Coco Cay capacity to be increased to 13,000 per day

[CruisingWalter]

Just saw this on a cruise industry news site. With the release of Icon and the opening of the adults-only Hideaway Beach, Coco Cay capacity will be increased to 13,000 guests per day. I get that people will use Hideaway Beach, but does this have the potential to overwhelm the water park and other areas? We've only visited with one Oasis class ship and it was lovely. How is it for you folks who are there with 2 or 3 ships at a time?

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/02/royal-caribbean-expanding-cococay-for-13000-guests-daily/

[JeffT237]

I'll find out in March, we'll be on the Wonder with the Odyssey being at CoCo Cay as well.  It will be our first trip to the island.  With Hideaway Beach being adult only I'd imagine most of those guests would stay in that area and not use the other activities on the island like the water park or other attractions that are geared towards families with kids, pure speculation on my part.

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

4 minutes ago, WheresWalter said:

Just saw this on a cruise industry news site. With the release of Icon and the opening of the adults-only Hideaway Beach, Coco Cay capacity will be increased to 13,000 guests per day. I get that people will use Hideaway Beach, but does this have the potential to overwhelm the water park and other areas? We've only visited with one Oasis class ship and it was lovely. How is it for you folks who are there with 2 or 3 ships at a time?

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/02/royal-caribbean-expanding-cococay-for-13000-guests-daily/

This talks about increasing "capacity" to help with increased "demand", that is a good thing......

[CruisingWalter]

1 minute ago, JeffT237 said:

I'll find out in March, we'll be on the Wonder with the Odyssey being at CoCo Cay as well.  It will be our first trip to the island.  With Hideaway Beach being adult only I'd imagine most of those guests would stay in that area and not use the other activities on the island like the water park or other attractions that are geared towards families with kids, pure speculation on my part.

 

I'm most curios how Icon will impact the overall island since she is designed from the ground up to to sail with 3 or more passengers in most of her cabins. 

[A&L_Ont]

Oasis and Odyssey were just there together the other day. The person I knew onboard had a great time.

[lovesthebeach2]

We saw the construction when we were there last month. We like the idea of an adults only beach, not because we don’t like children but hopefully it will have better lunch selections.

the few times we’ve cruised on Disney, the adult area had much better food for lunch.

We may be in the minority, but we aren’t fans of the lunch selections.

Edited February 8, 2023 by lovesthebeach2

[Biker19]

11 minutes ago, WheresWalter said:

How is it for you folks who are there with 2 or 3 ships at a time?

Very unlikely you will ever see three ships there at the same time.

[island lady]

10 minutes ago, WheresWalter said:

Just saw this on a cruise industry news site. With the release of Icon and the opening of the adults-only Hideaway Beach, Coco Cay capacity will be increased to 13,000 guests per day. I get that people will use Hideaway Beach, but does this have the potential to overwhelm the water park and other areas? We've only visited with one Oasis class ship and it was lovely. How is it for you folks who are there with 2 or 3 ships at a time?

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/02/royal-caribbean-expanding-cococay-for-13000-guests-daily/

 

Two ships...never three.   Pier cannot take more than two.

 

But that being said, the ships are getting bigger and bigger going there.  Not a fan of the over crowded and commercialized little island any longer.  Miss the natural setting when it used to be a tendered island.  

 

If I want theme park....I will save the money and go to Orlando.  

[Donsyb]

We were there on oasis at the same time as ovation. It was fine, although it got busier late morning/ early afternoon, there were still loungers available, didn’t have to wait for food or bar service and managed to get a spot at the swim up bar at south beach. We didn’t go to the pool, so don’t know how busy that was.

 

One thing with 3 ships, the third ship would have to tender as the pier only takes 2. The extra visitors would more

likely come from Icon visiting at the same time as an oasis class than from 3 ships.

[rbschultz]

2 minutes ago, island lady said:

If I want theme park....I will save the money and go to Orlando.  

 

I don't think you're saving money going to a theme park for a week instead of going on a cruise.....

[smokeybandit]

They better open more food options then. It already takes way too long to get through the line at the snack shack

[soremekun]

From the article:

“We’ve seen a great demand and a lot of resilience as the prices go up. So it’s a hit and it’s very successful.”

 

If people keep paying the higher prices, we shouldn't expect many deals.

[sjb317]

3 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

They better open more food options then. It already takes way too long to get through the line at the snack shack

I don’t think I have ever seen a long line at the snack shack.  And we usually have had two ships there.

 

Sherri🙂

[smokeybandit]

5 minutes ago, sjb317 said:

I don’t think I have ever seen a long line at the snack shack.  And we usually have had two ships there.

 

Sherri🙂

I was there in December and it took 15-20 minutes to get through the line. Which is sad since they have such a limited menu

[Joseph2017China]

I really don't understand all the comments.  When I was a youth, going to the beach, included a boardwalk.  I went to the beach and laid out, than the boardwalk to play games, get on a ride etc.  Why is CocoCay any different?  No one makes you go to the water park or get on the balloon.  But if you want to, it exists just like the beach.  

 

Then all the people that complain that not enough swimming on the ship, and not enough chairs, but than complain that the beach is too crowded?  I never waited in lines to get food that were any longer than the Windjammer.  Always easily got a drink.   Plus I have not yet went to the water park, since I have no interest.

 

It's an island for families to enjoy and plenty of beach front to swim in

[hotsauce126]

When does hideaway beach open? I’m going to be there in two weeks and would make a bee line for an adults only area

[TheHawk1]

50 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We like the idea of an adults only beach, not because we don’t like children but hopefully it will have better lunch selections.

I like the idea of an adults only beach precisely because I don't like children.  The farther away the better IMO.

[publicpersona]

50 minutes ago, island lady said:

Two ships...never three.   Pier cannot take more than two.

 

I'm not saying they would do it, but they could always tender a third ship (like they used to tender all ships). Probably not, but I wouldn't rule out anything as impossible.

[Denversail]

Also curious where hideaway beach is. I don't see it on the map. Is it near south beach?

[island lady]

53 minutes ago, rbschultz said:

 

I don't think you're saving money going to a theme park for a week instead of going on a cruise.....

 

I live 30  miles from "the mouse".  

[island lady]

6 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

 

I'm not saying they would do it, but they could always tender a third ship (like they used to tender all ships). Probably not, but I wouldn't rule out anything as impossible.

 

Only time that happened was during restart post Covid.  They actually had 4 ships hanging out there, to transfer crew back and forth to the "quarantine" ships.  We had Rhapsody, and three Oasis class ships there at once.  Two docked, two tendered.  

[island lady]

7 minutes ago, Denversail said:

Also curious where hideaway beach is. I don't see it on the map. Is it near south beach?

 

Opposite end of where the ship docks.  Used to be a nice place to walk to on an actual nature trail.  Great spot to sit up on the bluff to view the ship tendered just off shore.  Sigh...gone are the days.  

[bucfan2]

4 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

I live 30  miles from "the mouse".  

If going to ‘the mouse’ is less expensive/day, we either pay too much there or you pay too much to cruise. 

[island lady]

11 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

If going to ‘the mouse’ is less expensive/day, we either pay too much there or you pay too much to cruise. 

 

If you live in the area (as I do), I don't need a rental car, hotel, and just visit for the day.  Don't need a week.  One day at that zoo is enough.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by island lady

[crewsweeper]

I think Hideaway beach will reduce Coco Beach Club traffic, but with the Icon geared toward families there'll be more kiddos and thus the waterpark would be more crowded and the pay for portion reservations sold out sooner.