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

[resetjet]

They have been doing this for some time with two oasis or one and a quantum.  With the addition of the adult area it should be just fine.  Still no issues finding a chair unlike haiti.

[Pellaz]

 

On 2/8/2023 at 8:18 AM, island lady said:

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.  

 

Although I'd really love to try the water-park at CocoCay at least once, I also miss "the old days."   My first cruise was on the Majesty (rip) to CocoCay and I was amazed at how great the snorkeling was...out in deep water with floating docks to rest on, the sunken plane, the cannons, and hundreds, maybe thousands of fish.   I have to assume that snorkeling area is long gone...and that's a real shame.    

 

Side note:  I was on the very last tender returning and the anchor was already being raised.  I'd met the Captain the night before and there he was on the bridge wing looking down at us, ready with the thruster controls.  I was on the top deck of the tender, so I stood up and fired off a jaunty salute to him.  He turned to speak to someone behind him and then the ship's horn blew a short, little blast. 

Just for me. 

THAT was the moment I decided that I would definitely be going on more cruises in the future.  🙂  

 

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Pellaz

[Engineroom Snipe]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:05 AM, crewsweeper said:

IMO, those over the water cabanas are the suite beach on CC.  Cost of a cruise for a few hours to have seagulls attack you.

 

CC must have had a slower week when I arrived April 2022 and was at South Beach. One group of guests left food around their chairs, tables, and bags as they all went to the water bar. MISTAKE! These seagulls moved in and within two minutes, the almost fifty or more of them were fighting each other as they tore the area apart. To top it off, they were disposing of extra body waste at the same time. They were hungry and aggressive to say the least.

 

The group came back shocked and miffed that no-one tried to stop them. I know I was not about to mess with them. It was like a seen from the Birds (movie).

 

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Engineroom Snipe
typo

[cruisegirl1]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:05 AM, crewsweeper said:

IMO, those over the water cabanas are the suite beach on CC.  Cost of a cruise for a few hours to have seagulls attack you.

Coco Cay has NO suite area.    EVERYONE has access to rent the over the water cabanas or purchase a pass for the coco beach club.  No suite needed to enjoy this area.

 

I've enjoyed a lovely day and lunch at the Beach Club, luckily with no seagulls. 

M

Edited February 13, 2023 by cruisegirl1

[Crazy4Cruisin225]

I was at Coco Cay last week on the Oasis. We were docked with the Enchantment and it wasn’t that crowded at all. I think as long as they keep certain areas capacity controlled by charging a fee (Coco Beach Club, Hideaway Beach, the water park), that people will at least have an option to find a quieter place. 
 

On a side note…I was talking to one of the workers who lives on the island and he told me that they’re planning to build a hotel on the island over where the trailers that the workers live in are located. This could be interesting. Kind of similar to what Margaritaville cruises does, book a 4 day cruise that drops you off at Coco Cay Hotel for a few days, then brings you back when it drops off the next group. I’m picturing bonfires on the beach at night, sunset sailing excursions, etc…. Time will tell if he was right. 

[Donsyb]

19 hours ago, Pellaz said:

 

 

Although I'd really love to try the water-park at CocoCay at least once, I also miss "the old days."   My first cruise was on the Majesty (rip) to CocoCay and I was amazed at how great the snorkeling was...out in deep water with floating docks to rest on, the sunken plane, the cannons, and hundreds, maybe thousands of fish.   I have to assume that snorkeling area is long gone...and that's a real shame.    

 

 

 

There is still a snorkelling area and I believe the plane is still there

[sjinnj]

I was there when there were two ships, and it was too crowded.  The lines for the slides kept getting longer and longer.  I called it Slow Mo Cay.

[island lady]

9 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

CC must have had a slower week when I arrived April 2022 and was at South Beach. One group of guests left food around their chairs, tables, and bags as they all went to the water bar. MISTAKE! These seagulls moved in and within two minutes, the almost fifty or more of them were fighting each other as they tore the area apart. To top it off, they were disposing of extra body waste at the same time. They were hungry and aggressive to say the least.

 

The group came back shocked and miffed that no-one tried to stop them. I know I was not about to mess with them. It was like a seen from the Birds (movie).

 

 

 

LOL...you can't fix stupid.  Birds just doing their thing.  😉   Yeah, the movie the Birds gave me nightmares for weeks when I was a kid.  😱

[crewsweeper]

23 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Coco Cay has NO suite area.    EVERYONE has access to rent the over the water cabanas or purchase a pass for the coco beach club.  No suite needed to enjoy this area.

