Race Recap & Review: 2018 Unofficial Castaway Cay Challenge

Last month, the day after the 2018 Walt Disney World Marathon, Matthew and I boarded the Disney Dream to complete the second half of our WDW Marathon Weekend trip: a four night cruise to Nassau and Castaway Cay.

As you may recall, Matthew and I decided to book the Castaway Cay Challenge cruise in late October so we'd already missed the registration for the official Castaway Cay Challenge race.

A little background (because this can be confusing, lol)- to run the Castaway Cay Challenge (a race that takes place at 7:30 am on Castaway Cay, Disney's private Bahamian island), you must register for and run at least one race during WDW Marathon Weekend, book your room on the Disney Dream for the cruise directly after the marathon, then register for the Castaway Cay Challenge race. This race was sold out by the time we booked our room on the cruise so we opted to do the "free" (included in the cost of your cruise) 5k at 9 am, directly following the official challenge race.

In essence, we were doing the challenge- one or more races at WDW Marathon Weekend + a 5k on the island- we just weren't doing the official race with the bling, the shirt, and the earlier start time. We did the official Castaway Cay Challenge last year and while we loved the race, we were ok skipping all the extras this year.

Ok, back to the recap!

Monday morning, our muscles still aching from the marathon the day before, Matthew and I started the most favorite part of our trip- cruising on the beautiful Disney Dream!

Hello, Donald!

Our first two days on the ship (embarkation day and Nassau day) were spent how we usually spend them- lounging around and enjoying all the Dream has to offer: we tried out the Rainforest in Senses Spa, had dinner at the adults-only restaurant Palo, swam in the Quiet Cove pool, did a Whiskey Tasting (which was super cool, by the way!), met lots of characters, and enjoyed coffee on our giant verandah each morning.

Somehow, we were put in an ADA (handicapped-accessible) room so the room itself and its verandah were absolutely enormous! We are absolutely spoiled for any future cruises :-)

This is maybe 1/3 of our verandah deck.

Oh hey, Punzie!

What a Goof!

The morning we docked at Castaway Cay, we were up and on our verandah by 7 am. We actually were able to hear music from the start line about three quarters of a mile from where the ship was docked.

Around 7:30, we heard the race begin and I can tell you will all honesty, I had absolutely zero FOMO (fear of missing out). Matthew and I chatted, sipped coffee, and then went down to Evolution (the biggest bar/club on the ship) to get ready for our race which would begin at 9 am.

Just chilling on our deck with a private island behind me, NBD.

Matthew and I at the start of the "regular" Castaway Cay 5k.

Because the challenge runners used a different course than the regular 5k route, our race followed the challenge course because there wasn't enough time to switch over the courses in between the races. Basically, we followed the same route as the official challengers, we just didn't have the character stops during our race.

I was happy to see that the mile markers and inflatable start/finish line was still up- it made our race feel a little more special.

Matthew and I ran this race using the same intervals we'd used all weekend; 30 seconds of running followed by 30 seconds of walking. About a quarter of a mile into the race, one of our table mates from dinner, Dameon, came up beside us. He'd just run the challenge race and was running the regular 5k as a bonus race!

Dameon had never done intervals before and while he was just curious at first, after hanging with us for the whole race, I think we might have converted him to a Galloway runner :-)

Mile one.

Mile two.

Finishers!

I lead us the majority of this race and I tried to push the pace during the run intervals. We ended the race with negative splits and an overall pace of 11:39- how's that for tired legs that just ran 39.3 miles in two days?!

After the race, Matthew and I grabbed drinks at our favorite island spot, the Heads-Up Bar, and then took a ton of medal pics with the ship in the background. By then it had started pouring rain so we headed back to the ship earlier than we'd wanted to.

Before the rain...

All the creative points to Matthew for this shot.

I will never tire of looking at this bling. Or this ship.

Overall, did we miss not doing the official challenge race? Not one bit. We had just as much fun doing the regular 5k and then enjoying the island.

Rainy days on the island are better than sunny days anywhere else :-)

Will we do this race/cruise again? Stay tuned- I've got another recap coming with my overall thoughts on the whole WDW Marathon Weekend.


Have a great week, friends!

Castaway Cay Challenge: Final Thoughts

In my last post, you may have noticed that I said Matthew and I might do the Castaway Cay Challenge again. However, after some further thought, I don't think we'll be signing up for it anytime soon. 

While getting on a cruise ship they day after a marathon is probably the best way to celebrate running 26.2 miles, there were some definite drawbacks to this particular cruise. 

The beautiful Disney Dream.

