While I was on the Disney Wonder for the Four Day Podcast Cruise in May, I noticed an entry on the Navigator for our day on Castaway Cay (Day 3). It said 5K run, 8:30am, meet at gangway. Now I had heard about this run from previous cruisers, and heard you get to go out on the island before anyone else. Plus, it would be a good way to work off some of the extra calories I’ve consumed during the cruise. OK, this is one of the reasons I run – so I can do some touring on my feet. So come along with me on a running tour of Castaway Cay.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day on Castaway Cay. It was sunny and 80 degrees, incredibly humid, but not unbearably hot yet at 8:30am. There were about 10 of us who have come out to run this particular morning including at least 4 or 5 fellow DISers from the Podcast Cruise. The run was not a race, but a guided 5k saunter along the island with a Cast Member. Our guide was Jacyln the Captain’s Personal Assistant. Jaclyn does the Castaway Cay 5k loop a couple times a week, and she also runs in Nassau, the other port-of-call for the Disney Wonder.
First we walked over to the map of Castaway Cay, and Jaclyn went over the running route with us. Jaclyn told us the hazards of running on Castaway Cay, and explained we will have to dodge many people along the route. She also told us what paths to avoid so we would not get hit by the tram. Finally, Jaclyn told us there was water all along the course housed in coolers designed to look like cargo crates.
We started our run at the Castaway Cay map, ran past the boat charter and the tram stop. We headed through the eating areas, past Cookie’s Bar-B-Q, and into the retail shop areas. Of course, nothing was open at the time. When we came to the bike rentals, we bore to the right, and made our way to the landing strip. We ran right down the Castaway Cay runway past the “wreckage” of an old airplane.
Along the way, I was able to run with a few of DISers including my fellow Muddy Buddy Don (dpuck1998), Karen (klam_chowder), and Frank (FireDancer). Following the landing strip, the rest of the run was along the bike trails of Castaway Cay.
When we reached the end of the bike trail, there was a wonderful view of a tranquil “deserted” beach. This sight alone was worth the effort of the run.
Now it was time to loop back, and head back to the ship. Below are views along the bike trail during the run.
We ran back down the runway, and there were some excellent views of the ship if you wanted to stop and take pictures. At this point, I needed to get back to my family on the ship. [My wife was waiting for me for our Palo Brunch.] Then we worked our way through the shops and dining areas back to the ship where we started. It was a great run. It was an excellent way to wake up, and besides, how many times can you run on a tropical island? The run was a particularly good way for me to get oriented to the island since I had never been there before. If you’re a morning person and like to exercise, I would definitely give this 5K a try. Plus, at the end of the day when I got back to my room, I had a nice certificate to mark the occasion.
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