POSTCARD FROM COCOCAY

A Perfect Day at Cococay

January 2020

Dear All,

The strapline calls it a “Perfect Day at Cococay” which sounded perfect to me!

Port of Call

Perfect Day at Cococay is Royal Caribbean’s private party island resort near The Bahamas and was today’s port of call for our cruise ship, the Majesty of the Seas.

We timed it nicely for the weather, as storms are predicted tonight. In fact tomorrow’s trip to Nassau in The Bahamas itself has already been cancelled, in case the storms strand us there. We’ll be heading back to Key West in Florida later.

I guess being flexible when unpredictable changes crop up is just a fact of cruise life.

In the meantime we had a day of glorious Caribbean sunshine. So I am not complaining.

Ships in port

There were actually two ships sharing the island of Cococay today. We docked alongside the larger Mariner of the Seas.

I haven’t been on that one, but it was nice to do a bit of cruise ship spotting. I had a look across from our top deck to see what extra facilities they had. The most obvious were the yellow and blue waterslides at the back of the ship. They look like fun.

Who knows, maybe I’ll sail on Mariner one day.

I’m quite content with Majesty of the Seas though. It has been filled with entertainment and is pleasantly comfortable, even if it is a bit of a smaller and older ship. I have definitely enjoyed my cruise from New Orleans into the Caribbean so far.

Of course two ships in port meant lots of people on the island today.

All ashore for a Perfect Day

The “Perfect Day at Cococay” is free to enjoy ashore for the most part. Well, I guess that’s the perk of a private island.

There are no tours to book, as its not that big, but they have plenty of ways to let you spend your money.

For one you can’t miss seeing the giant waterslide that towers over the island. Apparently its the tallest one in North America. The Thrill Waterpark is probably one of the most expensive thing to do here. Not really my kind of thing, but I met lots of people who loved it.

There are also private cabanas and an a la carte restaurant to book if you like, which you do have to pay for.

You know me though, I’m tight, and so the nearest I got to spending money was buying a few souvenirs. They have a few little shacks dotted around selling bits and pieces. I had to get my Bahamas fridge magnet, as its my first visit to this country.

A day on the beach

I had a plan for the day to head to the golden sands of the beach.

Of course on the way from the pier I stopped for the obligatory selfie, with the two cruise ships in the background.

It wasn’t too far to walk to the sands, but I enjoyed just exploring Cococay on the way.

My beach bag was packed with essentials. Sun cream, book and a beach towel that you can bring with you off the ship.

The sun beds and umbrellas lined up on the golden sands along the water’s edge were free to use. They are crammed together though, so I had plenty of neighbours to chat to nearby.

Perhaps that’s why people pay for the Coco Beach Club to get a bit of privacy.

It didn’t bother me though. The atmosphere on the beach reminded me of lots of happy beach holidays in the past.

It was lovely being able to lounge in the sunshine, feel the sand between my toes and wander down for a dip in the beautifully warm blue water.

Cocktails

One of the best things about having the Royal Caribbean drinks package on the ship is that you can use it on shore in Cococay too. If only that worked in all the other ports of call we visited as well!!

I decided that a beach day was a good excuse to enjoy cocktails for a change. I wasn’t too far from the bar, but the bar waiters come round and take your drinks orders as well. I may have had more than one.

Later in the day the bar staff came round selling some fancy cocktails in a souvenir cup. You paid a bit extra for the cup, but it was worth it.

I wasn’t very discerning, and just chose the orange cup, rather than the pink one. I couldn’t even tell you what the cocktail was, but given the chance I would have bought another. It was definitely the best one of the day. Thankfully the cups were extra large, so I got my money’s worth.

Food

It was too warm for a fancy meal, but perfect burger weather.

They bring the whole buffet ashore from the ships, as Cococay is an uninhabited island when the cruise ships are not visiting.

I had a break from sunbathing at lunchtime and wandered over to the grill.

For lunch there were burgers and fries, with hot dogs as well. There was corn on the cob and a salad bar with lots of tasty mixed salads as well as the usual salad veg. And that was just the stuff that made it on to my plate.

The buffet food is all included too, so you can eat as much as you want.

Filled me up nicely for an afternoon of lounging and reading back on the beach!

Entertainment

To be honest I was quite content with a simple beach day in the sunshine. Cococay is perfect for that.

You can go for a walk. Join in at the water parks. Eat a bit more.

As it got later though I walked back past a bar that had a guitarist singing and the atmosphere sounded really lively.

Maybe I’ll have a day in the bar next time!

Sailaway from Cococay

For a small island it keeps you very occupied. Our Perfect Day at Cococay seemed to fly by and it was time to get back on the ship before I knew it.

Mariner of the Seas sailed away first. I like being next to another ship at sailaway. Cruisers are always very friendly, get up on deck and wave each other away across the water.

From the top deck we had a great view of the island below us. It really isn’t very large, so you can see it spread below you from the viewpoint of a towering cruise ship.

There are a few smaller islands surrounding it as well.

And of course being evening, those black storms clouds were gathering in the distance. We could see the rain coming as we sailed away.

The change of plans means I really still have to go back and see Nassau and The Bahamas proper. I might just plan it so I get another Perfect Day at Cococay.

Wish you were here, Gary