First time at Perfect Day

[Travel Hombre]

Next July on Wonder of the Seas will be my next cruise. Our first stop is at Perfect Day. I’ve never been there before. I’m going on a cruise with multiple family members with kids. I have 0 expectations that we all have to do the exact same things together.

I’m sure my mom will want to, I won’t. So with that said I am tempted between getting a day bed or potentially a cabana (maybe in Chill Island?) but I wasn’t sure if I were to would it be worth it or a waste to also get a day pass for the Coco Beach Club or the new adults only area on top of a day bed or cabana.

I haven’t purchased anything yet for Perfect Day, but I’d much rather purchase as early as possible instead of waiting last minute. Thanks for any and all feedback.

[loki007]

if you want a perfectly relaxing day in a serene environment with great food and service I would highly recommend the beach club. Hideaway beach looks nice and is much less expensive but until it opens we won't know if its as good as it looks. I find the rest of the island too crowded if there are 2 ships there, which there normally is. 

[ChessE4]

I'd skip the pricey stuff and visit Chill Island and/or the pool. Go early and snag your spots. Enjoy the water at your leisure. Yes, the island can be crowded. What counts is that you have fun. Save $ for ports with interesting excursions. I see pricing on some stuff just unrealistic, but I could be in the minority. 

[27th Lady]

Totally up to your preference but I agree With the idea of not feeling obligated to buy anything to have a good day
 

if you really wanted to buy something definitely choose one rather than both. 

[Travel Hombre]

I appreciate the feedback. Part of the reason why I was struggling with it is because it’s my first time there and I’d like to do something different. 
 

Also, on my last cruise (NCL) I had asked my family going with me months in advance “What excursions are you interested in?”, etc. Crickets. Then once on the cruise at some of the ports we had to haggle and search for stuff and when we go to some of the stops it was less than stellar. 
 

So I just don’t want a repeat of that again. And I like to plan early since I get excited before any trip.

The Coco Beach Club cabanas were crazy expensive. The other sections are crazy expensive too but cheap compared to the beach club. 

I’m sure it’ll be fun no matter what. I just don’t want to struggle looking for a beach chair like on my last cruise.

[steverk]

I guess it's up to you. A year ago, I'd say going to Thrill Island or even getting a cabana would be a great add on.

However, prices are really high for that now. If that doesn't bother you, then go for it. All of those facilities are top notch, and you'll enjoy them. 

IMO the extra cost facilities are great, but not worth the current prices. You can find some fine lounge chairs with shade pretty easily.  The beaches are clean and as nice as you'll find anywhere. The games, like volleyball,  are also included.  Therefore,  you can have a great time without the added expense. 

[OCSC Mike]

7 hours ago, Travel Hombre said:

I’m sure it’ll be fun no matter what. I just don’t want to struggle looking for a beach chair like on my last cruise.

You won’t struggle, especially if you do some research & pick a location ahead of time. Also, getting off the ship on the early side only helps.

[Crown&AnchorEsq]

We've really enjoyed thrill island when we've been on the island.  Though the dynamic pricing can make it tricky, we paid way too much one time.  If you're the type of person who is able to make it to other waterparks throughout your year it would probably be a pass but for my family and I it was a no brainer because we rarely have the time to make it between weather and our schedules.

Coco Beach club is probably the most "elevated" experience on the island and I am sure you will enjoy it but those costs have trended towards astronomical.  Traveling with a big group gives you some advantage because you could theoretically split a Coco Beach or Thrill island cabana and may be able to save on the actual pass admission though the pricing has sort of phased that out as well.  

There's no wrong choice, except possibly hideaway beach since we do not actually know what it will be like but it will presumably be a fine choice, it is really more a matter of how much you want to spend.  I always suggest setting a hard budget for your cruise and then see how spending $300+ on coco cay might effect your ability to do whatever else you might want to do.  As long as you stay on budget you will never regret spending the money on something, but you very well could regret missing out on something else.

