How come X does not go to private island's

[RSLeesburg]

30 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I have been to both Labadee and CoCo Cay on a Celebrity cruise.  Both owned/leased by their parent corp RCI.  With the RCCL mega ships in play, it is probably hard to find open days to schedule visits.

From what I have observed, Coco Cay has become a major stop for the shorter RCI cruises - with Mariner and Navigator (both larger ships) switching over to the 3/4 day cruises, I think Coco Cay is meant to entice larger groups of families to take these shorter cruises.  I know my wife has mentioned a few times that we should do one, as they look like great weekend/long weekend getaways.  And, when you add in the Oasis class ships going to Coco Cay, it can get very busy there.  However, I thought I read something that RCI was planning several more private islands around the globe, so maybe some of these will be included on Celebrity itineraries...

[Gordoncruickshank]

44 minutes ago, oneputt18 said:

Yes, the dock was completed in March of this year.

Thanks.

[villauk]

Been to both CocoCay and Labadee and not rushing to return. There are plenty more beautiful places in the world to spend a day.

[K&RCurt]

We stopped at Coco Cay in 2016 on the Connie and it was wonderful.  However seeing the "Improvements" that have been made there, basically turning it into a mini 6 Flags, I'll pass.

 

Coco Cay used to be very similar to HAL's Half Moon Cay, which, as a previous poster pointed out, can feel very crowded with 2 ships, but lucky for us, I guess, have had only 1 ship there the 6 times we have been (4 on HAL, 2 on Carnival.)

[voyager70]

19 minutes ago, K&RCurt said:

We stopped at Coco Cay in 2016 on the Connie and it was wonderful.  However seeing the "Improvements" that have been made there, basically turning it into a mini 6 Flags, I'll pass.

 

Agree.  Both Coco Cay and Labadee 10 years ago were like having your own little private resort for the day, very quiet and relaxing.  Now, like you said, they're little amusement parks.  All about the $$.

 

[Baron Barracuda]

No one is asking to have every X Caribbean sailing call at a PI.  Next April X has six ships in the Caribbean.  None is currently scheduled to call at a PI.  Would be nice to have a couple call at Coco Cay and Labadee.  

[CardRock]

We would enjoy a PI, but my DW would avoid Coco Cay at all costs...She is not into water parks...at least not on a cruise.  

[DC1979]

I’ve only been to Half Moon Cay, which is the private island for HAL/Carnival.  From what I understand, only ships from the same company are there at the same time, so you don’t have mixing of Carnival and HAL passengers.  Yes the beach was a little crowded when two larger ships were docked at the same time, however, Half Moon Cay remains one of my favorite beaches.  The water and sand is incredible and I look forward to it on all my Caribbean cruises.  (Side note: We don’t eat or drink on the island.  I’ll have a late, large breakfast on the ship, head over for several hours of gorgeous beach time, and then back to the ship.). Truth be told, I could do that for 2 or 3 days in a row, the beach is that good!!!  

[calicakes]

My Equinox sailing on Sept 13th was supposed to go to Key West, but we diverted to Labadee instead.  The Capt told us it would be too windy to go to Key West.  Personally, I hated Labadee.   I would NEVER willingly chose a 3rd world country to visit on a hard earned vacation.  The demographic on our cruise seemed to be mostly over 60yrs old and the excursions were very active excursions.  Zipline, skidoo, etc.  We went to the " artisan craft village" for 30 min where I was harassed and where I had to insist numerous times that my 3.00 change be returned to me.  No thanks.    When I took a cruise with friends on NCL, they went to their private island Harvest Caye.  Nothing on the island was included, you had to purchase all food/drinks.  We ended up staying on the ship.  

[calicakes]

On 10/2/2019 at 4:43 AM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Well the private islands are owned by the cruise ship company not private citizens. 

 

Like others have mentioned, we stopped at Labadee and it was really nice. 

Actually, RCI LEASES Labadee from Haiti.  They don't own it.  They have a 50yr lease.  Technically, its not even an island, its a peninsula.   They also pay the Gov't. 12.00 per passenger when they go there. 

