Mickey’s own island: walk-off pier, free BBQ and the Castaway Cay 5K.
Castaway Cay is Disney Cruise Line’s private island in the Abacos, and Disney built a pier so the ship ties up and you walk or ride a free tram to the beach in about ten minutes. Families spend the day at the Family Beach and the Pelican Plunge floating slides, adults head down the old airstrip to Serenity Bay, and everyone eats a free lunch at Cookie’s BBQ; many itineraries now pair it with Disney’s second Bahamas stop, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point on Eleuthera. SmartCruiser lists every Disney cruise that calls at Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.
Three ways to do Castaway Cay
Pick a family beach day, an adults-only day at Serenity Bay or a double-dip cruise that visits both Disney islands, and the buttons filter the list of sailings below.
Family Beach, Pelican Plunge and Scuttle’s Cove
- Calm, shallow water behind a breakwater with free loungers and umbrellas, lifeguards and the free Pelican Plunge slides and drench bucket (check the app; it was offline for refurbishment in late summer 2026)
- Spring-a-Leak splash pad for toddlers, the In-Da-Shade game pavilion, and Scuttle’s Cove drop-off kids’ club so parents get an hour to themselves
- Characters meet on the island in beach gear; the Castaway Cay 5K at 8 am is free and comes with a medal
Best for: families, first-timers, 3 and 4 night getaways
Serenity Bay
- A second tram down the old airstrip takes you to the 18-plus beach with its own bar, loungers and massage cabanas
- Hangar 98 replaced the old Serenity Bay BBQ in late 2025 with grilled ribeye alongside the usual spread
- Adults-only cabanas start around $555 and family and grand cabanas run to $1,320 and up; they sell out the minute booking opens
Best for: couples, grandparents, anyone who wants quiet sand
Castaway Cay plus Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
- Lookout Cay opened in June 2024 on the south tip of Eleuthera with Junkanoo shows, the Rush Out Gush Out water play area and the True-True BBQ
- Ships dock at the half-mile Turbot Berth pier; it is a 10 to 15 minute unshaded walk to Mabrika Cove, then a free tram to the beaches and its own Serenity Bay
- Many 4 to 7 night sailings from Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale visit both islands
Best for: repeat Disney cruisers, longer vacations
Castaway Cay cruises: SmartCruiser picks first
Every Disney cruise that calls at Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, month, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery cruise that calls at Castaway Cay
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Home ports that sail to Castaway Cay
Disney sails to its islands from four US ports, and picking one below filters the list above to cruises leaving that port.
Things to do at Castaway Cay
Most of the island is included in your fare; here is what is free, what is worth paying for and how to get there.
Which lines call at Castaway Cay?
Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay are Disney Cruise Line destinations; use the Bahamas and Caribbean pages to compare them with every other line’s private island.
When to go
The Abacos are warm and swimmable all year; winter and spring are dry and the busiest, summer is hot with afternoon showers, and hurricane season runs June through November.
Castaway Cay questions we answer every day
Does the ship dock at Castaway Cay or tender?
It docks. Disney dredged a channel and built a pier, so the ship ties up alongside and you walk about ten minutes to the first beach or ride the free open-air tram; a second tram runs down the old airstrip to Serenity Bay. Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point also has a pier, Turbot Berth, but it is a half-mile unshaded walk to the Mabrika Cove entrance before you reach the tram.
What is free and what costs extra?
Free: beaches, loungers, umbrellas, trams, towels, Pelican Plunge, Spring-a-Leak, the game pavilion, the 5K, lunch at Cookie’s BBQ and Cookie’s Too, fountain soda and soft-serve. Extra: snorkel gear (about $34 adults, $19 kids), floats and tubes (about $15), bikes (about $15 an hour), the stingray adventure, boat rentals, cabanas, alcohol and specialty smoothies. Everything charges to your room key.
Do I need cash, and what about phone service?
Only for the small Bahamian post office near the pier, which takes US or Bahamian dollars for stamps and postcards with the Castaway Cay postmark, and for tips. Phones roam on Bahamian networks at international rates, and the ship’s Wi-Fi reaches part of the Family Beach near the pier. The island is on Eastern time, the same as Florida.
Is Castaway Cay safe?
Yes. It is a private island with only Disney guests and cast members ashore, lifeguards at every swimming beach, life jackets free at the beach stations and a medical team on call. The usual beach advice applies: reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes for the rockier Serenity Bay entry and a meeting point for teens using the island on their own.
What should I book ahead, and when?
Cabanas, Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure, the parasailing and boat rentals and the Lookout Cay eco-tours open at your Castaway Club booking window (up to 123 days out for Pearl members, 75 days for first-timers) and the cabanas go within minutes. Snorkel gear, floats and bikes can be rented on the island the same day. Lunch, the 5K and the character meets need no reservation.
Do I need a passport for a Castaway Cay cruise?
US citizens on a round trip from a US port can sail with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate under the closed-loop rule, but we recommend a passport for everyone, and Disney requires one for minors traveling without both parents to carry the right consent letter too; if you had to fly home from the Bahamas you would need a passport. Non-US citizens should carry a passport and any visas required for the Bahamas and the United States.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions, cabanas, rentals, alcohol and gratuities are extra.
Talk to a Castaway Cay cruise specialist
Tell us your dates and home port and we will check availability on every Disney sailing that calls at Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay, including the ones with SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.