CoCo Cay Beach Bed -- which is better South Beach or Chill Island

[SherriZ366]

I am renting a beach bed for our Coco Cay stop next month and currently have a Beach Bed reserved on South Beach.  However, I also see that Chill Island has them for the same price.  Which beach area is better?  I like a quiet beach.  Also, which area has convenient restaurants and bars?  

 

I rented a Beach Bed on South Beach in 2019 before Perfect Day in Coco Cay was completed and it was very quiet.  I also had to order lunch as there were no restaurants nearby.  

 

Thanks

[crewsweeper]

I would think Chill Island would be more crowded overall as it's closer to pier.  But it does have Chill Grill which is the largest place to grab a bite on the island.   South Beach only has access to one of the 3 Snack Shacks.

[shipgeeks]

I, too, would be interested in knowing which area is quietest.  We went to the new Coco Cay a couple of weeks ago. Rode the tram around the circuit to see where we might like to spend some time. Every tram, and every area we traversed, had such loud music that we ended up going right back to the ship. Very disappointing.  I want to give Coco Cay a second chance when we go there again in a few months, but I hope to find out if there are any quiet places.  

[StephPS79]

23 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

I, too, would be interested in knowing which area is quietest.  We went to the new Coco Cay a couple of weeks ago. Rode the tram around the circuit to see where we might like to spend some time. Every tram, and every area we traversed, had such loud music that we ended up going right back to the ship. Very disappointing.  I want to give Coco Cay a second chance when we go there again in a few months, but I hope to find out if there are any quiet places.  

 

 

I can't compare to South Beach, but spent a few hours at Chill Island back in March.  It was quite quiet and relaxing.  Wasn't very crowded, lots of open chairs.

 

Also adding, we couldn't hear music at all while in the chairs.  I wondered around a bit at stumbled upon the Lagoon Pool or whatever it was called, and music was blasting, but until I walked around, I had no idea it was there.

 

Edited July 7, 2022 by spsarrocco

[Sunshine3601]

21 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

I, too, would be interested in knowing which area is quietest.  We went to the new Coco Cay a couple of weeks ago. Rode the tram around the circuit to see where we might like to spend some time. Every tram, and every area we traversed, had such loud music that we ended up going right back to the ship. Very disappointing.  I want to give Coco Cay a second chance when we go there again in a few months, but I hope to find out if there are any quiet places.  

I have never noticed any music playing while relaxing on loungers at Chill Island or South Beach.    I have heard music at Oasis Lagoon and the other Lagoon near Captain Jacks

[twins_to_alaska]

I was at Chill Island in May. Didn't hear any music there.

[robmtx]

We had a bed at Chill Island last week. Perfect. There was some busyness in the water area but overall serene...Until the people showed up for the bed next to us at lunch time. The beds are intended for parties up to 4, but I counted 13 people there at one point. 5 were laying ON the bed, 2 each were sitting on each lounger, and 4 were standing. They also brought their boom box because they thought everyone who rented a bed wanted to hear their music. I informed concierge multiple times, but they were helpless to resolve the problem. Finally, they sent a manager over and moved us to a cabana. I guess they figured it was easier to move us than to evict that party.

 

So, in summary, any area is only as peaceful as the passengers make it. Love Coco Cay, but we often have serene moments ruined by other passengers.

[dodgestang]

South beach has better views.

Chill island is better for swimming/in water activities.

[Minnitub]

We were at South Beach last month. It was beautiful, not crowded at all. Not all the beds were rented. You have your own bartender, and a greeter to attend to your needs. A restaurant and bar are a few steps away....the water warm, no rocks...and your own life guard. Tranquil it was! 

If you wanted to play beach volleyball...it was also very close

[Tall-Cruiser]

5 hours ago, SherriZ366 said:

I am renting a beach bed for our Coco Cay stop next month and currently have a Beach Bed reserved on South Beach.  However, I also see that Chill Island has them for the same price.  Which beach area is better?  I like a quiet beach.  Also, which area has convenient restaurants and bars?  

 

I was there in March and at that time there were NO Beach Beds for South Beach to rent as they were taken out. We were told the area that use to have them was being “renovated” for Crew only. That may have changed since then. See attached photos. The ones with the Cabanas are South Beach and you can see there are no Beach Beds at the end. The other photo with the ships in it with Beach Beds at the end is Chill Island. Then there is Chill Grill that has the best selection of food that is close by. 

 

 

[Tall-Cruiser]

11 minutes ago, Minnitub said:

We were at South Beach last month. It was beautiful, not crowded at all. Not all the beds were rented.

So looks like they reinstalled the Beach Beds then. There were none in March.

