The title of this blog will immediately give away the answer of whether or not we made it to Castaway Cay in the Bahamas for the second time on our Halloween on the High Seas “Double Dip” cruise onboard the Disney Dream – but yes we did miss our stop on Disney’s private island that day as we were unable to dock due to Hurricane Ian which I had predicted earlier in the cruise.

When I woke up at 7:00am and walked out onto our verandah, the weather that morning was not good and the sea was a little rough although thankfully we could not feel any movement on the ship at all. I could just about see Castaway Cay behind us in the distance so immediately guessed that we had another day at sea to look forward to. After getting a cup of tea for both of us (and once again hearing “Almost There” playing in the corridor which I always seem to hear at the most fitting times), I turned on the “Good Morning Disney Dream” show on the television and was immediately confused as they were talking about not being able to dock at Castaway Cay that day before finishing the show with “Enjoy exploring the island!” Because of this we did wonder if we were going to make another attempt to dock there later in the morning if the weather improved.

At 8:30am Captain Jason made an announcement that sounded throughout the ship including all of the staterooms to say that as it was impossible to dock safely at Castaway Cay that morning due to 30 knot winds and 10 foot high seas, we would be having another day at sea instead where we would try and find some sunshine and better weather. He also mentioned that the forecast was looking good for our rescheduled day in Nassau the following day. Matthew our Cruise Director then spoke and said to keep an eye on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app as an updated schedule for the day would shortly be published.

It would be very easy to be upset at missing Castaway Cay however this was the first time in nine cruises that we have ever missed a port so we cannot complain at all. No one can control the weather and it is simply a risk you take not only when booking a cruise but especially when booking a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas during hurricane season when you have to expect some possible disruption.

After getting dressed we walked down to a very quiet Lobby Atrium to take some photos of the Halloween decorations before making our way to Cabanas to get some breakfast and even though it was very busy in there, the atmosphere seemed very sombre when we arrived.  I decided to order the Plant Based Scramble that can be made at the omelette station in Cabanas and this also came with some Plant Based Sausage Patties which were delicious – it was great to finally have something new to eat onboard.

After finishing our breakfast we made a cup of tea and sat in the sunshine on the chairs by Currents on Deck 13 as blue skies had started to appear all around the ship and it was turning into a beautiful morning at sea.  I was as happy as I could be as I would much rather have a day at sea with nicer weather instead of being at Castaway Cay in the wind and the rain. You can let something like this ruin your day or you can make the most of it.

As they say “Ship Happens” and if there is anything the last few years and being stuck at home during a lockdown and unable to travel for such a long time has taught me is to look for the good in everything as well as be grateful for everything. We were onboard the beautiful Disney Dream in the Bahamas having a wonderful time so we were definitely going to make the most of our unexpected day at sea and not let it ruin our trip.

We had never booked this specific cruise just because it was a “Double Dip” with two stops at Castaway Cay and we were both extremely grateful that we had even been able to dock there two days previously given the circumstances and the weather. Missing our day in Castaway Cay was a new cruise experience for us and we looked at it as a positive as we both love sea days and it means that we can look forward to our next visit even more when the time comes.

After checking the updated Disney Cruise Line Navigator app, we noticed that there was a lot of character Meet and Greets scheduled that morning so we decided to see who we could meet. Since our last cruise the Navigator now lists exactly which character will be out at a particular time as due to the strict protocols onboard after sailings resumed, it was only ever listed as a “Character Photo” and you never knew who you were going to meet each time.

All of the characters were wearing their Castaway Cay beach outfits which you never usually see onboard (as they only wear these outfits on the island) so again we took this as a positive and a new experience as it was something that you do not usually see. There were characters everywhere you looked that morning and we started by meeting both Mickey followed by Minnie who were at Preludes.

We then saw both Pluto and Mickey who were walking around all of the decks inside as well as outside on Deck 4 before grabbing a nice coffee from Vista Cafe in the Lobby Atrium whilst we waited to meet Goofy and Donald.

Our last character Meet and Greet of the morning and the one which had the longest line was Chip and Dale.  Whilst we were waiting I loved that the family in front of us handed them both a small stuffed version of themselves so we got to watch Chip tuck his Mini-Me into the front of his outfit before jumping around and pretending to be a kangaroo! It was so funny to watch.

After a very busy morning meeting plenty of characters, we headed back to our stateroom to sit on our verandah and enjoy some peace and quiet for a few minutes.  Not long afterwards it started to rain once again and we even had some very loud thunder as well so we decided to sit inside at Cabanas when we got some lunch.

After having a light lunch we noticed that all of the swimming pools had been closed due to the weather. It seemed that for the rest of the afternoon, as soon as we found some good weather and sunshine, the clouds, rain, thunder and some lightning very quickly caught up with us.  This is the third cruise that we have done at the end of September and the first with weather like this so I think we were just very lucky those other times.

At 3:30pm we walked to Pub 687 for the “Making of the Dream” presentation all about the origins of Disney Cruise Line and the design inspiration and construction of the Disney Dream.  Pub 687 was the perfect venue for this activity as 687 is the actual hull number of the Disney Dream.  This was the first time we had ever been inside this bar and I loved seeing all of the photos of the ship when she was being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg in Germany.

Dominique was our brilliant host who played a video and showed photos from the construction of the Disney Dream before talking about the evolution of the ship design from the older Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.  She also told us that there are two replicas of the Disney Dream keel coin located in Pub 687 – one is above the bar and the other is located just behind the door where you enter.

