coco cay first timers

[alan g]

we will be first time cruisers at coco cay on the Oasis in June. We are 50 something adults with no kids with us. What is your best recommendation to do there??

[Matt]

So many good choices to consider.

You could easily just go to Oasis Lagoon pool or Chill Beach and enjoy time there without spending a nickel more on the experience.

Some might point you to Hideaway Beach since you have no kids, but it costs extra and has a Vegas pool party vibe to it.

Coco Beach Club is lovely, but usually quite expensive too.

 

[alan g]

is hideaway beach worth the cost?

[Kayleigh]

IMO hideaway is not worth it! My husband and I were there in November and while we are young (37 and 40), we really hated the party scene. We were at the far end of the beach and could still hear the thumping music and horns going off. Call us old and party poopers but we cannot hang like we used to (we also have a 2 year old daughter that soaks up our energy (in a good way).

If you're looking for some nice spots, chill island and south beach are pretty awesome! If you want to splurge, I'd recommend Coco Beach Club. You can find videos of both places on YouTube and make the judgement call for yourself! 

We love CocoCay and make sure it's a stop when we cruise!

[dustfsu]

I would get off early and hit up Chill Island area. It is a close walk to the lagoon pool. Usually that area gets busy later early afternoon. Grab lunch around 11sih and then back to the beach or pool or you can even go back to the ship and the pool deck is pretty empty.

[RestingBird]

We get off the ship ASAP to find our spot.  So many great places to relax.

[Pattycruise]

I’m close to 60 and love hideaway beach but I was able to get out at $29 when it first opened and have gone as high as $50. Now it’s at $60 Plus on some of my sailings.  I’d most definitely post it if traveling when kids are out of school. Did it for about $40 when it was.NY B break on a sailing out of NJ recently and z hideaway was pretty empty  it was February and the beach can be a tad chill (though I thought it was gone) and the pool is heated-glorious!!

 I’m back on odyssey and I’m not spending the $70 for hideaway,  Im going back to my old haunt  chill island. There aren’t as many kids on this sailing and it’s been a while since I’ve been to the free beach area.  I’m looking forward to it, 

[WAYNO]

First off, I would say search the excursion offers and try whatever sounds good to you.

Second, if nothing intrigues you, then purchase nothing and just wander around on your own and settle wherever seems relaxing.  This is our choice.  There's plenty of food, plenty of beverages, plenty of sun, plenty of shade, plenty of beach chairs, and plenty of beach.

[loki007]

21 hours ago, alan g said:

we will be first time cruisers at coco cay on the Oasis in June. We are 50 something adults with no kids with us. What is your best recommendation to do there??

spend the money on Hideaway Beach you will not be disappointed. When you first enter you will see the "On the Rocks" Bar, get some chairs between there and the pool. Spend you time relaxing, hanging in the pool, soaking in the clear calm water, or sitting on an adirondack listening to the live band at On the Rocks. No better way to spend a Perfect Day!

[OCSC Mike]

22 hours ago, alan g said:

What is your best recommendation to do there??

A snack shack for crispy chicken sandwiches, mozz sticks, and funnel cake.

Chill Grill or Skipper's Grill for the taco bar (basically the same as ELF), sandwiches, BBQ chicken, etc. Dessert hack... get soft serve in a plastic drinking cup then add choc chip cookies and/or brownies.

[alan g]

Hideaway beach is listed at 105pp. Unless that comes with a massage and free drinks. Seems to be crazy to pay that 

[beccaball]

1 minute ago, alan g said:

Hideaway beach is listed at 105pp. Unless that comes with a massage and free drinks. Seems to be crazy to pay that 

It was listed like that for my Icon Spring Break vacay 03/22/25 but dropped to $56.08 (random price) ..... I agree it was high but I bought it at $56 to see if it was worth it. It might be a one and done for us... we will see?

[Jolly Ogre]

I thought I paid a premium when it was $35.99 per person... I would not pay any more for it.

[PhantomWolf]

20 hours ago, alan g said:

is hideaway beach worth the cost?

Love Hideaway Beach!! Sometimes the price is high but if you watch the planner you can find a good deal on it.  Heated pool is nice during the colder months.  Music from the dj brings a fun vibe.  Plenty of food options around and its not too crowded there.  Good view of the ships and the ocean from it as well.

[Geezer Of The Seas]

Only add on spending we've done at Coco Cay has been a' la carte alcoholic drinks & a beach bed at Breezy Bay at Chill Island (the beach beds now have a breathtaking price but my back says damn the torpedoes). 

