CocoCay questions

[travel1light]

Hello all,

 

We have this stop on an upcoming cruise, never been, some questions;

 

1) Any perks with being booked in an upper suite?

2) Any areas where you don’t have to pay something? And if so, what is at those spots?

3) Does the on board beverage plan work there?

4) thinking of purchasing hideaway beach passes, good idea?

5) any other tips or suggestions?

If it matters, we are active 60+ year olds. 
 

thanks. 

 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

35 minutes ago, travel1light said:

2) Any areas where you don’t have to pay something?

pretty much all of the island stuff is free.

 

a lot more info here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/308-private-islands/

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

 

some of my photos and info:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2930782-oasis-april-2-9-2023-a-wonderful-cruise/page/2/#comment-65236966

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2816746-a-short-review-of-thanksgiving-2021-harmony-cruise-with-food-pics/page/2/#comment-62242549

 

[prmssk]

Outside of the beach club and I believe the new hideaway beach, all the rest of the beaches and the large pool are free with loungers.  There are also food shacks and food buffets around the island, most of which are included at no extra charge.

 

Royal Caribbean's drink package worked on land so I expect Celebrity's does as well but I have not been there on a Celebrity ship yet.

 

If you want to do water sports, go to the water park, do the balloon ride, or rent a cabana or beach bed, those come with cost and you can see all those costs in your cruise planner.

 

Personally, we don't spend money when we visit the island.  I'm happy just enjoying the beaches.

[PTC DAWG]

#4, adults area, that would appeal to me..lots of videos on YouTube..

 

There are plenty of areas that are no charge, I agree with others, I expect any Celebrity drink package to carry over to the island, just as Royal’s does. 

[Marie51]

You can spend the entire day at CocoCay without paying a dime.  The Lagoon swimming pool is free with plenty of lounge chairs all around it. The beaches are all free unless you want to pay for one of those specialty beaches but the reality is it’s all the same water. One time we did the beach club at an extra charge, but I don’t think I’d pay again to use it.

The beverage package is usable at CocoCay at least on Royal Caribbean it was. Plenty of free food all over the island. There’s also a tram that will take you from one place to another and tram stations are located throughout the island. 

[Host Anne]

We've been three times.  The first time we spent the day at Chill Island.  It was peaceful and quiet and we spent the day in the water on a float.  The second time we bought the Beach Club Pass. We enjoyed it.  Again, relatively quiet and the food at lunch was outstanding.  The most recent time we were with a large group and spend the day at South Beach.  It was relatively quiet but it was a pretty gloomy day (rained all morning).

 

Hideaway Beach is a new area of the island.  We didn't go there on a recent visit.  While the beach and water look lovely, the chairs I'm seeing in photos are awful (and different from other beaches on the island). They don't lay flat (they bounce) nor do they sit up straight.  I can't sit in them and avoid them whenever possible.  

 

Note that the center of the island where the waterpark and other features are can get crazy .... we avoid that section.  

 

There is lots of complimentary food on the island and I would guess that the drink package will be honored on the island like it is for Royal.

 

Overall, we think it's the best private island of all the cruise lines.  You can find the type of area that suits you best.  ENJOY!

 

 

[SbbquilterUT]

We get off the ship, head all the way out to South Beach (there is a tram), find a pair of beds with shade and we are set - not a dime spent.  There are some fun play areas nearby (for big kids), 10" walk to the pool if you want a dip, food and drink close and clean restrooms.  Unless you want to buy more the day can be totally carefree.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Regarding Hideaway...it is loud. There is a DJ for sure - possibly a live band in another area. I was on a beach bed at South Beach at the end that was just on the other side of the foliage between the 2 sections and maybe it was just the wind direction helping it, but I could clearly hear the music and the bass thumping from Hideaway. So if you're looking for someplace quiet, I'd definitely skip Hideaway. If you want to pretend like you're in Vegas, it's probably perfect for you.

[prmssk]

7 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Regarding Hideaway...it is loud. There is a DJ for sure - possibly a live band in another area.

I have seen some social media posts that the DJ and much of the party from the Oasis pool moved to Hideaway Beach.  I don't know if that is what to expect every time but it did make me a little less likely to be interested in Hideaway Beach.  I've been waiting to see more reviews though since it is still a very new area.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 minute ago, prmssk said:

I have seen some social media posts that the DJ and much of the party from the Oasis pool moved to Hideaway Beach.  I don't know if that is what to expect every time but it did make me a little less likely to be interested in Hideaway Beach.  I've been waiting to see more reviews though since it is still a very new area.

 

Yes. The DJ and party are at Hideaway. They intend for it to feel "Vegas-style" and very much a party.

[travel1light]

Thank you all for your responses. Looks like we will save some money and head to South Beach.  

[Kteacher]

We’ll be on the Reflection’s first stop to Coco Cay. The last time we stopped there on a a RCI ship was before it was transformed to Perfect Day. We had a lot of OBC to use so booked the  Beach Club. I’m looking forward to checking it out, but a little nervous as one of the larger RCI ships, Wonder of the Seas, will be there on the same day. There’s been a few recent Reflection live reviews, but I’ll probably do some semblance of a live review of this stop.

[Tierun]

40 minutes ago, Kteacher said:

We’ll be on the Reflection’s first stop to Coco Cay. The last time we stopped there on a a RCI ship was before it was transformed to Perfect Day. We had a lot of OBC to use so booked the  Beach Club. I’m looking forward to checking it out, but a little nervous as one of the larger RCI ships, Wonder of the Seas, will be there on the same day. There’s been a few recent Reflection live reviews, but I’ll probably do some semblance of a live review of this stop.

As mentioned above, check the port schedule for your day because 2 ships will dock most days and might end up docking next a ship holding 5,000 to 7,000 pax. Beyond on May 27th will be docked next to Wonder OTS. Which is the second largest ship in the world. For that reason we booked the hideaway to get away from kids.

[Host Anne]

47 minutes ago, Kteacher said:

We’ll be on the Reflection’s first stop to Coco Cay. The last time we stopped there on a a RCI ship was before it was transformed to Perfect Day. We had a lot of OBC to use so booked the  Beach Club. I’m looking forward to checking it out, but a little nervous as one of the larger RCI ships, Wonder of the Seas, will be there on the same day. There’s been a few recent Reflection live reviews, but I’ll probably do some semblance of a live review of this stop.

One of the good things about the Beach Club is that they limit the number of passes they sell per day.  Worked well for us.  Sadly, I will pay for quiet.