On the first full day of our Disney Dream Halloween on the High Seas “Double Dip” cruise to Castaway Cay and Nassau I woke up just before 6:00am after sleeping solidly for over eight hours. As the air conditioning in our stateroom was working so well, the first thing I did as soon as I got out of bed was put all of our cameras and lenses onto the table outside on the verandah so they had plenty of time to acclimatise to the September heat and humidity before we reached Castaway Cay that morning – the last thing we wanted was for them to steam up when we wanted to take some photos. We sat out on our verandah chatting with a cup of tea as the sun came up and it really was a perfect way to start the day.

After watching the Good Morning Disney Dream show on the television, we watched as the Disney Dream backed very slowly (at one point I did wonder if we would dock that day as we had stopped moving) into an overcast and (as predicted) very breezy Castaway Cay.

After we had finally docked at Castaway Cay, we walked up to Cabanas to get some breakfast before heading onto the island. However compared to all of our other recent cruises, the breakfast selection on the Disney Dream was incredibly poor and very repetitive with absolutely no variety – it all looked very beige with just a lot of scrambled egg, hash browns, potatoes and waffles on offer and not a lot else.

I usually love the breakfast in Cabanas but all I had that day was a few hash browns as there was not even any vegetables to be found. As we were walking around, I did hear other people commenting on the lack of choice as well so we knew that it wasn’t just us. The breakfast selection was like night and day compared to the Disney Wonder a few months previously – even our Disney Magic at Sea staycation cruises during the height of the pandemic with the strictest protocols in place had a lot more choice.

The Disney Dream was cleared for disembarkation at 8:50am and it was much brighter outside than it had been when we docked so after breakfast we headed back to our stateroom to collect our cameras and phones as well as our driving licences – the only things that we needed to take onto the island with us that morning.

There was a short line on Deck 1 to disembark the Disney Dream and I noticed that Cast Members were handing out ponchos if anyone wanted one as there was a high chance of rain later that day. We walked onto Castaway Cay for the first time since 2019 just after 9:30am and it felt so wonderful to be back once again.

At this time the sun was shining and the skies were still blue so as always we decided to walk from the ship instead of get the tram so we could take as many photos along the way as we could whilst the weather was still okay. Even though we had another day at Castaway Cay scheduled for two days later who knew what the weather would be like then (especially as Hurricane Ian was getting closer) so even though we had very few plans, we had to make the most of this day.

On our last day in Castaway Cay on the Disney Fantasy back in May 2019, our last proper character meet and greet and hug was Hawaiian Stitch which at the time we thought was very fitting given that our next cruise was due to be on the Disney Wonder to Hawaii in 2020. As we all know that didn’t happen but when we did finally do that cruise earlier this year in 2022, Hawaiian Stitch was again randomly our first character that we met but due to the protocols onboard at the time, no hugs were allowed.

We had not even looked at the character meet and greet times for that morning so it really was the best surprise ever when we saw Hawaiian Stitch together with Goofy along the Island Pathway. There was only a short line to meet them and it sounds silly but that hug with Stitch felt incredibly emotional and very meaningful given what has happened in the last few years and how far we have now come – it really did feel like everything had come full circle and nature had finally healed.

After meeting Stitch and Goofy, we also met both Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse at Scuttle’s Cove (I absolutely love their cars that they drive around the island in now) before meeting Donald Duck for the first time ever on Castaway Cay at Mount Rustmore. Compared to on the ship itself, the lines to meet the characters at Castaway Cay were very short.

The main thing that we had planned to do on Castaway Cay on this day was to rent a bike and cycle around the island so after getting a much needed cold drink from the drinks station next to Cookies BBQ, we continued walking to the Bike Rental area which is located right behind the Buy the Seashore shop close to Pelican Point. There are bikes of all sizes available and they cost $13 an hour (island time) to rent which is charged to your onboard account.

The Cast Members explained to us where all of the bike paths were on the island so the first thing that we did was follow the signs and cycle along the entire runway and then continue onto the lookout point at the far end of Serenity Bay which took about fifteen minutes. It was so good to finally explore and see a different side of Castaway Cay that we had not seen before.

