As travelers become more eco-conscious, they are looking for destinations that provide more than just stunning beaches and a break from reality — they’re seeking experiences that are mindful, sustainable, and aligned with their values. Enter Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, Disney Cruise Line’s new private island retreat on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera. Here, the focus is on conservation and authentic cultural immersion, offering an island escape that goes beyond relaxation by connecting guests to nature and local heritage.
This second private island destination for Disney Cruise Line builds on the success of the beloved Castaway Cay, but with an added layer of environmental and cultural depth. With its pristine beaches, serene adults-only retreats, and family-friendly activities, Lookout Cay delivers Disney Cruise Line’s signature something-for-everyone experience while also immersing guests in the natural beauty and rich heritage of Eleuthera. For my family, long-time Disney Cruise Line enthusiasts, this new island destination offered something beyond the typical beach day — a meaningful connection to the environment and culture that stayed with us long after we left.
Conservation and Connection at Disney Lookout Cay
Walt Disney Imagineers, in collaboration with Disney’s conservation team, approached the project with an emphasis on achieving maximum authenticity with minimal environmental impact, carrying forward the same ethos embodied by projects like Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa.
“Our mission is to conserve and to connect,” Disney Conservation Program Manager Bradley Watson said. “We want to maintain as much biodiversity as we can, and we want to connect people to that biodiversity so that the conservation that we do doesn’t just end on our site.”
With the help of meaningful collaborations with local Bahamian artists, conservationists, and cultural representatives, Imagineers have created an escape that weaves the Eleuthera’s natural beauty and cultural legacy into every aspect of the experience, ensuring that the untouched landscape, crystal-clear waters, and vibrant community are the stars of the show, with Disney’s signature magic playing a supporting role.
Nature First
From the moment we arrived at Lookout Cay, it was clear the island’s natural terrain is the focus — its
pièce de résistance a beach so breathtakingly pristine, many of the professional travel writers on our media preview visit declared it the most beautiful they’d ever seen.
“The best thing we did is everything we didn’t do,” Watson said, emphasizing that Disney developed less than 16% of the site’s 900 acres.
“One of our key objectives was to ensure that after we’re done with our job, we still have just as many species of fish, birds, and crabs at Lookout Cay as when we started,” said Watson.
This approach shaped every aspect of the island’s design, from preserving native habitats to relocating marine species like coral and sponges.
Going to Great Lengths — Literally
Before guests set foot on the island, they’ll experience this commitment to preservation in action as they cross a half-mile open-trestle pier, which allows ships to dock without dredging the ocean floor.
“Instead of dredging, which would have caused significant harm to the marine habitat, we chose to build this pier to bridge the gap between the ship and shore while preserving the underwater ecosystem,” Watson said.
The extra steps guests take to reach the other side of the pier help protect vital marine life, including coral and fragile barrel sponges, which act as “water filters” that help keep the reef healthy.
The conservation team even came up with an innovative way to save the few sponges that still fell in the path of pier construction.
“One of the coolest things we’ve done is relocating sponges from the pier’s construction area using a new method of transportation that allows us to cut a sponge at its base, relocate the top, and tie it down in a new spot,” Watson said. “This technique not only preserves the original sponge but effectively creates a new one at the new site.”
Even EPCOT’s costuming team lent a hand to the relocation effort, designing the mesh carrier used to move the sponges to their new home.
Disney also repurposed 30 limestone boulders from the site to build artificial reefs that act as natural shelters around the pier, establishing a “fish highway” for safe crossing through the area.
“We wanted to create a passageway that allowed fish to move safely beneath the pier,” said Watson. “It’s almost like a crosswalk for the fish.”
Island Time
Across the pier, trams whisk guests from Mabrika Cove to the Goombay Cultural Center, the gateway to Lookout Cay’s main dining, recreation, and beach areas. During the tram route lined with the island’s native limestone, audio narration introduces Lizzie the curly-tailed lizard and Sandy the sand crab, two types of native animals guests could spot during their visit.
“We’ve designed the entire island experience around connecting guests to the biodiversity here,” Watson said. “It’s not just about seeing a crab or a lizard; it’s about understanding their role in this ecosystem and fostering a sense of appreciation and curiosity.”
This extends to the architecture, which has been designed to enhance rather than compete with the guest’s experience of Lookout Cay in its most untouched state.
“Because we wanted to have minimum impact on this natural environment, we took nature as our inspiration,” said Kevin Thomas, senior creative director with Walt Disney Imagineering. “So the shapes of the buildings, the color schemes that were used, everything was influenced by nature. The patterns that you see on the tops of these buildings are patterns and colors from seashells that you see along the Bahamian sea shores.”
Elevated boardwalks provide efficient walkways between the beaches, dining and recreation areas, and nature trails. This convenience is a fortuitous by-product of the main purpose for the walkways though — protecting the native plants.
