Disney vloggers on Lighthouse Point

[xiphoid76]

I think it's hysterical watching the media vloggers and their reviews struggle to say how wonderful everything was when this was a HUGE fail on the part of Disney. They opened up for media when the nature trails weren't open, no bike rentals. It just wasn't time yet to open up. The vloggers couldn't even hide their shock at the number of flies all over the food. Disney can not be swatting those flies away - that food all has to be thrown out and they need to fix that problem. Instead the vloggers memorialized it. Add on top of that the long pier walk of death and it was embarrassing. Usually these media days are a crap show because they are all "paid" to praise Disney. And yes, I know they pay a nominal price for the cabin, but get a discounted or free cruise later and lots of free merch and other perks on this cruise, so don't say it isn't biased. Plus if they say bad things they will not be invited back. All-in-all Disney made a huge mistake here. If they can't even get their vloggers to praise the port, what's going to happen when guests who paid full price show up?

 

[dreamer17555]

Disney has deep enough pockets that they shouldn't have let this happen. DCL should have been set to show those Vloggers the best most amazing experience ever. They really couldn't get the bikes in at any cost? Nature trail might take some time to fill in. Lookout looks like it needs shade- even temporary shade (even roll in\roll out umbrella stands) would have been something for vloggers to point out about DCL taking care of their guests. DCL could have had local artist paint murals on the pier (might have faded in time but look amazing for those videos). I am not sure if they are not generally using pest control for flies but for media preview? Make it happen. Add water stations at multiple points on that pier giving out ice cold water and towels. DCL invited that media and should have spent whatever to make sure those vlogs were praising the new island because that is the first viral impression.

DCL had a chance to control and spin the narrative on LP. They just didn't want to spend what it would cost.

 

[kdonnel]

This cruise was sold as a preview cruise. When I booked the cruise DCL made it clear not all amenities would be available.

I was in no way disappointed by there being no bikes and no nature trail as I had been told not to expect all amenities.

Edited to add:
I paid full price knowing it was a preview and would not be complete and probably have issues. I saw value in being able to experience something early.

 

[justafigment27]

I watched a bunch of vlogs with a bit of a critical eye (much like how I read reviews in general … I think it helps to evaluate a review if you know the context in which the review is being made). I did find it amusing to watch some vloggers (typically the more Disney focused) try to put a positive spin on everything while other vloggers (those who tend to vlog cruises or travel in general) were, IMO, a lot more balanced - they called out the negative as well as the positive (everyone loved that beach and the beautiful water).

I think a lot of issues will be resolved in time - like how gray and boring the place looked (the vegetation will grow and we will see more color), the lack of bikes, closed nature trail, lack of beach wheelchairs, etc.

But some seem like design flaws that are reminiscent of the stairs on the walking/running track on the Wish.

The narrow pier with no tram, for example. Every single vlogger I watched was taken aback by this pier … the length, the lack of shade and the lack of a tram doesn’t seem Disney-like at all and people definitely reacted. I was shocked that they had a pier that long and didn’t have trams (not even a couple of built in concrete benches along the way). People will get used to the pier and will be more prepared as time goes on, but for now, everyone is shocked. The BEST people seem to have to say about it is: 1) You can get some good pictures of the ship and 2) the walk is not that bad on the way to the island because you’re excited. Someone previously mentioned that Disney is trying to sell it as being less of a negative environmental impact b/c they made it narrow … but, seriously, we all know it was a financial move. A wider pier with shuttles running continuously requires more money for construction and maintenance.

The time it takes overall just to get to the beach and main part of the island also seems to be surprising. I was not expecting it to take approximately 30 minutes to reach a beach chair from the time you get off the ship! Yet, everyone who made a vlog about the time generally came to that conclusion … 10-13 minute pier walk and a solid 10 minute ride on the tram … add in the time waiting for the tram to load and the time it takes to walk to the beach from the tram and it consistently seems to be a roughly 30 minute journey.

The flies on all the food and the overall design of the food serving facilities. It looks like they tried to make the buildings where food is served smaller than those on CC and people looked to have trouble actually reaching the fly infested food in the back. I don’t know how they are going to remedy this … can they spray bug killer to kill the flies (seems like there would be rules about this with all the environmental concerns) or is there something inherent in the environment that is going to lead to swarms of flies no matter what? But, the food looked so unappetizing with those flies crawling all over it … but the ship is too far away to just pop back for lunch!!!

