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Disney Cruise Line’s Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
How the island paradise respectfully rose in the Atlantic
Credit: Disney
Eleuthera is as real as it gets.
Just east of Nassau, Bahamas, awaits Disney Cruise Line’s newest island paradise that’s a natural attraction within its own right: Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. The 900-acre property is located on the southern tip of Eleuthera, a thin 110-mile-long island in the Bahamas archipelago. The island is known for its pink sand beaches, rugged shorelines, turquoise blue waters, and a thriving population of green sea turtles living just offshore in the Atlantic.
“We want to take our guests as close to nature—without interfering with nature,” says Bradley Watson, conservation program manager at Disney Cruise Line.
With an emphasis on Bahamian culture and environmental conservation, Disney Experiences (the arm of the Walt Disney Company responsible for operating theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, and designing consumer products) created a natural attraction in a responsible and respectful way.
“We had such a great team working on this project. With all those smart minds together, we figured out a way to get it done.”
— Bradley Watson, Conservation Program Manager
Opened in June 2024, Disney Cruise Line invited Funworld to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point for a tour of how the natural attraction draws inspiration from Bahamian culture, tradition, music, and art while remaining authentic.
All Eleuthera, All the Time
In every practical sense, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is a theme park in its own right. The island attraction features a front gate like Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where passengers have their ID cards scanned (just like a ticket). A passenger tram—like those found in the parking lot at EPCOT—transports guests from a dock on the west coast to the developed east side of the island. A water playground named Rush Out, Gush Out features two water slides and interactive spray jets. And yes, there are merchandise locations.
So, what’s missing? A fictitious backstory.
By comparison, Castaway Cay—the Disney Cruise Line’s first private island (opened July 1998)—has an elaborate backstory centered around three explorers and features shipwreck architecture. Decidedly different, Lookout Cay is allowed to be itself with culture and serenity at heart.
“In this particular case, we have to be authentic. That was the commitment from the start,” explains Rachel Quinn, vice president of entertainment operations at Disney Cruise Line. “We are here to tell the story of Bahamian culture and share the beauty of the Bahamas. It’s not always easy to do that; It makes the road a little harder when you do, but it’s so fulfilling and very exciting.”
Quinn and her team partnered with the National Junkanoo Committee in The Bahamas to ensure the daily Junkanoo parade—a vibrant Bahamian street parade characterized by colorful, elaborate costumes, energetic music, and lively dancing—is authentic.
A resident schoolteacher in Eleuthera leads children through arts and crafts projects at the Goombay Cultural Center, that is centrally located.
“We were not going to tell her how we want her to teach our guests. Instead, she was teaching us! And that’s what makes it so special,” Quinn tells Funworld.
Eleuthera is home to 8,000 citizens. Many of the cast members filling roles at Lookout Cay are island residents. The Treasures of Eleuthera retail store is dedicated to selling art, jewelry, and tote bags created by Bahamian residents.
On the natural side, sand pathways surrounded by native plants lead to the namesake 1901 lighthouse Disney inherited when purchasing the land in early March 2019. Signage explains the significance of the natural flora and fauna found along the way. Each sign features a QR code that provides additional information.
Accentuating the Natural Side
Engineering and constructing an attraction in the middle of the Atlantic is no easy feat. Preserving the native landscape is even more difficult. To minimize environmental impact, Disney Imagineers designed a trestle pier that avoided the need for dredging. The creation of artificial reefs and the relocation of more than 800 corals aim to protect marine life. A network of elevated bridges across Lookout Cay’s eastward-facing coastline prevents habitat loss from foot traffic.
“We wanted to find a way to take advantage of the ocean but also maintain the dune ridges,” explains Watson, who shares that Disney stays flexible in the name of conservation. When a grove of mature Lignum Vitae trees (the national tree of the Bahamas) was discovered to be growing in the path of a future road, Watson says Disney rerouted the road. “We said, ‘Nope, not there. We’re gonna move it somewhere else.’”
Many of the structures Disney built on the island feature a curved roofline that’s inspired by seashells found along the beach. Their canvas covers display enlarged paintings from local artists.
Watson says a solar farm, outside of guest view, produces 90% of the power Lookout Cay needs to operate.
A Lesson in Logistics
Construction at Lighthouse Point began in spring 2022, following years of meticulous planning.
“We did an environmental impact assessment, and through that process, we really learned a lot about this site,” Watson says. “It gave us an informed way to make decisions about where we would place buildings and how we would build structures.”
Angela Wu, an assistant construction manager with Walt Disney Imagineering, shares that everything—from tools to hardscape—had to be ordered, packaged, and shipped from mainland Florida.
“It is not an easy process. Everything that came here mostly arrived on a boat from a port,” she says. Disney built a small dock to receive materials arriving from Port Everglades, a cruise and container port located in Fort Lauderdale approximately 260 miles west of Eleuthera. (In a sustainable move, this original dock is now used to assist with provisioning the more than half dozen food and beverage locations.)
“There’s a lot that our team had to do to plan to make sure we had materials here on time,” Wu shares. “When you’re building in Florida, you’re like, ‘Hey, I need some nuts and bolts and washers. Let me run to Home Depot.’ You don’t have that here.”
“You never know when a new connection will help you in the future.”
— Angela Wu, Assistant Construction Manager
Wu spent two years living on Eleuthera during construction. Commuting 40-minutes from a townhouse north of Lighthouse Point gave her the opportunity to meet her neighbors.
“You know what cars people drive and when somebody passes you,” she says. “I’ve been able to build a lot of relationships with people in the local community, which is something that I just absolutely treasure,” she says.
Natural is the Future
Disney plans to return 192 acres of its 900 acres the company purchased to the Bahamian government for preservation. When the island opened in June 2024, only 16% of the property was developed. Moving forward, Disney pledges to develop less than 20% of its total acreage.
During the attraction’s first year of operation, Disney Cruise Line listened to guest feedback and now provides several additional amenities.
Wagons are available for parents to use when pulling their children along a pier to an entrance at Mabrika Cove. Before arriving at the front gate, guests are offered a refreshing cold towel.
Near the Goombay Cultural Center, four additional character meet-and-greet locations allow for greater capacity.
And once guests return to the ship, cold towels are provided again, along with complimentary flavored waters.
The additional amenities join an expanding fleet. The new Disney Destiny is slated for a November 2025 debut as the third ship in the Wish class joins the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure.
With five ships in the current fleet and eight others already in development through 2031, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point will remain a natural attraction in demand for its serenity and connection to nature.
Gallery: Disney Cruise Line's Lighthouse Point
An aerial view of Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
Disney
A Disney Cruise Line ship is docked at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
Disney
The National Junkanoo Committee in The Bahamas ensures the daily Junkanoo parade is authentic.
Scott Fais
The island’s Junkanoo parade concludes at the Goombay Cultural Center.
Scott Fais
Treasures of Eleuthera gift store features art and goods made locally.
Scott Fais
The eastward side of the developed space features elevated boardwalks to reduce traffic on natural dunes.
Scott Fais
Rush Out Gush Out is an interactive water play area for children of all ages.
Disney
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