Disney Cruise Line has introduced that its new personal island vacation spot at Lighthouse Point, positioned on the island of Eleuthera within the Bahamas, will welcome friends for first time throughout its opening season in Summer 2024. This submit covers all the things we learn about DCL’s new counterpart to Castaway Cay.
Created in shut collaboration with native artists and advisors, Disney Cruise Line’s vibrant island retreat at Lighthouse Point will likely be a novel celebration of Bahamian tradition dropped at life with the standard and repair of a Disney trip.
Keep studying to find all the newest particulars about this stress-free seaside escape designed with households in thoughts, infused with the colour and vitality of Bahamian artistry, and developed with a dedication to conservation at its core.
When Disney Cruise Line friends arrive at Lighthouse Point, they’ll be greeted by distinctive, sweeping structure in vivid, saturated hues. This type was impressed by nature and created in partnership between Walt Disney Imagineering and native artists.
The curvilinear buildings will at first seem as Bahamian shells scattered alongside the shoreline. Upon nearer inspection, friends will uncover inventive expressions of the native wildlife of The Bahamas and the pageantry and historical past of Junkanoo parades. Throughout the vacation spot, references to playful folklore characters will evoke the heat and attraction of the native tradition.
Respect for the surroundings is on the coronary heart of the design at Lighthouse Point. At least 90 % of the vacation spot’s electrical energy wants will likely be met by an onsite photo voltaic array, the pier was designed to keep away from the necessity for dredging and elevated walkways will assist restrict influence on the panorama.
Disney Cruise Line’s guests to Lighthouse Point can have the chance to be surrounded by the wonders of nature and get a glimpse into the efforts going down to preserve wildlife and their distinctive island habitats.
At Lighthouse Point, households will take pleasure in a day of enjoyable within the solar as they chill out on pristine seashores, embark on energetic adventures and uncover genuine Bahamian storytelling alongside favourite Disney characters. As with DCL’s different personal island, Castaway Cay, Lighthouse Point will provide actions and areas for each age group.
Families can chill out and play alongside white sandy seashores and turquoise waters on the expansive household seaside on the east facet of the Lighthouse Point, which will likely be centrally positioned close to market-style eating, recreation and different facilities.
A Bahamian artwork and tradition pavilion that includes particular applications and native artists will present DCL guests to Lighthouse Point alternatives to be taught and have a good time the traditions and pure fantastic thing about The Bahamas.
Lighthouse Point’s interactive household water play space will embody two slides, water drums, fountains and extra. This play space may also function a devoted house for toddlers.
North of the household space will likely be Lighthouse Point’s grownup seaside. This stretch of sun-drenched serenity will provide Disney Cruise Line friends a devoted eating space for handy entry to meals and drinks all through the day, plus six personal cabanas obtainable by reservation.
Children ages 3 to 12 will splash and play at a children’ membership beneath the care of Disney Cruise Line counselors. The children’ membership will provide a splash pad impressed by favourite undersea creatures from “The Little Mermaid,” loads of shade, in addition to a devoted eating space.
Set away from the exercise of the primary household space, a peaceable seaside alongside Lighthouse Point’s southwestern shore will likely be lined with 20 premium household cabanas obtainable for DCL friends to hire, together with 4 double cabanas that accommodate bigger teams and provide therapeutic massage companies.
Additional leisure actions will likely be obtainable for friends of all ages, together with a coated gaming pavilion, volleyball court docket, gaga ball pit, watercraft and bicycle leases, nature trails for mountain climbing and biking, and extra. New Port Adventures developed in partnership with native tour operators will take friends past Lighthouse Point to discover the wealthy tradition and breathtaking fantastic thing about Eleuthera.
Lighthouse Point is being thoughtfully designed to supply a hassle-free expertise for households, together with complimentary seaside necessities (towels, chairs and umbrellas and lunch), and tram transportation.
