CocoCay is a private island in the Bahamas owned by Royal Caribbean International, and only available to visiting cruise ships. The island is leased by the cruise line and offers a variety of attractions, including the Oasis Lagoon, the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, and a kiddie area. The beach is included in the package, along with food, lockers, and lounge chairs.
A visit to CocoCay is not possible without taking a cruise, as it requires booking a cruise on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line with Perfect Day at CocoCay. Most visitors spend their day at one of the island’s white sand beaches or at the island’s sports facilities. There is no admission fee to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, and most experiences are complimentary, such as visiting Oasis Lagoon and visiting the shipwrecked Captain Jill’s Galleon.
There is a shuttle service from the ship to the island, and there is no need for extra excursions. Visitors can enjoy free activities such as Splashaway Bay, Chill Island, Harbor Beach, South Beach, Oasis Lagoon, and sports. Food is free, just like on the ship, but alcohol is extra.
However, the island can get busy during peak times, with two ships in port. While general admission to Perfect Day at CocoCay is free, certain zones and attractions do require a fee. Some activities may require additional fees, such as snorkeling, mask-making, and inflatable floats.
In summary, CocoCay is a popular destination for cruise passengers, offering a variety of attractions and activities for visitors. However, it is essential to book a cruise to fully experience the island and its many attractions before embarking on a trip.
📹 What I Wish I Knew Before I Visited CocoCay (Royal Caribbean’s Private Island)
If you’re sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise from practically anywhere on the East Coast… it’s almost assured that you’re going to …
Can you get off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship without an excursion?
Guests are at liberty to explore the ports of call at their own discretion and are duly informed of the designated time for their return to the ship prior to embarking on the voyage. A reduced rate is available for children between the ages of four and 12, with infants aged three and under exempt from payment. It is requisite that a parent or legal guardian accompany any child participating in a tour that includes air travel.
It is the responsibility of the individual to adhere to the age restrictions imposed by the tour operator, which are typically referenced in the excursion description. The majority of tours require passengers to board the vessel, and children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Is everything on CocoCay free?
Perfect Day at CocoCay offers free admission to Splashaway Bay, Captain Jill’s Galleon, Oasis Lagoon, and Breezy Bay beaches at Chill Island and South Beach. However, there are additional activities available for an extra fee. For example, guests can enjoy Splashaway Bay and Captain Jill’s Galleon for free, Oasis Lagoon for the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, and Breezy Bay at Chill Island and South Beach for free. For an extra fee, guests can enjoy Thrill Waterpark, a 1, 600-foot zip line, and Up, Up, and Away helium balloon ride.
Additionally, guests must pay to enter the exclusive Coco Beach Club and Hideaway Beach zones, which offer overwater cabanas and an adults-only beach club. Other activities include snorkel and kayak rentals, as well as formal excursions like jet skiing and scuba diving.
How long is the wait at CocoCay?
Coco Cay is an impressive waterpark with only two boats. The largest waterslides take approximately 45 minutes to an hour to enjoy. However, as the day progressed, the wait times decreased.
Do I need to buy an excursion for CocoCay?
Perfect Day at CocoCay offers complimentary admission and access to a variety of complimentary experiences, including Oasis Lagoon, which is the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, and Captain Jill’s Galleon. To gain access to the water park, visitors are required to swipe their SeaPass cards at the park entrance or purchase admission once they have arrived on the island. Additionally, the park includes a shipwrecked Captain Jill’s Galleon.
Do I need cash at CocoCay?
It is a requirement that visitors to the islands possess a SeaPass card in order to purchase items. There is an island market where local Bahamian crafts can be purchased, and items can be charged until 2:30 p. m. Cash is also accepted as a form of payment.
How do you get around on CocoCay?
The Island Tram operates continuously at CocoCay, making scheduled stops at Arrivals Plaza, South Beach, Coco Beach Club/Breezy Bay/Oasis Lagoon, and Chill Island. Passengers may board the tram near Arrivals Plaza.
Can you do two excursions in one day Royal Caribbean?
The tour description provides information on the commencement times and durations of the tours. It is therefore imperative to allow for an adequate interval between excursions.
