While we thoroughly enjoyed our time and accommodations onboard the Disney Dream in our Cruising with the Grands adventure, we wanted to pack in as much shore entertainment as we could during our brief trip.  We opted for two port adventures specifically geared to entertain the grands but without the carnival atmosphere that so often exists in port towns.

Our first full day off ship was spent in Nassau, the Bahamas at Atlantis — or at least at part of Atlantis.  That place is enormous and deserves its own week of adventure all by The Shallow Water Interaction at Dolphin Cay was an unforgettable experience for all of us.  Limited to just 10 people per dolphin, we spent 30-45 minutes interacting with Elijah, a  mature bottlenose dolphin who had been rescued, I believe, from the NOLA aquarium after Katrina . We waded waist-deep into the manmade private beach where we were nuzzled and entreated by Eli who permitted easy and relaxed interaction while he seemed to delight in showing off his tricks and skills. 

 Perfect Boy was our expert guide since he had previously done this adventure on a trip with his parents; Perfect Girl wasn’t quite so sure about the whole thing.  Our normally brave daredevil took a little warm nudging from Elijah before she gladly warmed up and gave him a big hug.

I’d have to give the Dolphin Cay guides an A+ for their patience in answering the bazillion questions that Perfect Boy had for them.  He was absolutely delighted when they whistled over a pregnant dolphin so that he could rub her tummy.  They certainly didn’t have to do that, but it sure made his day!

Our only problem for the day came when we and all of those with us, were literally abandoned by the island guide when we reached the casino.  Thankfully, there were lots of hotel staff willing to guide us on our way.  We reported this probably to our concierge upon our return to the ship.  If I learned anything about Disney during this trip, I feel certain that others who follow will not encounter this same issue.  Disney has a way of taking care of problems and making them disappear like that.

Our second port adventure was to Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.  We were given the wise advice to rent our our cabana for the day rather than relying upon the public beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. that were also available.  Wise decision it was, and I totally think this is something you should choose to do as well.

Our cabana was spacious, had a variety of lounging chairs, a hammock, and plenty of beach supplies as well. Snacks, soft drinks and cold water were available in our own private refrigerator along with chilled towels which we welcomed.  The kids found the large hammock and put it to use immediately. 

Lunch on the Cay was provided in one central dining area.  There were plenty of choices ranging from barbeque to chicken to hot dogs.  Oh and ice cream.  Everywhere you turn with Disney, there’s an ice cream dispenser.  I’m not sure who was more pleased – the kids or us.

The beach time was just enough activity to stay interested but not so demanding that we were all exhausted at the end of the day.  Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure is offered at Disney’s Castaway Cay. It’s  an up close and personal  hands on encounter with the island’s Southern Stingrays. excursion begins with stingray information session, covering topics such as history, interesting facts and the biology of the animals. Once in the water, with the guidance of a marine specialist, you will have the opportunity to interact and hand-feed the stingrays. Following the guided interaction is free time to snorkel with the rays in the 40,000-square-foot lagoon.  The stingrays are all female except for one lone male who knows better than to get between the larger female and her feeding time!  Our grands thoroughly enjoyed this — and, again, there were many, “I have a question….” inquiries from Perfect Boy.  Perfect Girl was enthralled with rubbing the belly of the very pregnant female who kept finding her way to our feeding station.

 All in all, this was the perfect cruise for our first foray into cruising with the grands.  It was long enough but short enough at the same time.  Again, I think we took full advantage of what was available to us even though we did not take in all of the shows onboard.  They tend to start too late for our Perfect Girl who enjoys her early bedtime.  The ones we did watch were very entertaining and well done.

I’m looking forward to checking on additional Disney adventures both on the sea and on land.  They know how to do it right.