Pelican Plunge Closes Again at Castaway Cay, Leaving Disney Cruisers Guessing
If your Disney Cruise Line itinerary includes Castaway Cay, expect Pelican Plunge may be closed, since no reopening timeline has been given. Watch the Navigator app for notices, because some guests learned only the night before or the morning of the stop. If you are travelling with kids who just reached the 38-inch minimum, tell them early that the slide may be unavailable. Plan backups such as the smaller lagoon play structure, the Spring-a-Leak splash pad, or the onboard waterslides.
My read is that this is a maintenance problem rather than a one-off. Pelican Plunge sits in salt water, exposed to all weather, so the article itself says it likely needs more frequent refurbishment than a protected feature would. Cruise Hive reported an August 2026 closure, yet guests described it open in mid-September and again around October 17, so the pattern is on, off, on, off. The losers are families with kids who have just reached the 38-inch minimum, like the guest who described 'very disappointed kids who were finally big enough.' Disney has not explained the repeated closures, and I would not read a motive into that silence. The communication is the real weak spot: telling guests the night before, when they are already aboard, is the part people resent. In their shoes, I would assume the slide is a bonus rather than a promise and plan around the splash pad and lagoon play structure. I would also keep expectations low until Disney gives a reopening date.