If I were to describe Royal Caribbean’s newly renovated private island, Perfect Day at Coco Cay, in one word, it would be bold. It is bold in its vision to be a “perfect” experience for cruise enthusiasts. It is bold in its execution, with a vibrant color scheme decorating the island and more than a day’s worth of activities for those that want adventure and those that want to relax. And finally, it is bold in that is actually succeeds in exceeding expectations for a private island destination. Simply put, our day at Coco Cay was as Perfect as it could be, and we are already hoping we can come back another time!
How to Get to Perfect Day at Coco Cay
Since Perfect Day at Coco Cay is a private island destination for Royal Caribbean, you will have to book a cruise to access it. There are a variety of cruise ships and itineraries that make stops at Perfect Day at Coco Cay. From a short sail aboard Navigator of the Seas to week-long sails on the larger Oasis of the Seas ship, there’s plenty of options to choose from. Once you arrive to Coco Cay, you can typically debark in the early morning, and will have to get back on board the ship in the mid-to-late afternoon. The vast amount of activities available will make those hours fly by, though, so make sure you have a plan in place for what you want to see and do while there.
The Thrill Side
The island is split into two general areas: the Thrill side and the Chill side. The Thrill side is where we basically spent the majority of the day, since there were so many activities for our kids to do!
Thrill Waterpark
Although the Thrill Waterpark has a cost of entry, I highly recommend you purchase a ticket (you can get either half-day or full-day tickets). Inside the waterpark you will find two towers filled with waterslides (for a total of 13 slides). There is also a wave pool which kept the kids entertained for quite a while. An adventure pool is also fitted with small round platforms and a rope for kids to traverse, as well as a small rock climbing wall and some swinging ropes. Once you build up an appetite, the Snack Shack at the waterpark has plenty of food from hot dogs and burgers, to salads. You could basically spend the whole day at Thrill Waterpark if you wanted to, there simply is that much to do there!
Keep in mind, height requirements for the water slides vary across the park. In general, both our 3 year old and 6 year old kids were able to do the two lower slides on Daredevil’s Peak (which had a 40 inch height requirement). Our 6 year old was able to do the headfirst racing slide in the Family Tower (which had a 45″ requirement), but the two tube slides required 48″ and taller.
Splashaway Bay
Splashaway Bay is a free area and is perfect for those younger kiddos. Since our kids are 3 and 6 years old, this is where we spent a lot of our time since the entire splash pad was available to them! There are a few small water slides that each of them must have gone on at least 20 times, and the splash area provides plenty of thrills as buckets fill up and drop in multiple areas. There are a few chairs and umbrellas around the area, but they do fill up so make sure you arrive early so you can snag a chair.
Captain Jill’s Galleon
This was another area our children just loved, and to be honest, it was never crowded. This beautiful pirate ship greets you right as you enter Perfect Day at Coco Cay. It is full of slides, water sprayers, and things to climb.
Up Up and Away
Up, Up, and Away is an excursion that you can book to ride on a tethered hot air balloon. When you rise, you get phenomenal 360 degree views of the island, and on a windy day, the balloon swaying back and forth adds a safe element of thrill to the experience! Our balloon ride lasted around 15 minutes, which was plenty of time to take pictures and take in the view.
The Chill Side
To be completely honest, we were so wrapped up in all of the Thrill adventures that we didn’t even get a chance to fully experience the Chill side! However, from what we did see, there are more than enough beach chairs and umbrellas to laze in the sun and take a dip in the clear waters of this Bahamian island. There are multiple beachfronts you can choose from. There’s Chill Island, which has the most beach chairs to choose from as well as the Chill Grill to get snacks and beverages. There’s also Harbor Beach near the middle of the island, which gives you a pretty central location to access both the Thrill and Chill sides. Then, there’s South Beach, which is a little out of the way, but will eventually have the Coco Beach Club and overwater cabanas when they are finished later this year. And if you like snorkeling, there’s a really cool plane wreck that you can check out just off the beach!
If hanging out by the pool is more of your style, then there’s no better option that Oasis Lagoon, the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean. There’s plenty of pool chairs along with daybeds and cabanas (at an additional cost), and a swim up bar to meet your needs. One of the ends of the lagoon has a sloping entry from 1 to about 3 feet, so it’s a perfect place for younger kids. There are also life jackets and floaties available free of charge in case you need them. There are also towel stations where you can use your SeaPass card to check out and return towels.
Final Words
After all the hype and promotion leading up to the launch of Perfect Day at Coco Cay, we had high expectations and we were afraid we were going to be let down. However, we were blown away by the level of polish around the whole island and the vast amount of activities for the whole family. Perfect Day at Coco Cay is now one of our favorite cruise destinations and we hope to be able to experience it again sometime soon. I highly recommend booking a cruise with a stop at Perfect Day at Coco Cay; Royal Caribbean truly set a high bar with its new private island destination.
I love that there is a Chill side and thrill side. I think we would spend most of the time at the thrill side too! This looks like a place you would definitely need a few days to really explore everything! So much to do!