Royal Caribbean Blog

There's a mix of things included and extra cost at Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay.

If you're headed to Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas, you may be wondering how much it costs to spend the day here, whether you want to splurge or just stick to the free stuff.

The good news is you can easily spend your entire day on the island without spending anything extra. Royal Caribbean includes quite a bit in your cruise fare, so it's very feasible to walk off the ship and have fun in various beaches and pools, have lunch, and never spend extra.

Alternatively, there are parts of CocoCay that cost extra, and they include experiences you wont find anywhere else on the island. There are splurges, enclaves, and fun activities you could consider.

Everything is a great idea until you see the price, so we wanted to share how much does Perfect Day at CocoCay cost.  This breakdown should encompass everything you can do around the private island.

Complimentary venues and activities

The majority of the experiences Royal Caribbean has at Perfect Day at CocoCay are complimentary and included with your cruise fare. 

In addition to the classic beach day experience, Royal Caribbean has added the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, the shipwrecked Captain Jill’s Galleon loaded with slides and water cannons, the biggest ever Splashaway Bay aqua park yet, and new sports courts on South Beach.

The beach experience at Perfect Day at CocoCay has not been overlooked, with enhanced Chill Island and South Beach, both offering plenty of free beach chairs and beachside activities.

To go along with your fun in the sun, there are five new complimentary dining venues located throughout the island. 

The beaches included at no cost are big enough to handle lots of passengers, and you'll find enough to keep you busy between all of them.

Keep in mind that you can move between any of these places, so you don't have to spend all day in one spot.  You could start out at the beach and then move to Oasis Lagoon.

You will find some extra cost items within these areas, such as cabanas or beach beds (more on that later in the article).

Extra charge venues and activities

In addition to what is included with your visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, there are additional options that you can purchase. We have listed price estimates, and they can vary by season and are subject to change without notice.

The exact pricing will vary from sailing to sailing, and exact prices can be found by visiting Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner after booking your sailing. In fact, there could be savings found by pre-booking via the Cruise Planner.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing for most of these extra cost add-ons, which means the exact price you will pay depends on when you sail. This means there isn't exactly a set price and depending on which ship and time of year you sail, the price will change.

Here is a ballpark of prices for extra cost add-ons at Perfect Day at CocoCay. Remember, prices will vary.

• Thrill Waterpark: Between $93 - $199 per person
• Coco Beach Club: $169 - $319 per person
• Hideaway Beach: $74 - $93 per person
• Zip Line: $93 - $109 per person
• Up, Up & Away: $74.99 - $99 per person
• Kayak: $40 - $49 per person
• Jet Ski: $103 - $119 per person
• Snorkeling: $36 - $44 per person

CocoCay Cabana Prices

If your idea of relaxation involves your own private spot in the shad, perhaps a CocoCay cabana is what you want. In addition to the complimentary umbrellas, clamshells, and daybeds (available for a rental charge), you can find cabanas for rent at all the beaches, Thrill Waterpark, and Oasis Lagoon freshwater pool. 

The overwater cabanas at Coco Beach Club take the cabana experience to a whole new level, accommodating up to eight guests and comes with attendant service, a private hammock, a minibar, and your own personal slide into the sea.

If you reserve a cabana at Thrill Waterpark, you’ll enjoy complimentary entry to all of the slides and activities inside for up to six guests. If you reserve a cabana at Coco Beach Club (including the overwater cabanas), you’ll enjoy complimentary access to the club for up to eight guests.

The adults-only beach, Hideaway Beach, has two different cabanas to choose from.

The Hideout Cabanas are located in area known as, "The Hideout", and it's where you can bring up to 8 guests with you to enjoy a private cabana. Each poolside cabana has in-water loungers, outdoor shower access, Bluetooth speaker, floating beach mats, resort-style seating, a cooler, sink, mini fridge, charging outlets, ceiling fans, and private lockable storage space.

Hideaway Cabanas are on the beach includes unlimited supply of bottled water, private lockable storage, sink and mini fridge, cooler, ceiling fan, charging outlets, resort-style seating, and floating beach mats.

Hideaway Beach cabana guests can enjoy bottle service, along with complimentary food from the Snack Shack or Slice of Paradise.

The obvious question is, "is it worth it to rent a cabana?", and the answer depends on primarily on your budget and willingness to splurge.

