A few Cococay questions....

Can anyone tell me what time the buffet lunch is?

Also, do you have to book an online reservatin ahead of time to rent snorkeling equiptment? Or can you just walk up and do it when you arrive - and how do you pay for it (sea pass, cash, etc)?

The buffet was on all day. You can rent snorkel equipment all day. If you have your own equipment you still must rent a vest from them. It is required to do snorkelling there. We were disappointed that this stop was on our itinerary and were quite surprised how nice it is. We would go back and enjoy the beach all day.:)

Coco Cay and Labadee are my favorite stops! It's a total beach day--with all the amenities in a beautiful setting. I try not to take a cruise that doesn't include one or the other!

Yes, bring your seapass--that's the only currency you need! You don't need to reserve in advance--just walk up to the hut when you decide you're ready.

Thank you both very much!

Another question: while on Cococay we plan to parasail, rent waverunners, snorkel and of course eat. It looks like the waverunners and parasailing reservations are every hour from 8-2. Any suggestions on the best time to parasail, do the waverunners or snorkel?

Just so you are aware, the waverunner is a follow the leader excursion. Its still pretty cool and you can go full throttle. They stop and tell you about the island and sometimes you can see starfish or other marine life. We've done it twice and would do it again. We usually go early so we have the rest of the day to snorkel and relax and eat those great ribs !! :)

Lunch is buffet style:

salads

burgers

chicken

ribs

You can get the snorkle stuff on the island, you will pay with your seapass, they do not except cash, credit cards, etc. on the island - EXCEPT - the local vendors that are selling souveniers and junk, they only take cash.

Have fun

Thanks for the info everyone!

While were asking questions, if you go on the waverunners are there a lockers or someplace to leave your stuff that is safe?:confused:

While were asking questions, if you go on the waverunners are there a lockers or someplace to leave your stuff that is safe?:confused:

Yes - there are lockers in the waverunner area..

Yes - there are lockers in the waverunner area..

Terrific! I watched them in Labadee last month and they looked like they were having fun. I'm sure Labadee would be set up similar.

I think maybe we'll give it a whirl next year......then go sit under a palm tree (which was all I did this year).

Thank you both very much!

 

Another question: while on Cococay we plan to parasail, rent waverunners, snorkel and of course eat. It looks like the waverunners and parasailing reservations are every hour from 8-2. Any suggestions on the best time to parasail, do the waverunners or snorkel?

Tiger - one thing to note: You should definitely consider booking the parasailing and waverunner excursions ahead of time.

When we were there in August, we didn't book in advance on either of those excursions. It wasn't a problem with the waverunners..but we had to take whatever openings they had available - not necessarily our first choice of times. But it worked out okay.

The parasailing was another story. There were no openings when we got to the Island, and I had a disappointed nephew on my hands. It was a very popular excursion!

I also wanted to make sure you saw the post stating that the non-RCI vendors accept cash only. These are the straw market type vendors that sell souvenirs...you'll see them immediately upon getting off the tender. This also includes the hair braiders. We used our seapass for everything else.

The last tender back to the ship usually runs around 4:00 p.m. We noticed that things have a tendency to start shutting down around 3:00 or so... keep that in mind when scheduling your activities. And, of course, everyone pretty much waited until that last tender to leave, and the line was pretty long. Just things to keep in mind to make your day easier and more enjoyable.

CocoCay was fantastic - we loved it and can't wait to go back! Have a great trip!

The lunch buffet is out for a few hours around noon time.

There are also lockers on the back side of the snorkeling hut.

Parasailing is tandem with a weight limit.

Thank you very much Forpaws & Suezyq50! I will certainly reserve the parasailing and waverunner in advance. Thanks for the tip on not waiting for the last tender to avoid the long line.

I didn't even think about lockers - do I need to bring a lock?

This site is so helpful! I'm very excited about my upcoming cruises and being new to cruising I find these boards to be of great help.

what happens if it's pourng on the day you're supposed to sail to coco cay? we're supposed to be there on monday and right now weather.com shows rain and clouds all day........coco cay is our 1st port (we leave on sunday) so could they substitute another place or give us another sea day? we already have 3.

How about the water temp in Jan? We are supposed to be there the 2nd week and wanted to enjoy the water. In advance, thanks! :)