Tried Chill Grill once, too tumultuous, we're good with Snack Shack grub that's 100 paces away from the beach bed area.  There's always bar service staff circulating to take/serve drink orders.

OUR "Perfect Day"........

[JustinandBrooke]

South Beach has the best views imo but it really just depends what you like and on my last trip there a couple weeks ago...which way the wind blows.  

It was coming in so hard around the snorkel beach they had to close it but the lagoon and south beach were perfectly calm.  As others have said, you probably want to start somewhat early and maybe just take a beach stroll and see what strikes you.   

Have fun!

[billdauterive]

11 hours ago, alan g said:

Hideaway beach is listed at 105pp. Unless that comes with a massage and free drinks. Seems to be crazy to pay that 

Yeah, that price is beyond crazy!  105 around the top of what I'd pay for the beach club, no way I'd come anywhere near that number for hideaway beach.

[TXcruiser33]

We've been here several times and love Coco Cay!

We've done several things while here. The easiest (and cheapest) is to make your way to a nice spot, grab some chairs and enjoy your day! You don't have to spend any money if you don't want to to enjoy your time here.

We've been to the Beach Club and I enjoy this area a lot. Much quieter, less crowded. The restaurant has a more upscale menu and the food is great. I can't remember what we paid for it but seems like $200 pp....? So, only an option if you're willing to spend the money.

Last month we got a great deal on a cabana at hideaway beach (we had friends with us so the pp cost was reasonable - i'd say about $200 pp). This got us a private cabana, heated pool, food service included (typical hamburgers/chicken strips kind of menu). Since it was February, we mainly did this for the heated pool, in case it was cool outside and the ocean was too cold to swim in). We had a beautiful day weather-wise, in the 70's and sunny. There were people swimming in the ocean but it was a little on the cool side. Our pool was perfect! The only negative about the cabana's imo, the way they are facing we were mostly in the shade all day. I'm not sure if there is more sun at different times of the year, but just an fyi for anyone considering booking one. Of course, we had the option to go sit in beach chairs by the lagoon and in the sun....we didn't do this but it's an option.

Have fun!

[TessFromFlorida]

Also in my 50s. We did not pay for private area access, didn't find the need to. We did enjoy the jet ski excursion. 

[rjac]

3 hours ago, TXcruiser33 said:

We've been to the Beach Club and I enjoy this area a lot. Much quieter, less crowded. The restaurant has a more upscale menu and the food is great. I can't remember what we paid for it but seems like $200 pp....? So, only an option if you're willing to spend the money.

Tx's comment is on target about the Beach Club. It is on sale now for $217.78 per person. I would book it now and watch for a lower price then rebook it. But it is much quieter, limited number of guests, no problem finding an umbrella and lounge chair, great infinity pool, swim up bar, towels provided and a GREAT complimentary lunch. We had steak and lobster a few years ago and we had more than two lobster each. There is a free shuttle that will take you around the island and you get off at the beach club, or any place else you desire. Be sure to check out the "small" waterslide", which you have to pay for. It is awesome. Have a great time! 

[alan g]

Oasis beach looks like it has a swim up bar too. And it’s no cost. Thoughts??

[teddy]

The first time we ever went to Coco Cay, we planned nothing and spent a couple hours slowly wandering around getting the lay of the land. After that we just relaxed at Chill Island.  
 

On subsequent visits, we knew what was where and knew what we liked/disliked. 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

14 hours ago, alan g said:

Oasis beach looks like it has a swim up bar too. And it’s no cost. Thoughts??

I love Oasis pool and have parked myself there the last two times at CocoCay and will most likely again in May!  My reason is the 2 visits prior to that we did South Beach and both times there were so many jellyfish in the water I wouldn’t go in!  The pool is really nice and it’s actually fun to walk around the entire length of it with all its turns…you see a lot of sights.  Yes, the bar is also very .  Lots of chairs to lounge in and also there are many on the edge of the pool (slightly in the water) as well!   those water loungers truly make my body work to get out of them!   

I mentioned most likely go there again in May because I am thinking of checking out Chill Island for a bit…but only if the water is free of creatures!  
oh…we also did Cocoa Beach Club in the past and wouldn’t pay for that again.  For me…not worth the price!  I prefer going “pauper style” meaning free and absolutely love the snack shack foods!