The view of Serenity Bay from the Lookout Point was absolutely beautiful and as we were the only people there, it really was a wonderful way to spend a few minutes of our day in peace and quiet with a perfect view out to sea.

It was starting to get very hot and humid but thankfully there is a water station at the lookout point (they are dotted all along the cycle route) as well as a drinks station located at the Serenity Bay BBQ area where we could also stop if needed. I loved cycling along the paths of Castaway Cay and stopping to look at all of the details everywhere as you usually speed past all of them when you are on the tram.

Our final stop was the Observation Tower which is located on a long looped path about half way along the runway. I had always wanted to visit here and see whichever ship I was lucky enough to be sailing on docked in the distance.

The view of both the Disney Dream as well as the nature reserve of Castaway Cay was beautiful – who knew that this side of the island even existed? It felt so good to finally do something new and different on our fourth visit to Castaway Cay and I will definitely head to the Observation Tower again on my next trip as I am planning to walk the Castaway Cay 5K route (as I cannot run to save my life) which goes past the tower which will be perfect.

At this time it had started to get very windy on Castaway Cay as Captain Jason had mentioned the previous day when we boarded the Disney Dream so we decided to finish our bike ride and head back to the main part of the island.

After dropping the bikes off we walked back to Cookies BBQ to get some lunch as I had pre-ordered an Impossible Burger the evening before at dinner (the normal veggie burger available on Castaway Cay is dreadful and one of the worst things I have ever tasted) and this is where any special food orders are cooked on the island.

Sadly even though they had the order for my burger it was nowhere to be found. I was not too worried though as I was happy to go back to the ship and get some lunch – it’s what we said we were going to do before we realised that it was possible to order something different to eat. They offered me a Plant Based Chicken Tender Sandwich instead which I was very grateful for but it was incredibly dry and bland even with a lot of mayonnaise and barbecue sauce. It’s such a shame as the food onboard all of the ships is incredible but the food at Castaway Cay (especially if you do not eat meat) is always a disappointment. Oh well, I will make another attempt to get an Impossible Burger next time instead.

After lunch we stopped at the She Sells Sea Shells and Everything Else shop where I bought a new Olaf Christmas decoration that I had seen earlier in the day. There is no discount for Gold or Platinum Castaway Club members in the shops on Castaway Cay (unlike onboard the ship) however there is a Bahamian sales tax that is added to all purchases. I also found out that you can have any shopping delivered back to the ship if you are planning on spending the rest of the day on the island – you can simply collect it from White Caps later that evening.

There were a few spots of rain in the air as we walked back to the ship so we were both happy that we were getting back onboard at this time in case the rain got any worse. It had started to turn very grey and overcast so I was happy that I took a lot of photos when we first arrived that morning.

After showing both our Key to the World cards as well as a photo ID each (a driving licence is fine) we were back onboard a very empty Disney Dream. The weather on the island was looking even worse when we got back to our stateroom however as it was so quiet onboard at this time, it was also the perfect time to ride the Aquaduck to try and cool down as there was no line – it also helped that due to it being very windy only double riders were allowed which kept the wait very short. This was another great bit of timing as not long afterwards the line started to get much longer as people started to make their way back onboard.

We also decided to make the most of the giant hot tub in the Quiet Cove which was also very empty at this time apart from the never-ending stream of spa ladies who were still desperately trying to sell treatments to anyone that they made eye contact with. However the rain soon started to come down and at one point you could not even see outside the ship as it was falling so heavy. It was nice to sit undercover in the warm water and watch the rain instead of being stuck somewhere on the island so we definitely timed it right with getting back to the ship that day!

After we had finished sitting in the hot tub, we made our way back to our stateroom to have a shower ready to meet Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck and Clarabelle Cow who were going to be out dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus for the first time during the cruise at 3:45pm in the Lobby Atrium. I had been looking forward to this character meet and greet that was exclusive to the Halloween on the High Seas cruises as well as the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure since it had been announced earlier this year.

