jaedam0820 Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 My family (husband and son) are first time cruisers this May. Our first stop is in Cococay. I have a Philippine passport with a US greencard. I was told that I would need to have a tourist visa in order to enter Bahamas. My husband and son are both US citizens so they don't have a problem. My question is, it worth it to spend $200 (consular fee plus visa processing by a 3rd party agent) for a Bahamas tourist visa? We didn't sign up for any shore excursions in Cococay. We are not interested in the Thrill waterpark either. We just want to get off the ship because it would be our first stop in the cruise. Appreciate your inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 Only you can truly answer that question. Without doing any of the excursions or specialty activities (cabanas, beach club), Coco Cay is basically a beach stop. The free facilities are great (beaches, oasis lagoon pool) and plenty of good food options, but is it worth $200? Not sure. If you looked at it differently, would it be worth $67pp for the full family to have a full beach day? Maybe.. Is this likely the only time you would go to Coco Cay? probably worth it then. In the end, if that visa would be required to get off the ship at Coco Cay, you could just consider it to be part of your overall vacation cost. You might regret not having it when you get there and cannot get off. jaedam0820 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 CocoCay is a privately owned island. I would reach out to Royal (I’m told Facebook or Twitter are your best options as phone CSRs are relatively uninformed) and ask if you would need a visa to get off there. jaedam0820 and Kathleen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlantix2000 Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 I think the more important question is will they even let you board the ship in the US without a valid visa for the Bahamas? Royal may be required to ensure that all passengers have valid visas for all ports of call that require them before you can even start your cruise. Even if you don't actually step foot on Cococay, you will be in the Bahamas. Pretty sure I just saw a story about international passport cruisers denied boarding in Seattle for an Alaskan cruise because the ship stops in Canada and they didn't have visas. The next question is whether you have time to get that visa by May. RafaellaCG and jaedam0820 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedam0820 Posted March 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 Thank you for everyone who replied. I called Royal and they said it's not needed. Last question - what about Travel Health visa for Bahamas? Is that still required? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 1 hour ago, jaedam0820 said: Last question - what about Travel Health visa for Bahamas? Is that still required? It has never been needed for cruise passengers, only for those flying to the Bahamas. jaedam0820 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedam0820 Posted March 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 19 hours ago, AshleyDillo said: It has never been needed for cruise passengers, only for those flying to the Bahamas. Thank you so much! My mind's at ease now. AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCWind Posted April 1, 2022 Report Share Posted April 1, 2022 Have a great cruise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charielle Posted November 5, 2022 Report Share Posted November 5, 2022 On 3/30/2022 at 2:32 PM, jaedam0820 said: Thank you for everyone who replied. I called Royal and they said it's not needed. Last question - what about Travel Health visa for Bahamas? Is that still required? Hi! Fellow Filipina here. I'm in a similar situation, but living in Canada. (=No green card). Did they mention why the visa is not needed? Is it because of the US green card, or something else? How did the check-in go? Did you have to provide any documents/proof that no visa is needed for the Coco Cay stop? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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