With all that said, definitely book sooner rather than later, prices often go up, rarely go down and you can cancel and rebook regardless.
 

[instaGator]

8 hours ago, Travel Hombre said:

I just don’t want to struggle looking for a beach chair like on my last cruise.

As @OCSC Mike said, you will not have to struggle to find seating together if you get off the ship as soon as the gangway opens.  The island doesn't really begin to get crowded until around 10:00am (or maybe a bit later).  Since it is your first time at PDCC, I recommend that you do not book a cabana or bed.  Just study the map, pick your "team headquarters" spot and then everyone can explore the entire island from there.  It is a really great place and I am sure that you will have fun no matter what you choose.  

[OCSC Mike]

23 minutes ago, instaGator said:

As @OCSC Mike said, you will not have to struggle to find seating together if you get off the ship as soon as the gangway opens.  The island doesn't really begin to get crowded until around 10:00am (or maybe a bit later).  Since it is your first time at PDCC, I recommend that you do not book a cabana or bed.  Just study the map, pick your "team headquarters" spot and then everyone can explore the entire island from there.  It is a really great place and I am sure that you will have fun no matter what you choose.  

Well said. I agree with every word.

I've been there numerous times without spending a penny (except tipping for voucher drinks) and I've also been treated to both types of beach club cabanas. I had a great time every trip. The cabanas are an amazing experience and some of the beach club food is excellent (filet, coconut crusted lobster, etc.)... but not worth current prices, IMO. "Worth it" is super subjective though so they may easily be worth it to someone else and people should spend their money however they want.

I'm a frugal guy with simple tastes so I'm just as happy grabbing chairs with an umbrella in our go-to spot (which is walking distance from both a snack shack and chill grill) and stuffing myself on chicken sandwiches, funnel cakes, the taco bar, etc.

I'll be there in exactly 3 weeks... can't wait, as always.

[Travel Hombre]

3 hours ago, Crown&AnchorEsq said:

We've really enjoyed thrill island when we've been on the island.  Though the dynamic pricing can make it tricky, we paid way too much one time.  If you're the type of person who is able to make it to other waterparks throughout your year it would probably be a pass but for my family and I it was a no brainer because we rarely have the time to make it between weather and our schedules.

Coco Beach club is probably the most "elevated" experience on the island and I am sure you will enjoy it but those costs have trended towards astronomical.  Traveling with a big group gives you some advantage because you could theoretically split a Coco Beach or Thrill island cabana and may be able to save on the actual pass admission though the pricing has sort of phased that out as well.  

There's no wrong choice, except possibly hideaway beach since we do not actually know what it will be like but it will presumably be a fine choice, it is really more a matter of how much you want to spend.  I always suggest setting a hard budget for your cruise and then see how spending $300+ on coco cay might effect your ability to do whatever else you might want to do.  As long as you stay on budget you will never regret spending the money on something, but you very well could regret missing out on something else.

With all that said, definitely book sooner rather than later, prices often go up, rarely go down and you can cancel and rebook regardless.
 

I live close enough to a 6 Flags location and a couple of hours from King’s Dominion so if myself or anyone I know had the urge to go to a water park we have options. However those options won’t cost me nearly $200 a person to get in unlike the price of Thrill Island day pass.

That said of all of the prices for cabanas at this very moment Thrill Island appears to be the cheapest cabana by about $300 compared to most and more compared to the Beach Club and Hideaway. So in that regard it’s a good deal. Not cheap but a good deal since it also includes 8 day passes which are almost $200 per person.

This is for the July 7-14, 2024 cruise. My guess was that since it’s right after the 4th of July maybe RC still expects people to be on vacation and hence the higher prices?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Travel Hombre
Needed to crop some of the images.

[Travel Hombre]

5 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

You won’t struggle, especially if you do some research & pick a location ahead of time. Also, getting off the ship on the early side only helps.

