Lookout Cay review

dcassetta

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
Messages
6,294
We were really looking forward to our Magic cruise that visited Lookout Cay. We were originally on the preview cruise in June but had to change, so ended up at the end of July. I was really excited about the island, and then there were a number of early reviews that made us nervous about this. The trip was my sister, my mom, and myself. I was concerned about the walk for my mom. She is in good health, but does not walk very fast due to her age and knee issues. I was also worried with some of the reports about the food and flies on that first cruise, but we were well after PIF and decided to just go and see what we thought ourselves.


The first issue I wanted to address was the transport for my mom. It was not a problem to reserve a ride on the golf cart for the three of us so that we could ride together, we did not have to leave her on her own. We were able to make arrangements to get off the ship early, we also like to get our morning started when we visit Castaway. She did not have any issues at all boarding the tram, and we did notice there seemed to be a number of the tram cars that did allow people to travel in wheelchairs without having to get out. We decided to set up on the southernmost part of the beach because we thought it would be a little quieter. This turned out to be an excellent location. No problem at all with getting loungers in a way that allowed us to all have shade. We got our chairs set up, and decided to head right into the ocean. I have been to Eleuthera twice before for very short visits. The beaches around the island are great, but the location that Disney has at Lookout is just amazing. The sand is very soft and the ocean there has nice wave action without being difficult for smaller kids or people with mobility problems. Spent much of the morning in the ocean, and also did a little snorkeling. There was some weather that was starting to form so we decided to go and have some lunch and make sure my mom had some cover in case it started to rain. The lunch options were so much better than Castaway. There is nothing wrong with hamburgers and hot dogs, but I don't care for them so much and so often on CC I would mostly have salad and fruit. The Bahamian Pigeon rice was excellent as was the tomato salad and the fried okra. I also tried a very small portion of the jambalaya which was also very good with nice large shrimp in it. My mother and sister really enjoyed the ribs and the chicken. We did not try the fish dishes, but based on the number of plates around us that were empty, I'm thinking those were also very good. Like you would see at any outdoor dining area, there were occasional flies. But not a problem at all during our lunch. So whatever was done to eradicate the flies, has worked. The day continued to be a little bit cloudy, but no real rain.

My mom decided to head back to this ship a little early. It was not a problem for her to get a ride back to the ship. We spent more time in the water. The other thing that we spent time doing was at the Play-Play pavilion where there were some different activities involving the characters. We really enjoyed some bucket races and limbo with Chip and Dale. They were so funny, and great with both the kids and adults. Thanks to @Mags2002, for her help with that! We had to get back for dinner and wanted to do a little bit of shopping. So we boarded the tram back at about 4:00. The walk back is a little long at the end of the day when you have spent lots of time in the sun. There were quite a few CMs that I saw that were driving people back and forth. So it appeared to me that if you had a need for a ride, that that would be available for you. You might have to wait a little while for the next cart to come back, but it would be available. We did not go at a rapid pace, and did spend some time looking at the ocean. In addition to the fish that we saw in the beautiful clear water, there was also a really beautiful spotted eagle ray. I didn't keep an exact time, but I would guess it took us about 15 minutes to walk back to the ship. I did notice at least one area where there appeared to be a water station set up, but there was no water there. Maybe because of the time of day we were there, or maybe they haven't quite set that up. Upon returning to the ship there were the wonderful cold washcloths that you always get when you come in from the beach or an excursion. As always, we watched the onshore cast members take their bows as we listened to the Magic's wonderful horn.

I know this review is a little bit long, but I wanted to be as informative as I could. Lookout Cay is amazing, and in my mind it beats CC in every category except for the walk. And I love Castaway. It's one of my favorite places in the world. I have loved it for 25 years. But, the water, the beach, and the food, are all better on Lookout. As the foliage and trees grow in, the addition of more shady areas will make the beach even better. There are a few things that Disney will need to continue to work on. I really like the boardwalks, and the way they protect the environment, but there do need to be more signs. They also still don't have the bicycles, but I'm sure those will come. We enjoy the nature trail and the views there, as the foliage grows there also I think it will become more interesting. We noticed that several people set up their own private beach area at the end of the nature trail. This would be a nice quiet location away from the bustle of the bigger beach areas. As a side note, and this was not an issue for my family, but we did talk with one family who were a little disappointed because there were no beach wheelchairs. I think this will also be remedied but should be soon to make the beach more accessible. It seemed to us, that everyone that wanted a lounger or a chair was able to find those on the beach side. But, I can understand why the Dream and Triton ships may be an issue and some people may not like where some of the lounging areas are behind the dunes. I think this can also be a place where Disney can look at where there may be some more room on the beach itself. Where we were was very close to the South end of the beach, and there were areas where you could have some additional loungers and chairs.

