May 11, 2012
Castaway Cay is my absolute favorite Disney-related place – even more so than any of the Disney parks, if you can believe that! Our very first visit there was on our honeymoon in 1998, the inaugural year for Disney Cruise Line. I found a couple pictures from that trip the other day, so thought it might be fun to take a look back at things from that first year.
While the dock was basically the same when we were last there in 2010, I know it has changed quite a bit in the last two years to accommodate the larger ships that are now visiting. The picture to the left was taken in Sept. 1998 from our balcony as the captain was busy docking in just the right spot 
14 years later, we returned and much had changed since our first trip. You can certainly see some differences in the pics below. Obviously, the addition of the Black Pearl was new in 2010, and while the two pictures weren’t taken from the exact same location, I do feel like there’s a clearer view to the ship now. But, there was something else that struck me as interesting. Both of these pictures are of the Disney Magic, but do you notice anything specific about her?
 Disney Magic circa 1998 |
 Disney Magic circa 2010 |
Yep, back in 1998, the Magic docked with her bow facing in to the island and in 2010 it faced out. I have no idea why…something different in their procedures? Maybe different time of year – in 1998 it was Sept. and in 2010 it was Jan? Do any of you know?
Since that first year other things have changed too – the vegetation has all grown in, the snorkelling reef has grown in a LOT and there have been a ton of new additions to accommodate the increased number of visitors that are traveling on the Dream and Fantasy – a second dining area, more cabanas, a kids’ play area called Pelican Plunge, an expanded family beach and a teen-only area, just to name a few. When we were last there in 2010, all of it was still under construction, so I have yet to see it, but I can’t wait to go back!
Some things though, DO remain the same, even after all this time. While the people in the picture have changed pretty significantly in the last 16 years (well, maybe not Goofy – he hasn’t aged a bit!), the character buoys you can just make out behind us are still there and look as good as ever
Thanks for joining me today on my trip back to Castaway Cay’s inaugural year!
