It’s a day that nine out of ten guests (my estimated number, of course) on Disney Cruise Line wait all voyage for: Castaway Cay day! It’s a day that allows DCL guests to experience a tropical island done the Disney way. Guests have little to worry about as it’s all been figured out for them. There’s plenty of beach chairs to lounge in, climbers and slides and activities for the children, and an adults-only getaway area for the grownups. Disney has even included a beachside barbecue lunch for all to enjoy.
Cookie’s BBQ and Cookie’s Too BBQ are the hot spots come lunchtime on your Castaway Cay day. Both locations are adjacent to the family beaches, and both offer the same menu items. Rest assured that wherever your family lands, food won’t be far away. Even the grown-ups enjoying the peacefulness of Serenity Bay have food nearby, with the inclusion of an item or two that guests won’t find at the Cookie’s locations near the family beaches. We’ll cover those items in just a bit.
Lunchtime begins on Castaway Cay day at 11:30am and runs until 2pm. The meal, soft drinks, and soft-serve ice cream are included in the cost of the cruise. As you walk toward any of the dining locations, you’ll be handed a sanitizing wipe with which to clean your hands, and you’ll be pointed in the direction of one of several buffet lines. At Cookie’s and Cookie’s Too, all lines offer the same selection.
The meal includes items that you would expect to find at a backyard barbecue, as well as a few that you might not normally expect. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken breast sandwiches can all be found on the buffet. Be warned: Sean noted that the Spicy Chicken Burger is legitimately spicy. If you’re someone who likes your food to have a kick, this sandwich is for you.
Guests who adhere to a plant-based diet will be happy to find that a vegetable burger is available upon request. Cajun Chicken and BBQ Pork Ribs round out the entrée choices.
As for the number of offered sides, Cookie’s and Cookie’s Too don’t disappoint. The chefs on Castaway Cay offer Corn on the Cob (Kansas Corn), Sauerkraut, Couscous, Red Skinned Potato Salad, Tomato Salad, Coleslaw, and bags of Lay’s potato chips in both regular and barbecue flavors. Just as a note: the couscous side is cold, and is heavy on the onion.
A unique Garlic and Mozzarella Flat Bread is prepared onsite in Cookie’s large oven. Please grab a slice of this flatbread the next time that you’re at Cookie’s if you haven’t tried it in the past.
In my book, the flatbread is a great snack and provides a lighter alternative if the burgers and such sound just a bit too heavy for your beach day.
The dessert offerings here at Cookie’s are the stuff of my family’s legends. The chocolate chip cookies are incredible. When the name of the place is Cookie’s, the cookies have to be epic, right?
These cookies are huge and simply delicious. They’ve been on the menu here on the island since the dawn of time, and I hope that they never leave. My kids have consumed countless numbers of these over the years.
Tropical Fruit Salad, Banana Bread, and Pineapple Crumble Bar Cake are also found just around the corner from the entrées. Both the banana bread and the pineapple cake are moist and quite good.
A fresh fruit stand can be found just outside of Cookie’s if you’re in the mood to try to balance out your meal. Sometimes a bunch of red grapes hits the spot better than just about anything else. Well, except for soft-serve ice cream.
There are soft-serve ice cream machines available just outside of Cookie’s and Cookie’s Too for guests to create creamy masterpieces of their very own. On the day that I was on Castaway Cay in late February, the ice cream flavors that were available were Banana, Strawberry, Chocolate, and Vanilla, and you could swirl the first two as well as the latter. I highly recommend the Banana soft serve. Adults at Serenity Bay don’t need to worry; they have an ice cream machine of their very own.
Over at the adults-only Serenity Bay, grown-ups can find a barbecue buffet of their very own that sports a few additions to those that families will find at the Cookie’s and Cookie’s Too buffets.
In addition to cheeseburgers and veggie burgers, guests at Serenity Bay will find special offerings like Cajun Chicken, Cajun Mahi Mahi, and Rib Eye Steaks.
Some of these items are grilled right in front of guests, and the crew members are more than ready to answer any questions that you may have.
Fresh cut fruit is plentiful on Serenity Bay.
In addition to all of the side dishes offered at Cookie’s and Cookie’s Too, adults will also find a Greek Salad that features large chunks of feta.
A soda fountain is available at all dining locations on Castaway Cay, and Powerade, water, lemonade, and Vitamin Water are available as well.
The menu on Castaway Cay hasn’t had a major change in years. There have been additions, such as the veggie burger and garlic flatbread, but no wholesale edits. Loved ones of picky eaters should note that there isn’t a chicken nugget to be found on the island. If this will be a make or break moment for your traveling party, please note that dining locations will be open and available onboard the ship during your stop at Castaway Cay.
Do you have a lunchtime favorite on Castaway Cay? Let me know in the comments section below.
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