TL;DR - Loved Loved Loved Lookout, and can't wait to go again. Wish we had an upcoming cruise with a stop there!
 
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We were really looking forward to our Magic cruise that visited Lookout Cay. We were originally on the preview cruise in June but had to change, so ended up at the end of July. I was really excited about the island, and then there were a number of early reviews that made us nervous about this. The trip was my sister, my mom, and myself. I was concerned about the walk for my mom. She is in good health, but does not walk very fast due to her age and knee issues. I was also worried with some of the reports about the food and flies on that first cruise, but we were well after PIF and decided to just go and see what we thought ourselves.


The first issue I wanted to address was the transport for my mom. It was not a problem to reserve a ride on the golf cart for the three of us so that we could ride together, we did not have to leave her on her own. We were able to make arrangements to get off the ship early, we also like to get our morning started when we visit Castaway. She did not have any issues at all boarding the tram, and we did notice there seemed to be a number of the tram cars that did allow people to travel in wheelchairs without having to get out. We decided to set up on the southernmost part of the beach because we thought it would be a little quieter. This turned out to be an excellent location. No problem at all with getting loungers in a way that allowed us to all have shade. We got our chairs set up, and decided to head right into the ocean. I have been to Eleuthera twice before for very short visits. The beaches around the island are great, but the location that Disney has at Lookout is just amazing. The sand is very soft and the ocean there has nice wave action without being difficult for smaller kids or people with mobility problems. Spent much of the morning in the ocean, and also did a little snorkeling. There was some weather that was starting to form so we decided to go and have some lunch and make sure my mom had some cover in case it started to rain. The lunch options were so much better than Castaway. There is nothing wrong with hamburgers and hot dogs, but I don't care for them so much and so often on CC I would mostly have salad and fruit. The Bahamian Pigeon rice was excellent as was the tomato salad and the fried okra. I also tried a very small portion of the jambalaya which was also very good with nice large shrimp in it. My mother and sister really enjoyed the ribs and the chicken. We did not try the fish dishes, but based on the number of plates around us that were empty, I'm thinking those were also very good. Like you would see at any outdoor dining area, there were occasional flies. But not a problem at all during our lunch. So whatever was done to eradicate the flies, has worked. The day continued to be a little bit cloudy, but no real rain.

My mom decided to head back to this ship a little early. It was not a problem for her to get a ride back to the ship. We spent more time in the water. The other thing that we spent time doing was at the Play-Play pavilion where there were some different activities involving the characters. We really enjoyed some bucket races and limbo with Chip and Dale. They were so funny, and great with both the kids and adults. Thanks to @Mags2002, for her help with that! We had to get back for dinner and wanted to do a little bit of shopping. So we boarded the tram back at about 4:00. The walk back is a little long at the end of the day when you have spent lots of time in the sun. There were quite a few CMs that I saw that were driving people back and forth. So it appeared to me that if you had a need for a ride, that that would be available for you. You might have to wait a little while for the next cart to come back, but it would be available. We did not go at a rapid pace, and did spend some time looking at the ocean. In addition to the fish that we saw in the beautiful clear water, there was also a really beautiful spotted eagle ray. I didn't keep an exact time, but I would guess it took us about 15 minutes to walk back to the ship. I did notice at least one area where there appeared to be a water station set up, but there was no water there. Maybe because of the time of day we were there, or maybe they haven't quite set that up. Upon returning to the ship there were the wonderful cold washcloths that you always get when you come in from the beach or an excursion. As always, we watched the onshore cast members take their bows as we listened to the Magic's wonderful horn.

I know this review is a little bit long, but I wanted to be as informative as I could. Lookout Cay is amazing, and in my mind it beats CC in every category except for the walk. And I love Castaway. It's one of my favorite places in the world. I have loved it for 25 years. But, the water, the beach, and the food, are all better on Lookout. As the foliage and trees grow in, the addition of more shady areas will make the beach even better. There are a few things that Disney will need to continue to work on. I really like the boardwalks, and the way they protect the environment, but there do need to be more signs. They also still don't have the bicycles, but I'm sure those will come. We enjoy the nature trail and the views there, as the foliage grows there also I think it will become more interesting. We noticed that several people set up their own private beach area at the end of the nature trail. This would be a nice quiet location away from the bustle of the bigger beach areas. As a side note, and this was not an issue for my family, but we did talk with one family who were a little disappointed because there were no beach wheelchairs. I think this will also be remedied but should be soon to make the beach more accessible. It seemed to us, that everyone that wanted a lounger or a chair was able to find those on the beach side. But, I can understand why the Dream and Triton ships may be an issue and some people may not like where some of the lounging areas are behind the dunes. I think this can also be a place where Disney can look at where there may be some more room on the beach itself. Where we were was very close to the South end of the beach, and there were areas where you could have some additional loungers and chairs.

