Two Cococay Questions

[mrsmagoo1]

Sailing on Symphony. This will be my first time back to Cococay since 1999, so much has changed! Trying to figure out two things as I plan our day. We're docking at 8:00am. Utopia is docking at 7:00am. Both ships staying til 5pm.

 

1 - we plan on getting off the ship at 9am and staying on the island til around 3pm. We want to enjoy the beach for one chunk of the day and the pool for other time. In terms of crowds and getting a seat, where do you recommend we start?

 

2 - any beach in particular have the clearest water and softest sand? This is our top priority. Or any beach you'd avoid only for this reason?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Mapleleafforever]

Go wherever there is space, it will fill up with potentially 10k people. We prefer South Beach. 

 

 

[smokeybandit]

As long as you're on the island by 10am, it's relatively easy to find a spot, no matter how many passengers are in port.

[chfenton]

13 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

As long as you're on the island by 10am, it's relatively easy to find a spot, no matter how many passengers are in port.

Agree with this, on Allure with Liberty also docked this past Feb, I went to Hideaway and pretty much had the beach to myself at 9:15

[PhillyFan33579]

South Beach is our go to beach on Coco Cay. 

[BecciBoo]

I just got a terrific surprise this morning...my wonderful Doctor son n law is gifting us all with one of the Hideout Cabanas!  We would never be able to afford it ourselves.  He's a peach!   Thank God!  Now I'm really getting excited! It went to $1398 this morning so I let DD know and that's when she told me....yeehaaaaaa!

[orville99]

South Beach is the closest one to the pool also.

[livetravelcruise07]

We usually always start with one of the beaches in the morning, then head over to the pool in the afternoon. From our experience (we have been there 4 times) by the time 2 pm hits, the pool starts opening up chair wise! Have so much fun!! 🙂 

[PhillyFan33579]

10 hours ago, livetravelcruise07 said:

We usually always start with one of the beaches in the morning, then head over to the pool in the afternoon. From our experience (we have been there 4 times) by the time 2 pm hits, the pool starts opening up chair wise! Have so much fun!! 🙂 

The last half dozen or so times I have been to Coco Cay I have never had a problem finding plenty of chairs available around the pool no matter what time I have gone there. Ever since Hideaway Beach opened, the Oasis Lagoon pool area has been significantly less crowded. 

[Sianli]

13 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

I just got a terrific surprise this morning...my wonderful Doctor son n law is gifting us all with one of the Hideout Cabanas!  We would never be able to afford it ourselves.  He's a peach!   Thank God!  Now I'm really getting excited! It went to $1398 this morning so I let DD know and that's when she told me....yeehaaaaaa!

That sounds amazing!!!! Enjoy!

[jerseyjjs]

I think the water at South beach is a little on the murky side.   Chill Island has clearer water.

[BecciBoo]

I am going to try to make a semi-live review with an extensive Hideout video and the lagoon there.  I am excited to see if any critters are in the lagoon, fish or octopi, etc.  I know the lifeguards won't let you get too close to the inlets but I'm gonna try to get a look at the coral on that wall.  The only place I've seen an octopus up close was there at Coco Cay, way back in 2008.  I will do a detailed one of Empire Supper Club too.

[NoShoes2]

We were there 2 weeks ago on the Freedom. Symphony was also in port. We got off the ship around 10:00 and headed to South Beach. There were still plenty of chairs when we arrived. 

[BecciBoo]

If you snooze, you lose...just get up and go

[OCSC Mike]

25 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

If you snooze, you lose...just get up and go

 

Obviously everyone should vacation how it makes them happy but I do enjoy several benefits of being an early riser while cruising. I love how peaceful the ship is at 6-7am (especially Central Park) and CocoCay is a ghost town first thing even with two Oasis class ships in port.

[Baowen]

I like to go to Chill Island.

[mrsmagoo1]

Is the water clarity any different at Harbor Beach? Just wondering as it appears to not be direct ocean water like Chill Island and South Beach.