[OCSC Mike]

10 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

I love Oasis pool and have parked myself there the last two times at CocoCay

We've parked in the same spot by the pool for the last many trips there.

I'm not a really a beach or pool guy but there's shade and it's a short walk to both a snack shack and Chill Grill. Throw in voucher drinks and I become a pool guy, lol.

Nice to be able to take a quick dip to cool off since we're mostly limited to spring and summer cruising.

[Mrs. Thomas]

What's the opinion on Breezy Bay? The RCB video says that it has some games that look fun for my kiddos. However, my parents are 70 and will just be "beach bums" mostly. Is it crowded at all? 

On 3/5/2025 at 7:09 AM, OCSC Mike said:

A snack shack for crispy chicken sandwiches, mozz sticks, and funnel cake.

Chill Grill or Skipper's Grill for the taco bar (basically the same as ELF), sandwiches, BBQ chicken, etc. Dessert hack... get soft serve in a plastic drinking cup then add choc chip cookies and/or brownies.

Are those funnel cakes actually pretty good? We love them, but they are so expensive here at home during the summer. It would be nice to get one while we are on vacay.

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

Are those funnel cakes actually pretty good? We love them, but they are so expensive here at home during the summer. It would be nice to get one while we are on vacay.

Yes, quite good IMO. A long time ago they started making them so they could fry up more at one time which I thought was a good idea. You can always get more if you want and they come out a bit crispier this way.

Don't take my word for it though, try them, the price is right (free). If you don't like them, no harm done.

[Mrs. Thomas]

What's the opinion on Breezy Bay? The RCB video says that it has some games that look fun for my kiddos. However, my parents are 70 and will just be "beach bums" mostly. Is it crowded at all? 

[GatorCruiser]

Coco does a good job of spreading the masses out,  but a lot of it may depend on what ships (sizes) are in port that day. 

[OCSC Mike]

14 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

a lot of it may depend on what ships (sizes) are in port that day

If you are able/willing to get off the ship early, you will find a surprisingly empty island until maybe 10am even with two Oasis class ships in port.

The first time I experienced that scenario I was a bit surprised to find a virtual ghost towm around Oasis Lagoon when we got to our spot. I am now fully convinced that getting up and off the ship first thing puts us in the extreme minority.

Later on it will certainly feel more crowded but it still hasn't been bad enough to bother us.

[GatorCruiser]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

. I am now fully convinced that getting up and off the ship first things puts us in the extreme minority.

Indeed you are. Our ankle weights (tongue in cheek) make getting anywhere quickly or efficiently a Herculean task. 

[OCSC Mike]

19 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

Indeed you are. Our ankle weights (tongue in cheek) make getting anywhere quickly or efficiently a Herculean task. 

Yeah, wrangling the herd definitely plays a role even if a family doesn't sleep late.

[King of Wales]

IMHO when you go for the first time, everything is NEW and EXCITING!  Just walking around the island is fun - it's BIG and can take a decent amount of your day just to see most other public areas.  Spend time by (and IN) the Oasis Lagoon pool, grab a drink at the swim up bar.  Then move to a beach location (or reverse the order).  Get a chicken sandwich at the snack shack, shop the little huts for a t-shirt.  Find a hammock, or a little sports court game.  Find time to relax  

It's a new experience just being there!

[GatorCruiser]

4 hours ago, King of Wales said:

shop the little huts for a t-shirt.

I have purchased some sick performance long sleeves from those huts. I also have a nice hooded one from our time at labadee that says “Labadee” on it 

[Mrs. Thomas]

On 3/22/2025 at 8:31 AM, OCSC Mike said:

Yeah, wrangling the herd definitely plays a role even if a family doesn't sleep late.

I have a teen daughter that takes FOREVER to get ready to do anything! Hopefully, the promise of a beach day will get her motivated to get off the ship! 

[Tania]

I am 49 and my husband is 56.  We did Hideaway beach last May for $34 pp.  But not worth it at the current price of $60 pp.  We usually go to South Beach - it has a neat entrance.  Calm Waters.  Floating Beach bar if that has your interest.  Also, it has a sand bar you can go to.  It's has some sports you can play for activities.  Then at lunch we hit the snack shack.  The Mozzarella sticks and chicken sandwich is very good.   Then we go to the Oasis Lagoon for the swim up bar and we relax in the pool until it's time to go back to the ship.  Definitely watch the youtube videos so you can have a plan and get familiar with the island.   Have a wonderful time.  We are going to Co Co cay 4 times this year and we can't wait!!