JenL11

Sharing some feedback of a successful 'self' excursion.  Stopped in Nassau for the day and just wanted to spend the day relaxing at a beach with service and facilities.  Booked a day at the Hilton British Colonial hotel.  It's a very short walk down the road from the pier (no need for a cab).  Lovely beach, pool, bar and beautiful hotel.  We got there early off the ship and had a tiki umbrella on the beach with lounge chairs but there were plenty of chairs for all.  Keep in mind that the beach is actually on the harbor so you can see the cruise ships. This was actually a good thing because we could still get the VOOM wireless from our ship the whole day at the hotel.  Our credit for 2 was $80 for the day, we came in at $79 and change...two lunches, 3 drinks.   Here are details from an email I received from the hotel:
 
We do offer Day Passes at $65.00 per adult with kids at half price (6ys-12yrs); children 5 and under free with each paying adult. Upon your arrival to the hotel, you may purchase passes directly at the front desk. The Day Pass includes access to the hotel's pool, beach, kayaks, towels, lounge chairs (cabanas and day beds for in house guest use only) and a $40 food and beverage credit each adult guest, snorkeling gear is based on availability. The Day Passes are only sold with the Food and Beverage voucher and are not sold separately. The food and beverage credit can be used at your leisure on the outside at The Patio Bar and Grille or inside at Aqua restaurant. 

Day Passes are also sold online at $60.00 per adult with a 20% deposit at the time of booking. Please see the following links for availability -  http://bahamascruiseexcursions.com/NassauHiltonResortPass.htm;  www.bahamasdaypass.com or http://www.resortforaday.com/British-Colonial-Hilton-Day-pass-p/nsnabch.htm . The Day Pass starts from 9am and for your safety our life guards are on duty from 9am to 5pm. 

The British Colonial Hilton is within 10 minute walking distance from the cruise ship harbor. When you exit the cruise dock you would make a right hand turn and just follow the roadway to the end where you would see Senor Frogs Restaurant, turn left and follow to road to the front of the building to the entrance of the hotel. If you would prefer to catch a cab, the price is $9.00 for the first two persons and $3.00 for each additional person. The cab ride is also approximately 10 minutes away from the hotel. If you have any other inquiries, please feel free to contact me and once again thank you for choosing the British Colonial Hilton.
 

Sharing some feedback of a successful 'self' excursion.  Stopped in Nassau for the day and just wanted to spend the day relaxing at a beach with service and facilities.  Booked a day at the Hilton British Colonial hotel.  It's a very short walk down the road from the pier (no need for a cab).  Lovely beach, pool, bar and beautiful hotel.  We got there early off the ship and had a tiki umbrella on the beach with lounge chairs but there were plenty of chairs for all.  Keep in mind that the beach is actually on the harbor so you can see the cruise ships. This was actually a good thing because we could still get the VOOM wireless from our ship the whole day at the hotel.  Our credit for 2 was $80 for the day, we came in at $79 and change...two lunches, 3 drinks.   Here are details from an email I received from the hotel:
 
We do offer Day Passes at $65.00 per adult with kids at half price (6ys-12yrs); children 5 and under free with each paying adult. Upon your arrival to the hotel, you may purchase passes directly at the front desk. The Day Pass includes access to the hotel's pool, beach, kayaks, towels, lounge chairs (cabanas and day beds for in house guest use only) and a $40 food and beverage credit each adult guest, snorkeling gear is based on availability. The Day Passes are only sold with the Food and Beverage voucher and are not sold separately. The food and beverage credit can be used at your leisure on the outside at The Patio Bar and Grille or inside at Aqua restaurant. 

Day Passes are also sold online at $60.00 per adult with a 20% deposit at the time of booking. Please see the following links for availability -  http://bahamascruiseexcursions.com/NassauHiltonResortPass.htm;  www.bahamasdaypass.com or http://www.resortforaday.com/British-Colonial-Hilton-Day-pass-p/nsnabch.htm . The Day Pass starts from 9am and for your safety our life guards are on duty from 9am to 5pm. 

The British Colonial Hilton is within 10 minute walking distance from the cruise ship harbor. When you exit the cruise dock you would make a right hand turn and just follow the roadway to the end where you would see Senor Frogs Restaurant, turn left and follow to road to the front of the building to the entrance of the hotel. If you would prefer to catch a cab, the price is $9.00 for the first two persons and $3.00 for each additional person. The cab ride is also approximately 10 minutes away from the hotel. If you have any other inquiries, please feel free to contact me and once again thank you for choosing the British Colonial Hilton.
 

Sharing a positive experience on Cococay.  We walked to "south beach" (formerly called Barefoot Beach)...because it was considered to be a 'quiet' beach.  What a great day we had.  There was a nice cabana section of private cabanas next to us, a ton of lounge chairs, and a bar. Beach was lovely. There were probably only 20 people max in our area.  I heard from others on the ship that the rest of Cococay was 'very crowded'.  We loved South Beach for the day. The only potential downside was that we wound up skipping the provided lunch because we didn't want to leave our spot and travel to the picnic area. This wasn't a problem, we just had another frozen drink from the bar and ate at Windjammer back on the ship when we got back.

Sharing a positive experience on Cococay.  We walked to "south beach" (formerly called Barefoot Beach)...because it was considered to be a 'quiet' beach.  What a great day we had.  There was a nice cabana section of private cabanas next to us, a ton of lounge chairs, and a bar. Beach was lovely. There were probably only 20 people max in our area.  I heard from others on the ship that the rest of Cococay was 'very crowded'.  We loved South Beach for the day. The only potential downside was that we wound up skipping the provided lunch because we didn't want to leave our spot and travel to the picnic area. This wasn't a problem, we just had another frozen drink from the bar and ate at Windjammer back on the ship when we got back.

Sharing a positive experience on Cococay.  We walked to "south beach" (formerly called Barefoot Beach)...because it was considered to be a 'quiet' beach.  What a great day we had.  There was a nice cabana section of private cabanas next to us, a ton of lounge chairs, and a bar. Beach was lovely. There were probably only 20 people max in our area.  I heard from others on the ship that the rest of Cococay was 'very crowded'.  We loved South Beach for the day. The only potential downside was that we wound up skipping the provided lunch because we didn't want to leave our spot and travel to the picnic area. This wasn't a problem, we just had another frozen drink from the bar and ate at Windjammer back on the ship when we got back.

Sharing a positive experience on Cococay.  We walked to "south beach" (formerly called Barefoot Beach)...because it was considered to be a 'quiet' beach.  What a great day we had.  There was a nice cabana section of private cabanas next to us, a ton of lounge chairs, and a bar. Beach was lovely. There were probably only 20 people max in our area.  I heard from others on the ship that the rest of Cococay was 'very crowded'.  We loved South Beach for the day. The only potential downside was that we wound up skipping the provided lunch because we didn't want to leave our spot and travel to the picnic area. This wasn't a problem, we just had another frozen drink from the bar and ate at Windjammer back on the ship when we got back.

Sharing some feedback of a successful 'self' excursion.  Stopped in Nassau for the day and just wanted to spend the day relaxing at a beach with service and facilities.  Booked a day at the Hilton British Colonial hotel.  It's a very short walk down the road from the pier (no need for a cab).  Lovely beach, pool, bar and beautiful hotel.  We got there early off the ship and had a tiki umbrella on the beach with lounge chairs but there were plenty of chairs for all.  Keep in mind that the beach is actually on the harbor so you can see the cruise ships. This was actually a good thing because we could still get the VOOM wireless from our ship the whole day at the hotel.  Our credit for 2 was $80 for the day, we came in at $79 and change...two lunches, 3 drinks.   Here are details from an email I received from the hotel:
 
We do offer Day Passes at $65.00 per adult with kids at half price (6ys-12yrs); children 5 and under free with each paying adult. Upon your arrival to the hotel, you may purchase passes directly at the front desk. The Day Pass includes access to the hotel's pool, beach, kayaks, towels, lounge chairs (cabanas and day beds for in house guest use only) and a $40 food and beverage credit each adult guest, snorkeling gear is based on availability. The Day Passes are only sold with the Food and Beverage voucher and are not sold separately. The food and beverage credit can be used at your leisure on the outside at The Patio Bar and Grille or inside at Aqua restaurant. 

Day Passes are also sold online at $60.00 per adult with a 20% deposit at the time of booking. Please see the following links for availability -  http://bahamascruiseexcursions.com/NassauHiltonResortPass.htm;  www.bahamasdaypass.com or http://www.resortforaday.com/British-Colonial-Hilton-Day-pass-p/nsnabch.htm . The Day Pass starts from 9am and for your safety our life guards are on duty from 9am to 5pm. 

