Ahoy there Janet! Welcome to planDisney! I was wondering when we'd get a question about the
Castaway Cay Challenge, and wouldn't you know it, you came running alongside! As my friend and fellow panelist
Cindy always says, there's only one thing better than a Disney vacation - and that's running a
runDisney race as part of one!
I'm so glad you were able to snag a Castaway Cay Challenge spot! I know those were going faster than Mickey Waffles at my breakfast table, so I'm thrilled you'll be bolting your way through
Disney Castaway Cay and getting yourself that epic challenge medal! It may be one of the rarest of them all - even more-so than the Goofy or Dopey Challenge!
Now I'm no runner (anymore) but I've done my fair share of Castaway Cay 5Ks over the years, and if there were a race that could get me to pull my running shoes out of retirement it would definitely be this one! I'm sure you know this, but it's the only challenge that can be achieved by running two 5K races - sounds like as close to a "relaxing" challenge as there could be. Definitely the type of challenge suited for the Disney Cruise Line set!
When it comes to race photos, I sent up a flare to my fellow panelists to see if any of them had an inside line on the photography situation on the Castaway Cay leg of the challenge! My friend from up North,
Jackie P., confirmed my experience that (to our knowledge) there are no official runDisney photographers on the course for the Castaway Cay Challenge.
To your point, if there happen to be any of the ship's photographers around the island snapping photos of the runners, those would be part of any
Disney Cruise Line photo package you select. Currently, the My Disney Experience app and My Cruise Photos are not associated with one another, so the photos from your cruise - whether of the 5K or otherwise - will only be found in your photo package!
Now, all that is to say that this is how it has all worked to this point, but there are a few big unknowns that we don't have coordinates for just yet! First, the fact that the
Disney Wish will be the ship carrying Castaway Cay Challenge runners for the first time offers an opportunity for changes! Second, this is the first live Castaway Cay Challenge since 2020, so who knows what surprises are in-store this time around!
I WISH (see what I did there?) I had a crystal ball to peer into the not-too-distant future for you with a bit more clarity, Janet, but thank you for your question! If you RUN into any other issues, or questions, please sail our way at planDisney again - I'll be on the lookout for any other helpful headings to help you set your course!
Until then, may your anchor be tight, your compass true, and your shoes NOT filled with sand!
Andrew