[LeeW]

Harbor beach is pretty closed off from the ocean and tends to be murky.  Clear under the bridge, but you aren't allowed to swim out that far.

[BecciBoo]

Has anyone ever seen the Hideout Cabanas at Hideaway for less than $1398 pp?  And did anyone get a better reduction a couple weeks out.  They have 7 cabanas left so I'm betting they may go down before the last couple weeks. And Labor day is coming up before our cruise too! Sept. 2nd and we board on the 14th.

Edited July 31 by BecciBoo

[OCSC Mike]

53 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Has anyone ever seen the Hideout Cabanas at Hideaway for less than $1398 pp?

 

Yes, I have seen both types under $1000 before.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

 

On 7/29/2024 at 11:10 AM, mrsmagoo1 said:

 

1 - we plan on getting off the ship at 9am and staying on the island til around 3pm. We want to enjoy the beach for one chunk of the day and the pool for other time. In terms of crowds and getting a seat, where do you recommend we start?

 

2 - any beach in particular have the clearest water and softest sand? This is our top priority. Or any beach you'd avoid only for this reason?

 

Unless you plan to get a beach bed or cabana, I would definitely recommend starting with the beach if you're not going to be one of the first ones off the ship. As others have said, the main pool tends to be a lot quieter now that Hideaway Beach has opened up, but the beaches can be pretty packed by mid-morning. I'm told the seating at the complimentary beaches starts clearing out a little around 2:00, but I can't comment on that because unless we've rented a beach bed or a Beach Club pass, we're back on the ship long before then. 😉 

 

And in terms of water clarity, I also recommend Chill Island out of the complimentary beaches. 🙂 

[perfect match]

On 7/31/2024 at 4:34 PM, BecciBoo said:

Has anyone ever seen the Hideout Cabanas at Hideaway for less than $1398 pp?  And did anyone get a better reduction a couple weeks out.  They have 7 cabanas left so I'm betting they may go down before the last couple weeks. And Labor day is coming up before our cruise too! Sept. 2nd and we board on the 14th.

@BecciBoo
 

Here’s today’s prices for Hideaway for our January 27 Utopia cruise. this is a screenshot from my cruise planner. I’d say you should probably keep looking for price drops! 

[BecciBoo]

7 hours ago, perfect match said:

January 27 Utopia cruise.

Dang....my Icon hasn't gotten any cheaper! But get this.  On Monday/Tuesday it was $1398, then Weds. it went back up to $1999.  Yesterday is when my DD bought it thinking it would go down again, and it did, in the evening!!!!  So we called and cxd/rebooked!  Isn't that crazy?  I will be watching like a hawk everyday until Sept.  But they seem to think Icon should get more $$ on everything!

Edited August 2 by BecciBoo

[mrsmagoo1]

On 7/31/2024 at 8:33 PM, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

 

Unless you plan to get a beach bed or cabana, I would definitely recommend starting with the beach if you're not going to be one of the first ones off the ship. As others have said, the main pool tends to be a lot quieter now that Hideaway Beach has opened up, but the beaches can be pretty packed by mid-morning. I'm told the seating at the complimentary beaches starts clearing out a little around 2:00, but I can't comment on that because unless we've rented a beach bed or a Beach Club pass, we're back on the ship long before then. 😉 

 

And in terms of water clarity, I also recommend Chill Island out of the complimentary beaches. 🙂 

Super helpful thank you! Yes, we are sticking to complimentary offerings so this is great to know.

[Mapleleafforever]

1 minute ago, mrsmagoo1 said:

Super helpful thank you! Yes, we are sticking to complimentary offerings so this is great to know.

There is really no need to spend an extra dime on CocoCay but you know what P.T. Barnum used to say. I mean, there are people on here paying as much for a cabana (for lets face it a few hours) as my family paid per person for a 5 star 7 night stay at an AI in the DR this past winter. 

 

Plenty of complimentary options. South Beach also has one of the best beach snacks.......funnel cakes.