TL;DR - Loved Loved Loved Lookout, and can't wait to go again. Wish we had an upcoming cruise with a stop there!
I am going to Lookout Cay with my mother in law. How did you make arrangements for the golf cart transportation? Did you do that the day of or way ahead of time? I just want to make sure my mother in law has a good trip. Thank you and great review
 
I am going to Lookout Cay with my mother in law. How did you make arrangements for the golf cart transportation? Did you do that the day of or way ahead of time? I just want to make sure my mother in law has a good trip. Thank you and great review
In another thread, @lanejudy posted the following info regarding golf carts.
“If you need a golf cart ride in the morning, yes you must sign-up at Guest Services the day prior. However the golf carts are more lenient for the return ride to the ship and are taking anyone who asks.”
 
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Thank you for your review! We've booked a DCL cruise in January that visits Lookout Cay (our first cruise ever!), and after watching some online content I was feeling a little worried :) .
 
If you need a golf cart ride in the morning, yes you must sign-up at Guest Services the day prior. However the golf carts are more lenient for the return ride to the ship and are taking anyone who asks
I'm happy to hear this. But it does make me wonder why you would need to sign up to go from the ship to the island. If they are able to accommodate everybody coming back to the ship maybe it's an issue with a big rush on first arrival?
 
I had to read the review twice to see what specially you mentioned that was better than castaway cay “in every category” outside of the food options and ring toss with Chip and Dale.
 
I'm happy to hear this. But it does make me wonder why you would need to sign up to go from the ship to the island. If they are able to accommodate everybody coming back to the ship maybe it's an issue with a big rush on first arrival?

This makes sense, everyone is generally trying to get off the boat in the same hour or so, whereas the return is probably more gradual.
 
Great review! Thank you!

Every bit of information I get is making me feel a little better and more prepared for our upcoming visit. I was so excited for this cruise, but my bubble really deflated after watching the initial reviews. I’m particularly happy to see the flies no longer appear to be an issue (that was so disgusting). Also good to know that you had no issue getting transportation for your Mom!

I am going on a Dream class ship in November with a 10:15am all ashore time and my biggest concern is getting a chair on the actual beach. I feel like everyone on the whole ship will be up and ready to go by 10:15am. BUT reading reviews like yours has helped me develop a plan … much better than going in blind!
 
I had to read the review twice to see what specially you mentioned that was better than castaway cay “in every category” outside of the food options and ring toss with Chip and Dale.
The actual beach with amazing soft sand. No need for water shoes.

The water. Amazingly blue and clear. And because it’s on the Atlantic ocean instead of a manmade lagoon, there’s actually a way to play in the waves.

The strong efforts Disney has made to protect the environment. This included everything from the boardwalks themselves and many locations with stairs to access the beach while also protecting the dunes. There were no disposable cups on the island - sturdy plastic at the soft drink machines (like Cabanas) and steel cups at the bars. Since Disney does not rent them, no concerns about tubes or floats getting away and causing issues. I also appreciated their commitment to the local flora and fauna. The characters they’ve created, especially the curly tailed lizard and the land crab, really add to this and help you to learn more about the environment.

The way they have created Lookout to focus more on the Bahamian culture. From the Goombay center where you can learn more about the music and culture of the Bahamas, to the Bahamian Treasure shop where you can talk with local artisans and find beautiful crafts. The foods also focus on the Bahamian culture, but you can still have a hot dog if you wish.

I don’t think the island is done yet, and I think it’s important to remember that some of the plans had to change because of Covid. I think it will improve over time. Castaway has had issues over the last 25 years. Leaving the eyesore of the Flying Dutchman in the lagoon and then watching it slowly rot away was bad.

We did not choose to reserve a cabana as we weren’t interested in the family beach ones. We did think about one of the ones on the adult beach, but we did not like its location behind the dunes. So, cannot comment on that but I was never a big fan of the cabanas on CC either. I thought it was a shame when they built those and took away the teen beach.

I have been to CC 17 times. As I said earlier, I love it it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I was pretty ready to dislike Lookout, but that didn’t happen at all. The beach and water there are amazing, and CC just can't match them, despite all the other amenities CC has to offer.

I hope you have a cruise planned there soon and can see it for yourself.
 
The actual beach with amazing soft sand. No need for water shoes.

The water. Amazingly blue and clear. And because it’s on the Atlantic ocean instead of a manmade lagoon, there’s actually a way to play in the waves.

