We’ve Arrived at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point!

[jennypenny]

I'm surprised they didn't build a water taxi thing that could take people between the pier and the tram area.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

The pier looks kind of narrow, like it's hard to imagine there being adequate room for a bunch of vehicles and hundreds of people walking, all going back and forth. Maybe it seems wider from a POV actually on it? The beach looks fine, but other than the water color, not much different than some of the nice East coast beaches I've been to. What is there to do besides lounge on the beach, swim, and eat? Are there waterslides like the ones at Castaway?

 

[jimmymc]

When a ship can't dock at Castaway it's usually because of wind. Even if the ship can dock at LHP in the wind, do you want to walk down that dock if it's windy? And there is no way they are going to let anyone on that dock if there is even the slightest chance of lightning (for very good reason).

I will gladly walk down a long dock if it's windy to get to the beach. In many of the videos I've seen of the ship not making it to the Castaway dock, the weather wasn't that bad.

 

[jimmymc]

Will the pier being further out help ships dock more reliably? Thankfully we've never had a failed Castaway day but I'm always kind of worried about it.

It should. At Castaway, they dredged a long, narrow trench that ships have to navigate through. For Lighthouse Point, it looks like the dock reaches open water.

 

[sponica]

Honestly I think the walk from the tram spot to the ship at castaway cay is pretty long so I'm not going to judge the pier before I step foot on it

 

[juxtapose]

The beach/water looks amazing in the other post. The pier does look long enough that going back to the boat for lunch and back to the island is probably not something people will be doing. I biggest concern with the pier is my son has an intense fear of storms, there is 0% chance he'd walk that whole thing during a storm, hopefully there is a place on the island people could hang out if an unexpected storm hits until it passes.

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

I guess I'll find out in just over a week, but Lighthouse Point looks like 3000ft to tram stop. Oof.



In comparison Castaway Cay is 700ft to aft elevators, and 875ft to midship elevators.

 

[brentm77]

Construction of the pier was one of the most contentious pieces of the development, though. I'm not sure that Disney could have made it larger.

That's understandable. I will be interested in hearing how customers feel about it, since it's hard to gauge from the photos, which make it look longer than 1/2 a mile. Personally, I would prefer the walk over tendering any day.

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

For comparison, the distance from the aft elevators (where I usually disembark) to Cookie's BBQ if you were to walk and not take the tram, is only 2700ft. I usually take the tram to the Cookie's II side of things, though, personally.

 

[jimmymc]

I guess I'll find out in just over a week, but Lighthouse Point looks like 3000ft to tram stop. Oof.

View attachment 866574

In comparison Castaway Cay is 700ft to aft elevators, and 875ft to midship elevators.

View attachment 866575

Early reports are that it's a 15 minute walk to the tram stop and 15 minutes for the ride across the island. So a minimum of 30 minutes if you time things perfectly and there's no wait for the tram.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

I am sure there will be trams to get you from the ship to the island. No way people can walk to and from that far.

Really doubt there is going to be an established trams or we would already see them on the map. And the width of the pier does not support the idea of trams, it looks to be barely 8 people wide and there will be families that spend out the whole width.. so golf carts or trams will be slow going through the crowds. I expect a lot of pushback on this.

 

[Kwami]

Really doubt there is going to be an established trams or we would already see them on the map. And the width of the pier does not support the idea of trams, it looks to be barely 8 people wide and there will be families that spend out the whole width.. so golf carts or trams will be slow going through the crowds. I expect a lot of pushback on this.

There certainly are golf carts for people who need them. There's a photo of them further up in the thread. They might be used for guests with cabana reservations, too, since DCL offers that service at Castaway Cay.

In other ports that I've visited, people on foot stay to one side and the golf carts drive on the other side. It works well enough.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

There certainly are golf carts for people who need them. There's a photo of them further up in the thread. They might be used for guests with cabana reservations, too, since DCL offers that service at Castaway Cay.

In other ports that I've visited, people on foot stay to one side and the golf carts drive on the other side. It works well enough.

I didnt say there were no golf carts. My point was I doubt because of the width there would be tram traffic, or a lot of golf cart traffic (in answer to those wondering about tired children). I am aware that concierge often can get those that need it a golf cart (as I have personally taken advantage of that). If Disney was going to implement regular service with lots of trips back and forth, then they would have painted lines to suggest to people to stay on one side. I have seen that in some ports, but I haven't seen a port with a pier that narrow. Time will tell, as I also said I expect Disney will get a lot of blowback on this.

 

[Kit Jackson]

No, there aren't trams running on the pier. There are golf carts for those who need them and everyone else can walk. It's not that far. I think people are making a big stink about a minor inconvenience.