We knew that the Sanderson Sisters would be very popular so we did not mind getting there early and we arrived thirty five minutes ahead of time and was fourth in line. As we were waiting the Cast Members told us that this meet and greet would be slightly different to normal as there was no autographs or hugs and only one photo or pose per family/group would be allowed (so no mixing and matching) to keep the line moving. I had already read this information online and I did not mind at all – they had done the same thing for the group character photos on our Transatlantic cruise in 2015 and it had worked really well though I did enjoy listening to someone behind us in the line blaming Bob Chapek when they heard the rules.

It was so exciting when the Sanderson Sisters arrived to the sound of “I’ve Got a Spell on You” however our photo of them was completely ruined due to the line to meet them being so long that it went all the way around the Lobby Atrium and back behind them and the Pumpkin Tree so you ended up with complete strangers in the background of your pictures. It was a real letdown (and something we had never experienced before as you never have other people in the way) especially after waiting so long but we also knew that we had several more opportunities to meet them again during the rest of the cruise so we started making a plan to see them once more.

We then ended up being first in line to meet Chip and Dale who were dressed as a Candy Cauldron and a Candy Apple which were brand new Halloween costumes for them as they had been dressed as a cop and a robber on our last Halloween cruise – they were seriously so cute!

I was still feeling hungry so we headed up to Deck 11 where I got a Plant Based Hot Dog and Fries from Tow Mater Grill along with a coffee from Cove Cafe. At 4:50pm Captain Jason made an announcement before we set sail from Castaway Cay where he confirmed that it had been difficult to dock at Castaway Cay that morning due to the weather and that Hurricane Ian was currently north of Cuba and 409 miles away.

At 5:00pm all of the music onboard became Halloween-themed and all of the ship horns were blasted at 5:05pm as we left Castaway Cay. We watched sailaway from Deck 13 Aft and even though we were due back on the island two days later, I was already predicting that we were going to miss our second day at Castaway Cay if Hurricane Ian had anything to do with it – we were already prepared for this eventuality as it is simply a risk that you take when booking a cruise during hurricane season.

They were already setting up the Deck 11 stage ready for Mickey’s Mousequerade Party that evening which was due to take place at 6:15pm and 8:45pm – it was great that it was on twice so it did not matter what dinner seating you had. We went back to our stateroom to sit on our verandah for a while before the party. The sea was very calm at this time as we were only sailing at 7 knots due to it only being 60 miles between Castaway Cay and Nassau.

I was not sure how busy it was going to be for the first Mickey’s Mousequerade Party so I walked up to Deck 12 to grab a good spot about twenty minutes before it was due to start. It was very quiet as I think a lot of families were on the first dinner seating meaning the second show would be much busier than the first. There was also Trick or Treating taking place in Cabanas at 5:45pm which was very popular as it did start to get a little busier on deck afterwards as everyone arrived with their bags of candy in hand.

The people watching whilst waiting for the party to start was brilliant and I loved looking at everyone’s Halloween costumes – there were a lot of people dressed as the Sanderson Sisters and Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus as well as plenty of skeletons, Marvel characters, devils and even a giant inflatable dinosaur walking around which was brilliant. I was also geeking out that the Phantom Manor soundtrack from Disneyland Paris was playing on deck at this time.

The last time I saw Mickey’s Mousequerade Party back in 2016 it took place in the Lobby Atrium during the afternoon so I much preferred it outside on the deck stage in the evening as it was a much better atmosphere with a lot more room for everyone to move.

The characters (Mickey was a Vampire, Minnie a Witch, Goofy a Mummy, Pluto a Candy Corn, Donald a Superhero along with Chip and Dale as a Candy Cauldron and Candy Apple) danced to the Monster Mash, Calling all the Monsters, I Got My Scream On, Trick or Treat For Halloween, I Put a Spell on You, Freaks Come Out at Night, Roar and Chillin’ Like a Villain.

Mickey’s Mousequerade Party was so much fun and once it had finished it was just after 6:30pm so we decided to go to Currents on Deck 13 for a drink as we still had plenty of time before our dinner that evening. It was also Happy Hour at this time so our Mai Tai and Angry Orchard only came to $12.86 including the gratuity.

