Disney Treasure Western Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 4: December 30, 2025

The itinerary for the day brings us to George Town, Grand Cayman Island, to check on those offshore accounts. The arrival time is a little later than typical, pulling in to anchor at 10:30 with an all aboard time of 5:30. With temps in the mid-70s and sunny, it was a fabulous day to explore.

The largest of the Cayman Islands, it measures 76 square miles in landmass and is home to approximately 70,000 people. While this is a popular cruise destination, there is one thing you won’t find: a pier. Surrounded by coral reefs, the only way to get to shore is by tender boats. In fact, this is the only port Disney Cruise Line visits that has this requirement. It’s a bit of an inconvenience and adds extra steps to getting on and off the ship, but it is a small price to pay to protect the natural underwater ecology.

The process varies by cruise line to line up for tenders. Some allow guests to simply rush the lower decks and line up, while others have designated holding areas, such as a theater, allowing a more organized group to load as boats become ready. The size of the tenders can also vary, as some ships need to use their lifeboats to shuttle guests. Luckily, Grand Cayman has their own tenders that can fit up to 200 guests at a time to expedite the process, particularly when there are multiple ships vying for their services.

With only one other ship joining us, the Celebrity Eclipse, the flow of tenders was fairly steady, with one loading and unloading at each the ship and dock, then swapping.

Cayman Crystal Caves Shore Excursion in Grand Cayman

We didn’t need to worry about fighting the rush to secure a tender, as we chose to book an excursion for this day. First gathering in the World of Marvel to check in with the rest of the group, we were then escorted down to the tender that was being held aside for the shore excursions.

I’ve always enjoyed a little cave exploration and have been looking forward to this particular excursion since we initially booked the cruise last spring. I’ve been to some of the largest in the US over the years, and each cave is truly unique and has its own virtues and beauty. Today’s were no exception to that.

First, let’s take a look at the description provided by DCL:

Discover the beauty and history behind the Crystal Caves in Grand Cayman.

On this adventure you will…

• • • Board your transportation and travel approximately 45 minutes, learning interesting facts about the Cayman Islands and Grand Cayman from your guide.
    • Arrive at Cayman Crystal Caves, where you will be escorted with a knowledgeable Tour Guide who will lead you on an adventurous exploration of “Cayman Down Under.”
    • Venture into amazing caves where you will see stalactite and stalagmite crystal structures and otherworldly formations, formed by single drops of water over the slow passage of time.
    • Tour through the unique tropical forest, under which the caves formed. Amongst the forest and caves are captivating tropical plant and animal life, including strangler balsam trees, air plants, parrots, and bats.
    • Throughout your time learn some of the fascinating history of this incredible geological attraction and its importance to the North Side community throughout the island’s history.
    • After exploring the caves and nature trail, you’ll head to the deck area, where you will have time to visit the Treehouse snack bar and Gift Shop before boarding your return transportation back to the pier.

A fairly apt description of how the day went. During the drive to the northern side of the island, our driver gave the usual historical facts of how the island was discovered and settled and pointed out key points of interest along the way. Anyone want to go knock on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s door? It was a nice way to get some insight into the life of the locals and what makes this island home.

Upon arrival, we offloaded for a short orientation and an opportunity to use restrooms and apply some mosquito spray, which was graciously provided for us. Then it was back into the van for a short drive into the rainforest to reach the entrance to the caverns.

In total, we explored three separate caves: Lake Cave, Open Ceiling Cave, and Roots Cave.

We only went a hundred yards or so into each along established paths that were lit for easy navigation. I did notice that most of the sections of lights offered switches for the guide to be able to segregate areas for different viewing aspects. There is nothing like the feeling of being underground in complete darkness, without even being able to see your hand an inch in front of your face! While there were plenty of crawl spaces with nooks and crannies to peer into, we had to stick to the path and were sternly warned during the orientation that any attempts to venture off-trail, or even touch the stalactites or stalagmites, would be met with a stiff penalty to ensure their integrity would remain undamaged for ages to come. I respect that, but it didn’t quell my desire to channel my inner Jules Verne.

