kathi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2005
- Messages
- 2,005
LIGHTHOUSE POINT
We are on a DVC charter preview cruise on the Magic (in a concierge 1BR cat 2b).
My overall impression is that if you love a beautiful beach day, you will be happy. Not a lot of chairs on the beach by the water so either get there early or get there late or get lucky and book a cabana. There are plenty of chairs behind the dunes but not much if any view. It’s not ideal but that’s how it is. There isn’t room for more chairs on the beach unfortunately.
Flies were not a problem. It’s breezy which really helps. We were told they fumigated after the disastrous first stops. Food was meh, but I feel the same about Castaway. It’s fine and was fly-free.
Took us 13 minutes to walk from the ship to the entrance. It was cloudy with a slight breeze. Not sure I’d want to do it in the blazing sun. They had cool towels at the end of the pier. Tram ride is about 15 minutes to get to the other side where all the things are (except family cabanas which are right by th ship and FAR from everything else). Still no signage once you get to the end. They give you a map, take a photo of it before you leave you cabin. It’s not hard once you get the lay of the land.
The bars have different drink menus. We found that Serenity bar had fewer options for frozen drinks. I also found they were pretty small and watered down. The bar by the family beach was better. Also the food by the family beach had more options and and soft serve. None at Serenity beach.
We were in a Serenity Adult Cabana. The cabanas are between the family beach and the adult beach. Our cruse is sailing at 50% capacity (not many kids) so it’s fine. But I think it would not be all that peaceful with a beach full of kids right next to the Cabanas. There are no chairs on the beach at the adult cabanas. All are behind the dunes where you cannot see the ocean, but you do have that small stretch of water just for Cabana guests. If you sit in your cabana you can see the water.
Overall the vegetation is going to take time to grow in. The plantings are new. It feels more like Aruba right now. The bike trails are not done, so no rentals. We skipped the hiking trail because we thought it might be buggy. The lighthouse isn’t much to see.
Shops close early as do bars. So I didn’t get to buy merch. We are back on Monday so I’ll shop. They had some cute stuff. The buildings look like concrete bomb shelters with some colorful paint. Not magical, but sturdy. No doubt it will look better in a few years when the vegetation grows in.
Clearly the island is not anywhere near done. The road dust from the trams is pretty bad and can get in your eyes. I assume they plan to pave the road at some point. Lack of sinage is rampant and the CMs don’t always tell you the right thing (they are still learning.). The kid splash area seems popular and we were told Scuttles Cove is open. Nothing for Edge or Vibe kids. It’s planned but not done.
It’s not Castaway lush. The walk is long but doable. Folks who are differently abled can sign up for a golf cart ride with guest services. But I was told the wait can be long. We had a great day because we 1) love the beach and 2) had a cabana. I think we would have been disappointed to have to sit behind the dunes (we are not rope drop kind of people unless it’s a Star Wars attraction.)
Looking forward to Castaway tomorrow and then back to Lighthouse Point on Monday in a family cabana.
We are on a DVC charter preview cruise on the Magic (in a concierge 1BR cat 2b).
My overall impression is that if you love a beautiful beach day, you will be happy. Not a lot of chairs on the beach by the water so either get there early or get there late or get lucky and book a cabana. There are plenty of chairs behind the dunes but not much if any view. It’s not ideal but that’s how it is. There isn’t room for more chairs on the beach unfortunately.
Flies were not a problem. It’s breezy which really helps. We were told they fumigated after the disastrous first stops. Food was meh, but I feel the same about Castaway. It’s fine and was fly-free.
Took us 13 minutes to walk from the ship to the entrance. It was cloudy with a slight breeze. Not sure I’d want to do it in the blazing sun. They had cool towels at the end of the pier. Tram ride is about 15 minutes to get to the other side where all the things are (except family cabanas which are right by th ship and FAR from everything else). Still no signage once you get to the end. They give you a map, take a photo of it before you leave you cabin. It’s not hard once you get the lay of the land.
The bars have different drink menus. We found that Serenity bar had fewer options for frozen drinks. I also found they were pretty small and watered down. The bar by the family beach was better. Also the food by the family beach had more options and and soft serve. None at Serenity beach.
We were in a Serenity Adult Cabana. The cabanas are between the family beach and the adult beach. Our cruse is sailing at 50% capacity (not many kids) so it’s fine. But I think it would not be all that peaceful with a beach full of kids right next to the Cabanas. There are no chairs on the beach at the adult cabanas. All are behind the dunes where you cannot see the ocean, but you do have that small stretch of water just for Cabana guests. If you sit in your cabana you can see the water.
Overall the vegetation is going to take time to grow in. The plantings are new. It feels more like Aruba right now. The bike trails are not done, so no rentals. We skipped the hiking trail because we thought it might be buggy. The lighthouse isn’t much to see.
Shops close early as do bars. So I didn’t get to buy merch. We are back on Monday so I’ll shop. They had some cute stuff. The buildings look like concrete bomb shelters with some colorful paint. Not magical, but sturdy. No doubt it will look better in a few years when the vegetation grows in.
Clearly the island is not anywhere near done. The road dust from the trams is pretty bad and can get in your eyes. I assume they plan to pave the road at some point. Lack of sinage is rampant and the CMs don’t always tell you the right thing (they are still learning.). The kid splash area seems popular and we were told Scuttles Cove is open. Nothing for Edge or Vibe kids. It’s planned but not done.
It’s not Castaway lush. The walk is long but doable. Folks who are differently abled can sign up for a golf cart ride with guest services. But I was told the wait can be long. We had a great day because we 1) love the beach and 2) had a cabana. I think we would have been disappointed to have to sit behind the dunes (we are not rope drop kind of people unless it’s a Star Wars attraction.)
Looking forward to Castaway tomorrow and then back to Lighthouse Point on Monday in a family cabana.
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