Chill Island at this moment seems like it’ll be my go to area. I wouldn’t mind popping in to check out the others as well. And it appears that Chill will be closest to the infamous snack shack with its mozzarella sticks and secret sandwich so more reason why that seems like a prime location.
 

Easier said than done regarding getting off the ship early. Don’t get me wrong I do agree. If I have a reason to then I’m all for it. It’s just traveling with family can sometimes throw a wrench into that especially when some will want to wait for others even at the risk of getting off the ship on time or even to getting to a show early.

[Travel Hombre]

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Well said. I agree with every word.

I've been there numerous times without spending a penny (except tipping for voucher drinks) and I've also been treated to both types of beach club cabanas. I had a great time every trip. The cabanas are an amazing experience and some of the beach club food is excellent (filet, coconut crusted lobster, etc.)... but not worth current prices, IMO. "Worth it" is super subjective though so they may easily be worth it to someone else and people should spend their money however they want.

I'm a frugal guy with simple tastes so I'm just as happy grabbing chairs with an umbrella in our go-to spot (which is walking distance from both a snack shack and chill grill) and stuffing myself on chicken sandwiches, funnel cakes, the taco bar, etc.

I'll be there in exactly 3 weeks... can't wait, as always.

Since it’ll be my first time there I guess my I initial urge is to do something big like a beach bead or cabana. I don’t cruise every year or every year multiple times a year (2023 being the exception: Quantum to Alaska and a NCL ship around Mexico and the Caribbean). Most of my cruises are on Royal Caribbean and while I’m not the planner of the cruises out of all of the ones we’ve done since like 2009, this will be the first one with a Perfect Day stop. So knows when we will be back. Sometimes I think my relatives are only content with seeing the same ports each time. 

In between cruises I push for other types like the Panamá Canal, or one that stops in Dominican Republic or goes to South America. In 2017 we did a RC cruise out of Barcelona with 3 stops in Italy and 2 in France. I loved it and we got to Barcelona 2 or 3 days early and caught an FCB match. Since then Hawaii was the furthest cruise we’ve done (NCL Pride of America).

I’m glad to be cruising period. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just sometimes if the cruise you take is going to all of or most of the same ports previously visited then you too may have the urge to do something extra too since it’s kind of a been there, done that scenario.

[Ampurp85]

I also echo the sentiment that as this is your first time, don't spend any money on an expensive cabana/day bed. There are enough loungers and activities to do for free as a first timer. The food is pretty decent as well. I am also a little bias because I found the food at the Beach club to not be very good and borderline disgusting. 

[OCSC Mike]

3 hours ago, Travel Hombre said:

we got to Barcelona 2 or 3 days early and caught an FCB match

Now that had to be amazing.

[Travel Hombre]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

Now that had to be amazing.

It was. Even though they were nosebleed seats and were expensive (about $100 USD I think), the view was great. Was a near sold out game. I don’t follow soccer much but it made for a great trip and that my birthday fell on one of the Italian stops and made pizza in Italy with my mom on an excursion. That was probably my favorite cruise to date.

[Cactus527]

I just had my first experience at PDCC a few weeks ago. I can't tell you how nice it was to have not bought anything in advance because it left me free to explore the island and spend my time wherever I wanted to based on what I saw that was interesting at the time. Hung out on South Beach for a while, visited snack shack, wandered through chill island and found a hammock to spend some time in!, visited the straw market, took lots of pictures in various places, and enjoyed watching the fish swimming around the dock/ pier.  Just my two cents!

[Travel Hombre]

2 hours ago, Cactus527 said:

I just had my first experience at PDCC a few weeks ago. I can't tell you how nice it was to have not bought anything in advance because it left me free to explore the island and spend my time wherever I wanted to based on what I saw that was interesting at the time. Hung out on South Beach for a while, visited snack shack, wandered through chill island and found a hammock to spend some time in!, visited the straw market, took lots of pictures in various places, and enjoyed watching the fish swimming around the dock/ pier.  Just my two cents!