Can you do a cruise without excursions?
The majority of ports of call do not necessitate a shore excursion for exploration; however, certain destinations may require such an excursion or an independently operated guided tour due to the challenging nature of navigation or the lack of developed tourism infrastructure. To remain informed, you are invited to join the over 700, 000 readers who receive the latest news, comprehensive guides, and exclusive offers from TPG’s experts. By registering, you indicate your acceptance of the Terms of Use and acknowledgment of the data practices described in the Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Is CocoCay open to the public?
Perfect Day at CocoCay is a private destination in the Bahamas exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests. The island offers beautiful beaches, pristine water, and thrilling experiences like the incredible Thril. To explore new attractions and amenities, visit RoyalCaribbean. com/PerfectDayCocoCay. Guests are welcome to bring drones on their cruise for use on land only and outside of the port area, but must store them safely in the stateroom. Drones used on the ship will be confiscated until the end of the cruise.
Can you walk around CocoCay?
Coco Cay, a 1. 0 mile long and 200 yards wide island, is easily accessible by walking. Two trams offer ride service to cruise guests, one along the pier and the other every 15 minutes to five stops: Thrill Waterpark, South Beach, Coco Beach Club (once open), Chill Island, and Oasis Lagoon. The new cruise pier at Perfect Day at Coco Cay provides excellent disabled access, with numerous beach wheelchairs throughout the island. Most main walkways are concrete or pavers, and access ramps are available for most elevation changes.
Can you snorkel at CocoCay without paying?
CocoCay offers a variety of snorkeling experiences, including free equipment rental and guided tours. Guests can bring their own equipment to enjoy the beauty of the underwater world, ensuring accessibility for all. Investing in snorkeling gear can maximize the experience by eliminating rental fees and ensuring the equipment is suitable for individual needs. Guided tours, while additional, provide expert insights into the reef and reveal hidden secrets.
Specialty excursions, which take snorkelers to exclusive spots, offer a more intimate and immersive experience. Although not free, these excursions represent an investment in adventure and an opportunity to explore the mysteries of the sea. Overall, CocoCay’s underwater world is accessible to all who seek it.
📹 What You Can Do for FREE at CocCay! Royal Caribbean’s Private Island of Perfect Day Cococay
If you are heading to Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day CocoCay, you may have noticed a multitude of things you can buy.
Great tips! Here are my 3 top tips: 1) Cruisemapper! I always check to see if another ship is coming in and WHEN (there are other sites/apps, as well). My last time there was on Liberty and I saw that Oasis was arriving one hour later. So I knew to get off the ship in the first hour to get a chair where I like before the crowds arrived. 2) South Beach. I agree 100%. I go straight to the water’s edge there. And I walk instead of taking the tram because sometimes they wait for the tram to fill up and I can walk there sooner. Of course, this only applies if one is able to do so. Bonus: getting to South Beach ASAP means a better chance of snagging one of those floating rings. 3) Two meals! I want to maximize my gastronomic enjoyment so I hit Snack Shack as soon as they open (which is earlier than the Grill) and then hit the Grill buffet before they close (since they close later).
A day at Coco Cay is the best day to stay on the ship. I love it. I had the whole pool deck to myself, watched a movie on the jumbotron screen and had 3 servers all to myself. The ship did have a fire drill with so many guests off the ship, the ship did fire training. It was cool to watch as they made announcement staircase P7 and P6 are closed to simulate a stairwell unusable in a real fire, the crew got out fire hoses and air tanks and masks. They made repeated announcement this was just training and there is no emergency so crew can keep their skills sharp in an unlikely event of an actual emergency.
Just came from Hideaway Beach. It was AMAZING! They definitely have a vibe at Hideaway. Then I went to Chill Island to hang out for almost 2 hours while my family enjoyed the jet skiis. Stark difference from the adults only section. The best tip I can give is to buy the tickets on Black Friday. I paid $110 for 2 thrill tix and $40 for 2 Hideaway tix. We sailed 7/2024.
