Continuing with our recent cruise vacation brings us to our first stop in the Carribean, CocoCay!
This was an island in the Bahamas that Royal Carribean Cruise Lines purchased and turned into an Island retreat getaway.
It was on par with pretty much any Carribean Island - All Inclusive resort while also having some serious theme park vibes about it.
The first thing that we saw from the ship was the Waterpark and then we were met with a large brightly colored tower slide when we first stepped foot on the island. I'm sure that is all by design. It was big and colorful and I'm guessing that it's purpose is to send the kids on board into a tizzy when they see it.
In that area of the Island there were the water slides that you can see, and also a large wave pool and zip line.
That area of the island is considered an excursion though so you have to pay extra to use it. That doesn't effect me personally because I'm passed that sort of thing in my life now, but I feel like having to pay extra for it would be a little annoying for parents.
Royal invested 250 million on the island so I'm sure that they are itching to start seeing some returns on their investment - "Up charge everything!!!!"
A major downside for travelers that is related to the purchase is that if you're not into the island or resorts in general then it will be a wasted stop for you. I'm also guessing that it will be a forced stop for people on every single RC cruise going forward. I'm hoping that that is not the case, but I'm guessing that it will be going forward.
If so, for me it will probably become a day that I just stay on the ship and enjoy the additional free space.
Even though its not really my thing though, I will admit that they did a really good job transforming the island and creating different unique spots for people to explore and enjoy.
We got off the boat early in the morning after breakfast and headed over to the Harbour Beach to find a chair.
We were pretty surprised that the location didn't fill up with people so we decided to go and check out some of the other locations.
Sandy paths through the foliage connected the different attractions.
There were white sand beaches located around the perimeter of the island, with lounge chairs and bars and games to keep people entertained. It was nice that there were enough chairs that people weren't struggling to find one, like what sometimes happens on the ship.
South Beach seemed to be the happening place that day, where most of the travelers were gathered. I think it was because the sun was strongest on that side of the island at the time.
There were a bunch of cabanas in the water over there but all were empty that day so I didn't bother to take any photos. I remember seeing online that they cost something crazy, like $1000 to rent for the day give or take a dew hundred dollars. I don't know what they come with so can't really say if the cost is justified or not. I suppose some people like the feeling of exclusivity and weathered wood under their feet opposed to sand. I get it, sand can be a real pain in the ass and who really needs to exfoliate between their toes? Seeing them all empty gave me abandonment vibes though.
Another spot on the island was the Oasis Lagoon, a large resort style swimming pool set within the palm fronds.
Thatched roof huts, bridges over lazy river waterways and swim up bars serving drinks, it was actually a really nice set up that could rival just about any all inclusive.
Its kind of nice to have the option of swimming in a pool or the ocean too.
We made our way through the little market area made up of huts selling the usual over priced touristy junk and back around to the next beach area on a different side of the island.
It was a little windy that day in the morning but once the cloud cover burned away it started to get pretty hot.
We spent a few hours on the island but headed back to the ship fairly early for lunch. There were food stations all over serving the same meal that was being served on the ship that day, but we just headed back anyway.
Our time in CocoCay wasn't really the "perfect day" for my wife and I but it was fine for one of our trip stops. All in all, I think that Cococay was a great little resort oasis and would be very enjoyable to anyone who tends to like All Inclusive resorts.
It was a beautiful setting and very well laid out with lots of space and activities to accommodate at least two ships worth of travelers. I think that two ships is the max that can be harbored there in a single day but don't quote me on that. It's not really my thing but I can totally see the appeal of the destination.
On the negative side a lot of the extra stuff meant for the kids that you think they would have access to, actually costs money so I could see that being very disappointing for parents. If you're like me and my wife and not into this type of travel destination then its also a bit disheartening that it will likely be a regular stop on every single Royal Carribean cruise in the future. There is good and bad with everything so you will need to judge it for yourself.