While walking along, it was important to not only watch your step but also above. With some low overhangs and a few flying objects, what’s a cave without bats after all? We had bats, underground lakes, hanging roots, fossils, and microscopic crystals that made the walls glimmer. Awesome experience. The only downside, as usual, is not enough time to really take it all in and contemplate the world that exists below our feet.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

On the way back to the bus, we had the opportunity to order something for lunch from the Treehouse restaurant to eat on the drive back.

I would, without a doubt, recommend this excursion. At a cost of $129 per person (ages 10 and up) and $119 per person (ages 5 to 9), it’s a little on the expensive side but worth the investment. It’s one of those things you have to ask yourself: how many chances are you going to get to see this?

Walking Around Georgetown, Grand Cayman

If you’d rather just take a walk around the port, this is an ideal island to do just that. There is plenty of shopping and dining located along the main street that runs along the coastline. Keep in mind the main economy here is the financial industry. This is where the rich who want to stay rich “store” their portfolios to avoid the taxes us little people endure. Many also have beach homes around the island to swim in their gold coins Scrooge McDuck style. This lends to a rather upscale lifestyle for both the locals and tourists visiting. It’s clean and welcoming everywhere you look, even the further stretches we passed while driving to the caves.

Some islands give you a false facade right in the port, then you quickly enter slums a block away, like we experienced in November while stopping in Antigua.

We didn’t have a lot of time to walk around, but here are a few things you can expect to see when visiting George Town, along with the obvious ship photos.

Dinner at 1923 on Disney Treasure

Returning to 1923 for dinner this evening was one of the best we’ve had, in both service and food. Aided by the fact that the large family that had been monopolizing our servers was absent from the dining room, we had time to not only get steady service but also to converse with Askin and Jiten a bit and get to know them a little more. Along with some crayon puzzles and sleight of hand that the servers seem adept at as a means of entertaining the younger guests. This is what we are accustomed to. Not just having them take orders and bring food, but true interaction and the development of a bond. This was a culmination of the progression of their service to us. Not trying to overcorrect or go over the top, just casual and natural interactions.

Starting off simple with another plate of marinated shrimp and a bowl of white onion soup. Both were okay, but nothing to write home about. Pretty standard.

Those were really just a tease, though, as the main course this evening was lobster tail and red snapper. What can you say here? The lobster was shelled at the table, then a cascade of drawn butter was poured over the top. Soft and succulent, the steak of the sea.

The snapper was also good, but I didn’t care for the saffron broth it was in. It may have been better on its own, but the flavor profile didn’t mix with the light sweetness of the lobster. Definitely something I would try again, though.

For dessert, they had me at crème brûlée. The chocolate lava cake also looked appealing, and I was tempted to double down, but my appetite was waning, so I opted for the lighter of the two. You really can’t go wrong either way here.

Pirate Night on Disney Treasure

Tonight was the famed Pirate Night for the Disney Treasure and all that entails. Well, except for one thing, there wasn’t a Pirate Night dinner menu served this cruise. As I mentioned last week, that is likely the menu most in need of a refresh, so I wasn’t disappointed in its absence. That was due to having a special New Year’s Eve menu on the agenda tomorrow night. On seven-day cruises, each MDR offers a night one and night two menu that coincides with your two dinners there. That leaves the seventh night for a special menu that is most often the Pirate menu. However, sailings that coincide with a holiday such as New Year’s Eve or Thanksgiving see that replaced by a one-off menu.

All the usual happenings around the ship were in full force, with guests decked out in swashbuckling attire, pirate music playing in the common areas, photo ops with pirate backgrounds, and of course, Captain Jack was available. The kids’ pirate show in the atrium is always a good kick-start to get the smaller recruits in the mood.

The highlight of the evening is always the fireworks and deck party that follows. As Disney is the only cruise line at sea that has fireworks, it’s one of those things you just can’t miss. We often see other ships on the horizon that stop and catch the show in true thievery.

Scat Cat Lounge on Disney Treasure

Since we had some time between dinner and the fireworks out on deck, we did a little lounge hopping to experience a few that, up to this point, had been either too crowded to enjoy or not fitting with our schedule.

