September 3, 2025 • 21 mins
In this episode, Krystle and Julie share all their best tips for making the most of Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. From the record-breaking Thrill Waterpark with the tallest water slide in North America to relaxing beaches, swim-up bars, and the new adults-only Hideaway Beach, we’re covering everything you need to know. Whether you want adventure, relaxation, or family fun, these CocoCay tips will help you plan the perfect day.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Wanderlust and Wishes, the
podcast where we explore theworld one destination at a time.
I'm Julie.
And I'm Crystal.
As travel agents withFantastical Vacations, we are
here to share our passion fortravel and help you turn your
wanderlust into reality.
From hidden gems to bucket listadventures, join us as we dive
into the sights, sounds, andstories of our favorite
(00:20):
destinations.
So grab your passport, pack yourbags, and let's embark on this
journey together.
So let's get started.
UNKNOWN (00:30):
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to episode 67 ofWanderlust and Wishes.
Today, we are going to dive intothe details of Perfect Day at
Coco Cay.
We've talked about that this isthe private island for Royal
Caribbean in the past, but we'venever gone into the details of
the island.
And we thought that would be agreat topic.
(00:54):
But first, we have several bitsof news to go through.
All sorts of news.
We've missed some news over thelast couple weeks, so we're just
going to throw it all in.
So rapid fire here.
epic universe minecart madnessand ministry of magic were added
to express pass so only dragonracers rally is the only one
without it now so that's a gamechanger yeah huge 2026
(01:17):
disneyland is now open forbooking finally hallelujah
getting later and later everyyear i know i know with that
they also opened the end of 2026and first quarter of 2027 for
word Disney Cruise Line.
So we can now book those ifyou're looking for like spring
(01:37):
break 2027 and want like a yearand a half to pay on it.
For those that are interested ingoing to Halloween Horror Nights
but have a little bit of scaredycat and you are a little
apprehensive about going, theyhave released this Deathly
Afraid medallion.
It's about$20 and you wear it.
(01:58):
And when you go through thescare zones, the scare zone
actors know to kind to take iteasy on you and they don't jump
out and scare you.
However, this is not for thehouses.
So you can wear it all you wantin the house, but it's not going
to make a difference.
I was watching videos thisweekend on social media of
people testing it with andwithout, and it was night and
(02:20):
day difference.
So they're really like, they seeit, they're going the exact
opposite way.
So that's cool.
Yeah.
It's like the, it's like the seaof like parting, parting of
scary people.
They just like go away.
This weekend was D23.
We didn't get a lot, especiallycompared to how much we got last
year.
So instead of doing a fullepisode, just some little
(02:41):
tidbits, lots of movie news.
Tron is getting a red and orangeoverlay starting mid-September
for a couple weeks, maybe amonth for the new Tron Ares
movie.
A Carousel of Progress at WaltDisney World is going to get an
update with Walt Disney and WaltDisney Animatronic that will
introduce the show.
(03:03):
So he'll be right at the verybeginning which is really cool
i'm excited about that yeah theymust be loving it to disneyland
for them to bring it this wayand then the other piece of news
that's a little controversialalready is the walt disney world
castle is getting the og colorsback so the pink is going away
and it's going to be like thegray and blue with some gold i
(03:25):
don't have feelings one way orthe other but i know that
there's lots that are superexcited and some that are sad i
was telling crystal before westarted recording that at first
when they started doing the pinkI was like what are they doing
why are they changing it and nowI love it so it's gonna be weird
without it but either way I meanit's it's still iconic it's
(03:47):
still Cinderella's castle soit'll be great yeah all right so
let's jump into the episode soif it's your first visit or your
fifth hopefully we have somesort of tip or trick or secret
you'll want to use that willhelp you make the most of your
time on the So it can be aperfect day without spending a
(04:07):
dime.
Or if you'd like to spend money,you can do that too.
One of the things that can oftenbe confusing is the
pronunciation of the word C-A-Y.
For Disney's private island inthe Bahamas, it's called
Castaway Cay, and it's stillspelled C-A-Y.
But for the Royal CaribbeanIsland in the Bahamas, it is
(04:31):
Coco Cay.
If you hear it both ways, justroll with it.
So we're going to start out withthe island overview and layout.
As we've mentioned, Coco Cay isRoyal Caribbean's private island
in the Bahamas.
It is exclusively for theircruise guests, so this is not
open to any other cruise line.
It is an all-day shore excursionthat's part beach, part water
(04:55):
park, and part pool party.
So you will usually see two ofRoyal's ships there.