I appreciate you taking the time to comment. It’s a tough one for me. Been cruising fairly regularly since 2009 and it’s only now that I’m on a cruise that is visiting one of Royal’s, or any cruise line’s, private locations. Doubt I’ll do Thrill (don’t want to pay almost $200 for a water park when the water (ocean) is right there), I do think Chill Island will be my go to place and I won’t mind doing a walk around from there. Plus I’ll be traveling with a large family group this time. Larger than usual. But since it’s my first private island stop in 14 years of cruising (minus a couple due to the covid break) I suppose I want to splurge a bit.

I do see your point too. Plus it would save quite a bit of money. I’m glad you had a great time too by the way.

 

[AandD]

On 10/5/2023 at 3:24 PM, Travel Hombre said:

It was. Even though they were nosebleed seats and were expensive (about $100 USD I think), the view was great. Was a near sold out game. I don’t follow soccer much but it made for a great trip and that my birthday fell on one of the Italian stops and made pizza in Italy with my mom on an excursion. That was probably my favorite cruise to date.

We were on a cruise last year during the world cup early rounds. We didn't follow soccer much either, but Royal was showing the games all over the ship and everybody was having a good time. My plan for 2026 is to work the world cup games in Kansas City then catch a cruise to watch some more games. 

[Travel Hombre]

24 minutes ago, AandD said:

We were on a cruise last year during the world cup early rounds. We didn't follow soccer much either, but Royal was showing the games all over the ship and everybody was having a good time. My plan for 2026 is to work the world cup games in Kansas City then catch a cruise to watch some more games. 

That sounds awesome. When we were in Barcelona it was completely dumb luck that we happened to be there when there was a game going on. I forget the name of the team FCB played, but it was the other Barcelona team. So that was reason why it was a near sold out game. I think the floor seats that look like race car style seats were either going for 700 euros or so or $700 USD or so for the ground seats. Still I was pretty content with nose bleeds which I will almost never say again in my life. It was quite the experience. I wish we had another day or so in the city to do the stadium tour as well. But Barcelona isn’t going anywhere and is any excuse to do another cruise from there or a stand alone trip to Barcelona.

I sort of hate flying out of IAD since it’s like and hour one way from home but they tend to have plenty of direct long haul flights to destinations like Barcelona, Tokyo, etc. So you can’t beat that.

[Travel Hombre]

On a related note in general to this overall topic and to the purposes of this blog in general I am absolutely thrilled by the welcoming responses I have gotten from everyone thus far from everyone. My sincere thanks to all. Yes, I overthink things at times. I’m guilty of that. But after 2 back-to-back cruises of waiting on family to make up their minds for things and they not doing so until last minute, and by last minute I mean we are on the cruise itself I just lose patience and want to get stuff settled as far out in advance as possible.

Old military habit. More often than not I hate leaving things to to chance or last minute X factors. I guess I get a little neurotic at times but I suppose we all have our respective quirks don’t we?

 

[OCSC Mike]

39 minutes ago, AandD said:

We were on a cruise last year during the world cup early rounds. We didn't follow soccer much either, but Royal was showing the games all over the ship and everybody was having a good time. My plan for 2026 is to work the world cup games in Kansas City then catch a cruise to watch some more games. 

Working the matches sounds pretty cool. Hope that works out!

I've sailed during the early portion of a few World Cups onboard... Royal usually does a good job of showing the matches. One year there was a designated WC channel on the cabin TV that showed both live matches and then replays 24/7.

In 2014, they set up a small watch party somewhere onboard Enchantment for the US-Ghana group stage match. There weren't a ton of us there but those in attendance were obviously big US soccer fans. That was the late John Brooks header that won it for those reading who follow the USMNT. The room obviously went crazy! It was a good time.