From the pictures I am seeing online, it looks like an incredibly long walk. It may just be the angle/location of the pictures that distorts the image and makes it look different from the actual reality of being there.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

From the pictures I am seeing online, it looks like an incredibly long walk. It may just be the angle/location of the pictures that distorts the image and makes it look different from the actual reality of being there.

It's a half mile. For some thats not long, for others, it can be painfully long, especially in the sun. I know it's not how I would want to end my day on the beach.

 

[jimmymc]

This is the same island that Princess Cruises uses for their private island, called Princess Cays on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Been to it many times. (It is just on the other side of the island from the DCL Lighthouse Point area). Princess uses tenders to get from the ship to the island.

Did DCL build this "highway" in the ocean so they wouldn't have to tender? I am sure there will be trams to get you from the ship to the island. No way people can walk to and from that far.

There are golf carts for people with accessibility issues, but no regularly running trams.

DCL had 3 options to access Lookout Cay:
1. Tenders
2. Dredge the seabed so the ship can dock closer
3. Really long dock

Tenders come with an extra running cost and would most likely take a lot longer than the 15 minute walk. The upside is they would've been able to use them on the other side of the point, meaning most guests wouldn't need the tram to get from the dock to the beach.

Dredging is what they did at Castaway Cay. Dredging is very expensive, bad for the environment, and you'd have the issue where it's too narrow for larger ships to navigate in during windy weather. Plus there still would've been a walk to the tram stop, maybe from 15 minutes down to 5.

And finally, you have the overpass to the ocean. It's most likely the cheapest option and allows the ship to dock in rougher seas, but comes with the long walk.

 

[Mango7100]

It's a half mile. For some thats not long, for others, it can be painfully long, especially in the sun. I know it's not how I would want to end my day on the beach.

Agree. Its not incredibly long but it’s not a short walk. For DH and I with our 11 year old it’s not a big deal other than annoying when you are hot and tired and just want a shower and AC. But for a person carrying a 2 year old and herding a 6 year old along with carrying all their stuff in 90 degree weather with no shade that is a long walk. It would have been guest friendlyif Disney had taken that into account more And yes, it looks like there re some golf carts, but who gets to ride those? Anyone who wants or only those with mobility issues/medical need? And how long will the wait be for those 10 carts trying to carrying thousands of people back and forth?

 

[brentm77]

Agree. Its not incredibly long but it’s not a short walk. For DH and I with our 11 year old it’s not a big deal other than annoying when you are hot and tired and just want a shower and AC. But for a person carrying a 2 year old and herding a 6 year old along with carrying all their stuff in 90 degree weather with no shade that is a long walk. It would have been guest friendlyif Disney had taken that into account more And yes, it looks like there re some golf carts, but who gets to ride those? Anyone who wants or only those with mobility issues/medical need? And how long will the wait be for those 10 carts trying to carrying thousands of people back and forth?

Frankly, I hope it's only those with mobility issues. Or at least that they are prioritized first. 1/2 mile is long on a hot day, with young kids, but not impossible, physically painful, or dangerous, like it would be for some mobility issues. I will gladly walk to give a spot to someone who needs it for more than comfort and convenience.

That said, I do think DCL should have been a bit more creative here. A long hot walk, followed by a 15 minute tram ride, and vise versa, doesn't sound like a luxurious experience in general. Even offering a water taxi as an option if you want to wait, as someone suggested above, seems like a reasonable middle-ground option. But, I will reserve full judgment until we hear about more experiences from people on the ground, and I would rather walk than wait for a tender.

 

[CarnotaurDad]

There are golf carts for people with accessibility issues, but no regularly running trams.

DCL had 3 options to access Lookout Cay:
1. Tenders
2. Dredge the seabed so the ship can dock closer
3. Really long dock

Dredging is what they did at Castaway Cay. Dredging is very expensive, bad for the environment, and you'd have the issue where it's too narrow for larger ships to navigate in during windy weather. Plus there still would've been a walk to the tram stop, maybe from 15 minutes down to 5.

Also, what people are forgetting, is that if Disney had proposed dredging, the entire plan may have not been approved by the Bahamian government. I imagine it is also why the pier is so narrow. It is probably the maximum width the government allowed.

Which is worse, no additional island or the long walk?

 

[dreamer17555]

Also, what people are forgetting, is that if Disney had proposed dredging, the entire plan may have not been approved by the Bahamian government. I imagine it is also why the pier is so narrow. It is probably the maximum width the government allowed.

Which is worse, no additional island or the long walk?

If they didn’t have the new island, they might go to some more interesting ports, which I would enjoy.