CocoCay cabana prices have gone dramatically up in 2023, driven primarily by high demand. Royal Caribbean had them at lower prices in years past, but the fact they would sell out all the time lead the cruise line to raise prices to take advantage of the demand.

Cabanas are fantastic ways to spend the day at CocoCay because it gives you a "home base" of operations to enjoy, along with extra service and space just for your family and friends.

Every cabana comes with attendant service that can bring you food and drinks (food is included, drinks are not unless you have a drink package) and it really enhances your time.

Plus, you'll get extra seating, shade, and a sense of exclusivity. 

These benefits come at a high price, with some cabana prices costing as much as a cruise! That's a tough pill to swallow when thinking of it that way.

In the end, a cabana rental will give your family extra space and service, and you'll feel like a movie star with the exclusivity of it all. You can definitely have a good time on CocoCay without a cabana, but just like a first class ticket on an airplane, it's an expensive splurge.

Are you ready for a virtual escape to a Royal Caribbean cruise? Every Friday we share our readers' favorite Royal Caribbean cruise photos in a showcase of why we love going on Royal Caribbean.

We begin with this look at a sunset from Freedom of the Seas, taken on Deck 13 by Joe Moran.

Kinny Lee shared this photo of Central Park in the early morning hours on Allure of the Seas.

Here is a look from the aft of Radiance of the Seas sailing through Doubtful Sound in New Zealand. Photo by Carl Green.

Our next photo is by Jeff L. and it is of Brilliance of the Seas docking next to Independence of the Seas.

David Donnelly snapped this fun shot of the Boardwalk on Harmony of the Seas.

Francois St-Onge took this panoramic photo of Allure of the Seas in Nassau (as seen from Navigator of the Seas).

Our final photo this week is by Rich Weiss and is of the sun setting over the bow of Freedom of the Seas. Photo taken from Harmony of the Seas.

Thank you to everyone who's photos were featured this week, and if you want to share your best Royal Caribbean cruise photos, you can send them in via this form. Have a great weekend!

Royal Caribbean International officially took delivery of the 26th ship in its fleet, Spectrum of the Seas, in a ceremony held in Bremerhaven, Germany. The first in the Quantum Ultra class of ships, Spectrum will homeport from Shanghai starting June 2019.

Royal Caribbean is offering up to $300 instant savings, kids sail free and 50% off the second guest with its Royal Refund Sale.

The Royal Refund Sale applies to select new bookings made between April 11 – 15, 2019 on sailings departing on or after May 11, 2019. 

The offer includes:

• 50% off cruise fare of second guest booked in the same stateroom as first, full-fare paying guest.
• 25% cruise fare savings for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualifying guests.
• Instant Savings Offer provides up to $300 instant savings per stateroom determined by category booked and sailing length:
  • Sailings 5 nights or less, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $150 for Suites
  • Sailings 6 nights or longer, $75 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $300 for Suites. 
  • Instant savings do not apply to China departures.
• Kids Sail Free
  • provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Cuba, Europe and Hawaii sailings departing between May 1, 2019 – May 15, 2020.
  • Offer excludes Summer sailings (Sailings between May 15 – August 31, 2019), 2019 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 23 – 30, 2019), Holiday sailings (Sailings between December 15, 2019 – January 3, 2020), President’s Day sailings (Sailings between February 14 – 17, 2020), Spring Break sailings (Sailings between March 14 – 23, 2020) and Holy Week/Easter sailings (Sailings between April 3 – 17, 2020).

BOGO and Kids Sail Free are combinable with each other as well as with Instant Savings Offer, promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers, Free Upgrades, Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Instant Savings Offer is combinable with promotional OBCs, NextCruise offers, Instant Savings, restricted discounts (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military), Promo Code driven offers and Free Upgrades but not combinable with Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Offers are not combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, Weekly Sales Events, Net Rates. Promo Code driven offers are based on select ships and sail dates and must be applied at time of booking, limit one promo code per booking. 

Offer available to residents of United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and select countries in the Caribbean. 

Royal Caribbean took delivery today of its first Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas.

At a ceremony in Bremerhaven, Meyer Werft shipyard handed over Spectrum of the Seas to Royal Caribbean's leadership team.

The first cruise ship of the Quantrum-Ultra class has a rating of 169,000 GRT; it measures 347.1 m in length and 41.4 m in width, with capacity for 4,246 passengers.