“The boardwalks are meant to keep us off of the vegetation,” Watson explained. “Moving people through a habitat in a way that allows them to experience it without really disturbing it is key to preserving the environment here.”
When I told Watson these elevated pathways were one of our family’s favorite features, noting how much easier it was to get from place to place with kids (or a stroller) without having to trudge through soft sand, he beamed.
“It’s the golden moment when something you’re doing for the environment is also great for people,” he said. “There’s a synergy in allowing guests to enjoy nature while protecting it.”
Nearly 200 species of native plants call Lookout Cay home — and provide habitats for many of the island’s animals, so be sure to look closely at the plant life below as you walk along the pathways. You never know what sort of wildlife you could spot.
Lounging at Lookout Cay
You could easily laze the day away on the beach or relaxing in a private cabana at Lookout Cay. Adults-only cabanas are available for rent in Serenity Bay, the area reserved for guests over 18 that includes its own bars, dining and beach.
There are lovely family cabanas for rent too, but they’re further afield from the island’s kid-friendly activities. In lieu of a cabana, there are more than enough lounge chairs for everyone along the main beach, all with easy access to the boardwalk-connected dining and recreation areas.
We love the Serenity Bay cabanas for an adult escape, but if you are visiting with kids and your family is always on the move like mine, you probably wouldn’t spend much time in a cabana.
Local Flavors
Lunch is served in open-air seating areas beneath the patterned rooftops at several locations. No need for recon — the menu is the same at both main dining areas, True-True BBQ and True-True Too BBQ.
Choose from Bahamian-inspired dishes like pigeon peas and rice, lime-marinated snapper, and a delicious plant-based island curry — my favorite vegetarian dish not just on the island, but during my entire cruise.
There are also plenty of BBQ classics, like burgers, ribs, and chicken. For grown-ups, Serenity Bay BBQ serves a near-identical menu in a tranquil, adults-only setting.
And of course, there’s bottomless soft-serve — a Disney Cruise Line staple.
There are no paper plates and plastic utensils at this cookout. In line with the Walt Disney Company’s 2030 Environmental Goals, Lookout Cay is committed to sending zero waste to landfill, avoiding single-use plastics and using reusable and recyclable materials for eating and drinking, like these metal cups used to serve delicious specialty frozen cocktails and smoothies from the island’s numerous bars.
Junkanoo: A Traditional Bahamian Celebration
You’ll want to allow plenty of time for the pristine pink-sand beach and cerulean water, but carve out a few moments to catch the entertainment too. Twice a day, RUSH! A Junkanoo Celebration gives guests a taste of a traditional Bahamian Junkanoo Rush Out.
“Junkanoo is a celebration of our tradition — our culture,” said Warren Andrew Binder, co-chair of the National Junkanoo Committee. During a panel presentation to media, Binder praised Disney for their commitment to authentically honoring Junkanoo at Lookout Cay. “They got it right,” he said.
The celebratory parade is led by a local Junkanoo group, along with some special Disney friends in colorful costumes designed by Bahamian fashion designer Theodore Elyett.
Families can try their hand at making their own colorful crafts and headpieces like the ones worn in the parade during a Sights and Sounds of Junkanoo workshop led by local artisans at the Goombay Cultural Center.
Junkanoo-inspired Disney character designs also adorn merchandise and backdrops for a must-have photo op.
On the way home, you can support local artisans by picking up a souvenir from Treasures of Eleuthera, a gift shop selling Bahamian-made art, jewelry, and crafts.
Junkanoo’s collaborative, creative legacy is even showcased in the colorful kids’ water play area — Rush Out Gush Out. Inspired by traditional tin-roofed Junkanoo “shacks,” where local artists come together to create Junkanoo costumes, the splash and slide water play zone is conveniently positioned between dining and drink stands and the beach, giving kids a welcome midpoint to cool off.
Off the Beaten Path: Exploring the Nature Trail at Disney Lookout Cay
With so little of the island developed, Lookout Cay begs to be explored. For an informative self-guided tour, a marked Nature Trail takes guests along a path amongst the beach dunes and limestone cliffs. Bronze sculptures of some of the island’s native wildlife accompany informative panels with QR codes to scan for even more information about the plants and animals that call the island home. The trail also leads you to the historic lighthouse that gives Lighthouse Point its name.
Time flew during our day to Lookout Cay and our exploration was guided by my 8- and 10-year-old sons, who are both fascinated by ocean wildlife. Never managing to pull ourselves away from the turquoise shoreline to find the official nature trail, we instead walked along the water — drawn to the limestone cliffs in the distance.
To our delight, those limestone cliffs contained a treasure trove of native wildlife. We found all sorts of critters tucked within the limestone nooks and crevices, from crabs and creatures concealed within their shells to mysterious pairs of little eyes lurking inside tiny crannies.
