Over on Disney’s Castaway Cay — a private Bahamian island reserved for use only by Disney cruise guests — there’s a little adults-only section called Serenity Bay. You have to take two trams to get there, but boy is it worth it!
Serenity Bay
Castaway Air Bar
Here you can rent floats and tubes for a lazy day in the crystal-blue waters of the bay, find a hammock for a mid-morning nap, or treat yourself to some Disney Cruise Line specialty drinks at eats at two locations.
Castaway Air Bar
First up — the Castaway Air Bar — a ramshackle building next to the beach decorated with all things 1920s air travel.
You see, Serenity Bay sits at the end of Castaway Cay’s small airstrip. As the legend goes, the corrugated tin bar was built by an expatriate pilot who’d been stranded on the island during the storm that beached the namesake castaways. His downed plane was the source for the materials, thus the name Castaway Air Bar. (Everything Disney does has a story…)
Bar and Seating at Castaway Air Bar
On the menu are drinks and more drinks — the famous Castaway Cay Konk Kooler made with rum, coconut, pineapple and orange juices, and passion fruit; the Island Navigator with Frangelico, Amaretto, Pina Colada, and ice cream; and more. While the drinks here tend toward the sweet, there are a couple for those of us who tend toward the sour 😉
Castaway Air Bar Menu
Castaway Air Bar Menu
I couldn’t help but try two of the menu items… first up the classic Konk Kooler. (While these are served primarily on the island, I’ve heard they will make them for you on the ship as well.) Because of the ingredients, I was expecting something sickeningly sweet. I usually avoid coconut in my drinks at all costs — I like sweet in my desserts, not in my drinks.
But for the sake of research, I took a good, long sip and…. Wow! I was amazed at my reaction! This drink is excellent! Creamy, frothy, sweet, and fruity. I have no idea why I liked it so much — it goes against all of my personal beliefs about what a mixed drink should be — but it was excellent.
Konk Kooler
Next up was a “Deep Blue Sea,” which included Bacardi Rum, Blue Curacao, and Sweet Lemon Mix. Again, I was worried that this would be too sweet — and I’m not a huge rum fan (hard to escape it in the Caribbean). It tasted much more alcoholic than sweet, and the lemon gave a little zing. I liked the Konk better (wonder of wonders!), but would happily have finished the Deep Blue Sea if I’d been in the mood for stumbling back to the ship at 11am. 😉
Deep Blue Sea
So, back to the hammock I went with my two drinks in hand. Have you ever tried to get into a hammock with two drinks? Not easy, my friends; not easy…
Serenity Bay BBQ
So, since I only had an hour or so to spend on Castaway Cay (the cruise was less than 48 hours, and I had some serious eating to do!), it was soon time to pack up and take a look at the lunch that was just being served over at the Serenity Bay BBQ.
Serenity Bay BBQ
Serenity Bay BBQ seating
As it turns out, this lunch is almost exactly the same as what’s served at the other BBQ spots on the island, so there’s no need to jump on a tram for a meal. Just sit back and relax right here at Serenity Bay!
Serenity Bay BBQ Menu -- click for larger image
Here they’ve got burgers, steaks, and fish grilling on an outdoor grill, chicken and BBQ Pork Ribs heating up, salads and side dishes, hot dogs, desserts, and that ever-flowing soft ice cream (veggie burgers are available throughout the island as well). While the quality isn’t five-star, it will definitely fill you up enough to fuel a bike ride around the island!
Ribeye and Hamburgers
Fish and Hot Dogs
BBQ Pork Ribs
Cajun Mahi Mahi
BUNS
Salads and Sides
Toppings and Veggies
Fresh Fruit
Fresh Fruit
Dressings and Sides
Dressings
Chips
Desserts -- mini banana bread, pineapple cake, cookies
Drinks
Soft Ice Cream Machine
And all too soon it’s time to head back to the middle of the island for more pics, then back to the big ol’ beautiful ship!
Castaway Cay Tram
Have you spent the day at Serenity Bay? Tell us what you thought in the comments section below!
Just a reminder — I was invited by Disney on this Christening Cruise, and my expenses were paid by the company. I am under no obligation to review or discuss the event, and all opinions are 100% my own.
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My Favorite!!!
I haven’t been to Serenity Bay yet but after reading this I really want to go. 🙂
This place looks familiar, AJ! It was fun bumping into you as you were doing your drink “research” at the Castaway Air bar. I second your reaction to the Konk Kooler. I really enjoyed it.
My wife and I went back to Cookie’s for the BBQ. Same fare and yummy though nothing outstanding. The fruit and dessert bar had the biggest strawberries though. Wow!
To see some of my photos form Castaway Cay, visit my blog today. Find out how I fared with the spinning hammocks at Serenity Bay.
Seriously, I’m loving your drink photos. Counting down the days 🙂 In regards to iced tea, is it freshly brewed or the Nestea variety? I’ve cut the soda out of my diet so must prepare.
I just turned up the whine notch 6,000 degrees on Joe….that looks incredible!
We greatly appreciate your sacrifices for the sake of research. A giver through and through you are…. :p
Cheryl — Mine too, now!
Julie — I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s definitely a great addition to the cruise itinerary!
Scott — It was great to run into you at Air Bar as well! I can’t wait to go check out your photogs.
Christina — Nestea is found in the drink areas. You might be able to go to one of the cafes and have them brew up some iced tea for you!
Jeff C — I’m pretty sure Joe’s not going to be able to stand it for another 8 months! Fingers crossed you confirm the Land/Sea adventure!
I swear that they always used to tell us the lunch on the ship was the same as the lunch on Castaway Cay, but one time we ended up eating at Parrot Cay instead, and it was totally different. For those of us not into BBQ, the food was way preferable on-board.
Man AJ, can you hear my heart breaking for you? How hard it was to get into a hammock with two drinks? My goodness, the challenging life you lead… 😉
Konked Koolers are about the only sweet drink that I do like … our all-time favorite Disney Cruise drink!!
Wow.. this looks great! Do you know if the veggie burgers are vegan? Do they have any desserts on the island or ship for people with special dietary needs?
After those two drinks, I would just lie on the ground under the hammock.
I enjoyed the pics of that Castaway Air Bar. One of my great interests is early civil aviation, things like clipper planes and early airliners and of course another interest is bars. Looks like heaven to me.
This June will be our 4th time going back on a Disney Cruise. We have been to Serenity Bay 2 times every trip. It is a great place to eat. The food is hot off the grill and it is the only place they have the Rib Eyes. Last June they had 4 different kind of soft serve ice cream. It is a nice quiet place to eat your meal and it is just steps from the beach.
We went here long, long ago on our honeymoon. Back then, the Konk Kooler came in an adult sippy cup of sorts that was actually shaped like a conch shell with a straw sticking out of it. For reasons I’ll have to tell you in person the next time I see you, that cup was one of the most memorable parts of our day on Castaway Cay. And the drink really was very good!
I also remember the BBQ at Serenity Bay was very enjoyable.
My 9 year old has now caught my “I want to go on a Disney cruise” fever, so perhaps we can convince David that this needs to be on the vacation schedule in 2012!
They aren’t called hot dogs AJ… They are called “tube steaks”. LOL!
Great review!
My absolute favorite spot on planet earth, Castaway Cay!!! I love Konk Koolers, and the tabouleh salad on serenity bay. I have to split my time there ,though. first half we let the kids go to activities and we enjoy serenity bay, then we go get them and spend some time on the family beach. We are hoping one day we can go on a cruise for our anniversary and spend the entire day at serenity bay. that would be HEAVEN!!!!