Castaway vs. Lookout

[Moonspinner]

Same. Grew up 90 miles from the panhandle. Spent my childhood going all the time. Still go as an adult. Have never seen the amount of sharks I have seen in the last few years. 2024 being the worst - large shark after large shark swimming right off the sand. Spent my childhood swimming in the gulf - won’t get in now. I will swim at LC and CC.

It is interesting to hear that you have had a similar experience. One thing we used to do is swim out to the second sandbar, especially in August when the ocean seemed calmer for whatever reason, almost like glass. We wore masks and would look down and sometimes see a variety of sea life (harmless sea life) out there. This was often in Destin. I cannot imagine doing that now or letting our kids do that. No way would I swim out that far now.

 

[TRTRguy]

Just got back from a cruise on Fantasy that stopped at both Lookout Cay and Castaway Cay.
This was our 6th time at Castaway and first at Lookout.
We enjoyed Lookout more than Castaway, more relaxed/ better Beach at Lookout (Serenity Bay).
The Hangar 98 replacement of Serenity Bay BBQ at Castaway is a downgrade.

 

[Cruzin’Sisters]

Just got back from a cruise on Fantasy that stopped at both Lookout Cay and Castaway Cay.
This was our 6th time at Castaway and first at Lookout.
We enjoyed Lookout more than Castaway, more relaxed/ better Beach at Lookout (Serenity Bay).
The Hangar 98 replacement of Serenity Bay BBQ at Castaway is a downgrade.

Can you elaborate more on the change of the BBQ area at Castaway, please?

 

[TRTRguy]

Can you elaborate more on the change of the BBQ area at Castaway, please?

They built "Hangar 98" behind where Serenity Bay BBQ was, it has ramps that go up either side of the eating area, creates a bottleneck, the actual building and entrances are tight when busy. The back of the building also doubles as the food location for the new family cabanas that were built in the old crew beach area.

 

[katmigordon]

Castaway Cay is far and away my favorite Bahamian/Caribbean cruise ship port and when I started reading reviews for LC I was disappointed and sure it would be vastly inferior… in the past year, I’ve been to LC twice and CC at least 4 times and I have to say there are great things about both of them. If you love feeling like you’re in the ocean and body surfing the waves, the beach at LC really is better—but I don’t think it’s a match for CC unless they stay in port later and keep the bars and smoothie places open later— if you’re not a morning person (or still on West Coast time) it’s a very short day before they start closing everything down.

I also would like to see them do more for people with mobility issues, but perhaps they have added more carts since our last sailing there last year.

I havent been to lc - but I was thinking it looked like it would have more my wife and I could actually do as the beach is not possible for us, We will be on our ECVs.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I havent been to lc - but I was thinking it looked like it would have more my wife and I could actually do as the beach is not possible for us, We will be on our ECVs.

I am not the best person to comment on this as I’ve never used a scooter at LC— does anybody know if they can even get scooters on the trams (which are necessary to get almost anywhere at LC, unlike CC?)…once you are out at the main beach area, there might be more activities that are accessible to passengers in ECVs, because the activities we enjoy on CC and miss on LV are mostly bikes, water slides, the ropes course for the kids.