Starting in Scat Cat Lounge, a piano bar themed after The Aristocats. This lounge is for guests 18+ and offers a few stools at the bar, but the real show is the piano that occupies the center of the room, with chairs positioned around it.

This is where we can start talking about some of those little morsels that were presented to us during our tour on day two. The decor around the room was filled with pictures of the characters from the movie in a subtle and refined way. Deep colors adorn the walls and give it a relaxing, classic vibe.

There were two different performers rotating throughout the week, each playing a wide range of classics from a variety of genres. The experience was a mixture, as some were there simply to enjoy the ambiance and music while others were holding conversations. Luckily, the two didn’t collide much, as you could always hear the piano and lyrics without having to shout to the person next to you to be heard. Not a bad place to spend the evening.

The Imagineers added a few personal touches, as they cleverly included pictures of their own cats within the artwork and even went so far as to go frame by frame of the original movie to map out the exact footprints running across the piano.

When the set wrapped up, we went next door to the Haunted Mansion Parlor, but you don’t want to hear about that, do you? Well, you’re going to have to wait. This venue is worthy of its own dedicated review.

Stay tuned, and don’t forget to check back in to see what we made it out without any hitchhiking ghosts!

The Grand Hall on Disney Treasure

With today’s theme being all things grand, it’s a great time to talk about one of the main attractions on the Disney Treasure, the Grand Hall. If you are familiar with Disney Cruise Line, you’ll know that the main lobby on the Magic and Dream Class ships is referred to as the Atrium. Well, the Imagineers of the Wish Class felt that moniker simply wouldn’t do justice to what they had in mind. And I couldn’t agree more!

As you enter the ship and step into the Grand Hall, your eyes dart all around, not sure where to focus first. The theming is based on Aladdin and the country of Agrabah, with colorful carpets and tapestries, ornate moldings, and golden fixtures. This feels like you have walked right into the Sultan’s palace the second you step foot aboard.

The grand staircase leads from deck 3 to deck 4 and continues to deck 5. At the bottom, you have the signature statue of Aladdin and Jasmine flying on the magic carpet. Stunning, to say the least. Now, I mentioned in an earlier post that they went deep with the IP on this ship. In fact, I challenge you to find a single spot throughout the ship that can’t be tied back to a Disney theme, whether obvious or subtle (hint, there aren’t too many subtle ones).

So let’s take a closer look at some of the features, thanks to our tour guide.

First, the staircase itself. Spanning three stories, with a plateau in the middle on deck four, it is actually representative of a waterfall cascading down into a collection pool at the bottom! Look closely at the picture below, and you’ll notice Abu in both his actual monkey form and transformed into an elephant.

Then you have the mosaics in front of the stage, as well as along the wall leading to the guest services desk on deck four overlooking the main entrance. Not to mention the tapestries hanging on the wall just around the corner as you walk out from the Grand Hall.

I’d love to roll one of those up and hang it in my living room!

There is a stage that is used for a variety of activities throughout the cruise, including musical acts, photo ops with characters and princesses, and skits.

And how can you miss the stunning chandelier hanging above, encircled with six smaller lanterns? I’m sure there isn’t any significance behind that… wait a minute. The Treasure was the sixth ship added to the Disney fleet. Six lanterns… maybe we should look a little closer at those?

Upon closer inspection, they each have a different symbol representative of the six signature statues on the ships:

• Mickey Mouse – Disney Magic
• Madame Mademoiselle Minnie – Disney Fantasy
• Donald Duck – Disney Dream
• Ariel’s shell – Disney Wonder
• Cinderella slipper – Disney Wish
• Aladdin magic lamp – Disney Treasure

Unbelievable depth of detail. It’s the little things that would go largely unnoticed if it wasn’t pointed out with exposition.

Now that’s a grand day. I’ll hit a few more areas of the ship over the next few days. Tomorrow brings us to port number three, Falmouth, Jamaica. We likely won’t be leaving the ship for long, if at all, so there should be plenty of time to explore a bit more. IYKYK, if not, I’ll touch on that as well. Thanks, as always, for tagging along.

Daily Planner

Personal Day-By-Day Disney Treasure Cruise Review: