Is a beach bed worth it on CocoCay?

[Watson2018]

Is it worth paying for a beach bed on CocoCay?  We are scheduled to go on Independence of the Seas in November.  When at the beach, my husband and I spend less than half our time in the water; we like to sit in lounge chairs, read or talk, drink beer (him) and water (me), watch the people and the water and enjoy the sea breeze.  The last time we were on a beach, I also enjoyed being able to get a snack at the on-beach bar.  For our day on CocoCay, we have booked the balloon ride and the snorkel gear, but nothing else.  We were planning to take our chances getting lounge chairs and have a lightweight groundcloth as a backup plan, but I am wondering if I should reserve a beach bed instead.

[misguy]

In early July there was just one ship there and mostly empty, and there was lots of shade to sit under.

[brillohead]

I was there pre-pandemic (full ship capacity) a couple times, and I was able to easily find loungers in the shade both on the beaches and at the pool with no problems, even after lunch (I never got off first thing in order to snag a chair).

Every other group of loungers has its own umbrella, so shade is easy to find at every spot on the island.

[KK847]

Does anyone have any suggestions on which beach on Coco Cay would be best for the beach beds? We're looking for quiet and at least some privacy.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Does anyone have a picture of these beach beds?

[twins_to_alaska]

The royalcaribbeanblog had these pictures and a nice review from late January if you want to search for it.

 

 

Edited March 4, 2022 by twins_to_alaska

[jean87510]

Im on South Beach right now and would never pay the prices.  Maybe the water park but we had a great time for free in our chairs.  These are the cabanas.

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

Im on South Beach right now and would never pay the prices.  Maybe the water park but we had a great time for free in our chairs.  These are the cabanas.

Those are the "over the water" cabanas that run for up to $2K/day. 

The beach cabanas run closer to $1K/day. 

Both are horrendously overpriced, IMO, but as long as people are willing to pay it, and as long as the pure profit goes into Royal's bottom line, it will help keep my own cruise fare lower!!!