After leaving Pub 687 there were long lines already forming in the Lobby Atrium to meet the characters in their pirate outfits ready for Pirate Night that evening.  We decided that we did not need to meet them on this cruise as we had been able to see them all in less than forty five minutes on our very quiet Hawaii cruise earlier this year on the Disney Wonder. As we were both still hungry after not eating much at lunchtime, we decided to get some pizza and fries from Flo’s Cafe which we took back to our stateroom to sit and eat on our verandah.

As we were eating our food, we noticed another ship with what looked like two funnels on the horizon in the distance so we grabbed a camera and quickly zoomed in and could not believe it when we saw that it was the Disney Wish sailing past Nassau. At one point we had considered booking that exact cruise and it would have definitely been interesting as their four night cruise turned into six nights due to Hurricane Ian closing Port Canaveral.  It was so exciting as it was the first time we have ever seen her in person and I cannot wait to sail on her next year.

I was really looking forward to watching the Mickey’s Pirates IN the Caribbean deck party at 7:45pm even though I had already wondered if it would go ahead due to the weather that we had been experiencing all afternoon.

Thankfully the rain had finally stopped when we walked up to Deck 13 just after 7:00pm and I was so happy that we decided to go outside when we did as the sky was simply breathtaking. It really looked like it was on fire and I have never seen anything like it before in my life and the pink and orange colours were surreal and dream-like.  We spent the next fifteen minutes just walking around the open decks in awe taking photos. Seeing that incredible sky that evening is one of my favourite memories from this cruise.

The amazing orange coloured sky quickly started to turn purple and if it is possible, it looked even more eerie than before but it was definitely turning out to be an absolutely perfect night for a pirate party!  As we were walking around, we noticed that people were starting to turn up ready for Mickey’s Pirates IN the Caribbean so we grabbed a spot on Deck 12 to watch the show before it started to get busy.  It was still very windy out but my top tip for anyone with long hair going on a Disney Cruise is to use the pirate bandana that is left for you in your stateroom as a hairband to keep your hair out of your face when out on deck!

Mickey’s Pirates IN the Caribbean begins with the five different lessons that are taught at Mickey’s Pirate Academy since Donald believes that no one in the audience has what it takes to join Mickey’s Pirate Crew. I have seen this deck party three times now and I still love it just as much as I did the very first time I saw it on the Disney Dream back in 2016.

After a cannonball hits the Disney Dream, Captain Hook and Mr Smee arrive and take over the ship so Mickey challenges Hook to a “Captain’s Challenge”. If Captain Hook wins, Mickey has to walk the plank. And if Captain Mickey wins, he gets the ship back and Hook has to leave whilst everyone chants “Hook is a codfish!”

Following the ship’s successful return to Captain Mickey and his pirate crew, we headed down to Enchanted Garden on Deck 2 at 8:15pm for our dinner. As the Pirate Night menu onboard is not the best (although it is a lot better than it used to be) I had the Sri Sumbhajee’s Vegetable Samosa and the Deep Fried Calypso Crab Cake to start before having the amazing albeit incredibly sweet Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Tart (as well as the Bananas in Paradise to share) for dessert.

As we had eaten far too much food throughout the day, we walked a few laps of Deck 4 after dinner which was definitely needed before we went back up to Currents on Deck 13 ready to watch the Buccaneer Blast fireworks at 10:15pm. There were no tables available where we could sit down with a drink (apart from those in the smoking area) so we stood along the railing overlooking the rest of the ship where there were plenty of spots to watch the fireworks with an unobstructed view.

We had watched the fireworks from Deck 13 on our cruise on the Disney Fantasy and I honestly think that this is one of the best places (along with one of the best views as well as being adult only) to watch them from onboard. Earlier in the day I did not think that the fireworks would go ahead due to the weather as it had been so windy so it was even more wonderful and unexpected when they did.

After the fireworks had finished, we sat down for a few minutes and waited for the crowds to disappear as the outside decks are always very busy for a short time once everyone starts moving around the ship. Club Pirate had already started when we walked past the Deck 11 stage and was playing Handclap, Africa, September, Fireball and Treasure as well as a few other songs -although this was the first time I did not hear the Cha Cha Slide playing on Pirate Night – I always say that I know I’m on a Disney Cruise whenever I hear it!

The Pirate Night buffet had already started in Cabanas when we arrived and even though there was no line to get in, it was very busy and crowded inside. It took a while to get past everyone wanting baked potatoes, crepes and turkey legs before I reached the dessert station to get to the Strawberry Panna Cotta which I love so much.

We took our desserts as well as a cold drink back to our stateroom where a Davy Jones blanket creation was waiting on the bed for us along with some gold chocolate coins. It really did not take long to fall asleep on this night – I only wish I could fall asleep at home as quickly as I seem to do onboard a cruise ship!

It had been another fantastic day at sea onboard the Disney Dream and I want to say thank you for everything the amazing cast and crew did for everyone that day after we were unable to dock at Castaway Cay that morning. It cannot have been easy given the way some people were behaving and believe me, we heard them complaining non-stop the entire day!

Bring on our final day in Nassau!

Support Me and Buy Me a Coffee
Follow Me on Instagram
Pin this Blog Post on Pinterest
Follow Me on Bloglovin’