 

I've enjoyed a lovely day and lunch at the Beach Club, luckily with no seagulls. 

M

In my comment, "suite" should be in quotation marks. Cabanas are the sub for any "suite"-like area in CocoCay. Not meant to imply only available to people who have suites on board.

[HappyTexan44]

15 hours ago, island lady said:

 

LOL...you can't fix stupid.  Birds just doing their thing.  😉   Yeah, the movie the Birds gave me nightmares for weeks when I was a kid.  😱

 

And for tonight's nightmare, I read a news article that the attacks are a real thing and happening more often.  

 

[Engineroom Snipe]

10 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 

And for tonight's nightmare, I read a news article that the attacks are a real thing and happening more often.  

 

 

I have been going to the New Jersey Beaches all of my life. Seagulls are a part of existence, but their aggressiveness has increased in the past ten years. To the point, they will fly in and take a sandwich, fries, anything they see you putting in your mouth, in-between bites out of your hands. While they are circling overhead, only one will dive in at a time. Anyone making the mistake of dropping a chip bag or worse yes, throwing things down, risk a gathering storm of feathers. People approaching the area could scare them, but they will hang around for another opportunity for at least an hour.

 

The seagulls of Coco Bay made NJ seagulls look civilized (that attest to how aggressive they were).

The seagulls had no fear and were in such a tight swarm that you could not see through their 10-foot diameter of action. 😲

 

The South Side Beach is near an off-limits area for guest. I saw seagulls congregating there so maybe we were the closest target of opportunity. 🤔

[island lady]

47 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 

And for tonight's nightmare, I read a news article that the attacks are a real thing and happening more often.  

 

 

Oh no...unionized birds!!  😬

[Mum2Mercury]

On 2/12/2023 at 6:16 PM, resetjet said:

They have been doing this for some time with two oasis or one and a quantum.  With the addition of the adult area it should be just fine.  Still no issues finding a chair unlike haiti.

Admittedly, I've only visited Coco Cay once -- and on that day two mid-sized ships (Independence and Liberty) were docked, so it wasn't packed.  Here's what I saw: 

 

I'd estimate half the no-cost loungers were empty, so everyone could have a chair -- and finding chairs for your group would have been easy.  Ditto for hammocks; my husband left our loungers and went for a nap in the shade -- several were open.  BUT, having said that, everyone wants a front-row lounger right on the ocean, and those go fast.  

 

We were up early and grabbed prime seats -- kept them all morning and into the afternoon.  Quite a few people came in 10:00 or so and were surprised to see they couldn't come in and get a front-row seat -- one old guy was mad and started yelling at his family and those of us in the chairs.  Get over it, Dude; you slept in, I got the chair.  I was a little concerned when I went for lunch that someone might move my stuff, but it didn't happen.  However, when I started packing up, some people from a further-back row got up and claimed my spot before I gathered all my things!  I had no problem with this, but I thought it was funny.  

15 hours ago, island lady said:

LOL...you can't fix stupid.  Birds just doing their thing.  😉   Yeah, the movie the Birds gave me nightmares for weeks when I was a kid.  😱

I didn't even note seagulls at Coco Cay -- I did see wandering chickens around the food area.  Thoughts: 

 

- Are they seasonal?  I was at Coco Cay in December. 

- We ate at the picnic tables near Chill Grill, which are covered with colorful triangular tarps.  It occurs to me now that these are not only for sun protection.  

[island lady]

4 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

- Are they seasonal?  I was at Coco Cay in December. 

- We ate at the picnic tables near Chill Grill, which are covered with colorful triangular tarps.  It occurs to me now that these are not only for sun protection.  

 

LOL...try eating at one of those tables at Chill Grill and turn your head with your food on the table...or worse yet, walk off to get something to drink with your food on the table.  It won't be there any longer.  

 

And it does not matter what time of the year.  We have been there many times  from the months of Oct. to June and always the same thing.

 

The tarps (sun sails) out there...for decoration, sun protection, and a failed attempt to keep the Seagulls away.  Next time you are there...look closely...you will see the addition of thin wires running over head from tarp to tarp as well.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by island lady

[Mum2Mercury]

4 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Oh no...unionized birds!!  😬

I've many times seen smaller birds -- Mockingbirds are bad for it -- ganging up on a larger bird.  They definitely know how to work together.  

 

If you want to hear a real-life bird nightmare, a bunch of vultures made a home near my school and ATE something like 30K of roof.  Flooded the math department.  We'd see 'em sitting out on the roof.  The kicker:  they were some type of endangered species, so we couldn't just have janitors shoot them after school.  They had to be captured and re-homed.  

