Helpful things I found when I visited CocoCay
On my most recent cruise, the Icon of the Seas, our ship stopped at Royal Caribbean’s private Island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. While I was expecting it to be a good experience based on a previous private beach I had visited, I didn’t realize until I got there all of the helpful touches that Royal Caribbean put into place to make the experience a great one for their guests. Let me share a few of the helpful things I found while visiting…Â
Umbrellas and Beach Chairs
On any given day, there can be up to two royal Caribbean ships docked at CocoCay. Can you imagine how many guests there are when Icon of the Seas AND Star of the Seas are both docked there together! That being said, we were pleasantly surprised to see plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas available to all the guests. Not only that but since we got off the boat early in the morning, we were able to get chairs in a row that was closer to the ocean than others.
If you don’t get front row seats though, people often move around the island throughout the day and chairs become available later on. Regardless of the beach you choose to go to on the island, there were always places to sit and relax. Oh, and did I mention, my dad found a little nook where there were hammocks under some trees. If sitting by the water is not your thing, this might be a great option for you.
Clean Bathrooms
One thing that can make or break an experience for me is how clean the bathroom is. Thankfully the bathrooms that were available to guests were well maintained and clean throughout the whole day on CocoCay. There were a lot of guests on the island at the time, so this was impressive. The restrooms were also easy to get to as they were a short walk away from the beach or from where people were participating in activities. Whenever you need a restroom, use the map on your phone to easily find one.Â
Complementary Food
Unlike other beach trips, on this one you don’t have to pack lunch! Lunch will be provided from various restaurants throughout the island. While some of the restaurants are an extra cost, there are also several complementary options you can choose from. When I went, I loved the taco bar! There were so many options to choose from to make the tacos the way you like. They also had burgers, hotdogs, fruit and several other items to choose from, all in the same area. Along with the food you can grab water or juice from the drink dispenser as well. Having one less thing to pack for your day at the beach is so nice! There are picnic tables to sit at near the food pavilions or you can do what I did and take your food back to your beach chair by the ocean. One word of warning here though, the seagulls were fairly aggressive in trying to grab food from people. My niece even had her hotdog stolen from her plate! Make sure you don’t leave your plate unattended and you should be fine.Â
Beach Strollers and Wheelchairs
One thing you might wonder about if you have small children in a stroller or if someone in your party uses a wheelchair is how hard it will be to travel over the beach sand. There is a lot of walking on the island and to help make that easier for those visiting, there are free sand strollers and wheelchairs available for those who need them. The large wheels help you push them over the sand a lot easier and smoother. I love that Royal Caribbean has thought of these little things to make your day better!
Life Vests
If you are not a strong swimmer or if you are at the beach with children, you might want to grab a life vest to wear. There are free vests in various sizes available on the island. Don’t hesitate to grab one if needed.Â
Trams
If you don’t feel like walking around the whole island or just want to ride the tram for fun like we did, you can make sure to grab a ride. The trams run and stop at each of the tram stations regularly throughout the whole day. This can also be a good way to see other parts of the island a little quicker than walking. Occasionally you will have to wait for seats to be available on a tram when it arrives but thankfully it didn’t take long for us to get on.
My family spent the day at one of the beaches and then took a tram, before heading back to the ship, to see some of the other places on the island we hadn’t seen yet. We also got to chat with other people riding along. This is one of the things I like about cruising, you get to talk to people from all over the US and the world.Â
Royal Caribbean App
One thing that I was pleasantly surprised to see was that the Royal Caribbean app changed its features on the day we visited Perfect Day at CocoCay. Helpful information about the island was provided right in the app. There was also a map of the island that you could use to help get around. The app changing was a neat (and helpful) feature. If you prefer a paper map to the one provided on your app, you can stop by guest services and they will provide one for you.Â
Internet Package
Another cool thing I found out was that if you purchased an internet package on the ship you are traveling on, your package also works on the island. Most of the time, when you stop at a port, you would have to wait till you got back on the ship to use your internet. Having it work on CocoCay was a nice perk. If you want to scroll on your phone while you relax by the ocean, you can!
Visiting private islands owned by cruise lines have been some of my favorite days at the beach. If you are looking for a cruise and you see Perfect Day at CocoCay as one of the ports of call, I would definitely give it a try. – Pepper and Passports
If you are traveling on the Icon of the Seas and want to see what food options there are, you can check out the places I tried HERE
Traveling out of Galveston? Take a few extra days and visit some of THESE NEAT PLACES!
Check out all my info on cruises HERE
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Hi! My name is Mandy and I love to travel! On this website I share my thoughts, tips and tricks with you about the fun places I travel around the USA. I also share my experiences from the cruises I go on (because who doesn’t love a good cruise). If you are traveling to a specific state or going on a cruise, you can select that state from the drop down menu at the top of the page. Use these articles to help plan out your vacation and get first hand experiences of the places you want to visit. I hope what you find here will help make your trips easier as you explore the world of travel!
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