What I Wish I Knew Before I Visited CocoCay (Royal Caribbean's Private Island)

If you're sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise from practically anywhere on the East Coast... it's almost assured that you're going to make a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay -- the cruise line's private island.

Now I've visited this spot countless times... including well before the island was completely transformed. So what do I think people will wish they knew before they visited?

See a map of CocoCay here:

🌴 24+ Things to do at Perfect Day at CocoCay (Including 12 FREE Things)

🌴 CocoCay: 21+ Tips & Things to Know for Royal Caribbean’s Private Island

🌴 Is Thrill Waterpark on CocoCay Worth It? Pricing at $161 Per Person Seen

[larry]

Great tips! Here are my 3 top tips: 1) Cruisemapper! I always check to see if another ship is coming in and WHEN (there are other sites/apps, as well). My last time there was on Liberty and I saw that Oasis was arriving one hour later. So I knew to get off the ship in the first hour to get a chair where I like before the crowds arrived. 2) South Beach. I agree 100%. I go straight to the water's edge there. And I walk instead of taking the tram because sometimes they wait for the tram to fill up and I can walk there sooner. Of course, this only applies if one is able to do so. Bonus: getting to South Beach ASAP means a better chance of snagging one of those floating rings. 3) Two meals! I want to maximize my gastronomic enjoyment so I hit Snack Shack as soon as they open (which is earlier than the Grill) and then hit the Grill buffet before they close (since they close later).

[karagregory]

A day at Coco Cay is the best day to stay on the ship. I love it. I had the whole pool deck to myself, watched a movie on the jumbotron screen and had 3 servers all to myself. The ship did have a fire drill with so many guests off the ship, the ship did fire training. It was cool to watch as they made announcement staircase P7 and P6 are closed to simulate a stairwell unusable in a real fire, the crew got out fire hoses and air tanks and masks. They made repeated announcement this was just training and there is no emergency so crew can keep their skills sharp in an unlikely event of an actual emergency.

[kamaniaray]

Knowing that the lunch is provided in the ticket for the beach club makes it worth it for me. Thank you for that info!!!

[donnamanitu]

We love Coco Cay so much that a seasoned cruiser gave us the tip to book a 4 and 3 day cruise so we get to visit it twice in one week. We did that on Liberty of the Seas in April and that was a great suggestion she gave us.

[scotmiles]

That lunch at the beach club is so good. Best filet and lobster tail I’ve ever had.

[TravelwithEbby]

I love the snack shack!! South beach is the perfect spot for me.. I found a nice shaded area there with a hammock that I love and it’s near a bar and the snack shack is a short walk away! Perfect!!! I will definitely try to get that spot everytime I’m there lol

[BoozeandNewswithTimandDut]

We just got back from there 2 weeks ago. Our second trip to Coco Cay.. we absolutely love it!

[bonitagleisle]

Omg so excited for my third trip to coco cay in a couple months ❤️

[Envlo]

Coco cay was a blast. I was just vibing, drinking alcohol, in the pool singing with the DJ. Everyone there young at old was having the time of their lives just singing and floating around

[MabelAlmodovar]

Excellent video and info about cococay. We went there 2 years ago and paid for the waterpark day pass. We used it for most of the day and missed a lot of what the island has to offer. We loved the oasis pool more than anything and it was free🤦🏻‍♀️. We are going back in March and thanks to your video, I plan to enjoy the beach and all the good free stuff they have.

[tyesharay]

Just came from Hideaway Beach. It was AMAZING! They definitely have a vibe at Hideaway. Then I went to Chill Island to hang out for almost 2 hours while my family enjoyed the jet skiis. Stark difference from the adults only section. The best tip I can give is to buy the tickets on Black Friday. I paid $110 for 2 thrill tix and $40 for 2 Hideaway tix. We sailed 7/2024.

[bleuaqua]

Visiting for the first time soon, and by far this is the most complete and informative CocoCay vlog I've come across. Thanks!

[rasbo]

I did the water park once now I just enjoy the complementary areas.

[wonderfuldays]

First time seeing your channel. Thanks for the tips. My daughter and I are cruising on Wonders of the Sea July 2nd sailing. It is our first RC cruise and first time at the island. I am happy your channel came up in my search.

[tacdad]

I love Cocoacay. No one told me THERE IS NO BREAKFAST SERVED THERE.. NO FOOD AVAILABLE TILL 11:00. So keep that in mind.. I did early morning zip line and had to wait for a bar to open to get water and soft drinks to cool down.

[LuisCasanovaV]

Excelent and very informative! Thanks!

[SD-moio]

Tremendous amount of awesome information (that I didn't realize I needed) delivered in a steady manner. Most excellent--THANK YOU!

[dchenkin]

I have lived my whole life in the Northeast of the United States; from what I hear the Caribbean sea in January is warmer than Northeast Atlantic during the summer.

[planedudea]

Crazily enough I visited in May 2019 right after it opened and I scored a deal for the Thrill Waterpark at $33p/p. It's insane what they charge these days.

[JoeBoone]

Whew, I would hate to be there with 2 ships! We just got off of the Freedom and I'm glad we were the only ship at CocoCay. Our first time there since it was "built-up" and I have to say we really enjoyed it. I figured they were developing (in a bad way) what was previously a very quiet and relaxing island, but I think it was well done.