Sailing to CocoCay From Miami on Freedom of the Seas
As an avid cruiser, I am no stranger to Royal Caribbean’s ships. Earlier this year, we cruised on Voyager of the Seas and then, just recently boarded Freedom of the Seas in Miami for another weekend adventure in the Caribbean.
In addition to non-stop action and experiences onboard the ship, Royal Caribbean also provides exciting adventures ashore on their private island of CocoCay, in the Bahamas.
Where is the Private Island of CocoCay?
CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s award-winning private island, is one of the Berry Islands that sit just 64 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas and 140 miles east of Miami. I was thrilled to see that our Freedom of the Seas cruise was making a stop at CocoCay.
Unlike the days when cruise ships anchored in the middle of the ocean and guests had to take a tender (small transport boat) to step on an island, Freedom of the Seas ship simply parked right alongside the specially built dock at CocoCay. The dock accommodates two ships, one on either side, so typically, you can expect two Royal Caribbean ships in CocoCay on the same day. Rest assured, there is plenty of open space for 9,000+ passengers to enjoy the private island. CocoCay is separated into sections, each area offering spectacular ocean views and lots of fun.
Disembarking the Ship to Visit CocoCay
When the cruise ship arrives in the port, passengers are invited to spend a full day enjoying CocoCay. To get off the ship, we didn’t need to bring anything but our sunblock, towels, and the SeaPass Card that opened our stateroom door. The SeaPass Card is basically your I.D. and payment method for the entirety of your cruise.
As we disembarked the ship, our SeaPass cards were swiped so the ship knows we are off the ship. When we returned, the SeaPass cards are swiped again so they know we were back onboard the ship. You technically don’t need to bring any cash unless you want to shop at the Straw Market on the island. On CocoCay, most areas are free (included in your cruise fare) except for some excursion type activities and a few non-complimentary food venues that accept your SeaPass card for payment.
The amenities we paid for with our initial cruise fee carried over to CocoCay since Royal Caribbean owns the island. In other words, if you paid for the WIFI package on the cruise, it would work on the island. If you bought the alcohol or non-alcohol refreshment package, you simply present your SeaPass card to order your free drinks at any of the bars on CocoCay. If you did not purchase a beverage package, you can still purchase drinks by presenting your SeaPass card well. Note: Incurred charges made during the cruise simply go straight from your SeaPass card to your stateroom bill.
What is a Perfect Day at CocoCay?
Perfect Day at CocoCay is the name Royal Caribbean gave this private island. Not only are there multiple beach areas, but there is a 33,000 square foot pool, a waterpark, restaurants, cabana’s and much more. You can plan to spend no money and enjoy all the free areas, or if you’re adventurous you may want to participate in activities. Prior to visiting the island, you’ll be invited to book the CocoCay excursions and activities.
CocoCay Free Amenities
You can still have the most “perfect day” at CocoCay and not spend an extra penny! For our Freedom of the Seas sailing, we chose to not book any excursions but instead enjoy all the freebies.
Complimentary features of CocoCay:
:: 5 beach areas
:: Lounges
:: Umbrellas
:: Beach towels
:: Food (unless otherwise noted)
:: Oasis Lagoon Pool
:: Kids’ splash pad and pirate ship
:: Guest tram – runs throughout the island
:: Beach games
The free tram that operates around CocoCay is a great way to visit all areas of the island. We enjoyed sitting on the tram and taking the ride for the full circle of operation. The tram runs continuously throughout the day. You can certainly walk if you’re up to it but with the heat and challenging sand terrain, we prefered the convenient tram ride.
Enjoy 7 Beach Areas on CocoCay
If you’re excited to enjoy the beautiful beaches on CocoCay, you will appreciate the large number of lounges with umbrellas.
Beaches include:
:: Chill Island®
:: Breezy Bay at Chill Island®
:: South Beach
:: Cove Beach
:: Harbor Beach
:: CocoBeach Club (fee)
:: Adults-Only Hideaway Beach (fee)
South Beach is a spacious beach on the far side of the island, where we visited during this cruise and happily found lesser crowds. This beach area features its own complimentary dining option, the Snack Shack, along with volleyball, basketball, and other fun games on the sand.
Chill Island is the closest beach area to the ship, a simple walk just to the left of the CocoCay entrance. This area is popular for snorkeling. You can rent snorkeling gear (fee) or bring your own. If you’re enjoying the ocean on Chill Island, you are right near the complimentary Chill Grill buffet.
Breezy Bay at Chill Island features beautiful ocean views and overlooks the coolest, yet ridiculously expensive) floating cabanas. Breezy Bay is a short walk to Chill Grill.
Harbor Beach is a calm inlet of water, not the open ocean. This small lagoon is near to Skipper’s Grill, another free dining option. We visited this beach and noticed that there is a large net that is positioned so no large fish (or sharks) enter this inlet and get trapped. I loved the idea that less fish would be in this open body of water, but it got boring rather fast as there was no direct ocean view form Harbor Beach.
Coco Beach Club and Hideaway Beach require advanced reservations and a fee.
Oasis Lagoon® Pool
The Oasis Lagoon is a free area and recognized as the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean. It measures 33,000+ square feet and sits on approximately 3/4 of an acre. The swim-up bar makes it a popular spot to get a drink while enjoying music and a party atmosphere. This pool is not heated. There are many lounges and umbrellas, a fun way to spend the day on CocoCay.