In short, there were too many damn adults on this cruise. 😊

I think Disney Cruise Line has established a perfect adult to kid ratio on its "normal" cruises. There are several adult-only spaces that are frequented by enough people to feel active but not overwhelmingly busy. This cruise had a ton more adults so the adult-only areas were packed! The pools, the bars, and the rainforest (our absolute favorite place on the Dream) were truly not as enjoyable because there were simply too many people.

THIS is how the adult pool should look the majority of the time. 

In fact, things were so crowded in the rainforest, this one woman actually went to get the spa manager to get them to "regulate" the heated beds as you are only supposed to relax on them for 30 minutes at a time if there are people waiting. Let me tell you, it was quite difficult to relax while this woman loudly complained and decided to be everyone's "countdown clock" to when they had to get off the beds. Not fun. 

In addition to the crowds, people's behavior was also a bit un-Disney like. One of the reasons we love cruising with Disney is that we've never seen someone intoxicated to the point they were acting like a fool. Well, while watching a fun game "Match Your Mate" in the nightclub, there was a group of people who appeared to be pretty drunk. So drunk, in fact, that one woman actually slammed her wine glass down on the table and broke the stem of the glass. She. broke. her. wine. glass. WHAT?! We left soon after because they were being so obnoxious and loud. 

And really, with $12 martinis, how does one even get that drunk with DCL?!
This one was pretty yummy though :-) 

I don't know if this cruise was irregular because it was the Castaway Cay Challenge cruise or if it was simply a fluke. We've now cruised on all four ships, a total of seven separate cruises, and have never experienced anything like this before. It definitely wasn't all bad; however there were a few things that will make us reconsider doing this particular cruise again. 

That being said, it was cool to be able to meet so many other Disney runners and talk "shop" with them about WDW Marathon Weekend. And the Castaway Cay Challenge 5k race itself was super fun.

But really, we don't need to do this cruise again. We much prefer our regular cruising routine: less crowded adult spaces and less drunk people. And besides, the Castaway Cay 5k happens every time they dock at Disney's private island in the Bahamas so we can run that race whenever we cruise to the island. 😄 

Disney Dream fans for life.

Race Recap & Review: Castaway Cay Challenge 5k

If you don't know by now, Matthew and I are both huge Disney Cruise Line fans. Back in July when we registered for Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, we also registered for the Castaway Cay Challenge.

The Castaway Cay Challenge is simple; sign up and complete any of the races at WDW Marathon Weekend (5k or longer) and then complete the Castaway Cay 5k on Disney's private island while on the cruise leaving the Monday after the marathon. This challenge also comes with a highly coveted, super special, cruise ship medal. Running + tropical island + more bling? Obviously, we had to do this in 2017!

Our special-edition cruise documents book.

We boarded the Disney Dream on the Monday afternoon directly following the marathon on Sunday. Because we stayed at a Disney resort, we were able to utilize a direct transfer from our hotel to the cruise terminal at Port Canaveral. We had no issues checking in, getting our "key to the world" cards, and then walking right on the ship. Since we'd already picked up our bibs and shirts at packet pick-up for Marathon Weekend, we didn't have to do anything special for the race when we boarded.

Part 1 of #castawaycaychallenge complete. Stay tuned for Part 2. 🌞🌊🌴

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jan 9, 2017 at 12:08pm PST

A pamphlet with final race instructions was waiting for us in our stateroom including details of a mandatory meeting on Tuesday (At Sea Day) at 4 pm in the Buena Vista Theater, the movie theater on board. The race would take place Wednesday morning, the day we'd spend at Castaway Cay.

Surprisingly, the meeting was super helpful in understanding some of the finer details of the race. While Matthew and I have completed the regular Castaway Cay 5k before, we weren't sure what to expect for this new (for us) race. At the meeting we learned that because we were getting off the ship so early- the race started at 7 am- the entire island would be "closed" and thus, very dark. And because the start time was so early, we'd actually be docking at the island sometime during Tuesday night instead of first thing Wednesday morning. This meeting also covered the course route; it would be significantly different from the regular Castaway Cay 5k course.

Special Castaway Cay Challenge course.

On the morning of the race, we were seated by corral in the Buena Vista Theater. Matthew and I were in corral A (!!!) so we were one of the first people off the ship. It was insanely dark on the island! Since the island wasn't designed for guests to be there in the dark, there are no lights- anywhere. However, this did give us a beautiful backdrop for pictures of the Disney Dream all lit up. Mine came out a little blurry so you'll just have to imagine how cool it looked in person.

The view from our walk to the start. 

