Welcome to planDisney, Steven! Of all the phenomenal places a
Disney Cruise Line ship will take you,
Castaway Cay tops my favorites list. Traveling with kids and teens especially, I love the ease of the island. Much like my feeling on the ship, the kids can explore a bit on their own.
I really appreciate your question about spaces for 11-year-olds on Castaway Cay. I know the Teen Hideout is a special place for youth 14 to 18 to hang out with their friends from the ship. I asked a Crew Member to see if there are any updates to the ages for this area just to be sure. While subject to change, it is currently still for 14 years and older.
Even without an exclusively marked area for 11 to 13-year-olds,
In-Da-Shade Game Pavilion is the unofficial meeting place for tweens and young teens. With basketball, pool, foosball, chess, and most importantly, shade, they gather here. With high-top tables and chairs, we are happy to hang out and watch our kids play with others they have met on the cruise. We are also comfortable enough to walk over to Cookies while they are in the middle of a game of pool. Close to the Teen Hideout and bike rental area are sand sports, too. No shade, but it has beach volleyball and tetherball. We had been to Castaway Cay a few times before I discovered this area.
One of the things I recommend is finding out if there is a Facebook group for your cruise. Groups I have been a part of have arranged meetups on Embarkation Day for our kids to get know a few others. I also encourage mine to go Edge the first evening, especially when the counselors lead the icebreaker sessions.
There is so much to do on Castaway Cay, I hope you and your family have an amazing time at sea and all the ports.
Cheers,
Jana