Take a Photo Tour of Castaway Cay, Disney's Private Island

Caribbean sailings with Disney Cruise Line include a day at Castaway Cay, Disney's 1,000-acre private island in the Bahamas.

Each guest's cruise fare includes access to the island and youth areas, a barbecue lunch buffet, non-alcoholic beverages and self-serve ice cream. Guests can use their ship stateroom key cards to charge incidentals such as alcoholic beverages or rentals for bicycles, snorkel gear, or watercraft.

Only about 55 acres of the island is developed, and all the facilities are within walking distance of the ship. (Get oriented with these maps of Castaway Cay.)

Got little ones? A fleet of strollers and wagons is available to roll your kids and gear around the island. There is also a tram to bring guests from the beach areas back to the ship.

The crescent-shaped family beach is in a well-protected cove so there's no big waves or rip currents. There are plenty of umbrellas, chairs and hammocks at no charge. You can also rent tubes and floats for fun in the swimming lagoon.

Within easy swimming distance of shore, Pelican Plunge is a 2,400-square-foot floating platform with two curvy water slides that drop you with a splash in the ocean. There are also water cannons and other fun ways to get wet, and a lifeguard is always on duty.

If your kids love the Pelican Plunge, grab some lounge chairs on the lovely family beach right next to it. The kids can get to the water slides and still stay within your sight.

There are opportunities to meet Disney characters on Castaway Cay, just like on the ship. Consult your "Personal Navigator" leaflet or the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app to find out where to find your favorite characters on Castaway Cay.

This picture tells the story. The Hideout is a secluded retreat for teens (ages 14-17) where they can hang out, listen to music, or play beach volleyball and soccer.

Teens can also explore Castaway Cay during the optional Wild Side excursion that includes snorkeling, biking and kayaking through the island and finishes with a big lunch.

Getting too much Vitamin D? Take your kids to In-Da-Shade, an outdoor game pavilion with a giant checkerboard, pool tables, foosball, Ping Pong, and basketball hoops.

Tweens (ages 11-14) will often have scheduled time here, supervised by youth counselors.

Do your kids love the Oceaneers Club on the ship? Scuttle’s Cove is the island equivalent, with supervised youth activities for kids ages 3 to 12. It features a 1,200-square-foot water play area with a soft wet deck and an array of pop jets, geysers and bubblers. It also connects to a Monstro Point, a dig site filled with artificial whale bones.

Fun activities at Scuttle’s Cove include:

• Gotta Get Soaked, a team challenge with water balloons and buckets
• Water Mania, water play for younger kids
• Caribbean Beach Party, sand castle challenges and bubble games

Your little ones can splash around safely to their hearts' content at Spring-A-Leak, a splashpad with fountains and geysers. There is bench seating for adults around the perimeter of the area.

One of the most popular and memorable shore excursions on Castaway Cay is the stingray experience. Adults and kids 5 and up can stroke debarbed Southern Stingrays during a demonstration and then snorkel in a stingray lagoon with the docile creatures. (Price: $45/adult and $36/child age 5 to 9.)

You can rent bicycles on Castaway Cay for $10 an hour, enough time to explore the island on the designated bike trails. 

Fun fact: Before Disney bought the island in the late 1990s, it was a stopover for drug runners. Some of the bike path follows a wide ribbon of tarmac that used to be an airstrip.

If your kids want to spend time in the supervised youth clubs, take advantage of the opportunity to relax at Serenity Bay, the adult-only beach on the island.

While the family beaches are fun and action-packed, the just-for-adults Serenity Bay is rarely crowded and much more quiet. The beach is reserved for guests age 18 and up.

 Pure bliss.

It may not be a national monument, but Mount Rustmore is an iconic destination on Castaway Cay. This is a popular meeting spot and a fabulous photo op.

You might spy Captain Jack Sparrow walking along the beach. He's happy to chat and pose for pictures.

Send a postcard to a friend—or even to yourself as a souvenir. The island's post office has special Bahamian postage with a "Castaway Cay" postmark. And remember to get your photo op with Olaf from "Frozen," who sometimes stands sentry outside.

At the island's watersports beach, you can rent sailboats, kayaks, Jetskis, standup paddleboards and more. That's the Disney Dream in the background.