[George C]

We really like ladabee, love suite beach . We also stopped at coco cay last March , we were docked at pier , but just stayed on ship with a nice empty pool. I like hitting at least one beach on each cruise so either would be fine for that. Have done many private islands in last 40 years.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, calicakes said:

Actually, RCI LEASES Labadee from Haiti.  They don't own it.  They have a 50yr lease.  Technically, its not even an island, its a peninsula.   They also pay the Gov't. 12.00 per passenger when they go there. 

That's good to know.  My point was in response to another poster's comment which suggested that cruise lines are randomly  crashing other people's private islands for the day.   Which they are not, because they own or rent the island/peninsula and have the rights of use.

 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Georgia_Peaches

[4774Papa]

13 hours ago, calicakes said:

My Equinox sailing on Sept 13th was supposed to go to Key West, but we diverted to Labadee instead.  The Capt told us it would be too windy to go to Key West.  Personally, I hated Labadee.   I would NEVER willingly chose a 3rd world country to visit on a hard earned vacation.  The demographic on our cruise seemed to be mostly over 60yrs old and the excursions were very active excursions.  Zipline, skidoo, etc.  We went to the " artisan craft village" for 30 min where I was harassed and where I had to insist numerous times that my 3.00 change be returned to me.  No thanks.    When I took a cruise with friends on NCL, they went to their private island Harvest Caye.  Nothing on the island was included, you had to purchase all food/drinks.  We ended up staying on the ship.  

I understand and agree somewhat with what you say about visiting 3rd world countries.  However, there are some wonderful places in the world that fall into that category that have a lot to offer.   I could make a long list, but I will cite a few places that I highly recommend:

 

1)Peru-  We love Peru and all its history.   Cusco and Machu Picchu was special.  The people in Peru are fantastic.  It is nothing like what you referred to in your post.  Also, the cuisine is super.

2) Egypt- Yes, you have to deal with hawkers selling stuff, but the history is unbelievable.   

3) Costa Rica- This is a small country with a highly educated population.   Wasn't harassed one bit by hawkers.  It is a beautiful country and inexpensive.

[ipeeinthepool]

14 hours ago, calicakes said:

..We went to the " artisan craft village" for 30 min where I was harassed and where I had to insist numerous times that my 3.00 change be returned to me. ...

 

I'm not sure what you expected when you went to the artisan craft village, but I want to make sure everyone understands the very limited area where the locals sell their goods.  One is a building dedicated for the craft sales.  If you don't go in you won't have any interaction with the locals selling their goods.  The second area is along a road leading to the beach for about 100 yards. The locals stay in there shops and are not allowed to go past a fence along side the road.  They call out to you as you walk along the road, if you're not interested just ignore them or say no thanks and keep walking.  If you take the tram to the beach, you will drive by this area without stopping.  I've been to Labadee many times, enjoyed each stop and I wanted to make sure everyone understands that you won't experience any harassment.    As far as this being a 3rd world country experience, it's much more uncomfortable walking along many streets in Los Angeles or San Francisco where there are numerous panhandlers with garbage and needles littering the streets.   For me that's far more uncomfortable.  

[calicakes]

5 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

 

1)Peru-  We love Peru and all its history.   Cusco and Machu Picchu was special.  The people in Peru are fantastic.  It is nothing like what you referred to in your post.  Also, the cuisine is super

Peru Is a Developing Economy, Not a Third World Country.  Thanks for your insights, I appreciate it. 

[calicakes]

4 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I'm not sure what you expected when you went to the artisan craft village, but I want to make sure everyone understands the very limited area where the locals sell their good

I didn't expect to ask numerous times for my change back.  It was bordering on the ridiculous.   I go on a vacation to relax, not to be stressed out.  I didn't even mention the issue with a fellow passengers credit card info being fraudulently used on that island.   I talked about that in my blog. 

[BarbinMich]

On 10/2/2019 at 7:43 AM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Well the private islands are owned by the cruise ship company not private citizens. 

 

Like others have mentioned, we stopped at Labadee and it was really nice. 