South Beach is definitely the best for overall enjoyment. It is close to everything, food (snack shack and lunch area), games, basketball court and washrooms. We get there early in the morning and head back to the ship after a shore lunch (usually around 2:00 pm). Love the bbq chicken and grilled corn (free).
If you have the drink package, just take a let off the bridge go to the cove and get some chairs and hang at the beach all day. Find a place near the bar/bathroom/food and rent a few floats and thats all you need to do. You will spent very little and have a nice relaxing day at the beach with lunch and drinks.
My first and only cruise to date was RC in 2008. We went to Cocoa Cay and it was absolutely stunning…it was our favorite part of our trip. We felt like we had been marooned on an island – it hadn’t been developed yet and was this perfect oasis. I have been avoiding going back there because it’s so completely different. Next year, we’re going on Carnival and stopping at Half Moon Cay, which is the way Cocoa used to be…
Whew, I would hate to be there with 2 ships! We just got off of the Freedom and I’m glad we were the only ship at CocoCay. Our first time there since it was “built-up” and I have to say we really enjoyed it. I figured they were developing (in a bad way) what was previously a very quiet and relaxing island, but I think it was well done.
Excellent article and info about cococay. We went there 2 years ago and paid for the waterpark day pass. We used it for most of the day and missed a lot of what the island has to offer. We loved the oasis pool more than anything and it was free🤦🏻♀️. We are going back in March and thanks to your article, I plan to enjoy the beach and all the good free stuff they have.
Taking my first RCI cruise next week and will stop at Coco Cay. I’m looking forward to it. There are 4 of us so we got a South beach cabana. The original price was $999, then it went down to $699 so I canceled my original reservation and rebooked it. I looked again several weeks later and it was only $499 so I canceled again and rebooked it again. We felt like $125/each would be well worth it, especially since we aren’t paying for excursions anywhere else
I just came back from Adventure of the Seas. We arrived at Coco Cay around 10:30, but the pool and the food station closed at 3 pm. Honestly, I don’t feel that getting the Cabanas or even purchasing the water park tickets are worth it. Yes, Coco Cay is beautiful. But it was a let down that we were not allowed to go to the pool at 3 PM even though our ship left at 4:30 PM. You can easily find free chairs and umbrellas around the island.
Was here this past July on my first ever cruise. ♥♥The water was so warm and turquoise beautiful. Spent all my time chilling on a lounge and sipping Pina Coladas or chilling in the ocean. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to venture elsewhere in the park and was with someone I rather not have been with but made the most of it. Can’t wait to go back!☺
The price of the water park is a scandal to be honest. Currently showing for $210 on their website. In contrast the best water park on the planet (Siam Park in Tenerife) is only $45 and even less for kids at $32. Given they have a captive audience in visiting the island it is doubly disgraceful how much they are charging. And if you arrive on a day when another ship has got there before you then the queues will mean for for that $210 you will get to queue for about 6 hours during your stay and get on 7 or 8 rides at most.
While looking at cococay’s port schedule I realized that when ships like icon and utopia are on the island they are the only ship, while typically there are two ships per day. My guess is a correlation between that and the prices at thrill park being more expensive since they have a more limited amount of people, cause for example for my trip both wonder and freedom are there, and my price was “only” $75. $200 is insane, especially considering the actual cruise fare for those ships is already more expensive.
I always love Coco Cay but on my last visit 8/23 on Wonder of the seas, I went over to south beach and was surprised by the stingray and jellyfish I encountered. It was difficult to fully enjoy the water without fearing of getting stung. I almost stepped on a stingray and was side swept by a jellyfish resulting in a small sting on the back of my leg. I hope they can improve on this aspect because I truly like the island.
This is vital information. Thank you for taking the time to do this for us. Since you are a veteran in this area of cruise vacations, kindly let us know when is the best season to visit where there are no hurricanes or unpleasant weather at sea, especially for a newbie. P.S I have subscribed to your website 🙂
What you pay for is up to you. The people crying about Royal making money are hilarious. It’s a business with a choice in how you spend your money. Seem some don’t know how to budget and rather blame everyone else for that. You can spend a day at the beach, eat at a Shack or buffet, and never spend a dime past the base cruise pay. I bet some people complaining are buying excursions through the line on other ports to ensure they are back on the ship. An even bigger waste of money to me, but their choice. We’re doing a cabana next visit. Sick of tiny umbrellas by the ocean. What you value is up to you. CocoCay is fun. Anyone saying otherwise is just crying. And don’t worry, as soon as the new private area opens on Nassau they’ll be complaining about that too. 😂😂😂 Enjoyed the article! Great overview for people needing more info.
