Lookout Cay: Disney Cruise Line’s NEW Island Escape – Here’s What Parents Need to Know
The newest addition to the Disney Cruise Line treasure trove isn’t a cruise ship, it’s a whole island! Located among the small chain of islands in Eleuthera, Bahamas, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point joins Disney Castaway Cay as one of the line’s two privately-owned ports of call.
Recently, I sailed to this Caribbean destination aboard the Disney Magic, and spent a full day exploring everything Lookout Cay has to offer. There’s a lot for parents to know before stepping off a Disney ship and onto this destination.
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In a nutshell, there’s lots to do on this character-packed island, but moms and dads should prepare kids for lots of walking and little respite from the Bahamian heat.
Here’s what parents need to know before visiting Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. And if you’re lucky enough to have some alone time here are ways adults can enjoy Lookout Cay.
Is Lookout Cay good for families?
You’re about to set food on a Disney-themed island destination with activities that celebrate beloved Disney characters and Bahamian culture. While Lookout Cay is working through some kinks, it’s a promising, vibrant, and fun space.
Overall, the island is a great spot for families to enjoy a day splashing in clear blue water, playing with characters like Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck, and learning about Junkanoo, a vibrant Bahamian street parade that heavily influences the island’s design.
It’s worth a visit, especially if your kids love character interactions and playing in the water.
What are the family activities at Lookout Cay?
There are lots of family-friendly activities at Lookout Cay, from exciting shows to nature scavenger hunts to snorkeling.
Some of our favorite activities during our visit were the shows and the splash areas.
Shows and Celebrations
- Rush! A Junkanoo Celebration: This exciting show honors the Bahamian street festival Junkanoo and features incredible Bahamian musicians and dancers in colorful costumes. Mickey, Minnie, Daisy Duck, and Donald Duck also participate in Rush! The show takes place twice daily at the island’s Goombay Cultural Center pavilion, but the viewing area is not shaded.
- Disney Fun in the Sun Beach Bash: This show takes place beneath the shady Play-Play Pavilion twice each day, and it’s all about kids getting to interact with Disney characters. During the Disney Fun in the Sun Beach Bash, kids get to limbo with Goofy, play ring toss with Pluto, and help Chip and Dale out with a water brigade.
Beach and Splash Areas
Helpful features of Lookout Cay: lifeguards on the beach to help keep an eye on swimmers, and showers throughout the island to rinse off sand and salt water.
- Lookout Cay family beach: The family beach at Lookout Cay has lots of beach chairs and umbrellas, but they tend to fill up early once the ship arrives and guests are cleared to disembark. The powdery sand beaches and vibrant blue waters are worth experiencing and we noticed many shaded umbrella spots opened up after lunch when guests started heading back to the ship.
- Rush Out Gush Out Water Play: This large splash pad-style play area has two water slides and lots of places to climb, play, and get wet. Adults are welcome to get in on the fun, too, so it’s a great place to play and cool off when kids are tired of getting sandy on Lookout Cay’s family beach. The area is gated and has plenty of spots for moms and dads to sit and observe.
Disney Characters
- Look for Disney characters in the two shows / celebrations mentioned above.
- Disney character meet-and-greets and photo ops: There’s a large Bahamian-inspired Mickey Mouse backdrop at Lookout Cay, with plans for additional backdrops featuring Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy to be added to the island. In addition to these backdrops, there were photographers all over the island, including a few who offered “magic shots,” photos where animated Disney characters are added into the image after it’s shot. Characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy—all in their Lookout Cay outfits—also appear throughout the day for meet-and-greets.
- We noticed none of the character meet-and-greet areas were shaded, another reason hats and sunscreen are key on Lookout Cay.
Is there childcare at Lookout Cay?
At Lookout Cay, there’s a dedicated childcare area with the same check-in and security process as the kids’ clubs on Disney Cruise Line ships. At Sebastian’s Cove, there’s a shaded water play area complete with shooting fountains and colorful statues of under the sea creatures from “The Little Mermaid.”
During an open house for the facility, we saw craft-making stations, lots of toys for water and sand play, and plenty of shaded tables for kids to take a rest. What’s more, there’s a dedicated food service area inside the club for kids to eat lunch items like hot dogs and burgers.
