Royal Caribbean has opened bookings for its first beach club, and it has given us our best look yet of what to expect when it opens.
I've been following the project intently, all the way back to its inception in early 2020. I think it's an exciting new option in a port that lacks fun things to do that are worth trying.
Royal Beach Club Paradise Island will open in very late December 2025, and it's essentially a super shore excursion run by Royal Caribbean that takes all of its best ideas from Perfect Day at CocoCay and amps them up.
In looking through what's been revealed, here are the five things that stood out to me the most about this week's announcement.
Two types of day passes
We knew Royal Caribbean would make the beach club all-inclusive, but I didn't know they'd offer a non-alcoholic option too.
In retrospect, it makes sense to offer a pass without an alcohol component to it. There are a lot of people who prefer not to drink alcohol, or cannot drink alcohol.
There are two passes:
- Day Pass with Unlimited Open Bar & Dining, starting from $169.99 for guests ages 21+
- Day Pass with Non-Alcoholic Drinks & Dining, starting from $129.99 for guests ages 13+; $109.99 for ages 4-12; and free for guests ages 3 and under
I'm glad to see the option, especially for my family. My wife never drinks enough to "break even" on all-inclusive day passes at beaches, so this is a good idea.
I'm going to need to come hungry
While I knew there would be food included, I didn't know how much new culinary choices would sound so good.
There is complimentary dining at three quick service style restaurants serving fresh handheld options, salads, sides and delicious desserts with a Bahamian twist.
I'm already starting my list of must-try food:
- Bahamian baked mac 'n cheese
- Vanilla bundt cake
- Fire engine fritters
Plus, there are new cocktails to try. The last few batches of new bars that Royal Caribbean has developed have come up with a great assortment of fresh drink ideas. The beach club will have the Blood Orange Margarita, which sounds like the perfect refreshing drink on a hot day.
Sticker shock with the Ultimate Family Cabana
Cabanas at private islands aren't cheap, but I think the price of the Ultimate Family Cabana caught a lot of people's attention.
So far, the going rate for this new type of cabana is $10,000.
To be fair, this isn't like any other cabana Royal Caribbean has made before. It can accommodate up to 12 people and it comes with a private bathroom, reserved beach space, frozen drink machine, a suspended net lounger, spiral slide, and a lot more.
I think they envision this being rented for an extended family gathering to celebrate vacationing together and wanting to go big.
Unlike the Floating Flamingo in Party Cove, I think this is about offering an over-the-top beach day that's more welcoming to younger kids.
Short of an incredible sale, I doubt I'll ever book it, but I bet it's sure to deliver some amazing memories to those that can afford to book it.
The other cabanas are more inline price-wise with cabanas you'd find at CocoCay. They're right around what you'd pay for similar cabanas at Hideaway Beach, for the most part.
Every pool has a swim-up bar
I didn't know how much I needed swim-up bars until Royal Caribbean added them to bars around CocoCay.
There are three pools, and each one—The Shallow End, The Deep End, and The Floating Flamingo—features a swim-up bar, making this the only Royal Caribbean destination where this is standard across all pools.
In fact, going forward swim-up bars will be common across the new land destinations Royal Caribbean is working on around the world.
What I like about the swim-up bars is the vibe you get by sitting there. Even if you don't drink that much, I like the people watching aspect and opportunity to meet people.
Combine that with the fact the pools in the beach club will be heated, I love this idea.
The bundles are an interesting idea
One idea I didn't anticipate at all was offering a combination with the beach club and other add-ons.
You can combine a drink package and the beach club, or go one step further and combine it all with a visit to the water park.
I never considered a bundle as an idea that might work, but I bet a lot of cruisers are likely to want to book them anyway.
I'll have to do the math if it's saving you money. Royal Caribbean claims the price of the bundle at checkout is up to 45% less than those products added to cart individually.
No, the day pass prices didn't surprise me
If you're wondering, no, I wasn't surprised by the price for the day passes. Royal Caribbean says it starts at $169, but in practice I've seen the prices closer to $250 per person.
Even at those prices, it's right around the price of day passes to Atlantis and other resorts in Nassau. And many of those do not include alcohol.
A day pass to Atlantis resort costs between $190-$255 per person. While that includes admission to Aquaventure, a massive water park, it does not include food or drink.
Baha Mar offers day passes to its Baha Bay waterpark to adults for $160. Once again, it does not include food or drink with that price.
