Castaway Cay or Lighthouse Point

[CruiseGoon]

Planning a cruise with some first time DCL cruisers. A few of us have been to Castaway Cay and love it there but none of us have been to Lighthouse Point. Since some who are going have never been on DCL, what do you think, Castaway Cay or Lighthouse Point for their first Disney private island experience?

Why not do both? There are several cruises that are visiting Castaway and Lookout on the same itinerary. I saw the Dream, Fantasy and Destiny all had both ports. I opted for the Destiny in January 2026.

Castaway has the infrastructure more built up and makes things a bit easier. But Lookout has a beautiful beach and gorgeous water. I think Lookout will be amazing when it has several years to mature and build up more amenities.

 

[jwalk03]

Why not do both? There are several cruises that are visiting Castaway and Lookout on the same itinerary. I saw the Dream, Fantasy and Destiny all had both ports. I opted for the Destiny in January 2026.

Castaway has the infrastructure more built up and makes things a bit easier. But Lookout has a beautiful beach and gorgeous water. I think Lookout will be amazing when it has several years to mature and build up more amenities.

Agreed! If you can find one that goes to both pick that one!! They are both awesome yet very different from each other!!

I personally liked Lookout Cay more- so if I had to pick just one I would pick that one.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

Also, the last time I was at Lighthouse Point, they weren't letting people put up the umbrellas due to wind. That's a big fail for my fair skin.

weather? how dare it! I had the same issue last trip to castaway, rained hard too, never had that problem at lighthouse! Big fail.

 

[Skippyboo]

I did 2 CC, Lighthouse, Nassau 6 night Fantasy last October. We had high winds were the umbrella had to stay folded when got there. Eventually got the okay to open. After lunch, water got black flagged. I decided to explore around a bit and then headed back to ship. I did like the food. But the adult only food station and seating area was super small. Next time will try larger family dining areas. The beach is definitely more wavy than CC.

 

[lilmc]

While there were no loungers on the beach

We were there in Nov and there were loungers on the beach. Did they change that?

 

[imbelle]

weather? how dare it! I had the same issue last trip to castaway, rained hard too, never had that problem at lighthouse! Big fail.

Not blaming Disney for the weather (although there wasn't enough wind to even make the umbrellas sway so it seemed an odd call to make). Just saying that I never had that come up as an issue at Castaway. Maybe I've just been lucky all of these years or maybe Lighthouse Point is more exposed to wind patterns?

 

[jwalk03]

We were there in Nov and there were loungers on the beach. Did they change that?

There were tons and tons of loungers on the beach last week. They also had the smaller chairs you could sit down closer to the water as well. Plus even more loungers on the other side of the dunes.

 

[RedHead0186]

I think Lookout will be amazing when it has several years to mature and build up more amenities.

Do we know that there are plans to build up more amenities at Lookout Cay?

 

[jwalk03]

Do we know that there are plans to build up more amenities at Lookout Cay?

No- they have not announced anything additional.

It is safe to assume that bikes will be available eventually- just a question of when.

Also based on the recent appearance of Lookout Cay 5K merchandise in the store it’s also save to assume they are planning to add a 5K there as well.

Beyond that- who knows what the future holds.

 

[Skippyboo]

5K would basically consist probably of just some signage. I can see them adding more Cabanas eventually like they are doing in CC.

 

[Bostonjetset]

weather? how dare it! I had the same issue last trip to castaway, rained hard too, never had that problem at lighthouse! Big fail.

Not blaming Disney for the weather (although there wasn't enough wind to even make the umbrellas sway so it seemed an odd call to make). Just saying that I never had that come up as an issue at Castaway. Maybe I've just been lucky all of these years or maybe Lighthouse Point is more exposed to wind patterns?

We had the same issue with the umbrella police at Lookout Cay last week. It was windy on the long pier for sure but the umbrellas barely swayed on the beach. We were forced to close them and bake in the sun. It was not pleasant. Finally after complaints we were allowed to open the ones behind the dunes. Better than nothing I guess. Otherwise it is indeed a beautiful beach and island.

I’ve traveled to beaches in all parts of the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific coast of North America and this is the FIRST time I’ve ever been forbidden to use an umbrella on the beach.

If they are that worried about wind they really need to invest in better umbrellas that are more secure (these honestly seem very secure to me but clearly someone doesn’t think so) because there is no natural shade at LC at all. Many of us don’t like to cook ourselves at the beach. Not to mention it’s bad for you.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

Not blaming Disney for the weather (although there wasn't enough wind to even make the umbrellas sway so it seemed an odd call to make). Just saying that I never had that come up as an issue at Castaway. Maybe I've just been lucky all of these years or maybe Lighthouse Point is more exposed to wind patterns?

Problem with anecdotal data is it’s not reliable… my experience was the opposite, twice at castaway we couldn’t open the umbrellas.. never for me at lighthouse point. Of course never is just once lol. My conclusion? You’re luckier than me.

 

[Dug720]

Also, the last time I was at Lighthouse Point, they weren't letting people put up the umbrellas due to wind. That's a big fail for my fair skin.

To be fair, I've seen umbrellas unable to be put up at Castaway - yes, even Serenity Bay - due to wind.