As we were enjoying our drinks in the warm evening breeze with a perfect view of the ocean around us, we heard the “When You Wish Upon a Star” announcement chime at 7:15pm which at that time of the night is not normal (so it’s never going to be good news) so we immediately guessed that we either had an itinerary change or that something else had happened. Our cruise director Matthew let us know that due to Hurricane Ian we would no longer be docking in Nassau the following morning but would have a day at sea away from the storm and then the plan would be to visit Nassau on our last day onboard instead of our planned sea day.

Before this cruise we had already said that if the weather was going to be bad (and if we couldn’t dock in Nassau then it was going to be bad) that we would rather have a relaxing day at sea where we could find some sunshine and good weather. They also told us that anything that we had booked for our original sea day would be transferred to the next day so the good news was that we now had Palo brunch to look forward to much sooner than we expected which can only be a good thing. This was the first port change that we have had in nine cruises (and it was simply two days being switched around) which is really not bad at all.

At 8:00pm we waited to meet Daisy Duck in her amazing Halloween outfit in the Lobby Atrium as we had never seen her wearing that costume before. It was a long line but thankfully we knew we had enough time before dinner. The wifi onboard was also very slow at this time (I’m guessing that lots of people were going online to change plans and excursions around due to our itinerary change) but we did get a message on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app to confirm that our Palo brunch had been changed to the following day.

Our dinner on our second night was in Royal Palace and as I was not feeling too hungry, I decided to just have a few small appetisers instead of a larger main course. I ordered the Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp, the French Onion Soup and the Breaded and Deep-Fried Brie which was the perfect amount of food and exactly what I wanted that night – it was just right and not too much.

Before our Halloween on the High Seas cruise I had seen a photo of a spider cake online but could not see it listed on any of the menus. As it was Halloween night I asked Mr B about it and he said they had them onboard and bought one out for me for dessert – the spider itself was actually made from chocolate mousse and was absolutely delicious.

A few minutes later Mr B, Melbourne and Rexson also brought out a birthday cake and sung Happy Birthday to me which I was definitely not expecting. It was not my actual birthday whilst we were onboard but just after we got home – we had originally booked a cruise on the Disney Magic to Bermuda on my birthday the previous year which was sadly cancelled so being able to have a little celebration on this cruise instead was perfect.

Our original plan had been to meet the Sanderson Sisters again the following lunchtime on what would have been our Nassau day (when hopefully a lot of people were off the ship) however as we now had our Palo Brunch to look forward to, we really wanted to enjoy that and the last thing we wanted to do whilst we were there was to clock watch the entire time and rush the brunch that we love so much. We also thought that the meet and greet lines would be even longer as it would now be a day at sea instead.

However the Sanderson Sisters were also scheduled to be out again at 10:00pm so we decided to wait to see them after dinner so it would be one less thing we had to do the next day. The line was just as long as it had been earlier that afternoon (and it was looping around behind the characters and the back of the Pumpkin Tree yet again so the photos would be ruined once more just like they had been earlier that day) so we waited and joined the line just before they closed it so we were right at the back of the queue.

Our plan worked perfectly as we knew that there would be no one else standing behind them or the Pumpkin Tree by the time we got to the front. It was a long wait but as this was the only photo I wanted during the cruise, I did not mind one bit and I even loved being able to see all of the incredible details on their costumes as we were waiting our turn. It was even better when we got to the front of the line as the Lobby Atrium was quiet and empty – it was perfect. I’m completely in love with all of the photos I have of Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle as the Sanderson Sisters – meeting them was the highlight of our Halloween on the High Seas cruise.

My boyfriend went to get us both a cup of tea from the drinks station and as I was walking to the forward elevators to get back to our stateroom, Donald Duck was at Preludes with only four other people waiting to meet him so of course I had to join the line!

Back in our stateroom we had a Zero from the Nightmare Before Christmas as our towel animal and after a long but brilliant day onboard and at Castaway Cay, it did not take long to fall asleep. No we were not going to be in Nassau the following day as originally planned but I love sea days and I could not wait to spend a great day at sea on the beautiful Disney Dream.

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