This race started on the airstrip as part of the different route rather than the normal Castaway Cay 5k which starts near the bike rentals. We were pleasantly surprised to see actual corrals (with gates and everything!), runDisney food boxes, full medical staff, racks of medals, and a DJ playing upbeat music at the starting line. Compared to the normal "no frills" 5k, this felt extravagant! We even had special appearances by Goofy and "Indiana Jones," aka our cruise director Peter. It felt like an actual runDisney race- just on a tropical island!

Look at all those runner boxes.

I don't see this often.

Characters everywhere!

These two helped count down the start of each corral.

In true runDisney fashion, the corrals were released with about five minutes in between. As Matthew and I started the race, we saw Pirate Mickey down at the end of the airstrip. The line was super long so we didn't stop. Instead we continued down the road that snakes behind the cabanas. Along this stretch, we jumped in a short line for Chip and Dale and then headed out toward the turn-around point. This race was a simple out and back along the cabana road and then one loop through the bike path. When we came back out to the airstrip, Pirate Minnie had replaced Pirate Mickey with almost no line so we were able to grab a quick picture.

These pranksters. 

Pirate Minnie!

Surfboard mile markers.

Map details from my Garmin.

After a fast trip around the bike loop, we ran across the finish line and collected our medals. There was a Castaway Cay Challenge backdrop and a few characters out for pictures but the lines were long and we had to hustle to get back on the ship- we were doing the normal 5k later that morning at 9 am and had to get back on board to check-in and pick up our bibs.

Finishers.

Overall, this race was incredibly fun. We loved seeing the Pirate-themed characters and loved having the race mimic so much of a true runDisney race. It was cool seeing how the race organizers were able to recreate the WDW experience on a tropical island. There were other cool touches to this race as well including some "characters" dressed as Swiss Family Robinson folks near the lookout tower- ha! The only thing we didn't like about this race was the race shirt. It's not an attractive design (M's wearing it in the picture above) and it feels like the design was ironed on to the shirt. It's not the usual shirts that runDisney uses and we just didn't care for it- it felt "cheap."

Another cool bonus to this race was the scenery for post-race medal pictures. 😃 While we didn't get a castle shot with our bling this year, I think posing with the gorgeous Disney Dream and the sparkling blue ocean in the background kinda makes it tolerable.

Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday. 

Handsome Dopey and Castaway Cay Challenge finisher.

Would we do this race again? Absolutely! Would we do the cruise directly after WDW Marathon Weekend again? Maybe. More on that in a future post. However, the Castaway Cay Challenge 5k was a fantastic race full of special details that make runDisney events so magical. And besides, running a 5k on a private island in the Bahamas with Disney characters cheering you on? A total Disney Dream. 😊

Have you ever done the Castaway Cay Challenge? What were your thoughts/experiences?

Accountability Monday: 12/21/15

Welcome to the second-to-last Monday of 2015!

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram then you know that Matthew surprised me with a four night cruise on the Disney Dream last week! Isn't he just the most wonderful man?! I think so :-) Seriously, I think I might have the BEST future husband in the world- he's just so good to me. It was really awesome to be able to take a week off with him during the busyness of the holiday season and just enjoy being with each other and relaxing.

The beautiful Disney Dream, all decked out for Christmas.

So this accountability post takes place while we were cruising on the high seas! I'll probably write a more detailed post about our entire cruise experience sometime in the future. Sidenote, I was in Instagram "jail" all of last week- I could post pictures but I couldn't add captions or comments to my or anyone else's photos. I have no idea how I ended up in jail but it finally ended late Saturday night. If you see any posts without captions, that was why. So weird.

Training:
Tuesday- Castaway Cay 5k, 35 ish minutes, Yoga on the Beach class
Wednesday- Group Cycle Class
Thursday- 30 minute run on Deck 4, no clue as to distance or pace :-)
Sunday- 4.29 mile run with Jen, 10:34 pace

One of the coolest things about cruising with Disney is the free classes offered by the Senses Spa and Gym. Everyday, there were cycling classes, yoga classes, ab workouts, etc. at no additional cost. There were some other classes (boot camp, etc.) that you could participate in for a fee. I liked the free ones just fine :-)

On Sunday, Jen and I kept what felt like a really easy pace- I figured we were running about 11:30- 12 minute miles. We were both shocked to see 10:34 as the overall pace as we both felt like this was an easy effort 4-miler. Hopefully this just means we are getting to be better and faster runners!

I call this "Bahamian Leaning Tree Pose." :-) 

Finishers of the Castaway Cay 5k and our frosty friend Olaf.

Food Find of the Week:
I made a similar dish to the one found here (Skinnytaste Cheeseburger Casserole) this weekend and it came out ok. Instead of pasta, the recipe I used called for sliced potatoes. It was definitely different from what I usually make and I'm looking forward to trying it again only using pasta this time. And adding pickles.

Weight:
Who knows??

