Ahoy there Heather, and welcome to planDisney! Thanks for sailing by with your question about your crew! June on the
Disney Fantasy sounds like a perfect Disney Cruise Line vacation to me! A few years back, my family's own crew of 13 did the same thing...well, we sailed in May, but you know,
nearly the same thing!
That was the last cruise my wife and I took that stopped at
Disney Castaway Cay before we had our son, so we spent most of our time over at Serenity Bay and eating at Cookie's Too! It was a magical day, but you can believe that if we'd had all the fun available at Castaway Cay PLUS the Grand Family Cabana it would've felt like spending a the day at "Kuzcotopia - the ultimate Summer getaway - complete with waterslide!"
Your instinct was correct on what you'll need to do when your booking window opens - Cabanas can be booked either online or by calling a crew member! When it comes to reserving the Grand Family Cabana, you should know that the cabanas are THE hot-ticket Port Adventure at Castaway Cay, and
like I told my new friend Joseph, I personally have yet to successfully book one. I can't speak to the success of my method to try to secure a cabana for your day at Castaway Cay, but the "New Mickey Mouse Shorts" version is as follows:
- Know your Castaway Club status - Concierge Staterooms can book 125 days before embarkation, followed by Platinum (120 days), Gold (105 days), Silver (90 days) and first-time cruisers (75 days).
- Be sure your reservation is paid-in-full well before your booking window opens.
- Keep an eye on the clock like Cinderella - and have your caffeinated beverage of choice nearby - booking windows open at midnight Eastern time!
- Sign into your account on the Disney Cruise Line website a few minutes early so you can be ready to visit "Book/Manage Cruise Activities" the minute the clock strikes 12!
- Select "Port Adventures" for whichever day of your sailing will be your call on Castaway Cay
- Hold your breath, make a wish, and scroll down the page and look for Family Grand Beach Cabana 21 to see if it is available - if it has a "select" button next to it, you've hit the jackpot!
Aside from that, it's all a bit of faith, trust, and Pixie Dust!
I sailed on over to talk to a crew member to check on your question about reserving two regular cabanas if the Family Grand Beach Cabana was unavailable. Since the Cabanas are Port Adventures, they are booked on a reservation level which means that if you are able to magically find two cabanas available, two different reservations would each have to reserve a cabana.
I sure hope that you're able to conjure up the magic it sometimes takes to snag the cabana of your dreams - but even if not, with all the fun in store on the island, ANY day on Castaway Cay is better than a day almost anywhere else!
Thank you again, Heather, for your question and for sailing my way! If you run into any other questions between now and June, please pull into port here and drop us a line at planDisney!
Fair winds, following seas, and good luck!
Andrew