Anyway, I enjoy the vlogs and will keep watching them as they come out. We have a 3 night with stops at CC and LC and I think these vlogs will help me make the best of it and manage expectations. I’m still excited to see it for myself …

 

[jimmymc]

Not being completely ready isn't the same as a huge fail. The beaches, bars, and kid play areas all looked good. The food will be good once they figure out the fly problem. Not having some of the stuff ready was a miss, but I don't consider this a failure because of one preview cruise.

 

[bbn1122]

One of my favorite Vloggers was very honest about the flies and not eating the food. Plus, over 30 minutes from boat and tram to get to where the action begins. They said at this point, they prefer CC, but would visit LC at later time.

The water and beaches looked beautiful. That is the best thing I saw. It looked like a ton of walking just to get to the water.

I know its an island but very lacking in shade.

I also read something that the Family Cabana were nice but not convenient to other areas etc. Plus, that beach looked rough waters.

And there did not seem like they had too many Adult only Cabanas.

I will be there in February, fingers crossed Disney will make improvements and amendements to different areas.

I also realize Castaway Cay is a much more established location.

 

[dreamer17555]

Not being completely ready isn't the same as a huge fail. The beaches, bars, and kid play areas all looked good. The food will be good once they figure out the fly problem. Not having some of the stuff ready was a miss, but I don't consider this a failure because of one preview cruise.

Some things are just not there or going to be there- No teen hideout type space for Vibe\Edge kids, no bigger slides like Pelican Plunge, No Float Rentals, No Basketball\Ping Pong Area like In Da Shade, Family beach is right next to adult beach, beach chairs are only two rows deep for oceanfront which likely not an issue for the smaller ships but I don't see guests loving beach chairs behind the dunes if they are on the Fantasy or Dream.

The pier is not great but it appears they at least put a cold towel stop mid way today which is smart move and is one of the things they learned from the preview cruise. I still wonder what the plan is with sudden thunderstorms and that pier.

I'm hoping they can fix the fly food situation but that seems like something that can be dealt with, similar to the bikes coming later. I still think DCL should have done better to make sure the media they invited would have walked away singing LP's praises.

Is it a fail? Probably not entirely but I don't think you can say it is a success either

 

[jimmymc]

Is it a fail? Probably not entirely but I don't think you can say it is a success either

Exactly. That's why I think it's a bit sensationalist to call it a "HUGE fail". Right now it's around a C-, and with a few improvements it can easily get up to a B.

 

[dreamer17555]

Exactly. That's why I think it's a bit sensationalist to call it a "HUGE fail". Right now it's around a C-, and with a few improvements it can easily get up to a B.

Curious what changes would get it up to a B for you?

Because the changes I would need to get it that high would be things that would require additional construction- Space geared for kids older than 10 (Hideout, Da Shade, Bigger Slides), Float Rentals (which they are not offering because of environmental concerns), and more shade (more construction)

Things that would make it closer to an A would be the above and additional things like the adult beach not right next to family beach (clearly not happening), and more than two rows deep of oceanfront seating (Im assuming if this could have happened it already would be)

Right now I don't even think it's a C- because flies all over the food is not okay, but if they get that handled and the bikes in, yes C- seems fair.

But if the Preview cruise (and all the media Disney hosted on it) is making guest less excited to book or about their upcoming cruises (which seems to be the case for many) I think while LP isn't a full failure, DCL's roll out of it is.

 

[RedHead0186]

The narrow pier with no tram, for example. Every single vlogger I watched was taken aback by this pier … the length, the lack of shade and the lack of a tram doesn’t seem Disney-like at all and people definitely reacted. I was shocked that they had a pier that long and didn’t have trams (not even a couple of built in concrete benches along the way). People will get used to the pier and will be more prepared as time goes on, but for now, everyone is shocked. The BEST people seem to have to say about it is: 1) You can get some good pictures of the ship and 2) the walk is not that bad on the way to the island because you’re excited. Someone previously mentioned that Disney is trying to sell it as being less of a negative environmental impact b/c they made it narrow … but, seriously, we all know it was a financial move. A wider pier with shuttles running continuously requires more money for construction and maintenance.

Actually, no, I think a lot of it was environmental. That's why the pier is so long-so they wouldn't have to dredge to a pier closer in. That's also why the pier is so narrow-less disruption and dredging. DCL also did raised walkways throughout much of the area to maintain the environment underneath it. Considering it would have been likely cheaper to just put the walkways right on the ground, having the raised walkways seems to be environmentally motivated, not cost motivated. DCL was under pretty strict parameters from the Bahamian government, so I think that affected what they could and couldn't do.

