JUST back from CocoCay...Review!

[Merv1]

Hello Everyone! Just got back yesterday from our weekend cruise on the Majesty of the Seas, CocoCay being one of the stops...as these boards are always so helpful to me, thought I'd give a review of this "port" - maybe it will be helpful to you!

 

We caught an early tender over to the island...maybe around 8:30 - there really was no wait, and we might have even been the first boat out. They hold about 300 people. It was quite wavy that date, and the captain told us upon our return, that they had thoughts of not letting us go. Apparently, the tender boats cannot handle larger waves. It was really rocking on the SHORT trip over - can't take more than 10 minutes, and once we approached the cove area, it calmed right down.

 

We LOVED this stop. It is set up nicely with colorful little activity shacks/bars/restrooms/food and drink stations, etc. all over the island. Very easy to navigate. Honestly, having never been to a private island before, we weren't sure what to expect, and we thought Royal Caribbean did an excellent job with all of it! We had a lot of "stuff" with us...wet suit, large SLR digital camera, underwater housing for the camera, reading material, etc. We stored some of it in a locker which are located behind the snorkel shack on the left when you exit the tender. You pay for the locker with your seapass. I believe it was $3.49 plus tax. Once the locker is open, you CANNOT use it again ... so plan your day accordingly, or rent again. There were quite a few lockers, and they didn't seem to get a lot of use, so I don't know if getting one would ever be an issue.

 

There are lounge chairs EVERYWHERE! (Bring a towel). I don't know if there is ever more than one ship using this island at once, but it seemed like there were 3 times the number of chairs needed for our one ship. Finding a chair or hammock in the shade, if that is what you like, did not seem to be a problem. The first thing we did was to hike the nature trail. We really, really enjoyed it. We were the only ones on it, for the majority of the 3 miles (round trip). You will need sneakers or sturdy walking/water shoes as it is quite rocky. During the walk, you are sometimes in the shade, which was nice. We saw chickens! Ha!, a little lizard, and some other birds ...nothing remarkable, but the scenery was pretty and there were short little trails off of the main trail that would lead out to the ocean - just breathtaking. At the very end of the trail (you kind of have to look for it) was a single tiki hut, with two lounge chairs. You will be looking out towards the ship at that point. We just loved that! Kind of like your own little quiet paradise, and reward for making the effort to take the walk. Again, peaceful, quiet, serene and beautiful! The walk took us maybe 1 1/2 hours, but we were really taking our time and taking lots of photos along the way. Bring some water ... it got hot quite quickly.

 

The island was very windy. Don't know if that is usually the case, but really, if you were even partially shaded while just sitting in a chair, it was actually chilly. The sun was strong, but even my sun-loving husband felt that the wind was getting "obnoxious" ... you couldn't really excape from it. Keep that in mind when packing your bag for the day (Since I like to be in the shade, I had on capris and a t-shirt and sneakers all day) and was mostly comfortable.

 

The lunch was served from 11:30 to 3:00, I believe. We ate around 12:00. The food was good - typical barbeque type food - ribs, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, about 4 different types of salads. There was also fresh fruit, and numerous desserts. I am a vegetarian, and there was plenty for me. Also, iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch and water to drink....all of the above was for free. If you want bottled water or alcoholic drinks, they are charged to your seapass.

 

After lunch we ventured down the island. If you are looking for solitude, you only have to continue down past the kayaking shack, round the corner, and there is the most beautiful stretch of beach with a small number of lounge chairs scattered about ... and the best part - NO ONE is there! You will really have the whole place to yourself. We hung out in that area until it was time for our snorkeling tour.

 

The excursion was actually a lot of fun, even though we didn't see too much. A lot of people have trouble navigating the kayaks, which hold 2 people each. It was not frustrating for the rest of us - you kind of go at your own speed. We actually all had a lot of laughs. Once out in the ocean, our two guides dove down and brought up a large conch and HUGE sea star for us to see. We continued to paddle and then landed on the beach where you can swim if you'd like. The water is very shallow. We did get a glimpse of a small stingray while walking in the water in this area. On the paddle back, we saw a large stingray, which was very exciting, and also maybe a searobin? (flying fish). We saw numerous areas where the water looked like it was "boiling". Realized it was numerous small fish kind of jumping out of the water, and then saw these large, long skinny silver fish (maybe barricuda) that were chasing and hunting these small fish - so that was pretty neat. Oh! If you have stuff that needs to be stored safely while kayaking, there is a large wooden bin that you can use - the staff locks it while you are out on the boats.

 

Once the excursion was over, we had another hour to hang out before getting back to the tender. I took that opportunity to wander around the small straw market. I believe you need cash if you wish to purchase anything there. I didn't buy anything, but they had various straw items, clothing, etc. The presentation was nice and the venders weren't pushy at all - maybe they are employees of RC? I'm not sure.

 

Anyway, what a wonderful day! We were able to get some exercise, see some gorgeous scenery, and relax! The perfect beach day!!! :)

 

 

P.S. I will be posting more reviews as the day goes on (our time in Miami, our day in Nassau, etc) if you are interested.

[WindinmySails]

Thanks for posting such a detailed review!

[kittymom65]

I am so glad you enjoyed RC's little piece of paradise in the Bahamas!

We have visited it twice (missed it a few weeks ago due to weather), and hope to have it as a stop on our next cruise.

[Tigergenesis]

Thanks for the review!

 

We will be there from 8-5 on April 23rd, but I noticed that I can reserve some of the excursions for 8 - what time is the first tender?

 

What time is the last tender?

[Merv1]

On our trip, ( Majesty of the Seas) I believe the first tender over was at 8:30. We were held up a little bit because of the rough seas. The last tender to come back was at appx. 4:30 p.m. Rest assured, that if you are taking a RC excursion, they will not schedule it prior to you being able to arrive at the island. So, if there is an excusion scheduled for as early as 8:00 a.m., then I would have to assume the tenders will be leaving earlier, in time for you to get to your excursion on time. Enjoy!

[para]

Great review thanks! You gave some much good info. I am also a vegetarian, so I was happy to read you had enough to eat.Can you remember what you tired on the ship for food? I would love to hear what you ordered and if you liked it or not.Thanks again this was very helpful =).

[Merv1]

Hi Para! I NEVER have trouble eating on the ship...the buffet in the Windjammer always has plenty of pastas, salads, fruit, beans, etc. I should tell you that I do eat eggs and dairy products. During the sit down dinners, there is always a vegetarian choice on the menu - it changes each evening...sometimes it has an international flair to it (it could be Indian, Italian, etc.) one night they had a vegetarian chili and homemade cornbread...keep in mind you also have choices of an appetizer, soup and salad. So, trust me, you will not go hungry. If you do not like the vegetarian selection for that particular evening, they also have "standards" that are available every night -- usually a pasta dish. Don't forget there are other restaurants/buffet's on board, so after all that, if you do not like the choices in the main diningroom, you can always go somewhere else! Enjoy your trip! Mary :)

[para]

Thanks Mary,

Sounds like there are tons of vegetarian options.I definitely will not go hungry. Thanks for sharing all these dining options with me. I am so excited to `be going on this cruise.I am really happy you have such a great trip=).