I did weigh myself on the cruise and I was up about 2 pounds from the previous week. I'm cool with that. There's a lot of eating and drinking on-board a cruise :-)

Non-Scale Victory:
Matthew and I took the stairs EVERY SINGLE DAY on the cruise, regularly walking from Deck 3 to Deck 14 and everywhere in between. We only took the elevator once and that was to move our luggage and to look at the inside of the elevator- there were Disney characters painted on the inside of the elevator shaft that we wanted to see.

Hello from Disney's private island, Castaway Cay!

Have a great week, friends!

Race Recap & Review: Castaway Cay 5k

Hello, friends!

Just a few days ago Matthew and I returned from my 30th birthday trip to Disney. I am just now getting caught up on laundry, social media, blogging, work, etc. Wow, what a trip it was! :-)

We spent four days and three nights aboard the Disney Dream and sailed to Nassau and Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. Once we disembarked, we then spent three days and two nights in Walt Disney World at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It truly was one of the greatest vacations I've ever been on. I think I speak for both Matthew and myself when I say there will probably be more Disney cruises in our future.

In the next few days, I'll be publishing posts detailing the trip- including thoughts about Disney Cruise Line and experiences staying at a deluxe WDW resort. But for now, I'm really excited to recap the Castaway Cay 5k.

On Saturday, day three of the cruise, we got to participate in the Castaway Cay 5k. For those of you that don't know, Disney owns their own Bahamian island- Castaway Cay (pronounced Key). A few years ago, runDisney started offering a 5k every time one of their cruise ships docks at the island.

Matthew and I knew that we wanted to run this event, so as soon as we boarded the ship we went to Guest Services and signed up. We received our bibs and were told to meet up in Evolution (one of the ship's bars) at 8:15 am on Saturday.



Dumbo Double Dare represent!

 

Our awesome 5k guide, Jamezy explaining the course to us.

We had two wonderful cast members, Jamezy and Mia, checking us in and handing us safety pins to put on the bibs. They explained how we would all walk off the ship together, walk to the start line together, and then start the race.

When we got off the boat, it was really, really windy and overcast. However, it was still quite warm and I was grateful for the respite from the sun. I'd heard that this race could be very hot because most of the course was not shaded and we were in the tropics, after all.

Anyway, we made the trek to the start line- I was taking tons of pictures- imagine that! We also got to meet Christl and her boyfriend- she and I had "met" each other on the Team #runDisney facebook page on a thread chatting about the Castaway Cay 5k. It was super cool to chat with another runDisney enthusiast, especially in the Bahamas!

At the start line, Jamezy once again explained the course to us. Then he jumped on a bike, counted us down, and rode out to the water stop. The course was really simple: a quick loop around the bike path, an out and back on the old airstrip, and then another loop on the bike path.

Lots of wind on the island!

Listening intently to Jamezy.

Using his pom-pom as a pointer!

Super cute starting line.

Matthew and I were off! Since I lost my Gymboss timer after Pittsburgh (so sad!), Matthew was keeping our intervals- 2:30/1. Neither of us brought ipods so we just trotted along, chatting during the walk breaks. When we got to the water stop, Jamezy was handing out water, cheering with his pom-poms, and yelling "I believe in you!"- he had us cracking up!

Before I knew it, we were headed for the finish. Despite it being overcast, I was really hot. Matthew was keeping the pace and I was struggling slightly to keep up. As we finished the last quarter mile, he asked me what my PR was- it was 33:32. We crossed the finish line in 33:17- a new PR for me :-)

Looking strong!

All smiles!

Jamezy working the water station.

Proud finisher with a new PR!



I'm a winner because my Disney Cruise Line lanyard says so. 

Happy finishers.

Christl and me.

He's so cool I can't even keep my eyes open :-)

After the 5k, we went out to the "Adults Only" beach and snapped a few photos. It was incredibly windy- so much so that people were sitting on their beach chairs wrapped in towels. We thought it was less windy at the "Family Beach" so we headed back there. I'll recap the rest of the day in a future post :-) But in short, we hung out on the beach, went snorkeling, and got to meet some cool new friends:

"But why is all the rum gone?!"

Overall, it was a great little Bahamian 5k. There are no frills with this race- just the opportunity to run an international 5k on Disney property. There was no extra cost to participate in the race, it's included in the cruise cost. I did purchase a shirt for $21.95- it's probably one of my favorite race shirts.

Love this design! And it's a women's cut, too.

But really, how beautiful is that water? :-)

Don't let this little bit of sun fool you- it was overcast and rainy the rest of the day!

QOTD: Have you run the Castaway Cay 5k? If so, what did you think about it? If not, would you want to run a 5k during a cruise?