Construction Update: Firsthand photos of Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point will open this summer 2024 as a second private port of call for Disney Cruise Line, and we captured firsthand photos of construction on a cruise earlier this week.
During a cruise this week onboard the Sky Princess, Attractions Magazine Editor & Publisher Matt Roseboom got a look at the current progress for Disney Lookout Cay. The under-construction destination is located in the Bahamas on the island of Eleuthera, the same as Princess Cruises’ Princess Cays.
Mabrika Cove
Approaching Lighthouse Point, the foundations of future Disney Lookout Cay amenities are visible. Construction teams have assembled portions of the pier that will connect the Disney ships to Mabrika Cove, the welcome area of Lookout Cay.
Let’s take a closer look.
The arches appear similar to concept art of guests’ arrival experience, depicting the structures a a shaded waiting area for a tram.
Some of the structures already in place may be part of the Goombay Cultural Center, a fixture in Mabrika Cove.
Serenity Bay and Private Cabanas
Further along than Mabrika Cove, an adjacent area features the private cabanas Disney guests will be able to rent. Construction teams have already painted the cabanas in vibrant reds, blues, yellows, and greens.
There will be 26 cabanas total, six of which will overlook Serenity Bay, an adult-only beach. Some cabanas seem larger than others.
Previous concept art shows what the cabanas will look like, inside and out.
Staging Area
Workers are also using a staging area to store and prepare elements of Lookout Cay that will be installed at their permanent locations within the beach resort later. The white and pine-green column below looks like it could be part of a lighthouse.
This seems like a pretty good spot on Lighthouse Point for a lighthouse.
Lookout? Lighthouse? Language?
Just as many guests say “Magic Kingdom” and “Disney World” interchangeably, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point already seems destined for linguistic confusion even before it’s open. Compared to Disney Castaway Cay — the private island that Disney owns in its entirety and only goes by one name — the new resort’s title is admittedly more complicated.
At the risk of oversimplifying, here’s a primer:
Within the Bahamas, there is an island called Eleuthera. At the southern tip of this island is Bannerman Town. Within Bannerman Town’s territory is an area known as Lighthouse Point. There resides Disney Cruise Line’s new port of call, the full name of which is “Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.”
Disney Lookout Cay is the name of the resort itself, whereas Lighthouse Point is the surrounding property’s pre-existing name (and was even before to Disney’s purchase). Neither is a private island, but Disney Lookout Cay is private to Disney Cruise Line guests.
More Disney Lookout Cay
We’ve been covering the progress of Disney Lookout Cay for nearly six years, since Disney’s initial announcement of the project. To learn more about the resort, check out our previous coverage of Lookout Cay amenities and Mickey and Minnie’s authentic Bahamian costumes they’ll wear at Lookout Cay.
Opening Date for Disney Lookout Cay
The first guests to visit Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point will be those sailing upon the Disney Magic during a three-night preview cruise departing June 6, 2024, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Only limited areas of Lookout Cay will be accessible for this voyage.
Disney Lookout Cay will officially open during the Disney Fantasy’s seven-night cruise departing June 8, 2024, from Port Canaveral, Fla. The ship will stop twice at Lookout Cay.
Thereafter, the Disney Magic will visit Lookout Cay on select three-, four- and five-night sailings to the Bahamas and the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale
Check availability of Disney Cruise Line vacations sailing to Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point here.
Your post says this opens in 2023, not 2024.
Thanks. We fixed it.