Disney Cruise Line announces 1st sailings to new private destination, plus summer 2024 itineraries
Lighthouse Point, Disney Cruise Line's new private destination in Eleuthera, Bahamas, was announced in 2019, but it wasn't until earlier this month that we learned the exclusive destination will welcome guests in 2024.
On Friday, Disney Cruise Line shared its 2024 sailings, including which ships and itineraries will include a stop at Lighthouse Point. The inaugural sailing to Lighthouse Point will be a seven-night sailing aboard Disney Fantasy on June 8, 2024. The ship will depart from Port Canaveral, Florida, and make two stops at Lighthouse Point and an additional stop at Disney's Castaway Cay.
That's three full days of island fun.
If you prefer shorter sailings, Disney is also hosting a three-night preview cruise on June 6, 2024, aboard Disney Magic. The cruise will sail out of Fort Lauderdale and feature a visit to Lighthouse Point with "limited access to some areas," according to an announcement from the cruise line.
Lighthouse Point
Following these first visits, Lighthouse Point can be visited in 2024 only on Disney Magic sailings out of Fort Lauderdale; options include three-, four- and five-night Bahamas and Caribbean sailings. You'll want to look closely at the itinerary before booking because Disney Magic will vary stops between Lighthouse Point and Castaway Cay. Five sailings will include stops at both of Disney's private destinations.
Many of the amenities at Lighthouse Point are similar to those at Disney's existing Bahamian private island destination, Castaway Cay. Both offer family and adults-only beaches, beach games and sports, snorkeling, waterslides and play areas, dining, shopping and more.
Both also put sustainability and environmental protection at the forefront.
Castaway Cay has ongoing coral reef restoration and loggerhead sea turtle protection programs, as well as solar panels to fuel water heaters for crew members who live on the island. Workers recycle as many as 7,000 pounds of used cooking oil every week to power waste management vehicles in Nassau.
Lighthouse Point takes things a step further by weaving environmental and cultural awareness into its design and amenities.
Disney Cruise Line partnered with Bahamian artists to create murals, sculptures and other design elements throughout Lighthouse Point. The line will offer special programming in the island's Arts and Cultural Pavilion to honor Bahamian traditions and shore excursions developed in partnership with local tour operators.
Disney is developing only a small portion of the land purchased on Eleuthera. It has also donated part of the land it purchased back to the Bahamian government.
Summer 2024 cruise itinerary highlights
In addition to the new itineraries featuring visits to Lighthouse Point, Disney Cruise Line announced the rest of its summer 2024 lineup, including sailings to Europe and Alaska and a 13-night transatlantic cruise on Disney Dream from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona.
Disney Dream will spend the summer in Europe, offering 3-to-12-night sailings in the Mediterranean, Greek isles, Norwegian fjords, British isles and Iceland. Passengers will have their first chance to visit Haugesund, Norway, during a seven-night Norwegian Fjords cruise in August 2024 and Hamburg, Germany, during a seven-night Western Europe cruise in September 2024.
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Disney Cruise Line ship
Disney Wonder will sail to Alaska from May through September. Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish will join Disney Magic sailing in the Caribbean and Bahamas; each itinerary will include a visit to Castaway Cay.
2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Disney Cruise Line, especially as Disney's newest ship, Disney Treasure, is scheduled to start sailing in 2024. The line has not yet announced details on those itineraries.
Bookings for Disney Cruise Line's summer 2024 itineraries open to Platinum Castaway Club members and Golden Oak Club members March 27, Gold Castaway Club members March 28, and Silver members and Disney Vacation Club members March 29. Bookings for the general public begin March 30.
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