Disney Cruise Line No Longer Considering Egg Island for Development Following Impact Studies

Egg Island appears to be saved. Multiple newspaper reports from the Bahamas confirm that Disney Cruise Line will no longer consider developing Egg Island, Eleuthera into a cruise port due to the initial test results. Kim Prunty, a spokesperson for DCL confirmed to The Tribune that environmental impact assessments and geo-technical studies carried out by the company have indicated that the quitting island’s marine and environmental profile could not survive a development on that level. As a result, Disney Cruise Line is no longer considering Egg Island due to the significant environmental impact the development would have on Egg Island and the surrounding eco system.

As of publication time, neither story imbedded above is online at the respective newspaper websites. I will update this post with direct links when the become available.

Here is my two cents on the matter. If Bahamians want to protect their lands they should focus efforts on their own government. Disney and any other cruise line that is looking for land to develop in the Bahamas is only doing so because the government will allow them to lease and develop the land. I realize making Mickey the villain helps exposure, but as long as the government is OK with plans and the cruise lines are comfortable with the environmental impact or put plans in place to offset the impact then it the practice will continue. That’s just my opinion. Disney may have inquired, but they certainly did not show up on Egg Island uninvited. Insert any cruise line in this scenario if you will, it doesn’t make a difference. The fact remains, government officials allowed Disney to evaluate the potential of Egg Island as a cruise destination.

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10 thoughts on “Disney Cruise Line No Longer Considering Egg Island for Development Following Impact Studies

    1. JRR

      Why? They’ll find another island. As mentioned in the article the government doesn’t seem to have a problem leasing/selling off islands. Plus if Disney did develop Egg Island PETA would attack DCL in ways that would make Black Fish look like a cartoon in comparison. Imagine the free publicity they would get out it?

  1. James Arthur

    I agree that companies will do what the government allows them to get away with. It took us developing the National Park system to protect the environment.

    The Save Egg Island groups need to have the island designated as a natural sanctuary to keep development from happening.

    They could even work with Disney to develop an Adventures by Disney to the island but in a environmentally friendly way.

  2. Margot Culhane

    Oh YAY!
    After reading about the whole issue last week it was really making me sick to my stomach to think of Disney destroying that beautiful environment. I kept wondering how they could do that! And thankfully, they did the right thing! Restores my faith in Disney. Thank you DCL!
    Having said that they truly do need to find a way to avoid Nassau until the Bahamian government can clean it up! Last time we were there we won a prize at a DVC presentation. When we discovered we had to go ashore to collect it, we passed. That’s how much we can’t stand the place. And what a shame. Dear Bahamian government: Instead of selling out your last remaining pristine unspoiled jewels why not clean up and improve on what you have already developed so people start clamoring for two days in Nassau!

  3. squirk

    Whether the pullback on Egg Island was purely a “green” decision based on environmental impact, or if it was cost- or PR-related, I think the takeaway (for me, at least) is that DCL has confirmed they are investigating a second island.

    Will both of the new ships run Bahamian/Caribbean routes, necessitating another island? Are the DVC rumors still true? Very interested in learning what DCL’s intentions are.

  4. Dave F.

    Why not expand Castaway Cay? There seems to be plenty of unused space on that island. When I went on the Dream it was overcrowd…when I went on the Wonder, not so much. Adding a few more activities seems perfect.

    1. Will C

      Part of the lease deal with Castaway Cay is that they are limited to development on the Island. When they originally leased the Island, they were limited to something along the lines of 2.5% of the acreage. When they built the Dream and Fantasy, they were able to push that number to 5%. I don’t believe they will be permitted much more, it any, anon matter what their reasons are, environmental practices are becoming more and more important, and Disney has actually been on the forefront of increasing environmentalism in the cruise industry, and in entertainment in general.

      1. BahamaMan Dan

        Disney will get what Disney wants. All they have to do is threaten to walk away and the Bahamian government signs on the dotted line. Does the 5% of land that DCL is limited to on Castaway include the pipes that run from the sewage tanks out and across to the other side of the island where they pump out into a low lying area? Learned this from a man who worked there. Horses mouth. They just got a green light for a development at Lighthouse Point, southern Eleuthera. I wonder what makes this area so much more environmentally sustaining than Egg Island? Different sea? Different coral? Different environment? Just before cabinet was to decide the matter, Disney splashes a “if we don’t get this we walk” all over the media. DCL are the real pirates of the Caribbean, not Johnny Depo. (Yes, I know the Bahamas is not technically in the Caribbean) .


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