As a further development of Quantum-Class, Spectrum of the Seas is fitted with state-of-the-art emission control systems such as the a hybrid scrubber. Energy-efficient technical systems, optimized hydrodynamics, heat recovery and exceedingly effective underwater paintwork together with an extremely energy-saving LED lighting system result in considerable energy savings. A diesel/electric pod drive, extensive alarm and safety systems, interactive communication systems and the very latest stage equipment guarantee safety and entertainment on board in accordance with the highest technical standards.

Photos provided by Meyer Werft

The cruise ship has  18 decks with 2,137 cabins offering space for 4,246 passengers in double occupancy.

After being handed over to the shipping company, Spectrum of the Seas will be leaving Bremerhaven. The maiden voyage to Asia will begin in Barcelona on April 18.

Royal Caribbean has posted its 2020-2021 sailings from Hong Kong on Spectrum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas to destinations in Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and more.

Beginning July 2020, Voyager of the Seas will offer 4 and 5 night sailings, along with 9 night immersive Japan journeys.

The brand new Spectrum of the Seas, the first Quantum Ultra Class ship offers Asia cruises to Nagasaki, Osaka, Okinawa and beyond for a limited-time, from November 2020 through January 2021.

You can view sailings scheduled for Spectrum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.

These newly announced Hong Kong sailings are available to book immediately.

Included with the recent update to Royal Caribbean's app is the option for guests to initiate group chats while on their cruise.

In addition to the one-to-one guest chat feature that is being tested on Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the 1.16.0 version of the app comes with a group chat feature.

Thanks to Jody Finds The Travel Deals for providing the screenshots.

The chat feature is currently only available on Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas while it is being developed and tested.  Eventually, all Royal Caribbean ships will have access to the app, along with chat, however there is no timetable provided for when each ship and/or feature will be released.

There is no cost to use Royal Caribbean's app while onboard and you do not need an internet package to use the app either.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Royal Caribbean will introduce a new dining package that includes the most specialty dining options of any of its dining packages.

The Unlimited Dining Package will replace the Ultimate Dining Package, and be available pre-cruise on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner on Friday, April 12th.

Like its predecessor, the Unlimited Dining Package will allow guests to enjoy their meals at specialty restaurants as many times as
they’d like, based on availability. For instance, if they want to eat at the same restaurant twice in one night, they can.

Pricing for the Unlimited Dining Package will be very similar to what pricing for the Ultimate Dining Package was previously. Pricing will vary by sailing and ship class and will start around $24 per person per day for a 7 night sailing.

For specialty restaurants with a la carte pricing, the Unlimited Dining Package allows a $35 food credit per person for each visit.

Chef’s Table and culinary activities are excluded. Johnny Rockets is included in the package. However, beverages are not.

Package does not include beverages, but does provide 40% off bottles of wine under $100, and 20% off bottles over $100.

For Dining Packages, children ages 12 and under are excluded from offer; children ages 6-12 can be added to reservation for a $10 cover change once onboard. Not available on holiday sailings. 

Royal Caribbean has released version 1.16.0 of its new smartphone app, which adds maps and information about Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The release notes indicate the maps of CocoCay are available for ships that visit the island.  The interactive maps for Perfect Day  at CocoCay will be turned on later in May, when ships begin to visit the island following the Perfect Day launch.

The new app is available on these ships:

•  Adventure of the Seas
•  Allure of the Seas
•  Brilliance of the Seas
•  Enchantment of the Seas
•  Harmony of the Seas
•  Independence of the Seas
•  Liberty of the Seas
•  Majesty of the Seas
•  Mariner of the Seas
•  Navigator of the Seas
•  Oasis of the Seas
•  Serenade of the Seas
•  Symphony of the Seas
•  Vision of the Seas

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

It appears Royal Caribbean has temporarily shut down its SkyPad bungee trampoline experience on its cruise ships pending a review of the safety of the ride.

Guests who recently sailed on Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas reported the SkyPad was closed for the duration of their cruise.  Royal Caribbean confirmed via Twitter that the SkyPad is indeed closed for now.

Photo by Michelle May

Hi, Becky. The SkyPad is temporarily unavailable. We're currently conducting a review as the safety as part of our commitment to safety for all of our guests. I'm very sorry for any disappointment this has caused. -Alexis

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 7, 2019

We're still running reviews and inspections. We'll be sure to reach out if there's an update.

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) April 7, 2019

Royal Caribbean's review of the experience follows recent litigation that was filed against the cruise line that involved a guest who was injured while on the SkyPad.

The SkyPad is currently available on Independence of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.