about these banana ice cream cones, too!

Back on the beach, Jason and I took turns relaxing and playing with Brayden. While Jason played with him in the ocean. When we swapped, I took Brayden over to the splash pad area to play.

This kid seriously loved everything about Castaway Cay!

It truly was a magical day for our family!

We spent as much time as humanly possible on Castaway Cay before heading back to the ship.

Our friends loved Serenity Bay, too!

That evening, we had dinner in Enchanted Gardens. I know it's silly, but we bought these matching outfits on Castaway Cay several years ago and this was our first time for all three of us to wear them! 

It's vacation...live a little, right?! :)

Back in our room that evening, we literally crashed after such a long and fun day on the island. None of us wanted to leave and can't wait to return!

If you've visited Castaway Cay, what's your favorite part of the island?


Disney Travel Day: Wine and Dine Expo & Animal Kingdom
Disney Day 2: Wine and Dine 10K & Kids Races & Hollywood Studios/Epcot
Disney Day 3: Wine and Dine Half Marathon & Magic Kingdom
Disney Day 4: Boarding the Disney Dream
Disney Day 5: Castaway Cay
Disney Day 6: Nassau
Disney Day 7: At Sea Day
Disney Day 8: Disney Springs and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Running on a Disney Cruise Line Ship

Running while on vacation is definitely a personal preference. Some runners choose to go on vacation and not worry about a schedule while others like to stick to a training plan. While I'm not super strict about a specific training plan, running on vacation is definitely something I enjoy.

Thankfully, Disney Cruise Line makes the option of working out or running while on board possible!

#1 Jogging Deck

Located on deck 4, this is my favorite way to get in a run while out to sea! On the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, 2.5 laps equals a mile. On the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, 3 laps equals a mile. Pro tip: (This is kind of an obvious one) While the ship is in motion, your fitness watch will not register the correct distance - for example, I once ran a "4 minute mile" while cruising Alaska because the ship was also moving. Hah...right. I suggest bringing along a fitbit or step counter to help keep track of your movement.

#2 Fitness Center (located just inside the Senses Spa)

The Fitness Center on all four Disney ships offers a wide variety of ways to workout. From weight machines to the elliptical and treadmills, there's so many options for the fitness enthusiast. I once attempted running on the treadmill while the ship was in motion and my uncoordinated self almost fell off. True story. However, I do like the personal TV's that are located at most machines - those were a nice option! Pro tip: You also have use of the restroom and showers that are located inside the Senses Spa after your workout. The shower gel and shampoo/conditioner that's included in these showers are by Elemis and it's heavenly. Trust me on this one!

#3 Castaway Cay 5K

On most sailings, a 3.1 mile run around Disney's Castaway Cay is offered. At this moment, it's free to participate and runners each receive a race bib as well as a medal upon completion of the race. Runners can register once on board the ship at the excursions desk. This race is so much fun and a neat way to see the bike path as well as other parts of the island. If you're interested, check out these blog posts for more information on the Castaway Cay 5K.

• 2014 - Comparing the Castaway Cay 5K from 2009 to 2014
• 2014 Castaway Cay 5K Vlog
• 2017 Castaway Cay 5K Recap
• 2017 Castaway Cay 5K Vlog

And for the avid runDisney enthusiast, you can also add a Disney cruise to the end of your runDisney race weekend experience (currently available for Marathon Weekend in January). We participated in the "Castaway Challenge" back in 2015 and had a blast!

• 2015 Castaway Challenge Part 1
• 2015 Castaway Challenge Part 2
• 2015 Castaway Challenge Vlog

As you can see, there's many different ways to get those training miles or workout in while sailing with Disney Cruise Line! Check out this video below for a tour of the jogging deck and a glimpse of the Fitness Center located inside of the Senses Spa on the Disney Fantasy!

Have a magical day! :)

It's the Tuesdays On The Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty. 

Remaining Summer Running Goals

Although the calendars say that summer is coing to a close soon, that couldn't be farther from the truth for Southwest Louisiana. If this year's weather pattern follows the last, we will have summer like temperatures into October which really makes me sad because I love fall! Oh well, let's hope we at least have a few "fall like" days soon!

Today's Tuesdays on the Run topic is all about our remaining summer running goals.

I have one.
 

My remaining summer running goal is to run the Castaway Cay 5K on Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Soon and very soon, we will be out in the Caribbean, enjoying the sweet sound of waves crashing on the shore and I'll have the chance to run this 5K once again.

I've mentioned this before, but it's amazing to see how this race has changed and evolved so much over the years. When I first ran it back in 2009, we had maybe 15 fairly hard core runners that met with a cast member on the gangplank and I was the little newbie runner who had no clue what was going on. Now, runners meet in the Walt Disney Theater and there's usually hundreds of runners that take part in this race on each cruise.

We can't wait to board the Disney Fantasy and take part in all the fun the ship has to offer. I also plan on going for a few training runs on the jogging deck on our at sea days.

Do you have a remaining summer running goal?