[Mum2Mercury]

1 minute ago, island lady said:

 

LOL...try eating at one of those tables at Chill Grill and turn your head with your food on the table...or worse yet, walk off to get something to drink with your food on the table.  It won't be there any longer.  

I did eat at those tables, though I didn't leave my food.  I don't know why they didn't bother us --or anyone else.  I wasn't even aware of them.

[hotsauce126]

35 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

I have been going to the New Jersey Beaches all of my life. Seagulls are a part of existence, but their aggressiveness has increased in the past ten years. To the point, they will fly in and take a sandwich, fries, anything they see you putting in your mouth, in-between bites out of your hands. While they are circling overhead, only one will dive in at a time. Anyone making the mistake of dropping a chip bag or worse yes, throwing things down, risk a gathering storm of feathers. People approaching the area could scare them, but they will hang around for another opportunity for at least an hour.

 

The seagulls of Coco Bay made NJ seagulls look civilized (that attest to how aggressive they were).

The seagulls had no fear and were in such a tight swarm that you could not see through their 10-foot diameter of action. 😲

 

The South Side Beach is near an off-limits area for guest. I saw seagulls congregating there so maybe we were the closest target of opportunity. 🤔

 

Its because some people feed them intentionally. Its also why its infuriating in my area when tourists come here and throw bread to the seagulls

[island lady]

1 minute ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I did eat at those tables, though I didn't leave my food.  I don't know why they didn't bother us --or anyone else.  I wasn't even aware of them.

 

Maybe they did not like your choice of food.  😉   I think they prefer piles of french fries.  😄 

[island lady]

7 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

If you want to hear a real-life bird nightmare, a bunch of vultures made a home near my school and ATE something like 30K of roof.  Flooded the math department.  We'd see 'em sitting out on the roof.  The kicker:  they were some type of endangered species, so we couldn't just have janitors shoot them after school.  They had to be captured and re-homed.  

 

We get that in Florida all the time.  For some reason the vultures will "party" on the roof of one house daily, but won't on the neighbors in our community with duplicate homes in different sections.  And indeed you can't harm them.  They also terrorize our daily garbage bags we set out, which has to be put in bins (apparently the big birds can't perch on them).  Nasty dirty birds.  😛

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by island lady

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I did eat at those tables, though I didn't leave my food.  I don't know why they didn't bother us --or anyone else.  I wasn't even aware of them.

 

We had no problems all morning until that one group left food behind. After that, they zeroed in on us. As you and others stated, if no-one leaves food behind or unattended, the odds of being left alone increase as they fly to other areas for easier pickings.

[Mum2Mercury]

8 minutes ago, island lady said:

Maybe they did not like your choice of food.  😉   I think they prefer piles of french fries.  😄 

I had a Cheese Steak sandwich and salad.  I don't remember what my husband had.  Could be true about the fries.  

4 minutes ago, island lady said:

We get that in Florida all the time.  For some reason the vultures will "party" on the roof of one house daily, but won't on the neighbors in our community with duplicate homes in different sections.  And indeed you can't harm them.  They also terrorize our daily garbage bags we set out, which has to be put in bins (apparently the big birds can't perch on them).  Nasty dirty birds.  😛

I had no idea they were so common!  They only came around our area in central NC once (to my knowledge).  Our climate and landscape is quite different from Florida -- they must like you better.  

 

Someone got the idea that they were afraid of garbage bags.  So our janitors set up "scarecrows", which were just planks nailed into Xs -- like a St. Andrew's cross -- and garbage bags stapled to them.  Those nasty dirty birds perched on them.  Made our school look like trash AND didn't work.  

Edited February 14, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Teeara]

Glad I was there during the pandemic and it looked like this:

 

 

The only 4 other people on the beach were at the front near the water.  We were in the back row in the shade.  Next time we'll try out those beach beds.  Of course there will be a lot more people then ;o)

[island lady]

4 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

Someone got the idea that they were afraid of garbage bags.  So our janitors set up "scarecrows", which were just planks nailed into Xs -- like a St. Andrew's cross -- and garbage bags stapled to them.  Those nasty dirty birds perched on them.  Made our school look like trash AND didn't work.  

 

[Engineroom Snipe]

5 hours ago, island lady said:

 

 

Sooooo funny!  We have one house in our neighborhood that they insist on perching in their long trees.

 

No one other house will do, only in that particular house since last fall.

 

My wife and I are joking at the same time why they are so patient, "There is death coming soon, we will wait."

 

If they move to our trees, "We are out of here!" 😱

 

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Engineroom Snipe
grammar....darnitt