Let me preface this review by stating that this was our 6th Disney cruise. We LOVE DCL and would take more if time allowed. Our most recent cruise was the Castaway Cay double dip. We had 1 day at Castaway Cay, 1 day in Nassau, a day at sea, then another day at Castaway Cay. If I could take cruises only to the private island, I would be a happy girl!

Boarding is very easy--go to the left if you're a new DCL cruiser, or to the right of you are a Castaway member. Wait for your group number to be called and go! We've never waited long to board. Maybe 15 minutes at the most. We chose to go to the Enchanted Garden for lunch because Cabana's is always full of people. We were seated right away and had a delicious lunch. There is usually a tour of the ship that is free on embarkation day--take it if you can. Check the navigator for times.

On our first stop to Castawy Cay, hubby and I participated in the 5k. This is a free activity, you just need to sign up. It was great, but we were wiped out when we were done, so we went back to the room, took showers, grabbed the kids (14 & 9) and went back on the island for a leisurely lunch. There is so much food available, that even my picky eater is happy. There are 2 pavilions to eat lunch for families, and one in the adult section so there is always plenty of seating available. Read more