The strong efforts Disney has made to protect the environment. This included everything from the boardwalks themselves and many locations with stairs to access the beach while also protecting the dunes. There were no disposable cups on the island - sturdy plastic at the soft drink machines (like Cabanas) and steel cups at the bars. Since Disney does not rent them, no concerns about tubes or floats getting away and causing issues. I also appreciated their commitment to the local flora and fauna. The characters they’ve created, especially the curly tailed lizard and the land crab, really add to this and help you to learn more about the environment.

The way they have created Lookout to focus more on the Bahamian culture. From the Goombay center where you can learn more about the music and culture of the Bahamas, to the Bahamian Treasure shop where you can talk with local artisans and find beautiful crafts. The foods also focus on the Bahamian culture, but you can still have a hot dog if you wish.

I don’t think the island is done yet, and I think it’s important to remember that some of the plans had to change because of Covid. I think it will improve over time. Castaway has had issues over the last 25 years. Leaving the eyesore of the Flying Dutchman in the lagoon and then watching it slowly rot away was bad.

We did not choose to reserve a cabana as we weren’t interested in the family beach ones. We did think about one of the ones on the adult beach, but we did not like its location behind the dunes. So, cannot comment on that but I was never a big fan of the cabanas on CC either. I thought it was a shame when they built those and took away the teen beach.

I have been to CC 17 times. As I said earlier, I love it it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I was pretty ready to dislike Lookout, but that didn’t happen at all. The beach and water there are amazing, and CC just can't match them, despite all the other amenities CC has to offer.

I hope you have a cruise planned there soon and can see it for yourself.

I agree, this is the first step out of the gate and I’m excited by both what it is today and might be in five years. What would you update next?
 
The actual beach with amazing soft sand. No need for water shoes.

The water. Amazingly blue and clear. And because it’s on the Atlantic ocean instead of a manmade lagoon, there’s actually a way to play in the waves.

The strong efforts Disney has made to protect the environment. This included everything from the boardwalks themselves and many locations with stairs to access the beach while also protecting the dunes. There were no disposable cups on the island - sturdy plastic at the soft drink machines (like Cabanas) and steel cups at the bars. Since Disney does not rent them, no concerns about tubes or floats getting away and causing issues. I also appreciated their commitment to the local flora and fauna. The characters they’ve created, especially the curly tailed lizard and the land crab, really add to this and help you to learn more about the environment.

The way they have created Lookout to focus more on the Bahamian culture. From the Goombay center where you can learn more about the music and culture of the Bahamas, to the Bahamian Treasure shop where you can talk with local artisans and find beautiful crafts. The foods also focus on the Bahamian culture, but you can still have a hot dog if you wish.

I don’t think the island is done yet, and I think it’s important to remember that some of the plans had to change because of Covid. I think it will improve over time. Castaway has had issues over the last 25 years. Leaving the eyesore of the Flying Dutchman in the lagoon and then watching it slowly rot away was bad.

We did not choose to reserve a cabana as we weren’t interested in the family beach ones. We did think about one of the ones on the adult beach, but we did not like its location behind the dunes. So, cannot comment on that but I was never a big fan of the cabanas on CC either. I thought it was a shame when they built those and took away the teen beach.

I have been to CC 17 times. As I said earlier, I love it it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I was pretty ready to dislike Lookout, but that didn’t happen at all. The beach and water there are amazing, and CC just can't match them, despite all the other amenities CC has to offer.

I hope you have a cruise planned there soon and can see it for yourself.
Are there any Cabanas available for Non-Concierge guests?
 
I agree, this is the first step out of the gate and I’m excited by both what it is today and might be in five years. What would you update next?

Well, the foliage can only grow so fast, so I would get the bikes ready.

Are there any Cabanas available for Non-Concierge guests?

It’s possible. The Magic and Wonder have fewer concierge cabins, so if you are booking a cruise to Castaway or Lookout, there’s a greater chance of a cabana still being available. However, I think on most cruises, the cabanas tend to be reserved by concierge guests. You can ask to be on the waiting list for a cabana. I’m not sure how often that can be fulfilled.
 
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Are there any Cabanas available for Non-Concierge guests?
In the past, yes. It hasn’t been reported as so for a while now. They seem to have just removed them as an option for us when booking excursions. It is less disappointing than going to booking and always seeing ‘unavailable” for every one of them.

I guess now it’s just put your name on a Wait List at Guest Services. And cruise in the really off-season.
 
In the past, yes. It hasn’t been reported as so for a while now. They seem to have just removed them as an option for us when booking excursions. It is less disappointing than going to booking and always seeing ‘unavailable” for every one of them.

I guess now it’s just put your name on a Wait List at Guest Services. And cruise in the really off-season.
I am cruising in the end of February 2025. I'll put my name on the waitlist. If I don't get one, it's no big deal. I just think they are so cool.
 
It is not automatic for concierge. We are platinum sailing concierge in September and are on the waiting list for a cabana.
 

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