We were invited by Disney Cruise Line to get a preview of the new Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. This is their new island destination in the Bahamas. This was also my first Disney Cruise so I have not gotten to experience their private island Castaway Cay. However, I have experienced other cruise line private islands and beaches such as Norwegian’s Great Stirrup Cay, Royal Caribbeans Coco Cay(before the updates) and Carnival’s Mahogany Bay. So i was interested how this one would compare to the other cruise lines and offer my perspective as someone who has cruised many times but never on Disney.
One of the nice things about Lookout Cay is that the ship is able to dock at a pier. It is a long pier. It’s about a 10-15 minute walk to the tram stop. Where you will take about a 10-15 minute tram ride to the beach on the other side of the island. For many people that is a lot. There are golf carts on the pier for motion-impaired and elderly guests. I didn’t have any issues with the length of the pier. It beats having to take a tender to the island like you have to do at many other private islands or beaches. Plan for 30 minutes to get to the beach and the same to return. I will say it was nice coming back at the end of the day that at the end of the pier they had cool hand towels and water.
Once you arrive on the beach side of the island everything is pretty well laid out. In the main plaza, there is the gift shop, Disney T’ings which has a lot of really good exclusive Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point merchandise that is only available on the island. The local artists and vendors location, Treasures of Eleuthera, and the Goombay Cultural Center, where you can learn Bahamian traditions and crafts from local artisans. In this area a couple of times a day, there is the RUSH! A Junkanoo Celebration, as you get to experience Bahamian Junkanoo Rush-Out led by a local Junkanoo group that is joined by Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy in their outfits specially designed for the island. It was nice to see a celebration of Bahamian culture. There is also the Disney Fun in the Sun Beach Bash which is a more family-oriented show featuring Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, and fun family games.
Everything is well laid out at the beach. Everything is spread out from one end of the beach to the other. Where the adult beach, Serenity Bay, and amenities is on the far left while the family beach and amenities take up the remaining two-thirds of the beach. I really liked how everything was laid out. It was easy to follow and figure out your way around. The only thing that might confuse people is some of the walkways. Most of the walkways are raised and curved throughout. I am assuming this design is to protect the local vegetation from storms. So often you are taking a circular path instead of a direct path to some of the locations.
The beach is easily one of the most beautiful beaches i have ever been to. No other cruise line private beach i have experienced is as nice as this one. From the fine white sand down to the crystal clear water it is stunning. The water doesn’t seem to be too deep which i am guessing will be disappointing to some. If you are snorkeling in many cases you will be able to walk out to the snorkeling areas. There will be excursions offered to go snorkeling by boat to deeper waters at an extra fee. Probably the only real disappointment to me is the majority of the loungers are not on the beach itself. Most of them are behind the protective dune line. So if you want a chance to get any loungers on the main part of the beach you will have to get there very early.
The food was very good. There are 3 locations to get food. Two in the family beach area, True-True BBQ, True-True Too BBQ, and one in the Adult beach area, Serenity Bay BBQ. Much of the food is Bahamian inspired but also burgers, chicken, and ribs There were some desserts including very good and very big chocolate chip cookies. While we had no problem finding a table at one of the pavilions surrounding the food area I do wonder if there are enough tables on days one of the bigger ships will be in port.
I felt that the look and feel of Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point felt a lot less resort-like and more in tune with the local Bahamian culture. Many of the structures have a local handcrafted feel to them combined with the practicality and needs of a private cruise line beach that also must be able to stand up to storms. There was definitely great care in protecting the local vegetation and wildlife with the raised walkways and with the layout of the amenities.
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is the most unique cruise line private island/beach I have ever been to. While they were definitely still in the process of finishing construction on this new offering, one of the reasons this was considered a preview. I think this beach will grow into being the highlight of anyone’s Disney cruise. The beach is the selling point of this destination. It is beautiful. There is plenty for families to do with the multiple play areas that are easily accessible. While the adult beach is not isolated from the family beach if you pick the right spot you will be able to be far enough away from the families that you will feel like you are at another beach. I really enjoyed Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and look forward to visiting again in the future to see how it has evolved and grown since I got to experience this preview.
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Barry joined Thrillgeek in 2016. He has been a journalist for over 17 years. He is one of the co-hosts of the Thrillgeek This Week, Editor and Digital Content Coordinator here at Thrillgeek. When he is not going to the theme parks or traveling with his wife, Cyn. He is playing drums, going to concerts, trying some of the amazing food or enjoying many of the amazing performing arts we have in Orlando.