Hello and welcome to “Five (or so) Things” — a recurring article type where I’ll take a deep dive into an attraction, share some ideas on fun things to do, or maybe provide a sneak peek at something new or upcoming. This entry is something that I am so excited to share: details about Disney Cruise Line’s next big thing, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
Before we dive in, please indulge me in a bit of self reflection on my thoughts on Lookout Cay. At the 2019 D23 Expo, now Disney Legend Elect Joe Rohde took the stage and talked about Lighthouse Point. In my memory, he didn’t go into a lot of details about what the new island destination was going to be like, just a little tease…boy was my memory bad! Rohde had actually given a very detailed description of the location on the island of Eleuthera and the inspirations that this area would be built around.
Well, fast forward to four years later, and this above concept art was released… and, boy, was I down on it. If you talked with me about it or saw any of the livestreams I was on about it, I had no desire to even visit this new location. However, I’m now so happy to be eating crow (or perhaps conch, as it were).
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend a panel with Disney Cruise Line folks and Walt Disney Imagineers to learn more about this new jewel in the Disney Cruise Line’s captain’s hat.
So here are Five (or so) Things that I learned about Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
1) Junkanoo Fun in the Sun
The main focus of everything from the designs and colors of the buildings to the overall vibe of Lookout Cay will be Junkanoo. The word “Junkanoo” may be something you have heard before — but, if you were like me, you had no idea what it is all about. Well, it is a cultural celebration of freedom with parades held twice a year on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day throughout the islands.
One of the most fitting ways Junkanoo was described was “it’s the rhythm of the Bahamas” with colorful costumes, goat skin drums, and lots of brass horns; it can only be compared to Mardi Gras or Carnaval. Now, the heart of all activity will be the Goombay Cultural Center. Here, guests can take part in the “sights and sounds of Junkanoo workshop” curated by Junkanoo artist Ms Malinda from Southern Eleuthera. Guests will learn about history, music, and costumes as they create their own Junkanoo headspace and crafts to wear during RUSH – A Junkanoo Celebration. RUSH will take place twice per day (so no one has any FOMO) and will parade around parts of the island before making its way to the cultural center to join with the characters for a grand Junkanoo celebration.
Elsewhere on the island is the Play-Play Pavilion, which will be home of the Disney Fun in the Sun Beach Bash. Guests will be able to dance and engage in games with Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale. Something that I am looking forward to the most is the soundtrack for the Play-Play Pavilion as it will feature Disney music like “I2I” from A Goofy Movie and the “Rescue Rangers” theme song reimagined by Victor Johnson, a Bahamian musician and artist.
2) A New Island to Explore
Eleuthera was founded in 1640 is 110 miles long and located in the Atlantic Ocean and is part of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas. When guests depart the ship they will cross over a trestle bridge (a first of its kind in the Bahamas) over a coral reef to see raised walkways to help preserve the natural beauty of the island. For the architecture of Lookout Cay, Disney Imagineers made a point to bring out the bright colors of the architecture of the Bahamas including designs of the larger gathering places after shells that can be found around on the island of the Bahamas. Across all the buildings, Bahamian artists were brought in to paint and design murals and pieces of art to showcase the Junkanoo culture.The island is inhabited, but in order to keep the tropical island feel, less than 16% of the property has been developed, which gave the Imagineers the opportunity to develop a nature trail that really showcases the beauty and wildlife of the island.
3) If It’s Not Broke, Don’t Fix It
Lookout Cay may be a whole new destination for the Disney Cruise Line, but that doesn’t mean they have to try and re-invite the ship’s wheel. For 25 years, Castaway Cay has been something that has set DCL apart from other cruise lines — and that included Serenity Bay, an adults only beach, and areas for those under 18 only.
Well, the good news is that Serenity Bay has found its way to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. But t the stuff for those still young enough to want to do more than just lay out on the beach. Sebastian's Cove is the designated youth activities space – “Play in Nature” (in collaboration with NatGeo Kids) will feature learning activities but presented in fun ways so it doesn’t feel like learning. For the teens and tweens, they will have their own unique activity — “Sand Creature Creation” — where they will work with some of the amazing sand sculpting artists to create one of five different creatures. Then, when they are done, part of the fun is restoring it right back to being sand on the beach.
4) Island Couture Comes to Life
Acclaimed Bahamian fashion designer Theodore Elyett collaborated with Disney and became the first celebrity designer in history to create all-new outfits for Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and their pals. The “Junkanoo Fun in the Sun'' Couture looks for the characters give them the “on vacation at Disney Lookout Cay” feel and is wholly inspired by Junkanoo. Elyett took inspiration from the straw industry, which is big in Bahamas, and is carried across in all the character designs — but especially in Minnie’s outfit. Minnie is rocking the straw polka dots as well as a pineapple purse. Fun fact: at one time, more pineapples were exported from Eleuthera than Hawaii with over 8 million a year.
Each of the “elite eight” has a splash of Junkanoo design with bright colors and nods to their new home port. Elyett also has helped design some of the beautiful apparel line that will be only available on Lookout Cay.
5) What’s the Difference?
For those of you who have sailed with the Disney Cruise Line before out of the East Coast and have been to Castaway Cay, you may be asking yourself, “What is the difference between these two destinations?” To that I will say, “A lot, if you want there to be!” This can actually be summed up pretty well in the overall stories of the two locations:
- Castaway is a fictional place where we were “castaway” and almost washed ashore as can be seen by the architecture and just overall feel of the island.
- Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is a real place with real culture and real people where we are going on a vacation.
Without having visited Lookout Cay yet, I can’t say “it just feels different.” But, as a HUGE fan of Castaway, I can tell every word that was shared with us at the presentation made it feel different.
As I said, I walked into this not being a fan of Lookout at all. But the energy and description gave me the feeling that this will be a place of celebration and music where you want to take part and celebrate Junkanoo all day! One of the things that really came across is the locations compliment each other with the overall vibe of each island being the two different sides of a coin. But, no matter what if your main goal is to enjoy a beautiful Disney location or have some soft serve and some of the best chicken tenders on the planet, both fill that need perfectly.
6) Do You Plan to Have a Lighthouse at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point?
Since that initial announcement at the 2019 D23 Expo, I have had this picture in my mind of a traditional lighthouse being the anchor of Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. But, as we found out, the picture in our mind’s eye isn’t always what we should expect. During the Q&A session, Matt from AttractionsMagazine.com asked if there was an actual lighthouse. The answer was much more interesting than I would have guessed.
On the location there is what is called, a light station – not a lighthouse with the tower and light on top but a station where someone would man it and help guide ships in. The best part of the story is Eleuthera has a history of wrecking, which is an industry that was big during the turn of the 20th century, where locals would sustain themselves by going out and salvaging wrecked ships and sell the goods. The light station is not on Disney property but on the “Crown Land” owned by the Bahamian people, but Disney has worked to create safe access to that area so visitors can see and learn about this unique part of the island’s history.
Well, there you have it. I hope not only I helped you learn something new about Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point but have also inspired you to book a Disney Cruise and explore this new destination yourself! If so, we recommend using our friends at Mouse Fan Travel to book your cruise.