I had chosen this cruise because of its itinerary, one port of call in particular: Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
I had a “BT, DT” attitude about Castaway Cay. There is nothing wrong with Castaway Cay. I’m not a picky eater, so nothing to complain about there, and the beaches were great for the grandkids. Serenity Bay is also great.
And there was always the dread of the Castaway Cay 5k that I felt obligated to run, even though I really hate running. So with no 5k pressure on Lookout Cay, I could relax. And I didn’t have to pack my running gear.
I was just excited to experience something new. I had already prepped the family about the long walk from the ship to shore, and we debated packing an umbrella stroller for the 2-year-old. In the end, we agreed to take turns carrying him if he got cranky or dawdled. He motors pretty well on his feet, but still, that’s a long walk for those pudgy little legs.
It was a four-night cruise on the Disney Fantasy out of Port Canaveral. At the time, this was the Disney “quintfecta” (It’s a word. Look it up if you don’t believe me) for us, as we adults had now sailed on all five Disney ships (the Disney Treasure hadn’t come out yet).
We were a family of eleven: six adults and five of our grands. The cruise would take us to Nassau, then Lookout Cay, then a day at sea, then back to port.
It was a choppy cruise. Not bounce-off-the-walls choppy, but you could definitely feel it. A few of the grandkids in our party had some negative effects from the movement, and kids don’t always give a heads-up when they…well…you know. Because of this, there was a motion put forth from one of the delegates to consider taking a break from family cruising for a year. That motion will be taken under advisement, but with little confidence that it has the votes to carry.
We’re not big fans of Nassau, so I took advantage of the port day with fewer guests on board to take my equally favorite grandkids on a little “Pixie-Dusting-With-a-Twist” tour. While the three girls dropped trinkets into the fish extenders, I gave my two grandsons, ages 12 and 2, an important job. For every stateroom door they encountered without decorations, they were to place one Mickey Mouse silhouette magnet. I’m certain you can find these on Etsy, or make them yourself (Cricut to the rescue!). Choppiness aside, it was the start of a great cruise.
But then the announcement came.
I can’t repeat it verbatim, but it was basically, “Due to the high winds and choppy seas in the area, we will not be able to dock at Lookout Cay. Instead, we will be going to Castaway Cay!”
I felt bad for the skeleton crew on Castaway Cay who thought they were getting a day off.
You might think that the unique layout at Lookout Cay, with the dock being so far from shore, would make parking easier. But the reality is that a dock is a fixed object, and a ship is subject to the whims and wiles of Mother Nature. If it’s windy and choppy, it would be like parking a car during an earthquake. You will, at the very least, bang into the curb or take out a parking meter. Safety of guests and cast members, first; safety of ship, second.
When plans change, they are either changed by us or changed on us. If by us, we likely made a calculated decision to do so, and we own it. If changed on us, it helps to be flexible and adapt to the changing circumstance – especially if you can’t do anything about it. Let the rational part of your brain take over and accept that it is in the best interest of everyone, ship included, to bypass any port that might be treacherous.
Alas, there will be no Nature Walk, no pristine beach, no Goombay Cultural Center, no Junkanoo Festival, no half-mile walk from ship to shore – and back…all the things that made Lookout Cay unique and different from Castaway Cay.
So we were heading to Castaway Cay again (and gosh darn it, I didn’t bring my running gear). I’m probably the only one in our group who was less than thrilled. We didn’t have port adventures planned for Lookout Cay, so we didn’t have to make any adjustments. If so, we would’ve sought out comparable excursions on Castaway Cay via the Disney Cruise Line app. And it was a gorgeous day on Castaway Cay, so no complaints. I must admit it beats two back-to-back sea days.
So I will have to wait for another time to visit Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. By then, with my luck, they’ll develop a 5k course.
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They are doing a 5K on Lookout Cay, some people have seen merch for it in the shops.
It’s surprising that they weren’t able to dock at Lookout but were able to dock at Castaway. Must’ve had to do with the current (in addition wind).