I do agree that they could have put up some shade and/or benches on the pier. Perhaps those will still be forthcoming. And, there were golf carts for those with mobility issues that couldn't walk down the pier.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Keep tabs on the ones who are trying to sell you this nonsense. It’s unfinished and it’s a beach… There is an absolutely nothing Disney calling me about this island! I get for some reason people don’t want a CocoCay Experience (for whatever reason lol) but you got a beach and that’s it and some really wacky themeing no signage no Disney touches just total let down.

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

This kinda’ reminds me of the opening day of Disneyland, although on a smaller scale (with the exception of the scale of that darn pier ).
Seems like they coulda’ waited ‘til Oct. or Nov. or even early Dec., and had the place more finished and all decked out for the Holidays.
And yea, one of Disney’s specialties used to be “The reveal”. That pier is a reveal alright, with the main reaction bein’ “WTH…?!?!?!”

Excuse my very rudimentary iPhone markup, but Disney could have made that pier at least a few feet wider with similar (sturdy) covers and put benches along the railing at either end of the covers in the shade, and it would have been so much more appealing.
These are the kinds of details Disney set the bar on and prided themselves on in days gone by.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

This kinda’ reminds me of the opening day of Disneyland, although on a smaller scale (with the exception of the scale of that darn pier ).
Seems like they coulda’ waited ‘til Oct. or Nov. or even early Dec., and had the place more finished and all decked out for the Holidays.
And yea, one of Disney’s specialties used to be “The reveal”. That pier is a reveal alright, with the main reaction bein’ “WTH…?!?!?!”

Excuse my very rudimentary iPhone markup, but Disney could have made that pier at least a few feet wider with similar (sturdy) covers and put benches along the railing at either end of the covers in the shade, and it would have been so much more appealing.
These are the kinds of details Disney set the bar on and prided themselves on in days gone by.

View attachment 867304

Look how much character this would give this horrible walkway

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

View attachment 867307

Look how much character this would give this horrible walkway

Yea, I saw that pic back in the thread. It looks great, but it’s much shorter than the other pier, and those triangle tarps don’t provide much real shade.
Plus, I think I may only see one bench, but that is definitely the general idea.

 

[kiford]

Actually, no, I think a lot of it was environmental. That's why the pier is so long-so they wouldn't have to dredge to a pier closer in. That's also why the pier is so narrow-less disruption and dredging. DCL also did raised walkways throughout much of the area to maintain the environment underneath it. Considering it would have been likely cheaper to just put the walkways right on the ground, having the raised walkways seems to be environmentally motivated, not cost motivated. DCL was under pretty strict parameters from the Bahamian government, so I think that affected what they could and couldn't do.

I do agree that they could have put up some shade and/or benches on the pier.

I think a lot of it is environmentally-related. My first thought was that they maybe should put up some permanent cover along the way, and then I realized that it could be disastrous in the first hurricane or high winds. Bringing the pier closer to the island and dredging may have been a "no-go" from the Bahamian government due to potential damage to the ecosystem. The width may be of a similar issue - both environmental and issues with high winds/hurricanes. The bigger/wider the obstacle (pier), the more likely it is to be damaged due to a larger contact area. It could also be that this width had to conform to where it was feasible to put structural posts.

Benches may be a problem in high winds or waves. We saw some videos recently of high waves at Grand Cayman and at Coco Cay washing over the pier (washing over is a very mild description of what that looked like - it was shortly after our stop at GC was cancelled due to high winds), which would not only wash away any bench, even if made of concrete, but could potentially pick up those tied into the pier in some way and cause damage. Still, time will tell how they will deal with some of the drawbacks, complaints, and issues. Castaway Cay looks very different today than it did when I first visited in 2000.

I really like the raised walkways. You're less likely to get lots of sand kicked up on the boards than if it was at ground level and it does not disrupt any "wildlife" (do you call crabs wildlife?) because they can burrow or crawl beneath without impact.

 

[SL6827]

But think of how much $$$$ they can make when they offer for paid rides to the island.

 

[Mags2002]

I think a lot of it is environmentally-related. My first thought was that they maybe should put up some permanent cover along the way, and then I realized that it could be disastrous in the first hurricane or high winds. Bringing the pier closer to the island and dredging may have been a "no-go" from the Bahamian government due to potential damage to the ecosystem. The width may be of a similar issue - both environmental and issues with high winds/hurricanes. The bigger/wider the obstacle (pier), the more likely it is to be damaged due to a larger contact area. It could also be that this width had to conform to where it was feasible to put structural posts.

