We pulled into Lighthouse Point for the first time on our most recent Fantasy sailing and Alan stood on the verandah while I wrestled Rory into a swim diaper and said “this looks different.” He said it the way he says things when he’s not sure if different is good or bad yet.
It was different. Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is newer, feels more intentional, and is genuinely beautiful in a way that Castaway Cay also is but in a completely different register. I had opinions before we went. I have different opinions now. Here is where I landed after doing both with a 3-year-old and a 2-year-old.
Quick Background on Both
Castaway Cay is Disney’s original private island in the Bahamas, and it has been part of Disney cruises since 1998. Most Fantasy, Dream, and Wonder itineraries include it. It is a known quantity. It has a reputation for a reason.
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is newer, opening in 2024 on the southern tip of Eleuthera island in the Bahamas. Disney built it specifically to offer a different experience from Castaway Cay, and it shows up on several Fantasy and Wish itineraries. Our most recent 5-night sailing stopped at both.
Doing both back to back is genuinely useful for comparison purposes. Here is what I noticed.
Getting There: The Walk Off the Ship
At Castaway Cay, you walk off the ship and you are essentially there. The beach is close, the tram runs frequently, and even with two toddlers and a full beach bag you are set up on sand within about twenty minutes of stepping off the gangway.
Lighthouse Point involves a longer walk from the ship to the main areas. Not brutal, but with a 2-year-old who decided he did not want to ride in the stroller that morning, it felt long. There is a tram at Lighthouse Point too, but we did not catch it at first and walked. Just know it is slightly more of a journey to get settled.
Advantage: Castaway Cay, slightly, for families with very small kids who are difficult to relocate.
The Beach
Castaway Cay has multiple beach areas. The family beach is wide, flat, and very well set up. The sand is soft. There are plenty of chairs, umbrellas, and the water is calm and shallow for a good stretch, which matters a lot when your 2-year-old thinks he is a stronger swimmer than he is.
Lighthouse Point has beaches that are frankly stunning. The water color at Lighthouse Point is different from Castaway Cay in a way I could not stop mentioning to Alan until he gently asked me to talk about something else. It is that particular turquoise that looks fake in photos but is real in person. The beaches are a bit more spread out across different areas of the island.
For purely lying in the sun while kids play in the water, Castaway Cay is more convenient. For sheer beauty and feeling like you are somewhere genuinely special, Lighthouse Point wins.
Advantage: Lighthouse Point for beauty. Castaway Cay for logistics.
Kids’ Areas
Castaway Cay has Scuttle’s Cove, which is a dedicated kids’ splash area and playground. Gracie at 3 absolutely loved this. There are water features, slides, and it is enclosed enough that I could see her from the adjacent seating area. Rory was more interested in eating sand but he also had a good time.
Lighthouse Point has a kids’ water play area as well, and it is newer and visually nicer. But the layout felt slightly less contained to me, which made me slightly more anxious with two kids who move in opposite directions at all times. The area is beautiful and the kids loved it, but I found myself doing more active chasing at Lighthouse Point than at Castaway Cay.
Advantage: Castaway Cay for parents of very young kids who need a contained space.
Food
Castaway Cay has the Cookie’s BBQ setup, which is a large open-air buffet included in your cruise fare. Burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, salads, fruit, kids’ options. It is good for what it is. Alan gets a burger every time without fail.
Lighthouse Point also has included food, and the options were different enough to feel like a change. The theming of the food was a bit more tied to the Bahamian setting. There was also a paid bar with cocktails, which we skipped because we were deep in the two-toddler phase of the day.
Both are fine. Neither is going to be the thing you remember most about the day. The food is a means to an end on both islands.
Advantage: Roughly equal. Castaway Cay has quantity. Lighthouse Point has a bit more character.
Character Meets
Castaway Cay has character meets on the island. This is a big deal for kids who need to see Mickey Mouse in a swimsuit to feel that the day was complete. Gracie has met Donald Duck on Castaway Cay, which she still talks about. The meets are organized and the wait times are usually shorter than on the ship.
Lighthouse Point also has character meets. I will be honest that I cannot remember if they were better or worse because we were in full toddler wrangling mode that day and I was operating on less sleep than I would like to admit. From what I can tell, both islands do character meets, but Castaway Cay has a longer history with them and the setups are very established.
Advantage: Castaway Cay, if character meets are a priority.
Shade and Chairs
Castaway Cay has a lot of umbrellas and chairs available on a first-come basis. If you get there early, you are fine. If you are last off the ship because someone needed a diaper change at exactly the wrong moment, the good shaded spots can be picked over.
Lighthouse Point felt like it had more natural shade from the landscape, but also felt like the good spots went quickly. I do not think either island has cracked the “enough shade for everyone” problem.
Advantage: Even. Get off the ship as early as you can manage on both.
The Overall Feel
This is hard to quantify but worth saying. Castaway Cay feels like a Disney park. It is efficient, well-organized, fun, and slightly manufactured in the best Disney way. Everything works. You know what to expect.
Lighthouse Point feels different. It has been designed with a lighter touch, with more integration of the actual natural landscape of Eleuthera. It feels less like a theme park extension and more like a genuinely beautiful place that Disney has been careful with. Whether you find that better or worse probably depends on what you came for.
For our kids right now at 3 and 2, Castaway Cay is the more practical choice. They do not yet appreciate the landscape in the way you need to be a bit older to appreciate it. Gracie cares about the slide and Donald Duck. Rory cares about the sand. Castaway Cay delivers both of those things with less walking.
In five years, when they are 8 and 7? I think I would be more excited to take them to Lighthouse Point.
My Recommendation
If you are sailing with kids under 4 and you can only do one, Castaway Cay is easier. If you are doing a longer itinerary that includes both, do not skip Lighthouse Point. It is a genuinely different experience and the beauty of the place is worth half a day even if the logistics are slightly more complicated.
Alan liked Lighthouse Point more than he expected. I liked it more than I expected too. But I was also very glad that Castaway Cay was the next day so we could have a slightly more relaxed beach day to recover.
