In the Shade at Castaway Cay on a Disney Cruise
A Nice, Shady Spot
We found a nice spot under the shade of umbrellas and palm trees on the Family Beach at Castaway Cay during our 2018 Christmas Disney Cruise.
As you may know if you have read the Cruise Trip Report, we had spent the morning walking (Steve and Laura) and running (everyone else in our group) in the Castaway Cay 5K. And while it was nowhere near as warm on that December day as it has been when we have been at Castaway Cay in June and July, it was still a little warm, especially if you have just walked 3.2 miles. So we found this nice, quiet sport over at the far corner of the Family Beach and just enjoyed lounging for a while.
Some of us dozed for a little while, catching up on some rest. Others threw a football in the shade. Some went exploring, and some went to the water. But we kept coming back to this location because it was nice.
And that word - “nice” - really sums up our whole day. It was a nice day. No rain showers, nothing scheduled, nowhere else to be, no pressures and deadlines like we had faced at work back home, no cell phone or internet service. Just a nice day at the beach on an island in the Bahamas.
If it looks just about perfect in the photo, that is because it was. And we greatly enjoyed it, as we did our entire Disney Cruise.
Nice
Speaking of “nice,” that word means different things to different people. I would imagine that goes without saying, but I said it anyway, just to make sure we are all on the same (web) page.
For example, what I would consider a nice day at the beach might be considered by others to be too hot, too sunny, or too boring. Yes, some people can apparently be bored at the beach, while I love just sitting there and watching the scenery, or going out to the water, or just watching the people go by. That is nice to me but almost torture to others.
Or take a nice reality show. I guess some people would say there is such a thing as a nice reality show, but not me. I can think of just about anything I would rather watch on television because that just is not my thing.
So we might disagree on what we think is nice. And there is nothing wrong with that.
That gets me wondering about this time of COVID-19 and quarantine. Will those of us who have not been directly affected by the disease or in our jobs look back at this time and think that it was nice? Even if you haven’t been sick or lost your job, you might not think that staying home every day is nice. I am enjoying it, but I do miss being able to spend time with our friends and go on trips.
But in other ways, it has definitely been nice not driving places every day, saving money on gas, getting more rest, and most of all, spending more time with my family.
While this is definitely not a nice situation, there are definitely some nice things to find in it.
Bible Verse
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9
About the Photo
Yes, I have posted a similar photo to this before from the same Disney Cruise. In fact, as I am typing this, it is the randomly selected background on my second monitor. Here it is if you want to see it and compare.
But this new photo is from a different angle, showing more of the umbrellas and less of the water. This one focuses more on the forest of umbrellas and palm trees and less on the beach itself. However, if you look closely, you can see the Disney Dream off in the distance behind the umbrellas.
In this one, I like how the sun can be seen peeking through the palm fronds at the top center of the photo, and also how the sunlight backlights the fronds.
And no, we weren’t all alone on the island. We just got there before most of the other people arrived.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens and Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 Lens
Date: December 18, 2018
Location: Castaway Cay, Bahamas