We spotted curly-tailed lizards along the rocks and easily picked out fish and even a stingray in the clear, calm water near the shore.
Walking back to the ship, my kids couldn’t stop talking about our impromptu adventure — The cave! The stingray! The crabs! A ship’s worth of our fellow passengers were less than a 10-minute walk away, and yet, for a moment, we felt like we had the island to ourselves. They called it their favorite beach day ever, and say they can’t wait to return — planning to allocate even more of the day to exploration next time.
Watson, a native Bahamian with deep connections to Eleuthera and the region’s unique biodiversity, was delighted when I told him how much my kids enjoyed exploring the island.
“Eleuthera has been my gateway to understanding the environment and being a conservationist, and really helped me understand what it meant for me to be a Bahamian,” Watson said.
He hopes a visit to Lookout Cay will help guests form a deeper appreciation for even the smallest creatures, and that they’ll take that mindset home.
“I like to think about guests leaving here and going home to look for the wildlife in their own backyard — to appreciate biodiversity and let the story continue after they leave here,” he said.
Mission accomplished.
For a more structured exploration experience, ensuring you don’t miss any of Lookout Cay’s natural highlights, consider a Port Adventure like the Nature Walk and Kayak at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, which includes a guided nature walk plus kayaking and snorkeling.
Investing in Eleuthera’s Future
Along with the company’s conservation efforts and cultural initiatives, Disney has pledged $1 million to support youth programs, school playgrounds, and a community sports facility in Eleuthera. The Disney Conservation Fund will also provide funding for conservation education, helping to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards in Central and South Eleuthera.
“We want to inspire young people in Eleuthera to dream big and provide them with the tools they need to pursue those dreams,” said Sharon Siskie, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Cruise Line. “From donations of books and supplies to investing in afterschool programming, playgrounds and sports facilities outside of the classroom, we’re committed to creating a lasting, positive impact in this community and will continue to invest in the next generation of Bahamian leaders, storytellers and innovators.”
How to Visit Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
Disney Cruise Line is expanding its fleet with three new ships by the end of 2025. The Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny, sister ships to the Disney Wish, both offer itineraries that include stops at Lookout Cay. The Disney Treasure will sail its maiden voyage on Dec. 21, 2024, followed by an inaugural season of seven-night Caribbean itineraries out of Port Canaveral, Florida. The Disney Destiny will set sail on its maiden voyage from Port Everglades, Florida, on November 20, 2025, with stops at both Disney Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay. The Destiny will then sail an inaugural season of four- and five-night cruises to The Bahamas and Western Caribbean.
A third new ship, the Disney Adventure, will begin sailing three- and four-night itineraries out of Singapore in 2025.
How to Help:
Since 1995, the Disney Conservation Fund has directed more than $125 million to support organizations that partner with communities to protect wildlife, restore habitats, and inspire future generations of conservation leaders. By donating to any of the following nonprofits that have been supported by the Disney Conservation Fund, you’ll contribute to global conservation efforts that protect wildlife and inspire future generations of conservationists. For more details on these partnerships and others, learn more at Disney Planet Possible.
Cape Eleuthera Institute / The Island School: Supports marine research, sea turtle conservation, and youth environmental education in Eleuthera.
Reef Rescue Network (Perry Institute for Marine Science): Focused on restoring coral reefs and training volunteers in Eleuthera and other parts of the Bahamas.
The Nature Conservancy (Bahamas): Marine and habitat conservation projects include the expansion of marine protected areas in the Bahamas.
Jane Goodall Institute – Roots & Shoots: Empowers young people to be leaders in conservation through community-based initiatives.
International Rhino Foundation: Supports anti-poaching efforts and habitat restoration for rhinos in Africa and Asia.
Borneo Nature Foundation: Focuses on habitat restoration and orangutan conservation in Indonesia’s peat-swamp forests.
Okapi Conservation Project: Protects the rainforest habitat of the okapi and supports community programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Shark Team One: Works to protect endangered whale sharks and promote sustainable marine practices in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Greater Farallones Association: Engages students in hands-on marine conservation and habitat restoration along California’s coast.
Institute for the Conservation of Wild Animals (ICAS): Protects giant anteaters and other native wildlife in Brazil through research and habitat conservation.
Polar Bears International: Focuses on polar bear conservation and climate change research to protect their Arctic habitat.
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Brooke McDonald is the editor in chief of the Make It Better Foundation. She regularly reports on theme parks, entertainment and travel and her work has appeared in Insider, The Points Guy, Parents, TravelPulse, Yahoo, and more. Her favorite nonprofits to support include Give Kids the World Village and Make A Wish. Follow her on Instagram @brookegmcdonald, Threads @brookegmcdonald, and X @BrookeGMcDonald.
