Disney's Lighthouse Point
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The project got a mention in Seeking Alpha on April 6, 2022 which references a few details about cruise ships that will launch in 2024 / 2025:

Disney is seeking to expand the Disney Cruise Line business, to include three more ships, with the first being launched in June 2022, with the others being delivered in 2024 and 2025. The new ships are slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy - but hold the same 1,250 room layout. In addition, these ships are liquid natural gas powered. Disney has an ongoing agreement with the Government of the Bahamas to create a new resort at "Lighthouse Point" on the island of Eleuthera, which is scheduled to open in 2024 as a new Disney Cruise Line experience.

Source: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4500065-disney-is-a-buy

Also, recently from Eyewitness News on April 5, 2022:

Disney Cruise Line has named Joey Gaskins, based in New Providence, as Regional Public Affairs Director, The Bahamas and Caribbean.

In this newly created position, Gaskins will support Disney Cruise Line and other Disney Signature Experience business initiatives in The Bahamas and Caribbean by building relationships and serving as Disney’s liaison for external stakeholders, including government agencies, community leaders, the non-profit community, media, and internal business leaders.

...

Disney Cruise Line has committed to filling all positions on Castaway Cay with Bahamians across a range of disciplines with opportunities for training and advancement. Disney recently received the necessary approvals from the Government of The Bahamas to begin work at Lighthouse Point, which is expected to create more than 300 construction-related roles – more than double the number of jobs Disney Cruise Line committed to in its Heads of Agreement.

Source: https://ewnews.com/disney-cruise-line-creates-new-comms-role-hires-bahamian-joey-gaskins

As part of Disney’s commitment to building the workforce of tomorrow and inspiring and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs, Disney Cruise Line is providing funding to support Junior Achievement Bahamas on Eleuthera.

This year’s programme is expected to provide financial literacy, entrepreneurship, college preparedness and work readiness curriculums to nearly 1,000 students on Eleuthera ranging in age from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Disney Cruise Line is the corporate sponsor for all Junior Achievement programmes on the island of Eleuthera this year.

Source: https://ewnews.com/disney-cruise-line-partners-with-junior-achievement-bahamas-to-build-work-readiness-skills-on-eleuthera

Disney has finally received government approval to begin construction on this $400 million project. Now that Disney Cruise Line has acquired all of the necessary permits, hiring of construction workers will now begin. A job fair will tentatively be held on March 5, 2022 at the Eleuthera Business Hub, as the expected number of construction workers needed has doubled.

In a Disney Cruise Line newsletter, Thomas Mazloum, President of Disney Cruise Line, stated, “We are so grateful for the support we have received from the people and government of The Bahamas over the past few years. It is because of your engagement and feedback that we have continued to shape the project into something we can all be proud of. I am pleased to share that we have now received all the necessary approvals from the government of the Bahamas to begin our work at Lighthouse Point. As we get started, we remain committed to our guiding principles: creating sustainable economic opportunities for Bahamians, protecting and sustaining the natural beauty of the site, celebrating Bahamian culture and helping to strengthen the community in Eleuthera. We are excited to move this important work forward with you and will continue to keep you updated on our progress and how you can get involved.”

https://wdwnt.com/2022/02/construction-for-disney-cruise-lines-lighthouse-point-to-begin-in-the-bahamas-starting-march-2/

It's a new year, it's a new ship, it's a new island for YOU!

Lighthouse Point is really something spectacularly!
First inspiration is the living nature of Lighthouse Point itself. The second inspiration is cultural.

Be like a local... feel it!




Let us show a small part of it:



https://youtu.be/tMbNqZmdIgM

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Vaughn Miller said yesterday that while he supports the Disney Lighthouse Point project, he is still “very concerned” about its potential environmental impact on Eleuthera.

“I was reassured that they have been complying with everything that was demanded from them to this point, so I’m satisfied in that regard,” he said.

Despite these assurances from Disney Cruise Lines, Mr Miller said he is still monitoring the situation cautiously due to its potential impact, not only on Eleuthera, but The Bahamas as a whole. "Am I concerned? Very concerned. I’m from Eleuthera, it’s personal to me, but not just Eleuthera, but for the entire Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”

Source: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/feb/04/miller-very-concerned-about-disney-project-impact/

Just a quick update on the progress of this amazing initiative.

The Lighthouse property has OFFICIALLY signed an agreement with the government of the Bahamas! All other necessary government permits and approvals have been granted. Disney has assembled a team who has, for the last two years, been meeting with the public of the Bahamas to also get their input as to how this project can best suit their natural environment. Imagine all developers consulted the public or residence of the land they plan to develop? Great! I think it is important for the people living in the immediate vicinity to give their input, especially if they are greatly affected by major developments such as the The Lighthouse Point.