They were also showing matches on the pool big screen (but without audio).

[Travel Hombre]

The beach bed does seem like it would be more comfy and cheaper since you can fully lay out (though you would need to get your own food and drinks which is a minor think) versus the couch and extra chairs and cooler in the cabana the cabana has the locker and attendant service. For someone who has done both can you chime in about what you thought of the two?

[Cactus527]

7 hours ago, Travel Hombre said:

The beach bed does seem like it would be more comfy and cheaper since you can fully lay out (though you would need to get your own food and drinks which is a minor think) versus the couch and extra chairs and cooler in the cabana the cabana has the locker and attendant service. For someone who has done both can you chime in about what you thought of the two?

I specifically remember seeing coolers in front of all the day/beach beds on South Beach. I remember because I thought, "oh, that's great! if I come back and decide to do a bed, I'll have some water too." There are roving waiters that will come by for your drink orders, so you don't have to get up and get it yourself. Food, though, you'll probably have to get on your own, but if you have the reserved day bed, you don't have to worry about someone taking your spot.

[Geezer Of The Seas]

Both visits to Perfect Day, we rented beach beds at Breezy Bay.  A steal at less than $200 both times, compared to the OP's screen capture for their trip next year! 

That said, we're on Mariner next month; swallowed hard and shelled out $359 for a beach bed because my surgically altered back prefers a beach bed over the free chaise lounges 2 to 1. 

Who am I to argue with my back..............

But damn, Royal Caribbean!!!! Are beach beds by the hour next?

[Ditchdoc]

I am not so wealthy that I want to spend $1000 or even $500 to sit on the beach for a day.

 

But .... isn't there always a but ...

 

As said, if you get off the ship pretty early, you can easily find a nice spot to your liking most anywhere at no cost.

Then again, I know that traveling with family, especially if there are several, can be like herding cats and you may not be able to find an area for everyone by the time you can get them there.

Then again, , if the family is willing to split the cost, then perhaps one of the 'pay to play' areas might be a good option at a reasonable cost.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Travel Hombre]

1 hour ago, Ditchdoc said:

I am not so wealthy that I want to spend $1000 or even $500 to sit on the beach for a day.

 

But .... isn't there always a but ...

 

As said, if you get off the ship pretty early, you can easily find a nice spot to your liking most anywhere at no cost.

Then again, I know that traveling with family, especially if there are several, can be like herding cats and you may not be able to find an area for everyone by the time you can get them there.

Then again, , if the family is willing to split the cost, then perhaps one of the 'pay to play' areas might be a good option at a reasonable cost.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

Thanks for your input. I for one am not going to cry if not all of my relatives don’t do anything or everything with me that day at Perfect Day. If some do some stuff, which I suspect some will because of the the volume of people attending, cool. If some don’t then that’s fine too. This will be one of the few trips I’ll take all of next year and if I do a cabana or beach bed will be one of the few mini splurges within said trip. Who knows when I’ll be back to perfect day or to the Haiti location which I won’t butcher and I’m typing this on my phone so I’m worried if I open a new browser it’ll erase everything I wrote so far.

I want to be super comfortable there and live it up a bit since I don’t know when I’ll be back. I don’t make so much that I can drop those amounts RC is asking for and not miss it. But I as I will explain a bit in a moment coupled with I am seeking family who might want to split costs with me then it may not be too bad. Certain I like the lay flat option and price point of the beach bed more, but the service, locker and shade of the cabana most. Lots to consider.

Not including myself and mom I believe there will be about 10 or so others joining. Of those 10 about 2 are children. So I’m my head I know already the struggles it’s going to be to get folks up on time, out on time or back on time.

After multiple back-to-back cruises where that was an issue albeit with less people I’m  just tired of it and want to plan around it as best as possible.

Edited October 10, 2023 by Travel Hombre
Wanted to expand upon logic for beach vs cabana thoughts and mention how large a group is coming with me.