The British Colonial Hilton is within 10 minute walking distance from the cruise ship harbor. When you exit the cruise dock you would make a right hand turn and just follow the roadway to the end where you would see Senor Frogs Restaurant, turn left and follow to road to the front of the building to the entrance of the hotel. If you would prefer to catch a cab, the price is $9.00 for the first two persons and $3.00 for each additional person. The cab ride is also approximately 10 minutes away from the hotel. If you have any other inquiries, please feel free to contact me and once again thank you for choosing the British Colonial Hilton.
 

Just noted that Sip & Stream promo is being offered on our May Harmony sailing.
 
You receive both the Deluxe alcohol package and Voom Surf & Stream package for a total $392 for 7 nights.
 
Appears to only be on certain sailings.

I haven't heard any complaints about smoke drifting into the rooms. It may be slightly inconvenient to go up and over the casino to avoid the smoke from passing through the casino to get to the other side, but worth the upgrade.

We had an upgrade from an Inside Cabin to a Promenade View -- The Oceanview is the same larger cabin (even larger in your case) but with a prettier view. Congrats!

thank you, monorail and Doc, for your replies!! Greatly appreciated!

Holiday Inn by Jetty Park (had a small lazy river and water slide last I heard).
Jetty Park is the closest beach and would probably suffice (there may be a small fee. Has showers and bathrooms).
Cherie Down Park, on Ridgewood Ave (has a shower and bathrooms).
Cocoa Beach Aerial Adventure.
Golf & Gator.
Escape Cocoa Beach (escape room).
Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar.
The Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral.
Rusty's Oyster Bar, if you're into oysters.
Any beach will work, they're all the same (I've grown up on them). Most close to the port don't have showers or bathrooms. Some people enjoy the Cocoa Beach Pier, never been myself.
There are a few kayaking tours in the area.
Airboat tours can be fun as well.
Have fun whatever you end up doing!

As monorailmedic (Billy) said, Royal is very accommodating with dietary needs.  A little bit of conversation will go a long way.  I traveled this last cruise gluten-free (by choice) to support a family member with celiac and found the ship to be very good overall, although I thought the desserts were lacking (minor complaint).  I also found the specialty restaurants better able to accommodate dietary requests "on the fly" than the main dining room, which needed much more lead time as the items there aren't made to order like in the specialty restaurants.
 
If you do dine in the Windjammer, seek out the Executive Sous Chef.  S/he is always visible (if not, ask) and s/he will walk you around the buffet identifying all of the items and their ingredients.

Hi Jen,
 
First off, welcome to the site!
 
Generally speaking, I've found Royal Caribbean to be very accommodating.  Of course, like anything in life, there is always a little bit of luck involved.  I'll give you a few quick tips based on what I've found as a vegetarian (lacto/ovo) and cruiser.
 
-Have your travel agent note on your reservation that someone in your party has special dietary requirements
-Even if you're skipping the MDR the first night, speak with your head waiter and let him/her know your (well, your daughter's) needs (they can annotate your reservation so that it's seen in specialty restaurants too)
-Be clear, not only in what is acceptable, but what she *wants*
-Relating to above, don't just say vegan if she wants to eat fish - as you know, vegan = no animal products at all
-Be sure to mention that while part of this is preference, she does have a dairy intolerance.  This will lead them to be all the more cautious in terms of cross-contamination and such
 
Last note - If you don't feel someone is being helpful enough or understanding the nature of your request, ask someone else.  For example, most any of the dining staff will be understanding and helpful, but vegetarianism and veganism is much more prevalent in some cultures, so if I have the option, I'll always look for an Indian crew member in the dining area that might be able to help me out, as India has a very large vegan and vegetarian population (also jain, another set of criteria).
 
We've dined in Izumi, Johnny Rockets, Giovanni's Table, and Sabor and have always had plenty of options - more than what is just indicated as vegan/vegetarian on the menus).  Ohh, and we've found that for the largest variety of options the Windjammer at dinner is a winner - far more options than during the day, but again, the specialty venues and MDR can work with you.  In fact, we usually request a vegetarian Indian dish (or two) every night in the MDR in addition to whatever else might be on the menu (there are other options of course, we just love Indian cuisine).