[doppelganger2621]

We nabbed a tree spot at a Chill Island a few weeks ago and it was literally perfect

[shipgeeks]

Thank you all!  My faith has been restored, and I'm now looking forward to Coco Cay again.

[SherriZ366]

Thanks for all the answers.  I think the South Beach Beach Beds have been reinstalled because I'm paying for mine.  It sounds quiet.  Also, I checked the Cruise Planner an all the Beach Beds were sold out.  So I guess I'll stick with what I've already booked.  

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We had a beach bed at Chill Island in April.  We really enjoyed it.  The beach beds are fairly close together.  However, when we closed the curtains [on sides] we felt like we had our own private cocoon.  We spent the whole day there.  

 

Here is a picture.  We stopped at the stand to check in and get our towels.  We had bar service.  They came around all day.  It was very quiet at Chill island.  The Oasis lagoon pool was a quick walk away.  

 

[renysmom]

Did they have rafts and such to rent at South Beach if we decide we want them?

[BirdTravels]

On 7/7/2022 at 12:25 PM, SherriZ366 said:

I am renting a beach bed for our Coco Cay stop next month and currently have a Beach Bed reserved on South Beach.  However, I also see that Chill Island has them for the same price.  Which beach area is better?  I like a quiet beach.  Also, which area has convenient restaurants and bars?  

 

I rented a Beach Bed on South Beach in 2019 before Perfect Day in Coco Cay was completed and it was very quiet.  I also had to order lunch as there were no restaurants nearby.  

 

Thanks

I would stick to Chill Island near more food and bars. South beach has settled down a little. It is the only beach that the crew is allowed to go to. And when the crew was totally confined to the ship, it was a "popular" spot. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by BirdTravels

[easyqueasy]

With multiple ships docked at the same time, how and when do you get to choose the bed spot? Is it when you arrive on the island and first come, first served? We were able to select it on the ship when it was just one ship docked years ago.

[robmtx]

On 7/9/2022 at 1:05 AM, easyqueasy said:

With multiple ships docked at the same time, how and when do you get to choose the bed spot? Is it when you arrive on the island and first come, first served? We were able to select it on the ship when it was just one ship docked years ago.

 

We didn't get to choose our bed on June 28th, and we were only ship in. All beds at Chill were reserved. We received our bed assignment 2 days before. The ShoreEx office onboard said the beds were assigned by the island Shore team. When we arrived they were all reserved and so we couldn't make a change.

 

I didn't do any fancy negotiating, so your YMMV if you tried. We ended up liking our chosen spot..Not on the first row, but shadier than most beds. 

 

[cruisegal40]

1 hour ago, robmtx said:

 

We didn't get to choose our bed on June 28th, and we were only ship in. All beds at Chill were reserved. We received our bed assignment 2 days before. The ShoreEx office onboard said the beds were assigned by the island Shore team. When we arrived they were all reserved and so we couldn't make a change.

 

I didn't do any fancy negotiating, so your YMMV if you tried. We ended up liking our chosen spot..Not on the first row, but shadier than most beds. 

 

How did shore excursion notify you?  We reserved in September for Chill. 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

I’m just off of Mariner & we were at Coco Cay 2 days ago.   Symphony was also there & all beds/cabanas - everything was sold out.  It was pretty full there - not much quiet anywhere that i could see.   We headed back to solarium & that was the best choice by far for us.  Quiet & only a few at the pool.

 

we did a beach bed once before south beach was completed.  others beds were pretty close and not very private.  wished i hadn’t bought one to be honest.  lesson learned

[DukeASUGirl]

We will probably just do regular free loungers instead of a bed or a cabana, but where would you recommend trying for us?

 

It will be me (45), DH (50), our two kids (10 and 12), and my parents (78 and 79). My mom walks with a cane, and is renting a scooter.

 

We have no interest in the waterpark because we have plenty of those at home. The younger ones of us don't really need pool access, because we have one in the backyard, but my parents don't have a pool at their house so they might want it. It's the beach we're interested in.

 

DH, I, and the kids might snorkel, but my parents will probably just lounge around and maybe walk down to the ocean.

 

Normally I'd say we would just wander around and find the spot that works best for us, but with my mom's mobility issues, we'll probably need to just pick a spot and stick with it.

[SherriZ366]

Thanks -- I think that Harmony is the only ship in Coco Cay the day we're docked there.  

[jerseyjjs]

I thought the beach in South Beach was nicer, but the water was uninviting and sludgy.  Chill Island has nicer water and is closer to the Chill grill.

[robmtx]

6 hours ago, cruisegal40 said:

How did shore excursion notify you?  We reserved in September for Chill. 

There was a confirmation paper delivered to our stateroom. We didn't know prior to sailing.