Cococay, Bahamas

[rosie12345]

We booked our first cruise ever. First stop will be Cococay Bahamas. Reading through this forum I have not seen anything really nice about Cococay. Has anyone out there actually enjoyed Cococay? We are a family with 3 kids and I already found out that it is a good idea to bring water shoes...

 

Thanks for any inputs.

[rushedmom]

I love Coco Cay, one of our families favorite stops. Just a fun beach day. Water shoes are a good idea for any beach. I would tell you the glass bottom boat tour is a fun excursion saw some really cool fish and coral.

We also went parasailing there and it was very fun.

 

And don't forget to have a Coco Loco while you are enjoying the beach!

[Aquahound]

It's heaven on Earth...

 

 

 

[rushedmom]

Aquahound your pictures make me want to go back now!

 

One of the things I loved was the quietness, no car or plane noise, just happy people noise!

[papakaiser]

Cococay is what you make of it. For us, it's just a fun day at the beach. The ship will send crew ashore to fix a nice barbeque lunch, and the kids can enjoy a few chickens still roaming around the eating area. ;)

[tyrod15]

I love Coco Cay, one of our families favorite stops. Just a fun beach day. Water shoes are a good idea for any beach. I would tell you the glass bottom boat tour is a fun excursion saw some really cool fish and coral.

We also went parasailing there and it was very fun.

 

And don't forget to have a Coco Loco while you are enjoying the beach!

 

 

Rushedmom,

 

When you did the parasailing did you do it with any children and if so how old were they? I have a 9 yr old I would love to take parasailing with me. We will be going to Coco Cay in about a month on RCI. Thanks.

[ARCruisinNana]

How old are your kids? There is an Adventure Ocean section on CoCo Cay and a water park (there is a fee) for older kids. We went to the beach straight back and it was shallow and a great place for kids to play. Restrooms are close by. You can rent a floating mat for $10 for the day, or bring your own. We went early in the day, about 8:30 and there were no lines for the tender. We ate lunch and then back to the ship for the pool. Hope you have a great time.

[rushedmom]

Rushedmom,

 

When you did the parasailing did you do it with any children and if so how old were they? I have a 9 yr old I would love to take parasailing with me. We will be going to Coco Cay in about a month on RCI. Thanks.

 

 

I want to say my daughter was 12 or 13 when we went. You do parasail in tandem so he can go with you at the same time. He will love it! You might want to check if there is an age or weight requirement, I am not sure but I think there was a boy about your son's age on our trip.

Enjoy!

[tyrod15]

I want to say my daughter was 12 or 13 when we went. You do parasail in tandem so he can go with you at the same time. He will love it! You might want to check if there is an age or weight requirement, I am not sure but I think there was a boy about your son's age on our trip.

Enjoy!

 

 

Sorry to ask something else, but did you do it through the ship or book on your own?? Again, first time cruiser with lots of questions.....

[rushedmom]

Sorry to ask something else, but did you do it through the ship or book on your own?? Again, first time cruiser with lots of questions.....

 

 

This is the place for questions so don't ever feel bad asking one.

 

Coco Cay is a private island so all the excursions are run through Royal. I would tell you that parasailing fills up quickly so if you are interested I would book ahead. Go online to the rcl site and you can do it and check on any restrictions at the same time!

[tyrod15]

thanks so much......i have checked rci's site and it appears as though the age restriction is 12. kinda strange that when checking carnival just for comparison, not only was it cheaper but the age limit was lower.......:confused:

[ARCruisinNana]

Forgot about the Cocoloco. Yum!

[rosie12345]

wow - love the pictures posted!!!

We will be going with the Freedom... and the bad reviews came from Freedom cruisers... mainly that the area is small and gets very crowded.. I guess that's what you get with a ship of this size..

 

I have parasailed in the past (not with my kids) but it was super fun!!! I will for sure look into that.

[Aquahound]

We will be going with the Freedom... and the bad reviews came from Freedom cruisers... mainly that the area is small and gets very crowded.. I guess that's what you get with a ship of this size..

