I ran Disney Cruise Line 5K On the Castaway Cay Private Island, Here’s Route & How it Works

Disney Cruise Line offers a fun run 5K on their Castaway Cay private island. The run is a perfect way to start off a day at Castaway Cay before the Bahamian sun warms up for the day.

Previously a scheduled event, the Castaway Cay 5K is now an experience led on your own along the running route on the island. Once completed you can pick up a very cute rubber runner's medal and walk away with plenty of bragging rights before your relaxing day.

Let's dive into my look at the 5K with details on the Castaway Cay 5K route, a look at the special medal, and tips for making the most of this trip.

Key Disney Castaway Cay 5K Overview & Key Reminders

Disney's Castaway Cay is a beautiful private island destination with private beaches for families and one dedicated for adults. The island offers a variety of very cool activities including snorkeling, a floating water slide structure, bikes, and of course the 5K.

You'll also find great BBQ food options on the island for all guests to enjoy at lunch. Don't miss the soft serve ice cream and delicious chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were perfect motivation for me to get up and enjoy the 5K before a day on the island.

READ MORE – I've Been to Both Disney Cruise Line's Private Islands. This is the Best One. 

1. There is an official running route for the Castaway Cay 5K though there is not any official confirmation that you completed the run before you receive a medal. You should be running the 5K as a way to kick off your day on vacation. The only person you're running this for is you.
2. There are days when the temperature will simply be too high to run even if you go first thing. Consider skipping the run or taking it very slowly if the humidty is getting to you. This is a hot, largely unshaded course that is best run in the morning.
3. Make sure to wear proper running attire and consider bringing a water bottle with you if it's hot. Don't miss our comprehensive Disney Cruise Line packing list.
4. Use an athletic tracking app to track your progress if you care about hitting at least the exact 3.1 mile length. I personally use Strava for my runs and bike rides at home.
5. The entire route is flat, paved, and well-marked though there is one confusing aspect where you have to double back. See full route below.

Previously this was an organized race that had a set start time and was hosted by a cast member. This current self guided version of the race allows for a lot more flexibility for guests to enjoy on their own pace. Apparently during some sailings this still an organized race when it aligns with Disney World runDisney events.

Medal at Castaway Cay 5K

After completing the 5K course you can then stop at the bike rental shed to ask for your complimentary medal. They are very cute rubber versions of running Mickey Mouse in his jogging attire.

I wanted to include the medal before the route just to give you a little incentive to consider this run. During my run I was joined by our friends from Get Away Today, our recommended travel partner that can help you with any Disney Cruise Line needs.

Disney Castaway Cay 5K Running Route

The 5K running route winds along the far side of Castaway Cay away from the busier beach areas. The official 5K running route starts and ends at the bike rental shed at the far end of the family beach area. From the bike rental shed the route then stretches from here as just over a 1.5 mile out and back.

When we recently did the 5K we ran more than the official route. We were the first ones off the ship once we were allowed to disembark right at 8:30 am. We started our run right where we got off the ship. Because we were running first thing, there were no guests lounging on the beach yet. This meant that all of the walkways were clear for us to start running right then.

Later in the day, you would not want to try and run through these areas as they will be crowded with people enjoying the island. Even in the morning, these spaces can be crowded. If it is crowded here or a Cast Member asks you not to run, slow down and walk until you get to the 5K starting line. I was happy to enjoy my run first thing both in order to avoid any crowds and to run in the coolest weather of the day.

There are three components of the running route on the island – the path to the runway, the runway, and a loop out to the observation tower. To complete the full route you'll need to run this entire route out and back in the reverse direction.

Here's the Castaway Cay 5K route as documented on Strava. Note the double lines from people running the loop twice and from making a U-turn on the runway. The below is also just the best Castaway Cay running trail where it's appropriate to be running vs walking.

There are really two options for running the official 5K route. You can either run out, down the runway, around the loop, back on the runway, make a U-turn, go back around the loop, and then come back to the bike shed or you can run around the loop twice while you are in there rather than doubling back into the loop when coming back down the runway. Running around the loop twice would reduce the distance because you would not have to double back along the entrance to the loop area.

Between the two options you can either run the loop different directions each time that you go around if you go out and then double back around the loop again or just loop it twice when you first run it. You can also add distance by making a right turn when you get to Serenity Bay and running along the path where the cabanas are. On the map above this is labeled as the Castaway Air Bar.

Note that if you end up running later in the day you'll see bikers around you and trams running down the runway out to the adult's only beach. This is another reason to run in the morning.

Here's a photo look at the 5K Castaway Cay course as I documented it. Here's the 5K race start sign at the bike rental shed.

From the bike shed you run a short path and you are then on the runway.

About halfway down the runway you'll see this plane and a pile of barrels in front of it. You'll see an arrow pointing for you to loop in for the 5K.

In here you'll have the benefit of some shade when you're running in the morning. Beautiful vegetation grows up on both sides. You'll soon reach the beginning of the loop. Along the loop area there are signs stating the amount of feet left until you make it out of the loop.

On the far side of the loop definitely stop at the obsevation tower to take in the views across the island back towards your ship. Go all the way up the stairs for the best view. Do not skip this. This is my favorite part of the 5k run.

I was blown away by the view across the beautiful Castaway Cay. I thought this was actually the top highlight of the Castaway 5K. You could also get here via a rented bike or just a walk in general but the run was the perfect way to see this.

At the observation station there is also a water station out here filled if you need a break or some water. After the water station we completed the loop. All along the loop you'll find different nautical shipwreck decorations.

After we then turned out of the loop and finished our run down the runway to Serenity Bay. I quickly stuck my head out on the beach to see the adult's only area that we would come back to later that day. Right as we were leaving the beach the first tram of the day was showing up with other passengers ready to start lounging. At this point you do a U-turn. You could also make the right turn just before getting to this beach to add distance.

At this point you should then loop back around the loop following the arrows to retrace your steps. You'll see signs guiding you back into the loop and back around towards the bike route. At this point we had completed the Castaway Cay 5K and stopped back at the bike stand to pick up our complimentary medals. Look how cute it is with Mickey on it. Here's our happy group celebrating our medals at the end of the route!

This was a perfect way to start off our day on the island. Because we had gone early enough we popped back onto the ship by 9:20 am in time for breakfast at Marceline's Market onboard the Disney Treasure.

On our way back onto the ship we ran into Stitch and Captain Hook who were hanging out waiting to greet guests getting off the ship. Stitch even tried to steal my medal. What a fantastic morning this was. I also did some stretching in the Disney Treasure Fitness Center after the run. I highly recommend the Castaway Cay 5K as a perfect way to start your morning on the private island.

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