SheSellsSeashells

You do not have to purchase a pass to get off the ship and enjoy the island.   As others have said get off and take a walk around. I am sure you will find a spot to enjoy!
 

When we go to some ports, we stay on board - we have been to Coco Cay a few times and last time we did not get off.  Pools were empty, and we had a great time, also the Schooner Bar is open, also coffee places.   If you have never experienced the port (in this case Coco Cay) then I would do a walk around on your own schedule. 

A casino dealer on my last trip told me that in Coco Cay they have special permission to keep the casino open. (Though table games may be limited) So if that is your thing, you can do that as well.

It is extremely quiet, little is open. We just did this due to early rain soaking our beach bed ☹️ The CK was open for us for lunch and the casino is open for slots (but mostly empty). The tables may also be open, I just didn’t notice anyone playing. Great time for a swim in the pool or a long nap though 😉
 

FWIW - At Bayonne NJ for our 4/3 sailing, we arrived 25 minutes before our time, and we were prepared to wait outside. But the lady greeting/directing people at the entrance seemed annoyed that we were hanging around outside and told us we HAD to go inside and start the embarkation process. She never even asked what our time was. And we were eating a roast beef sandwich in 270 by the time our actual embarkation time rolled around. That may just be a New York/New Jersey attitude thing. I have also heard most other ports are enforcing the time pretty strictly.

Hey all!
I thought it would be fun to do a live blog for a short trip on the Oasis this coming week. 
Quick summary and intros are in order:

About us and pre-cruise: 
It will be myself and best friend Mel, just 2 girls in our early 30s. This was a fairly “last minute” trip as far as cruises go; we booked it a little more than a month ago (mid March) after a quick convo about how we both wanted a short getaway. 

(^ that’s us in Alaska last summer - fun tidbit, that’s where we are from)
I live in central NC now so I will be doing a direct flight from Charlotte to Miami; and Mel will be coming from Atlanta so will be doing a direct from ATL to Miami. We coordinated our flights where we both land around 9-930am Sunday morning to meet at the Miami airport— yeeeep, the morning of. I know all the seasoned cruisers are gasping in anxiousness for us 😂 but yes, fingers crossed everything goes as planned. We got the earliest ship boarding at 11:30. 
This is my 4th cruise ever, my most recent was actually also Oasis in Feb 2019. Mel has been on 7+ but this is her first ever Royal Caribbean (mostly Carnival previously) so I’m really excited for her to experience this ship! I know it has had a revamp since I was on it last. I should also note that this is our first time cruising together.
 
Stateroom, extras, etc: 
We are average Joes’ and will be staying in an ocean balcony room (deck 7, forward). 
As far as “add ons;” all we did were internet packages. Went back and forth on the drink package as we both do drink some [alcohol] but the math didn’t really make sense for us (we don’t drink soda or anything other than water really either) so we were okay just paying as we go. 
 
FOOD, glorious food:
We both LOVE food. I should mention that I am a vegetarian incase that interests anyone else following along. We opted for the late traditional dining (8:00). We chose that over the early 5:30 seating (too early for us) or the My Time Dining because we agreed we like the traditional with same waiter each night and eating late allows us to get in more snacks throughout the day (haha). No major plans for specialty dining ahead of time but we may end up doing something once we are on board if it looks/sounds good and of course based on availability for reservations.
 
Plans, excursions, fun, etc: 
Neither of us are huge scheduled people while traveling so we are very much along for the ride. 
In this case, the trip is more about the ship for us. We’ve both been to Costa Maya and it wasnt anything super exciting to us, but we do plan to get off the ship. USUALLY when I’ve cruised I’m with my boyfriend or a smaller group and we go explore on our own or book private tours (outside the cruise company); but being somewhere we aren’t as excited about and being just two girls in our 30s we aren’t feeling as brave so we decided on just paying the $55ish to do a trip to the beach thru Royal as we felt it was simpler and safe that way. We didn’t do a ton of research (again, wignin’ it) and it just sounded simple. Give us sand and beautiful water! 
As far as fun/entertainment we are interested in catching the Aqua 80s show and then we will see when we’re onboard what other things we may want to check out like comedy shows, etc. We plan to get lots of relaxing time (and hopefully sun) on the pool deck. 

I hope you all enjoy following along. We are pretty easy going and I plan to share info along the way about packing, the embarkation process, capacity, food, fun, service etc (including pictures of course). 

Before a cruise, I just envision the joy I will experience as I walk up the stairs on the ship and admire all of the artwork.That soothes my nerves...

As a solo traveler I have stayed on. I was on a side to side to side that all went to Cococay, also I did a 2n that only went to PDCC on Freedom. I didn't get off each time because I was content. Playmakers will be open and certain bars will be open.......also the casino tends to be open while docked at PDCC. It is a great time to get pictures and relax in the solarium. 

I'd be happy sitting in a spa pool in the Solarium drinking my adult beverage looking at Coco Cay from afar.  Not that there is anything wrong with Coco Cay, not one bit.  I'd just enjoy the peace and quiet for a few hours.  At some point, before or after the visit to the Solarium, a short walk on the Cay would satisfy my curiosity and maybe grab one of those Crispy Chicken Sandwiches Matt talks about.

You'll be in port with Enchantment of the Seas  capacity:  2,252 guests (double occupancy) • 2,730 guests (total)
They arrive first.
I don't miss the opportunity to visit CoCoCay because it is a pretty beach.  I do like to get in the ocean, typically if I am traveling with people  I do that, otherwise I sit in a lounger in the shade and read a book and enjoy the view.  I also tend to go to the Snack Shack and indulge in the chicken sandwich and the fried dough.   Try the best of both worlds, go enjoy the ocean and then board early and enjoy the quiet ship.

the ship is way less crowded when in port. 

There's regular musical performances there. Either a single performer that sings, or a guy and girl pirate who do more family-focused songs and schtick

The beauty of Cococay, you can do as much or as little as you desire, while drenched in the sun.
I very much enjoyed sitting in the shade and watching the little free shows at Captain Jack's, sipping a fruity drink. I could have stayed there all day.
After some time, we wandered to the simple little buffet, which was terrific.
We were ashore maybe 3 hours, then shuttled back to the ship for the duration of the stop.
It was a Perfect Day.🥰
 
 

True that food options are limited. Best bet, head off the ship and have some lunch on the island and then head back to the ship. It's great when you are in port and the ship is very empty and quiet. 

I'm a fan of being on the ship in most ports, but not Coco Cay.  My wife doesn't get in the ocean and she enjoys just sitting in a chair watching the ocean as well.  Also, the included food on the island is great and the Island itself is a wonderful experience.  I would suggest you sleep in a bit, eat a good breakfast, then wander the island for a bit before having an amazing lunch and heading back to the ship.  Sine this looks to be your first Royal Cruise, you should at least explore the island a bit so you know what's there and how you may want to spend your day on future visits.  
 
I'm moderately jealous that you are cruising solo, i've not been able to pull that one off yet 🙂

I did this a few weeks ago from Independence.  Oasis was also docked so the island was very busy.  I decided to walk around and return to the ship - food options and bars were very limited until later in the afternoon.  But it was relatively quiet onboard.

Update on my post.  For giggles i have been checking each day for additional time slots to open up to no avail.  Well last night around midnight, 2 days before the cruise, low and behold additional slots opened and I was able to move up two hours.  Bingo!  Got what i was hoping for without upsetting the apple cart.

I admit it. When it comes to cruising, Im a food snob. Ultimate dining package every cruise.

That said, the best food has to be the roast beef sandwich on a Kummelweck bun. washed down with a lave flow.

So is this your first cruise?