need clarification on Castaway Cay activities for teens - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
need clarification on Castaway Cay activities for teens
Last time we sailed, our kids were young enough to want to hang out with DH and me on Castaway Cay and play in the sand. This time we will have a 13 and 17 year old. For my 17 year old, I understand there is a teen beach. I pulled up a navigator online from Feb. 2009 to check out the activities. Other than hanging out on the beach from 10:30 to 11:00, all the activities listed are sports themed (soccer, volleyball, etc.) He's not much into sports. Is there an area on the beach where he can just hang out or would he feel weird not being involved? I'd love to hear from someone who has had a teen on the teen beach! I would assume the stack isn't open during the hours that they have organized activities on the beach?
Now, for my 13 year old who is in Ocean Quest. Most of the activities listed in the Navigator look like they are held at Grouper Pavilion except 2:15-2:45 when they are "invading" the teen beach. Does anyone have a child that age who has done the activities and if so, what did they think?
We would like to do the stingray adventure as a family and perhaps snorkel or do jet ski tour, but then DH and I would like to spend a little time on Serenity Bay being we didn't get to see it last time and maybe even book a cabana massage so I'm trying to plan ahead for the kids.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I can't help you with all of this, but maybe some of it will help. In 2005, we sailed with my then 20 year old DS. On CC day, he opted to sleep in and meet us at the beach later. We were at the adult beach, since he was over 18, but if your boys want to have a "sleep in" day, it is pretty easy to arrange to meet them later.
We sat across from the teen beach on our last CC day last cruise, and it was pretty empty, but there were alot of adults on the cruise. I just searched my photos, and unfortunately, didn't take any pictures of it. I think, however, there is plenty of places to just hang out without doing the planned activities.
I think if you got to Serenity Bay early and planned an early cabana massage, you would be fine. Then you could meet up with the boys for lunch and do the family activities in the afternoon.
The Stack is closed while they're at Castaway Cay - all of the counselors are on the island.
The whole family did the Stingray adventure (early in the morning) and then headed back to the family beach and grabbed a float and some snorkel gear. We asked that DD stay with us until after lunch and then she headed to the teen beach.
She was 14 last cruise and not much into sports. There are plenty of chairs and places to sit and chill if they don't want to play the organized sports. She and 'her peeps' pulled chairs up to the edge of the water and hung out as they weren't into the games. They soon ended up coming back to the family beach - they said the beach was better as the teen beach area was rather rocky.
And my $0.02 is that Serenity Bay is also rather rocky... while I loved my Cabana massages, I prefer to head back to the family beach.
__________________
Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
About This Page: 
Michelle
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
I think, however, there is plenty of places to just hang out without doing the planned activities.
pulled chairs up to the edge of the water and hung out as they weren't into the games. They soon ended up coming back to the family beach - they said the beach was better as the teen beach area was rather rocky.
Linear Mode
