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 make a stop at perfect day at CoCo K the cruise Line's private island now I have visited this island countless times including well before it was completely transformed into what we all know today so what do I think people will wish that they knew before they visited I'll tell you right now first up is that if you were visiting for the first time you're going to want to know a general layout of Coco K the place frankly it's big with several different areas there are maps around the island and you can also find them online I'd highly suggest just checking one of these out to get some idea of where things sit I like to think of it as three different areas although rural Caribbean might disagree the first section is Chill Island and Oasis Lagoon which is the huge swimming pool these spots they go from the center of the island to the left as you look from the ship it's where the vast majority of free things to do around Coco K are located second is the thrill water park which is by far the most attention catching spot with a huge Tower with water slides spiraling all around it the water park it does cost extra and more on that in a moment but it is one of the more popular areas third is on the back side of the island here is where the Cocoa Beach Club a fee based area and the free South Beach sit there's a tram that runs around Coco K taking you from spot to spot but it is still a good idea to have that mental map when you're exploring on your own make no mistake Royal Caribbean transformed Coco K to make money and there are plenty of opportunities to spend a lot but one thing I'm glad I know after visiting is that there is a nice balance between free and paid frankly if you want to visit and not spend a dime you can still have a full day specifically most food is free the peach and loungers are free as are the beach games the pool is free and so is the kids splash pad and the pirate ship on the island for the kids now anything more active like the water park or special places like Cabanas or the beach club those definitely cost extra but it is nice to note that if you don't want to spend more you absolutely can still have a lot of fun one thing I think anyone is going to want to realize is that Royal Caribbean is very proud of the water park and that shows in the pricing the cruise line they use something called Dynamic pricing so there isn't a set price for admission instead it depends on your specific visit and the prices frankly they can be eye-watering I've personally seen prices as high as 161 dollars on cruises and one cruise I have scheduled shows a price of nearly a hundred dollars for admission but I've heard from readers over on cruisley.com that report prices even higher above 200 per person now I don't know for sure but I expect that these prices are so high to help limit the crowd somewhat and reduce lines after all if you were to go to a water park in Orlando you'd pay around 50 to 80 dollars per person for an experience that's much bigger than thrill water park one big value on Coco K that anyone is going to want to know before they visit say your onboard drink package and the Wi-Fi package will work on the island normally these things only work on the ship so when you're in a port all day you pay for the drink package but you don't get to use it same thing with the Wi-Fi that is not the case on Coco K instead you get to squeeze an extra day out of these Services just as if you were on the ship now it took me several times visiting kokuke before I realized what I think is the best way to enjoy the island when you port you'll spend a full day docked usually from around 8 A.M to 5 p.m by far the busiest hours are between 10 a.m and 2 p.m so come around 2 o'clock you'll notice things die down considerably yet it's still a long time until the ship leaves that's why I like to break down my time there into two days first I like to go out on day one and enjoy the morning before things get too crowded there's plenty of room around it's not too hot out and you can figure out what you like around Coco k then after eating lunch I head back to the ship there I just spend a couple hours in the cabin take a siesta and avoid the middle of the day when things are the busiest and the hottest then around 2PM I'll head back for my second day by this time there there's still plenty of Sun and people but the crowds are starting to thin out a little bit plus I get a second win instead of being toast from sitting in the sun all day Coco K is a hit among passengers and Royal Caribbean these days more than half the cruise line sailings visit the island Roe Caribbean said that they average about 11 000 people a day and they plan to add more capacity with a new section opening soon that means there are usually two large ships visiting on any given day the good thing is that there is plenty of space around the island so no you aren't going to be standing shoulder to shoulder on the beach but you can definitely still feel the crowds and some spots will be packed specifically the bar area in the Oasis Lagoon pool it can get very crowded consider yourself lucky if you visit on a day with just one ship in Port another thing I wish I knew before I visited in the winter is that the Oasis Lagoon the huge freshwater pool in Coco okay it is not heated never gets too cold in the Bahamas but as someone who grew up in the South I am not equipped to handle cold water a February trip that I took to the island ended up with me spending more time in the ocean as it was actually warmer to me than swimming in the pool if you're excited about hitting the beach You Are Not Alone it is a huge draw they are white sand beaches with calm Blue Water what is not the like but two things I wish I knew before I ever visited are a couple of beach tips one if you want the best beach then I'd recommend South Beach it's on the far side of the island so the Crowds Are a bit smaller because it takes some walking to get there but it also has all the features that you want lots of room a bar close by restrooms a restaurant and lots of Beach Games other beaches have those as well but this one's all self-contained when I noticed that the ship's entertainment crew members seem to congregate here when relaxing that was all that needed to be said second if you want the calmest Beach then check out Harbor Beach it's smack in the middle of Coco K because the water is from an inlet instead of the open ocean it's always completely calm no matter how much wind there is as well I get the impression that most people want to sit on the beaches on the outside of the island so it seems like the number of people here just a fraction of what is found elsewhere now are you the sort of person that wants to party or maybe you're the sort of person that wants to avoid that scene altogether either way one thing you wish you knew are the party spots on Coco K to be sure it's not exactly Bourbon Street but two spots in particular seem to get a bit more festive first The Oasis Lagoon pool has a swim up bar that's very popular and will by far be the most crowded spot in the entire pool it's also likely the warmest part of the pool if you know what I mean second one lesser known spider is a floating bar located off the shore in South Beach it's essentially a floating island with booze literally the bartender has to kayak in the shore to go get more ice I found it can get pretty busy and loud if you want that then it is your spot if not then you'll know to avoid it I'll be honest this isn't something I wish I knew simply because I don't plan on spending the money for a Cabana on Coco K which start at around a thousand dollars a day sorry it's just too rich for my blood however if you are in the market then you will want to know that these Cabanas can come with some perks that you may not realize and they can make it a better deal for example when you opt for the one thousand dollar a day Cabana at through a water park you get the space but it also comes with six entrances to the water park considering that a mission could be a hundred dollars or more a day that means you're paying just a fraction for the actual Cabana same thing with the Cabanas at the Cocoa Beach Club these are pricier but they also include the expensive admission to the club for up to eight people now if you're wondering about food well you have several options that you may not realize first the vast majority of food is free during the day there is a buffet served with things like burgers dogs and the like they're also smaller spots called snack Shacks that serve chicken sandwiches fries funnel cakes and more all of this is free what I have learned is that these snack Shacks which are essentially like little fast food spots they serve up stuff to me that it seems better than the larger buffet and without the hassle of dealing with the bigger crowds if you want higher end dining then you have a couple of options first you can always head back to the ship it's not a far walk and restaurants on board are still operating even though you are in Port second the highest in dining is in the Cocoa Beach club now there's intermission fee to this private area that's around 150 bucks per person but one thing included is lunch which can be steak Lobster and more you know for those times when a burger just doesn't cut it thank you for watching before you go if you have any questions about visiting Coco k please put them in the comments below and I'll try to answer them for you or maybe other people can answer them and of course liking and subscribing is always nice plus be sure to check out the description where I've put links to even more to know about visiting Coco K until next time happy sailing foreign

Channel: Cruzely.com

Views: 506,520

Keywords: cruise, travel

Id: kNcJpfFDJ2s

Length: 11min 6sec (666 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 18 2023