In phrases of commentary, I don’t have quite a bit so as to add. The idea artwork makes this look very nice, like a cross between Castaway Cay and Aulani. We love each Castaway Cay and Aulani, and I’m certain this will likely be superior. Having the personal island lean extra in the direction of authenticity is nice, even when I do benefit from the Imagineered vibe of Castaway Cay. (That jogs my memory a little bit of Typhoon Lagoon, whereas I believe this won’t.)
All in all, we count on Lighthouse Point to be a fantastic vacation spot for Disney Cruise Line friends. Based on the outline, it feels like DCL and Imagineering have discovered classes from what labored and didn’t with Castaway Cay, and that is basically the subsequent era of that. It seems that sensible enhancements have been made, giving Lighthouse Point a larger sense of enjoyable and luxuriousness, together with the elevated emphasis on authenticity. That’s simply my impression primarily based on the idea artwork and press launch, although.
I finished paying shut consideration to the Lighthouse Point saga some time in the past, however have nonetheless been anticipating an replace on this for the final couple of years. You would possibly recall that ex-Imagineer Joe Rohde was the face of the Lighthouse Point undertaking when it was first introduced virtually 4 years in the past.
Renowned for his culturally-respectful work on Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii, Villages Natures in Paris, and a wide range of different impartial tasks, Joe Rohde was unquestionably Disney’s greatest ambassador in the case of conservation and tasks that spotlight cultures.
When Lighthouse Point was introduced, Joe Rohde shared how he was embarking on an in-depth cultural tour of the Bahamas assembly with native artists and cultural specialists. He explored cultural websites throughout New Providence and Eleuthera, from Junkanoo shacks to famous artwork galleries, gathering samples, listening to from locals, and figuring out the very best method for telling their tales.
If anybody may “sell” a undertaking like this to conservation teams or these in any other case opposed or on the fence, Joe Rohde is that particular person. He has an easy method of passionately talking about just about something, doing so in an earnest and interesting method. He comes throughout as real and straightforward to belief. Unlike some stuffed shirt, if he says Disney will concentrate on tradition and conservation, you imagine him. Or at the very least, you need to imagine him.
At that point, Lighthouse Point was a controversial undertaking that was nonetheless awaiting an Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan, together with approval by the Government of The Bahamas and public session. There was loads of backlash pre-pandemic, however the plan was to open Lighthouse Point by final yr or this yr. Obviously, development delays have been an inevitability with the border closures and cruise business basically pausing for over a yr.
There was additionally Joe Rohde’s “retirement” in late 2020. At that time, all the design work and assessments would’ve been accomplished, but it surely appeared like Rohde was nonetheless vital because the face of the undertaking–simply as he had been with Aulani till (and even after) its opening. That together with all the things else led us to wonder if Disney Cruise Line had deserted Lighthouse Point.
Disney Cruise Line aggressively continuing with its fleet growth (to not point out the shock acquisition of one other partially-completed ship) made it possible that Lighthouse Point was going ahead. Still, we hadn’t heard something about it and have been shocked when no updates have been provided at the latest D23 Expo.
Ultimately, Lighthouse Point appears prefer it’ll be a improbable vacation spot for Disney Cruise Line friends. The environmental points it poses do give me pause, and I hope Disney wasn’t simply paying face to those points so as to safe approval. While the corporate’s monitor file with Aulani is sweet, this can be a bit completely different in nature. Hopefully Disney is honest in its statements that Lighthouse Point will likely be minimally disruptive to the pure surroundings and that the island vacation spot will likely be utilized in an environmentally-responsible method.
Again, Lighthouse Point will open for Disney Cruise Line friends on choose sailings in summer season 2024. Stay tuned for extra particulars about inaugural itineraries, signature leisure, eating, retail and excursions, and extra data.
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Your Thoughts
What do you consider the Lighthouse Point? Does this new personal island vacation spot look higher or worse than Castaway Cay? Did Joe Rohde’s involvement make this extra fascinating to you? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Hearing suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!