(the locals pronounce it 'key')

The 'dock' at Castaway (formerly Gorda) Cay. Although it looks like part of the island, I think it is essentially a pier constructed by Disney.

View from the family beach towards ship. It's about a 10-minute walk, or you can take a tram most of the way. There is free access to the ship the entire time, so no problem if you forget something. This is one of the main advantages of being docked rather than tendered (brought ashore in small boats).

View of the main swimming/snorkeling area, taken from deck 10 aboard the ship. This shot was actually taken at about 7:00AM - no one was there yet. The onboard castmembers head out at about 8:00AM, and the passengers disembark at about 8:30.

8:30 AM - All ashore that's going ashore!! It's about a 2 foot walk from ship to island.

The water was absolutely gorgeous - about 86 degrees and crystal clear! In the distance you may be able to make out the float markers that delineate the snorkeling courses. The short one takes about 20 minutes or so - the long one could take an hour. Water depth ranges from about 3 feet in some areas to about 10 in others - for the most part it seemed to be about 5-6 feet. The bottom has been strewn with objects from shipwrecks - treasure chests, anchors, a bridge cabin. At one spot there is a keel/bowsprit with Mickey as the figurehead!

Disney theming 'a la Typhoon Lagoon. Notice that the "showers" are really buckets with holes punched in the bottom!

Family swim area. There is a wooden platform with nets and ropes for the kids to play on. The kids were having a great time trying to go hand-over-hand along the rope to the left. At the right (tough to see in this picture) is a vertical rope; if you can climb it to the top you can ring a bell.

Castaway Cay - the island nobody wanted to leave.

At 4:00PM, Disney Magic reluctantly backs away from the island on her way back to Port Canaveral...