As of March 2026, Disney Cruise Line (DCL) will have eight ships in operation, five of them with a capacity to carry 4,000 passengers each. That's a huge jump from the smaller, quainter fleet the company operated 25 years ago, when a single private island, Castaway Cay, could handle the maximum of 5,400 people that could potentially call there on Caribbean sailings.
All the major cruise lines now maintain at least one privately managed beach destination that is used as a port of call to keep a day's worth of tourist spending safely inside the company.
In 2018, our founder, Arthur Frommer, called cruise line private islands "extortion on a cruise whose price I have already paid," but that hasn't abated their rise or popularity. They still give cruisers a resort-like port destination to flock to without worrying about currency conversions or crime rates.
In June 2024, Disney added a second bespoke destination to increase its capacity for Caribbean cruises. The company opened Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, an enclave on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
There are problems.
Issues with Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
Immediately upon the area's debut, travelers began complaining about nakedly exposed walkways, swarms of flies, and a grueling layout that required visitors to slog down a marathon pier before they could even get to land.
"This adventure required a half-mile walk on a pier under the blazing Bahamas sun, followed by waiting with a crowd to ride a 10-minute tram to reach the main area of the park," wrote Travel Weekly, an industry publication that's not prone to hyperbole.
"The pier was long," wrote Audrey Engvalson for Buzzfeed. "I overheard another ship passenger say her watch measured it 0.55 miles from the gangway of the ship to the tram stop on the island."
Because Disney's agreement with the Bahamas involved protecting offshore reefs, an extremely long trestle pier was selected to connect ships to land.
The journey is flat, but it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk the full length of the sunbaked pier. One YouTuber recorded the walk in a little under 10 minutes, taken at a brisk pace.
That can be a long way to walk without shade in the Caribbean heat with small children in tow. An active thunderstorm could make the experience even more risky and unpleasant.
The vast majority of passengers are forced to walk the pier. If you'd like to use the cruise line's transportation, there are a few golf cart–style "Care Shuttles" that at key times of day are not available without a reservation.
If you need or want wheels, you must alert the Guest Services desk on board your Disney Cruise Line ship in the days ahead of your visit to Lookout Cay. Because there are only so many shuttles available, waiting for your ride is likely to cut into your leisure time on the island.
The pier was not built to be wide enough to accommodate a full-size tram in the future; even now, when two shuttles share the pier with pedestrians, walkers have to press close to the railings to allow passage.
Public reception of the pier has been so dire that some unknown prankster took to Google Maps to label the structure the Bob Chapek Pier, a reference to the fired Disney CEO whose name became synonymous among fans for cost-cutting. (The derisive label has been removed.)
By late June 2024, DCL had set up stations for water and cool towels to assist passengers who struggled to walk the distance in the heat.
Once passengers finish crossing the length of the pier, they must then wait for a secondary tram to bring them from the shoreline to the island's main beach area.
The tram drives on the left side of the road—it's the Bahamas—and there's a lighthearted but informationally vacuous pre-recorded introductory spiel that hedges on the specifics of the destination.
Recorded adult's voice: "Do you know why this place is called Lighthouse Point?"
Recorded child's voice: "Because a lighthouse was built here a lot of years ago."
and
Recorded adult's voice: "What about plants, Sandy?"
Recorded child's voice: "We have brasilettto trees and mangroves."
Recorded adult's voice: "Maybe you can point out a few to us."
Recorded child's voice: "OK. There's one. There's another one. And ooh, look at that one over there."
From that, your kids will never learn the island's history or what a mangrove even looks like, so thanks for nothing, Disney.
Midway through the tram journey, guests pass through a horrendous stench caused by an unnamed element of the island that isn't controlled by Disney, leading some to derisively call this commute "the sewage tram."
Added together, the pier walk and the tram commute through the funk require up to 30 minutes of travel time in both directions from the ship to the beach.
Is there enough to do at Lighthouse Cay?
Once passengers finally get off the tram at Lookout Cay, they can finally access the island's main attractions, including a beach nearly unanimously praised as gorgeous.
Unless you're on the beach or waiting for a ride at the tram plaza, you'll be moving between buildings on wooden walkways that are elevated above the Bahamian ecosystem.
During a set lunch period, the True-True BBQ (and, if enough guest are there, its nearly identical satellite location, True-True Too) dispenses meals of picnic-like food (included in a cruise fare).
Near an elevated playground, there's an under-utilized Goombay Cultural Center (granted as a concession to a local request) where families can learn about the vibrant Junkanoo culture.
Who gets to skip the second tram? People with money. Private beach cabanas at Mabrika Cove, located at the foot of the pier, are rented at base prices of $523–$1,375 for the hours a ship is in port.
Excursions including bike rentals, snorkels, charter boats, and nature tours are also sold by Disney.
Elsewhere in the Bahamas, Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at Coco Cay has an enormous lagoon and a divine swim-up bar that's always thronged. But Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point only has a couple of sun-exposed, hurricane-proof pavilion cocktail bars with slowpoke bartenders that, by comparison to what the rest of the industry is doing, feel so utilitarian and un-luxe that they're almost purgatorial.
At least the drink prices are not extortionate—under $10 for most options.
But some Disney fans feel that the Lookout Cay that was promoted is not the same one that was built.
"This is not a complete product," said YouTube travel reviewer Jake Williams (Bright Sun Films) in his video review. "People like me, who paid inflated prices to be here, were only met with a gauntlet of flies, broken attractions, and a seeming lack of obvious amenities like shade, benches, and a place to put your cup."
Williams compares Disney's artist renderings for Lookout Cay with the much plainer buildings that were actually erected, adding that the theme and details on Disney's older private island, Castaway Cay, feel authentic and fun, while the architectural and design work at Lookout Cay is "flat, it's beige, it's modern with no depth ... and not much visual interest."
"The area is a little undercooked," agreed a commenter on Reddit in another trip report. "There's a lot of bare dirt that needs ground cover, the bike path was not finished, and there's not enough shade around the food service areas."
How to avoid going to Lookout Cay
Cruisers who don't think they can manage a mile of walking on Lookout Cay's exposed pier might be wise to choose a DCL sailing that visits the line's tried-and-true private island, Castaway Cay, instead. There, a much shorter pier connects with the tram that takes passengers to other parts of the island, and on Castaway Cay, you can walk to the beach in mere minutes without having to wait for vehicular transport.
Those who find themselves booked on an itinerary that goes to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and who require physical assistance to make the trek across that pier are advised to book the limited chauffeured shuttle carts though Guest Services as far ahead as possible.
Or you can just stay on board the ship during your ship's jaunt to Lookout Cay—Disney will make money either way.