Private islands aren't necessarily owned by the ship lines.  For example, Princess Cay is leased by Princess from the DeVos family (of Amway).  Probably a little known fact.  Finally, as many already know, Princess Cay is not an island, but is the southern tip of the fairly large island of Eleuthera.  Also, HAL's Half Moon Cay is a beach on Little San Salvador Island, which is quite close to the south end of Eluethera and one can often see a HAL ship over there when leaving Princess Cay.

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

Private islands aren't necessarily owned by the ship lines.  For example, Princess Cay is leased by Princess from the DeVos family (of Amway).  Probably a little known fact.  Finally, as many already know, Princess Cay is not an island, but is the southern tip of the fairly large island of Eleuthera.  Also, HAL's Half Moon Cay is a beach on Little San Salvador Island, which is quite close to the south end of Eluethera and one can often see a HAL ship over there when leaving Princess Cay.

Yes, absolutely.  All good information.  

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

Private islands aren't necessarily owned by the ship lines.  For example, Princess Cay is leased by Princess from the DeVos family (of Amway).  Probably a little known fact.  Finally, as many already know, Princess Cay is not an island, but is the southern tip of the fairly large island of Eleuthera.  Also, HAL's Half Moon Cay is a beach on Little San Salvador Island, which is quite close to the south end of Eluethera and one can often see a HAL ship over there when leaving Princess Cay.

MSC's new "island" is actually a man-made island built-up from a previous sand mining operation. I think the island was supposed to be the terminus for a big LNG operation (ships would be able to access a pipeline to Florida).  Apparently that project was abandoned and MSC has cleaned-up the island, expanded the land mass and is soon to open their own "Private Island."  I believe MSC actually owns the island (some say they technically have a 100 year lease with the Bahamian government)..

 

Hank

[BarbinMich]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

MSC's new "island" is actually a man-made island built-up from a previous sand mining operation. I think the island was supposed to be the terminus for a big LNG operation (ships would be able to access a pipeline to Florida).  Apparently that project was abandoned and MSC has cleaned-up the island, expanded the land mass and is soon to open their own "Private Island."  I believe MSC actually owns the island (some say they technically have a 100 year lease with the Bahamian government)..

 

Hank

Interesting.  Do you know where this "new" island is located?  Thanks.  Found this link about the island:  https://www.dunhilltraveldeals.com/blog/unique-private-island-for-MSC-passengers.  

Edited October 7, 2019 by BarbinMich

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, BarbinMich said:

Interesting.  Do you know where this "new" island is located?  Thanks.  Found this link about the island:  https://www.dunhilltraveldeals.com/blog/unique-private-island-for-MSC-passengers.  

Yes, it is in the Bahamas about 65 miles east of Miami and 20 miles south of Bimini.   The island is not exactly new in that it was built in 1970 by AES Ocean LNG which is a gas company involved in shipping large amounts of LNG via ship.  My own guess in that the project was abandoned once it became known that the USA has very large reserves of untapped Natural Gas.  MSC bought the island a few years ago and invested many millions cleaning up the place and further developing the island.  When it opens next month it will be capable of docking the largest cruise ships.

 

Hank

 

 

[BarbinMich]

23 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, it is in the Bahamas about 65 miles east of Miami and 20 miles south of Bimini.   The island is not exactly new in that it was built in 1970 by AES Ocean LNG which is a gas company involved in shipping large amounts of LNG via ship.  My own guess in that the project was abandoned once it became known that the USA has very large reserves of untapped Natural Gas.  MSC bought the island a few years ago and invested many millions cleaning up the place and further developing the island.  When it opens next month it will be capable of docking the largest cruise ships.

 

Hank

Thanks, Hank!

[Harrisburger72]

Can anyone actually answer the OP's question?

[bEwAbG]

49 minutes ago, Harrisburger72 said:

Can anyone actually answer the OP's question?

 

The question was answered in Post #3 and reaffirmed several times by others: they DO go to private islands on some itineraries.  

[Harrisburger72]

55 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

 

The question was answered in Post #3 and reaffirmed several times by others: they DO go to private islands on some itineraries.  

 

I guess I'm more interested on whether Celebrity still goes to Coco Cay in particular.  And if not, why not?

 

I know it used to but I can't see where it still does...