 

When you get on the island, go past the first couple beaches. That's where most people stop. Keep going around to the right past the volleyball courts and huge inflatable water slide. You will find it a lot more open back there. That's where the first 2 picture were taken that I posted.

[rushedmom]

thanks so much......i have checked rci's site and it appears as though the age restriction is 12. kinda strange that when checking carnival just for comparison, not only was it cheaper but the age limit was lower.......:confused:

 

 

That is a shame on the age restriction. I do know it was pricey. We had friends do the jet ski tour if your up to driving a jet ski he might be able to ride with you.

[vowsatsea]

This was one of my favorite stops. The people who think it's crowded are those who don't walk down the beach a little. We made the mistake of stopping at the first section of beach that we found, and it got really crowded. We walked way down and found areas practically empty, with hammocks open and everything.

 

It is absolutely gorgeous and I love that you can walk WAY out into the ocean and the water is only up to your knees :D

[rosie12345]

When you get on the island, go past the first couple beaches. That's where most people stop. Keep going around to the right past the volleyball courts and huge inflatable water slide. You will find it a lot more open back there. That's where the first 2 picture were taken that I posted.

 

Great advice. Thank you. Now, I just hope none of the other 4000 on our ship are reading this!!!! :)

[rushedmom]

Great advice. Thank you. Now, I just hope none of the other 4000 on our ship are reading this!!!! :)

 

Don't worry even if they do most will get sucked in by the first beach or be too lazy to walk back there! Keep the Faith:D

[cluelyss18]

If I recall correctly, this was our favorite stop last year. We stopped at nassau, CocoCay, and Grand Turk....this was the most relaxing day and also the most beautiful. To truly enjoy the beach, you definitely have to keep walking past the first beaches, then you'll find some that have very little people, alot of chairs and hammocks, and peace and quiet. The sand is so soft and water so clear that we spent the entire day just wading in the water or sitting in the shallow part. So the food wasn't the greatest at the buffet, but the atmosphere makes up for it, plus by the time you get there you're starved! All in all it was a great day....don't forget to take advantage of the little paths you can take around the island....makes you feel like you're in paradise! Enjoy! :)

[WideAwake428]

Cococay was one of our favorite things. We loved it! If I'm having a bad day I like to mentally take myself back there lol We didn't do anything special there like excursions, we just made it a nice relaxing beach day.

 

 

 

We felt like we had the whole island to ourselves!

 

Oh and we found this little guy there!

[BecciBoo]

Must've missed this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1231056

[ehfl]

I love this stop. Our favorite thing is to rent a Hobie Cat and go for a sail. It's great to get away from the crowds for a while on the Hobie.

[ladybug1s]

Cococay was one of our favorite things. We loved it! If I'm having a bad day I like to mentally take myself back there lol We didn't do anything special there like excursions, we just made it a nice relaxing beach day.

 

 

 

We felt like we had the whole island to ourselves!

 

Oh and we found this little guy there!

Are there lots of these iguanas to be seen in sight? So awesome! Do you have any pictures of the clam shell rentals? Do you think there is plenty of shade. I have a light skinned 8 yr. old whom is sensitive to the sun too much.

[onthewater51]

We booked our first cruise ever. First stop will be Cococay Bahamas. Reading through this forum I have not seen anything really nice about Cococay. Has anyone out there actually enjoyed Cococay? We are a family with 3 kids and I already found out that it is a good idea to bring water shoes...

 

Thanks for any inputs.

 

Different strokes for different folks I suppose, but to my wife & I, CocoCay is one of the best stops available. A pretty & tranquil private island. We find ourselves a private spot and just enjoy the day.

 

As for your kids, its a nice beach day with nice water. No big waves or undertow in the main beach area to worry about.

 

If you're looking for the hustle and bustle of a commercial island like St Thomas, you'll be disappointed becasue that it is not. If you like the tranquility of a private island without other cruiselines and hard sell storefronts, you'll have a great day.

[pipeye1]

Boy I sure hope it is a calm sea day , so that we just not sail by........