Over the past year Disney has met with many potential employees, vendors and tour operators to maximize opportunities for Eleuthera and the greater Bahamas and they plan to continue to do so. Disney has made a commitment to work with the local community and government to develop training and professional development programs for residents of Eleuthera and the greater Bahamas interested in working at Lighthouse Point. It is great that Disney has worked with this community for the past 20 years!

The Access Accelerator Small Business Development Centre and Disney Cruise Line have come together to award $150,000 in small business grants to 30 Central and South Eleuthera businesses.

The Eleuthera Grant Programme, sponsored by Disney Cruise Line, received more than 125 applications. Grant recipients in South and Central Eleuthera received up to $5,000 in funding each, along with training opportunities designed to further empower local businesses and entrepreneurs.

Forty-three businesses successfully completed the training program, received a certificate of completion from Access Accelerator and advanced as a program finalist.

At the end of the adjudication process, 30 businesses received approval for grant funding: 23 existing businesses and seven startups. The businesses span across eight industries, including fishing, landscaping, e-commerce and delivery services. The $150,000 will impact 39 employees.

Source: https://ewnews.com/access-accelerator-awards-small-business-grants-funded-by-disney-on-eleuthera

Bahamian Prime Minister Says 'New Disney Cruise New Private Island Lighthouse Point Looks Like it’s a Go'

Disney Cruise Line is nearing approval for its Lighthouse Point development in Eleuthera, Bahamas according to Bahamian prime minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis. An environmental impact assessment for the proposed $400 million dedicated cruise terminal and private Disney island destination is reportedly in “final approval stages”.

A groundbreaking ceremony from both Disney Cruise Line and the Bahamas government is being planned and will occur shortly after the environmental management review process is completed (if in favor of Disney’s plans).

Dr. Minnis assured his citizens that the country has an agreement with Disney which mandates that 80 percent of the labor force employed in the creation of Lighthouse Point must be Bahamian.

The project is planned to be constructed on the private land Disney has purchased from a private group. The entire development is “one of the largest investments ever in the history of Eleuthera,” Dr. Minnis added.

Disney Cruise Line touts the upcoming project as a new ‘experience’ in Eleuthera. Lighthouse Point is said to “create sustainable economic opportunities for Bahamians, protect and sustain the natural beauty of the site, celebrate culture, and help strengthen the community in Eleuthera,” according to the Disney Cruise Line site.

Source https://thegotofamily.com/2021/09/bahamian-prime-minister-says-new-disney-cruise-new-private-island-lighthouse-point-looks-like-its-a-go/

This is the most recent news I can see about Lighthouse Point but it's looking positive that this is going ahead given that they were appointing contractors back in April...

The cruise company held a virtual public meeting last week on its publicly released environmental impact assessment (EIA), where it reaffirmed its pledge to create at least 120 construction jobs for Bahamians.

“Right now, we are still out in a competitive bid environment. We will be looking to select a contractor by mid to end of May to develop the project. The way we are treating the contracting for the project is via a design build, which means that we will hire a general contractor that will be responsible for the design and the construction of the poject,” Senior Project Manager at Walt Disney Imagineering David Chiaradonna said.

“That means they will have the architect, engineer under their purview. What we’ve given them is a very robust request for proposal for the project that will allow them to come up with the means and methods to use sustainable practices, all the things we’re looking at, to develop the project with a very light footprint and very light touch to the environment and the land side portion.”

In addition to construction jobs, Disney Cruise Line has committed to providing 150 permanent jobs for Bahamians, which its Vice President of Public Affairs Kim Prunty said will pay between $600-$700 weekly including benefits.

Source: https://thenassauguardian.com/disney-wants-contractor-for-lighthouse-point-by-next-month/

A petition launched by environmental activists in protest of Disney’s plans to construct a multi-million-dollar cruise destination in South Eleuthera has collected almost 400,000 signatures.

The petition is a part of a campaign, “STOP Disney - Last Chance for Lighthouse Point”, to persuade the international company to abandon its plans.

Up to press time yesterday, total signatures exceeded 399,000 on website change.org, with campaign officials describing the move as an “exciting” one.

“We’re looking to reinvigorate the campaign and continue pushing out the fact that we do need answers to our questions,” re-Earth president, Sam Duncombe told The Tribune.

“Disney’s pages on Lighthouse Point talk about how they’re going to be respectful to the environment… and on one hand, they push out a lot of good information but then they’re not walking the walk when it comes to their own development.”

A Disney spokesperson was contacted about the petition but provided no comment up to press time.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/dec/03/petition-stop-disney-close-400000-signatures/