A recent, quiet, Castaway Cay 5K registration change has me wondering about the future of the race.
Did you know that Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise vacation company to offer a private island road race in the Bahamas? It’s true! Weather permitting, Guests ages nine and above on any Disney Cruise Line vacation that ports in paradise Disney’s Castaway Cay have always had the option to wake up nice and early, disembark the ship first, and run or walk a fast, flat, notoriously hot 5k race along the old island airstrip, through a natural area, and back to the beach. It is consistently a highlight of our Castaway Cay days.
the best part? it has always been totally stress-free!
There have always been plenty of opportunities to bemoan the price of race experiences around the country generally and through runDisney specifically. In this case, though, rejoice! Disney’s Castaway Cay 5k is a complimentary experience.
Another pinch point for traditional rundisney events has been the incredibly fast sell-out of popular race weekends, and more recently, certain events within race weekends. Brand enthusiasts know that to have the best chances of securing a 10k race registration, a runner needs to be poised at her computer a few minutes before the registration window opens and ready to type quickly!
Note: Subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on our social channels to stay up-t0-date on upcoming runDisney race registrations. I don’t want you to be left out! MAGICAL MILES FOR EVERYONE!
For those of us with some race registration scars, Castaway Cay 5k has offered a lovely reprieve. Not only is there not a limit to race registrations, Guests also have not had the option to register before their cruise vacation. In fact, the only way to secure one of those beautiful little race entry slips was to pop by the Port Adventures Desk on the ship to register. I just wait until I’m strolling in that area and make a quick stop whenever there isn’t a line. Easy. Peasy.
That is THE LIFE.
Imagine my surprise when a friend discovered a new option for her upcoming cruise vacation. To check it out, I was playing around in the Cruise Activities area of the Disney Cruise Line website for our upcoming Marvel Day at Sea cruise in January, and I discovered a new option for “On Board Fun.” There it was: Castaway Cay 5k pre-registration!
You might be thinking, “But Sally! This is great. Now I don’t even need to go to the Port Adventures Desk during my cruise vacation! Woot!” If you are thinking this, you’re right! You have a great point.
Maybe I’m being resistant to change. Maybe I love the race experiences exactly as it is, exactly as I have loved it when I ran those magical, tropical miles for the first time three years ago. I’m adjusted to this system. I like it. That is completely possible.
My concern is this: why the change when it seemed to be working just fine the way it operated? My guess, informed by many other experiences that have made this transition lately, is that this step is the first on a (race) course ending with limited registrations…for a fee. I’m worried that this easy, fun, free, perfect-first-timer 5k in this beautiful location might soon feel more complicated like the regular runDisney experience. Now, I LOVE runDisney! It’s just that I love it differently.
For now, let’s just all enjoy our sweet race exactly as she is today and hope for the best for its future.
What do you think? Should we brace ourselves for a Castaway Cay 5k registration fee? Would you still run it? Let me know in the comments!
My kids have been waiting to be old enough to run it. Not sure I will be willing to pay for them to run it.
Hopefully they don’t start charging. Depending on the price, I’d try to swing doing it at least once. It’s a super fun way to start the day.
Leave the race as it is. They don’t charge you to run around the ship. Why charge to run around the Cay?
I do hope they leave it. It’s such a fun perk specific to Disney Cruise Line.