It's the Tuesdays On The Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty. 

VLOG: Disney Cruise Line Day 7 & 8 (At Sea Day & Castaway Cay)

Here we are, just a few weeks before our next cruise, and I finally finished the video recaps of our previous cruise last October. I would have had these done sooner, but Vlogidays came into play and so did our January Marathon Weekend trip. So, here we are almost a year later and they are finally complete! Better late than never I say!

Our final two days consisted of an at Sea Day where we completely and 100% enjoyed a brunch at Palo. We might have also won a trivia game that day, too!

Last but not least, our final day on the cruise took us to Castaway Cay where we ran the 5K, snorkeled, and spent time at Serenity Bay!

In all, we had a fantastic time and loved our fabulous 10th Anniversary celebration spent at sea!

If you're interested in these recaps and want to see more, stay tuned this fall because more will be coming your way! Also, I'll be in and out of Instagram throughout our cruise posting updates, so be sure to follow along with our adventures there!

Missed a recap? Check them out here:

• Day 1 Animal Kingdom and Epcot & VLOG
• Day 2 Boarding the Disney Fantasy & VLOG
• Day 3 Day at Sea with Remy Brunch & VLOG
• Day 4 Cozumel & Chichen Itza & VLOG
• Day 5 - Grand Cayman & Sting Ray City & VLOG
• Day 6 - Jamaica & Ziplining & VLOG
• Day 7 - Second Day at Sea with Palo Brunch & VLOG
• Day 8 - Castaway Cay Day & VLOG

 Thanks for following along!

10th Anniversary Vacay - Day 8 Castaway Cay

Our final day on board the Disney Fantasy was spent at Castaway Cay! We had a blast on the island and loved running the 5K! If you've missed previous recaps, check them out below:

• Day 1 Animal Kingdom and Epcot & VLOG
• Day 2 Boarding the Disney Fantasy & VLOG
• Day 3 Day at Sea with Remy Brunch & VLOG
• Day 4 Cozumel & Chichen Itza & VLOG
• Day 5 - Grand Cayman & Sting Ray City & VLOG
• Day 6 - Jamaica & Ziplining & VLOG
• Day 7 - Second Day at Sea with Palo Brunch & VLOG
• Day 8 - Castaway Cay Day & VLOG

Our morning began with room service breakfast that we enjoyed on the verandah while watching the sunrise!

We also had the chance to watch the ship dock at Castaway Cay which was super fun!

Our group was set to meet early in the Walt Disney Theater for the 5K. I am seriously amazed at the volume of people doing these races now over the past few years. I still remember our first cruise in 2009 when only like 8 of us showed up for the 5K!

We were delayed with the 5K due to a decent sized storm that was passing through. After it mostly passed, we were directed out to the pier for our long walk to the start line of the 5K. They were also randomly handing out ponchos at the gangplank - you know, those $20 ponchos from the parks? Yes, they were handing them out to us like no big deal. They might not actually be $20 but I'm pretty sure they are like $16!

By the time we made it to the start line for the 5K, the rain had completely passed and it was turning out to be a beautiful day!

Up next on our agenda was a snorkeling adventure. I'd never snorkeled at Castaway Cay and I wanted to see the hidden Mickey and Minnie underneath the water!

Mission accomplished! We spent a little over an hour snorkeling the entire area here. It was really pretty and I liked the themeing but there weren't a lot of fish which was kind of disappointing.

The boys had taken a fishing excursion that morning so we waited for this at Cookies 2.

 They joined us not long after we arrived and we dug in and enjoyed some BBQ!

This cookie was as big as my head!

After lunch, we spent the remainder of our time at Serenity Bay, just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. We also got in the ocean for a little while which was fun!

 

After a FULL day at Castaway Cay, we decided to head back to the ship to change for dinner! We were excited for Animator's Palate that night!

Goodbye, Castaway Cay! Until next time!

As we pulled away from the dock, these workers were waving with their giant Mickey hands! So cute!

I'd never eaten at the new and improved Animator's Palate, so this was super fun!

We also had to snag a picture with our wait staff on our final night.

Aaaaand being the big nerds that we are...so, we all purchased these outfits on Castaway Cay and so did half of our ship because EVERYONE had these on! You see the guy behind us that photo bombed us in the above picture? Yes, he had one on, too! Hah!

After dinner, we walked around and took pictures with a few characters who were out and about!

I'm still cracking up about our matching outfits. We are so dumb.

We also watched the "Until We Meet Again" presentation in the lobby which was really cute and sad all at the same time.

 
It was our final night on board the ship and our final towel creation!

We had such an AMAZING time on board the Disney Fantasy and I can't wait to do it all over again! We loved spending time with our friends and being on board a new (to us) ship! Now we've officially traveled on all four Disney Cruise Line ships! How fun!

Thanks for sticking by through all of these recaps! We really had a great time and I'm looking forward to a repeat next year (hopefully with an Eastern Itinerary) on the Disney Fantasy again! See ya real soon! :)