Is there an adults-only area at Lookout Cay?
Lookout Cay has its own adults-only beach area, Serenity Bay. Inside Serenity Bay, guests 18 and older can visit a kid-free beach, eat lunch at Serenity Bay BBQ, order bar drinks, rent cabanas, and more.
While the area isn’t as secluded as the Serenity Bay area at Castaway Cay, it’s got plenty of room for grown-ups who want some peace and quiet. Serenity Bay at Lookout Cay is the perfect place for moms and dads to head once they’ve dropped their kids off at Sebastian’s Cove.
How long does it take to get from the ship to Lookout Cay?
A downside of Lookout Cay is the amount of time and effort it takes to get from the ship to the island. Upon disembarking the ship, a long pier-style walkway took my party of four (no kids among us) about 12 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace.
The morning slog to the island is hot and unshaded, but once the sun had changed directions in the afternoon, the walk back was pretty pleasant. In the future, it’d be nice to see Disney Cruise Line add misters and shade tarps to the walkway, since it may be tough on little ones. That said, bring a stroller if you anticipate your kid struggling with the .5-mile walk.
Note: this long walkway enabled Disney Cruise Line to provide access to the beach without having to disrupt the natural ecosystem of the island.
After walking the pier, you’ll arrive at an area of Lookout Cay that has a coffee shop, merchandise stand, charter boat rental, and tram stop.
The tram ride is another 15-20 minutes, taking guests over to the part of the island where the beach (and the rest of the action) happens.
When our party decided to leave the beach at Lookout Cay and head back to the ship, the process of walking to the tram, catching a tram, and walking the walkway back to the ship took over 30 minutes, so allow 30-45 minutes of travel time if you’re trying to make it off the ship for an excursion or back to the ship for a dining reservation.
Carts were available to transport guests who needed extra assistance getting from the tram station area down the walkway to the ship.
How does Lookout Cay compare to Castaway Cay?
Lookout Cay and Castaway Cay are similar in lots of ways, from the barbecue-style food served to the distinctly Disney touches seen throughout the islands.
Both offer kids clubs, family beaches, adults-only areas, biking, snorkeling, and water excursions, bars with plenty of drinks, shopping, and more.
While Castaway Cay’s overall vibe is that Disney dropped its characters and theming onto an island, Lookout Cay feels more aware of and immersed in the Bahamian culture. Visiting Disney Cruise Line’s newest island gives the feeling of having visited the Bahamas and learned about the people there—sort of the same feel as a Bahamian pavilion would give at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT.
Tips for a great visit to Lookout Cay
As Disney Cruise Line continues to iron out the guest experience at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, there are tips and tricks parents should remember for getting the most stress-free experience out of their visit.
- Bring a stroller. If your child will struggle to make the .5-mile trek from the ship to the island, consider taking your stroller with you off the ship.
- At guest services (located in the main section of the island, after the walk and tram ride) there are wagons and strollers available for guests to use free of charge during their visit to that section of the island.
- Pack (and reapply) sunscreen. There’s very little shade at Lookout Cay, so much so that I (someone who never burns) got sunburned despite using sunscreen. Shade umbrellas and floppy hats are also a great idea at this destination.
- Stay hydrated. Since Lookout Cay provides lots of hot temperatures and sun exposure with minimal spots to seek shade, it’s important to stay hydrated.
- One of the things we carried off the ship with us that came in the handiest were our reusable tumblers, which we filled with water, lemonade, or Vitamin Water each time we passed a drink station. The insulated tumblers kept our drinks icy and cold all day, and we congratulated ourselves on how well we did with staying hydrated because of them.
- Incentivize the walk to the island. Just over the walkway is Mangroves and Go, a coffee and beer stand that also sells Dole Whips. Promising your kids a sweet, icy treat if they make the walk without complaining just may work.
- Consider a later disembarkation. Consider getting off the ship a little later. Let littles take a nap mid-morning to rest up and try hopping off the ship after lunchtime when the sun has died down. Not only will the island be a little less crowded, but you’ll have a better chance of snagging beach chairs under the shade of an umbrella.
Have a great cruise, and if you’re look for more family vacation ideas visit our Travel section of our site!