Benches may be a problem in high winds or waves. We saw some videos recently of high waves at Grand Cayman and at Coco Cay washing over the pier (washing over is a very mild description of what that looked like - it was shortly after our stop at GC was cancelled due to high winds), which would not only wash away any bench, even if made of concrete, but could potentially pick up those tied into the pier in some way and cause damage. Still, time will tell how they will deal with some of the drawbacks, complaints, and issues. Castaway Cay looks very different today than it did when I first visited in 2000.

I really like the raised walkways. You're less likely to get lots of sand kicked up on the boards than if it was at ground level and it does not disrupt any "wildlife" (do you call crabs wildlife?) because they can burrow or crawl beneath without impact.

THIS!
And the crabs are so cute!

 

[jimmymc]

Curious what changes would get it up to a B for you?

Because the changes I would need to get it that high would be things that would require additional construction- Space geared for kids older than 10 (Hideout, Da Shade, Bigger Slides), Float Rentals (which they are not offering because of environmental concerns), and more shade (more construction)

Things that would make it closer to an A would be the above and additional things like the adult beach not right next to family beach (clearly not happening), and more than two rows deep of oceanfront seating (Im assuming if this could have happened it already would be)

Right now I don't even think it's a C- because flies all over the food is not okay, but if they get that handled and the bikes in, yes C- seems fair.

But if the Preview cruise (and all the media Disney hosted on it) is making guest less excited to book or about their upcoming cruises (which seems to be the case for many) I think while LP isn't a full failure, DCL's roll out of it is.

Get the bikes, get some more chairs on the beach, figure out the fly issue, add some more games in the beach area for teens (not necessarily a private space), and add some benches and water stations on the pier. Those could all be done in the next few weeks and bring the experience up to a B. Adding trams on the pier or a completely covered walkway, plus some screened in seating areas near the food, would bump it up to an A.

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

I think a lot of it is environmentally-related. My first thought was that they maybe should put up some permanent cover along the way, and then I realized that it could be disastrous in the first hurricane or high winds. Bringing the pier closer to the island and dredging may have been a "no-go" from the Bahamian government due to potential damage to the ecosystem. The width may be of a similar issue - both environmental and issues with high winds/hurricanes. The bigger/wider the obstacle (pier), the more likely it is to be damaged due to a larger contact area. It could also be that this width had to conform to where it was feasible to put structural posts.

Benches may be a problem in high winds or waves. We saw some videos recently of high waves at Grand Cayman and at Coco Cay washing over the pier (washing over is a very mild description of what that looked like - it was shortly after our stop at GC was cancelled due to high winds), which would not only wash away any bench, even if made of concrete, but could potentially pick up those tied into the pier in some way and cause damage. Still, time will tell how they will deal with some of the drawbacks, complaints, and issues. Castaway Cay looks very different today than it did when I first visited in 2000.

I really like the raised walkways. You're less likely to get lots of sand kicked up on the boards than if it was at ground level and it does not disrupt any "wildlife" (do you call crabs wildlife?) because they can burrow or crawl beneath without impact.

Everything is disastrous in a hurricane, especially on an island that size, and not many feet above sea level. Take the chance to do it right, or don’t do it at all.

 

[jimmymc]

I think a lot of it is environmentally-related. My first thought was that they maybe should put up some permanent cover along the way, and then I realized that it could be disastrous in the first hurricane or high winds. Bringing the pier closer to the island and dredging may have been a "no-go" from the Bahamian government due to potential damage to the ecosystem. The width may be of a similar issue - both environmental and issues with high winds/hurricanes. The bigger/wider the obstacle (pier), the more likely it is to be damaged due to a larger contact area. It could also be that this width had to conform to where it was feasible to put structural posts.

Benches may be a problem in high winds or waves. We saw some videos recently of high waves at Grand Cayman and at Coco Cay washing over the pier (washing over is a very mild description of what that looked like - it was shortly after our stop at GC was cancelled due to high winds), which would not only wash away any bench, even if made of concrete, but could potentially pick up those tied into the pier in some way and cause damage. Still, time will tell how they will deal with some of the drawbacks, complaints, and issues. Castaway Cay looks very different today than it did when I first visited in 2000.

I really like the raised walkways. You're less likely to get lots of sand kicked up on the boards than if it was at ground level and it does not disrupt any "wildlife" (do you call crabs wildlife?) because they can burrow or crawl beneath without impact.

If the benches are bolted down and they use removable canvasses to provide the shade, it could definitely be done. The support poles wouldn't pose much of a danger in high winds. I concur that the length and width of the pier is due to environmental concerns, but I think they could at least add shade without causing more problems.