Free Water Play Area For Kids
Captain Jill’s Galleon℠ and Splashaway Bay℠ are designed to provide continuous free fun for kids. Located right near the entrance to CocoCay, both water features immediately grab the attention of kids. Captain Jill’s Galleon is a pirate ship offering water cannons and water slides. Splashaway Bay is a mini splash park with lots of dumping buckets, sprayers, slides, and more.
CocoCay Excursions Requiring Fees
Adventurous activities and excursions require advanced reservations plus fees. Prices vary per cruise. Some of the fee-based CocoCay activities you’ll find on the island include:
:: Hideaway Adult Beach
:: CocoCay Beach Club
:: Thrill Waterpark
:: Helium balloon ride
:: Ziplines
:: Swimming with pigs
:: Jet skis
:: Scuba diving
:: Snorkeling
:: Kayaking
:: Floating beach mats
:: Private cabanas
Adults-Only Hideaway Beach℠
The adults-only Hideaway Beach area requires a fee but it’s a much-appreciated casual area, where there are no children. Inside, you’ll find a beautiful beach area, a large pool with swim-up bar, free-standing bars, restaurants, lounges, umbrellas, and hammocks. Cabanas are also available for an additional fee. Dining options include Slice of Paradise (serving pizza) and Hideaway Hut (offering burgers, seafood, salads, and more).
We visited Hideaway Beach on a previous cruise and while we enjoyed the pool, we didn’t think the fee we paid justified the visit. It’s the same ocean view as on the free beaches and the food was not any better than the free food selections.
Coco Beach Club®
The Coco Beach Club is on the fancy side with a higher fee, featuring a gorgeous infinity heated pool overlooking the private beach area, exclusive for beach club guests. Beach mats are included. The Coco Beach Club outdoor restaurant offers an impressive higher-end menu (lobster and filet mignon) including uniquely presented appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Overwater Cabanas at Coco Beach Club with a private butler and water slide, look incredible but cost more than $1,000 for the day. No thank you for that cost.
We paid for the Coco Beach Club a few years ago. Too fancy for us. The food was impressive but not necessary for a beach visit. It may have been my imagination, but the guests at the club were not as friendly as the ship passengers that we typically meet elsewhere on CocoCay.
Thrill Waterpark®
CocoCay’s Thrill Waterpark demands attention even from a distance because it has a huge, impressive tower that goes high in the sky with waterslides spiraling around it. The waterpark costs extra but it offers guests a full day of water fun including 13 waterslides and other water features.
Here’s a fun fact: Daredevil’s Tower is taller than any waterslide in North America, standing at a whopping 135 feet tall!
At the waterpark, there’s an Adventure Pool designed as an obstacle course except this course is over the water. The wave pool is extra special as well, for its massive size. There are also lots of lounges, umbrellas, and lockers for waterpark enthusiasts.
Some of the water slides you’ll find at Thrill Waterpark include:
:: Daredevil’s Peak
:: Dueling Demons
:: Screeching Serpent
:: Green Mamba
:: Manta Racers
:: The Slingshot
:: The Twister
:: Splash Speedway
To enjoy Thrill Waterpark, you must purchase tickets in advance, as it does get sold out.
Dining on CocoCay
The Chill Grill is a massive complimentary buffet that offers delicious food including a taco bar and a barbecue with burgers, chicken, hot dogs, sandwiches, corn on the cob, cookies, brownies, ice cream, and so much more.
Also complimentary are Skipper’s Grill and a few Snack Shacks around the island. Snack Shacks are famous for their chicken sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, fries, funnel cakes, and more.
At Captain Jack’s bar, you can enjoy chicken wings and steak fries, but it’s not free so you’ll have to pay a small charge per food item on your SeaPass card. The food is so good that it is well worth the extra cost.
You’ll Want to Visit CocoCay Over and Over Again
Now that I’ve shared a bit about my favorite port visit during our Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas cruise, I will tell you that the pronunciation of the island’s name is actually, “Coco-KEY” not “Coco-Cay” as it’s spelled. However you want to pronounce it, I highly recommend you selecting a Royal Caribbean cruise that visits CocoCay. There is so much to see and do on the island that we’ve made about six visits to CocoCay and looking forward to the next visit.
During previous visits, we paid the fees for the Adult’s Hideaway Beach, CocoCay Beach Club, rode jet skis, and rented a beach mat, but I truly prefer “free” beach hopping as opposed to paying for any excursions. As a side note, my son and daughter-in-law paid for the “swimming with pigs” excursion on CocoCay and their only response was that it was not what they expected and not needed to do again.
A few tips: No need to rush off the ship and onto the island as you have all day to explore and enjoy. Instead, wait an hour or two for the mass majority of passengers to disembark. Then, you can easily walk off the ship and not have to wait in any lines. Also, there is a long walk to the entrance of CocoCay, so I typically wear my sneakers all the way until I reach the sand. Then, I switch to my flip flops. Before we return back to the ship after our beach day, we visit the towel booth on the island to switch out our wet, sandy pool/beach towels for clean towels.
Also, before heading back to the ship, we grabbed ice cream cones … an absolutely perfect finish to a “perfect day on CocoCay.”