Sad news indeed that Royal Caribbean in their infinite wisdom has made the decision to pull the Independence of the Seas, the UK’s favourite Royal Caribbean ship, from Southampton in 2020. The reason as you have no doubt been told is to keep her Stateside to offer more passengers the opportunity to experience ‘The Perfect Day in CocoCay in the Bahamas.
To add salt to the wound, the prices of the replacement Southampton based Anthem have rocketed since the news was released! Well, I suppose they have to recoup some of the $250million spent so far somehow?…. And this is just the first of many ‘Perfect Day’ locales. As Royal Caribbean have ambitious plans to create a collection of destinations under the same ‘Perfect Day’ banner around the world.
So what can you expect from CoCoCay? Well its definitely for the thrill seekers, with words like ‘high octane’ ‘tallest’ ‘largest’ ‘biggest’ and it actually does sound Amazing! Lets take a closer look at what we know….
- Thrill Waterpark, featuring 13 waterslides (more than any other waterpark in the Caribbean), one of which is the 135-foot-tall Daredevil’s Peak, the tallest waterslide in North America. Thrill Waterpark will also include the Caribbean’s largest wave pool and the Caribbean’s largest freshwater pool, Oasis Lagoon.
- A 1,600-foot zip line crisscrossing the island from up to 50 feet in the air. I’m up for that!
- Up, Up and Away, a helium balloon that floats up to 450 feet above CocoCay, providing expansive views of the island and the Caribbean beyond. Put me down for this one please!
- Two specially-designed beaches: Chill Island, a pristine, relaxing escape, and South Beach, a high-energy beach area with beachside basketball, paddle boarding, glass-bottom kayaking and inflatable zorb balls. Not for me Zorb balls, too much effort for little return!
- Chill Island, CocoCay also offers plenty of options to unwind. Coco Beach Club, CocoCay’s VIP zone, will offer a more upscale island experience, featuring the first over-water cabanas (think Maldives) in the Bahamas. Each cabana will be staffed by a dedicated cabana attendant, ready to attend to your every need. This is where you’ll find me!
Of course these fabulous new facilities don’t come included in the cost of your cruise. Here’s an idea of how much all these fantastic new features are going to cost you:
The price of a Coco Beach Club over water cabana includes admission to the beach club that has a complimentary restaurant, an exclusive beach, a beach clubhouse and other amenities.
Cabana rentals that don’t include beach club or water park admission start at $299 and go to $569, depending on the season.
Access to the huge water park with 13 slides will cost $44 to $99 per person for the full day and $39 to $74 for a half day, with kids 3yrs and under admitted free.
The 1,600-foot zipline will cost $79 to $139 per ride!!! . A combo water park and zipline package will be offered at $99 to $179.
The helium balloon observation experience, where its attached to a 450-foot rope is priced at $39 to $99 for adults 13 and over, with children 4 to 12 charged $24 to $64.
The upscale Coco Beach Club will be priced at $54 to $99 for adults and $34 to $69 for kids.
There will be a pirate-themed restaurant called Captain Jack’s where pricing is a la carte.
Visitors to CocoCay will also have to pay for beach umbrellas, water sports equipment rentals and spa services.
So quite an expensive ‘experience’ especially for families….. Quite apart from the cost of the cruise itself and flights from the UK
There is some good news though! there are some areas that are complimentary: swimming lagoon, a water play area with slides, sports courts, groomed beaches and five complimentary restaurants.
What do you think about the news? Excited to hear about CocoCay’s promise of a ‘Perfect Day’? or just another cynical move by Royal Caribbean to make more money at the expense of its loyal UK passengers?