Great article! My company is taking all of the employees on Allure of the Seas January 8th 2024 and we stop at Cococay. This is technically our “Kickoff” work even so we have to be in meetings until noon on the last day when we port at Cococay. Hopefully we will still have enough time to explore a little since the ship leaves at 5 pm. I hear you should get back on the ship an hour prior to leaving so that really only gives us 4 hrs. Can’t complain too much since my company is paying for it.
I love RC (diamond status), and I love Coco Cay. But Coco Cay beaches and pools are cold and frankly, unusable, during winter months. Why does RC not use solar power or something equivalent to at least heat the main pool? Or reduce/eliminate the number sailings going to CocoCay in the winter? Seems they know this but just ignore it for investment ROI purposes.
Hello, Pls send msg to Executives at R Carib why Diamond members no longer get BOGO sale on extra Dining at the HOOK restaurant on Wonder & Symphony. As a Diamond + member we have been Loyal To Royal but Royal Exects do not care. There is no more BoGo on 4 restaurants on RC ships beyond Hooks, The Chefs table & the Japanese one. I think after our next group of 4 added bookings we will start looking at other vacation options. The Diamond Club is also changing but we do not know exactly but I am sure it will be a negative outcome also.
I wasn’t impressed with Coco Cay….it’s just a way to bleed more money from customers (I’m in my early 50s; served 26 yrs in the US military w/ 11 yrs overseas, for perspective). The water park is small, expensive, underwhelming, and crowded—and that’s with only one ship docked there (Wonder of the Seas—4-11 June cruise). The lunch buffet was good for what it was. Overall, it was a waste of time, in my opinion. I’d rather have another genuine port call. I’m in the process of planning my next Caribbean cruise on RC (sometime between Feb-May 2024; likely in March, though) and focusing on itineraries that don’t include Coco Cay; which are not too plentiful.
I’m going this come Feb 2024 with my kids. Triplet 11 year olds. and 8 year old. South beach seems like it would be great for low pop. Is the water deep there for the kids to snorkel? 10 ft deep? I will not be going to the water slides as we have local water park in our home town and recently the prices are $200 per person. So, ill save that 1k for other excursions.
Are the bars open for the entire time, or only open at a certain time during the afternoon? I ask because I was curious about both of the bars mentioned and wanted to experience them, but you state it’s a “party” place and I’m more of a drink and chill kind of person, not drink and party person. So I was wondering if I was able to experience it at an earlier time (it’s five o’clock somewhere right?) and experience less of a crowd? Or if earlier is not an option a recommended time to go when it’s less crowded?
Got it kinda crossed. Sporty beef went back to when he WAS with BBR and both cmr and bb was beefin with each other. Sporty left bb back n the G then came back around. Chuck paid sporty to do a cmr diss. But sporty was just tryna get paid as he had a big boy diss too and went to cmr to get money but they didnt pay him so he rolled with bb. The shit with the wild boyz was years later. So p didnt make them diss cmr per se… he just found cats that hated cmr too and put them on under a diff label that was funded by P to drop that time for the real album
You have to pay for everything worth doing on cococay!!! It’s not included in your cruise ticket price. The thrill water park cost our family of 5 $900. The zip line was $100 a person. The air balloon was $159 per person. It’s fucking disgusting how much we paid. We will never go on another RCL cruise again. The price gouging is bullshit.
Don’t go to CoCo Cay nothing impressive there, I was drawn with their devil water slide because they put so much water while sliding down and the normal or medium high water slide wasn’t fun at all, whoever is the builder didn’t know how to build a fun safe water slide AT ALL. Maybe you like some other water park in coco cay but not the water slide part NO