Some links in this article are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Knots & Naps earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. This never changes what we recommend. How this site works.
Disney now has two private islands in the Bahamas, and they are not the same day at a different address. Families who sail an itinerary that stops at both, which several 5-night Fantasy and Wish sailings do, come back saying the same thing: the two islands feel like they were built for different moods. One is the efficient, known quantity. The other is the newer, more beautiful, slightly more effortful one.
So which is better with a toddler in tow? The honest answer is that it depends on what you need that day, and on how old your kids are. Here is how the two stack up on the things that actually decide a beach day when your travel party includes someone in a swim diaper.
Quick Background on Both
Castaway Cay is Disney’s original private island in the Bahamas, part of Disney cruises since 1998. Most Fantasy, Dream, and Wonder itineraries include it. It is a known quantity, and it has its reputation for a reason.
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is the newer one, opened in 2024 on the southern tip of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Disney built it specifically to offer something different from Castaway Cay, and it shows up on several Fantasy and Wish itineraries. If your sailing stops at both, doing them back to back is the clearest way to feel the difference. For the full toddler-specific rundown on the newer island, see our Lookout Cay with a toddler guide.
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 a full beach bag most families are set up on sand within about twenty minutes of stepping off the gangway.
Lighthouse Point is more of a journey. The pier runs about half a mile, and after debarking there is a paved walk of roughly ten to fifteen minutes to reach the tram, which then takes about ten minutes to the main Goombay area. Disney stages complimentary wagons and strollers at the tram stop, but on a full sailing they go fast, and parents consistently flag the walk as the island’s one real friction point. Having a well-organized beach bag helps on both islands, and our packing list for toddlers covers what to bring for a beach day.
Advantage: Castaway Cay, clearly, for families with very small kids who are hard 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 and umbrellas, and the water stays calm and shallow for a good stretch, which matters when your 2-year-old is convinced he is a stronger swimmer than he is.
Lighthouse Point’s beaches are frankly stunning. The water is that particular turquoise that looks fake in photos and turns out to be real in person, and the beaches spread across different areas of the island rather than concentrating in one spot. It is the more photogenic island by a wide margin.
For lying in the sun while kids play in the shallows, Castaway Cay is more convenient. For sheer beauty and feeling like you are somewhere special, Lighthouse Point wins.
Advantage: Lighthouse Point for beauty. Castaway Cay for logistics.
Kids’ Areas
Castaway Cay has Scuttle’s Cove, a dedicated kids’ splash area and playground with water features and slides. It is enclosed enough that a parent can sit in the adjacent seating and keep eyes on a preschooler, which is exactly what you want with a runner.
Lighthouse Point’s answer is Rush Out Gush Out, a large family water play area next to the Goombay Cultural Center with two slides, water drums, fountains, and a section built for the smallest kids. It is free, it is newer, and it is visually nicer. The one honest tradeoff parents report is that the layout feels less contained than Scuttle’s Cove, which means slightly more active chasing if you have two kids who move in opposite directions.
Advantage: Castaway Cay for parents of very young kids who need a contained space, by a hair.
Food
Castaway Cay has Cookie’s BBQ, a large open-air spread included in your cruise fare: burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, salads, fruit, and kids’ options. It is good for what it is, and there is a lot of it.
Lighthouse Point also includes its counter-service dining, anchored by True-True BBQ, with a menu tied a bit more to the Bahamian setting. There is a paid bar with cocktails as well, which most families deep in the toddler phase of the day will skip.
Both are fine. Neither is the thing you will remember most about the day.
Advantage: Roughly equal. Castaway Cay has quantity. Lighthouse Point has a bit more character.
Character Meets
Castaway Cay has character meets on the island, which is a real draw for kids who need to see Mickey in a swimsuit for the day to feel complete. The setups are established, and wait times on the island are usually shorter than on the ship.
Lighthouse Point does character meets too, but with a shorter history and setups that are still settling into place. Both islands offer them; Castaway Cay simply has more years of practice.
Advantage: Castaway Cay, if character meets are a priority.
Shade and Chairs
Castaway Cay has plenty of umbrellas and chairs on a first-come basis. Arrive early and you are fine. Arrive last because someone needed a diaper change at exactly the wrong moment, and the good shaded spots can be picked over.
Lighthouse Point has the tougher shade problem of the two, and it is the single most common complaint about the island. The vegetation is still young, so there is not much natural cover yet. Disney puts out loungers and umbrellas, but on a hot, full sailing they get claimed early. Many families now bring a UPF pop-up beach tent specifically for this island.
Advantage: Castaway Cay, for now, until Lighthouse Point’s landscaping grows in. Get off the ship early on both.
The Overall Feel
Castaway Cay feels like a Disney park: efficient, well-organized, and slightly manufactured in the best Disney way. Everything works, and you know what to expect.
Lighthouse Point feels different. It was designed with a lighter touch and more integration of Eleuthera’s actual landscape, so it reads less like a theme-park extension and more like a beautiful place Disney has been careful with. Whether that is better or worse depends on what you came for.
For kids in the toddler and preschool range right now, Castaway Cay is the more practical choice. Little kids care about the slide and the character meets and the sand, and Castaway Cay delivers all three with less walking. The landscape that makes Lighthouse Point special is wasted on a 2-year-old who just wants to eat it.
For those same kids at 8 and 7? Lighthouse Point becomes the more exciting day.
The Bottom Line
If you are sailing with kids under 4 and you can only do one, Castaway Cay is easier. If your itinerary includes both, do not skip Lighthouse Point. It is a noticeably different experience, and the beauty of the place is worth half a day even with the slightly more complicated logistics.
The pattern most families settle into is simple: let Lighthouse Point be the special, photogenic, plan-around-the-shade day, and let Castaway Cay be the easy recovery day where everything is close and nothing requires much thought. If you get to do both on one sailing, that order, whichever falls first, tends to work out fine.