Sometimes you'll see a celebrityship because that's part of the
same company.
It'll be interesting to see ifthey dock both the Icon and the
Star of the Seas at the sametime, just because they hold so
many people.
I think they're trying to avoidthat, if possible, getting like
(05:16):
a bigger and a smaller ship.
The island is kind of split intofour main zones.
There's Chill Island and OasisLagoon.
This is home to the massivefreshwater pool.
There's tons of free loungers,family-friendly beaches.
There's Thrill Water Park.
When you get off the ship, Thisis you walk right into the
thrill water park area.
This is the iconic tower withthe Daredevil's Peak, which is
(05:39):
the tallest slide in NorthAmerica.
There's a wave pool, tons ofslides, but it is an extra cost.
There is South Beach and CocoaBeach Club.
This is on the far side of theisland.
South Beach is free.
Cocoa Beach Club is an upscaleextra fee experience.
And then there is HideawayBeach.
This is adults only.
It's also an extra fee area witha lively spring break energy.
(06:01):
Yeah.
That's a nice way to put it.
Spring break energy.
Lots of partying, basically, iswhat we're going for over there.
If you're looking for a relaxingday over there, that's probably
not what you're going to begetting.
So a quick tip, grab a map atthe Arrivals Plaza or use the
Royal Caribbean app forwayfinding.
(06:21):
Look for color-coded paths.
The light green means that it'sChill Island.
Orange equals Oasis Lagoon slashCocoa Beach Club.
And then blue equals the ThrillWaterpark.
So and I don't know if this willmake a difference to anybody
else out there, but I waslooking at maps online and the
way they have it all set up isyou come in like the bottom
(06:44):
middle of the island.
But that is actually on thenorth side of the island.
So I don't know why on all themaps that is on the bottom.
So I was so confused when I waslike doing directions.
That's upside down, basically.
Yeah, it's upside down on allthe maps that I could find.
So yes, you can have a full daywithout spending any money.
(07:08):
So here are things that areincluded.
So we have beach chairs,umbrellas, and access to Chill
Island, South Beach, HarborBeach, and Breezy Bay.
The Oasis Lagoon Pool.
That is the largest freshwaterpool in the Caribbean.
There's Splashway Bay andCaptain Jill's Galleon, two
splash zones that are perfectfor little kids.
(07:31):
There's a free tramtransportation around the
island.
There's freshwater showers andbeach wheelchairs available.
And then dining at Skipper'sGrill, Chill Grill, and Snack
Shack is all included.
And apparently they have anamazing chicken parm sandwich at
the Snack Shack.
(07:52):
So you're probably wonderingwhat costs extra.
And as we were kind of goingthrough the first section, you
heard us say a couple of thingsthat cost extra.
So Thrill Water Park, pricingvaries by the sailing.
It's dynamic pricing, but canreach$150 to$200 plus per
person.
It does include 13 water slides,a wave pool, and adventure pool,
(08:14):
but just be prepared becauseit's the first thing you see,
the kids are going to ask aboutit, and it can be a hefty price.
Cocoa Beach Club, it's around$150 plus per person.
It does include high-end foodsuch as lobster and steak,
infinity pool, beach loungers,and access to luxe cabanas.
Hideaway Beach would which isthe adults-only section.
(08:35):
Entry starts around$40 perperson.
Think Vegas-style party scenewith a DJ and swimmer bar.
Cabanas and daybeds, they startaround$1,000.
Some include water park or beachclub admission for up to six to
eight guests.
And then excursions, there's zipline, helium balloon rides,
snorkeling, jet skis, kayaking,and more.
(08:57):
We'll kind of talk throughexcursions a little bit later.
So a pro tip for this section,definitely be on the lookout in
the cruise planner for yourcruise, because a lot of times
these things will go on sale,especially like Black Friday
type sales.
It's not always at that time,but that's a good time to start
(09:19):
looking.
I know that some of my clientshave gotten the water park half
off.
And you can always book it andcancel it and rebook if you see
like a better price down theroad.
True.
All right, our next section isall about pools, beaches, and
the best vibes.
So the Oasis Lagoon is a massivepool with islands, coves, and a
(09:41):
swimming bar.
It does get kind of livelymidday, so head early if you
want space to spread out.
The best quiet beach is on ChillIsland.
It's a little bit farther fromthe ships So as Crystal was
saying, it's like actuallysouth, but on the map, it's like
you go up and to the left fromthe ship.
It's quiet, peaceful, and closerto the food and drinks.
(10:05):
All around beach would probablybe South Beach.
It's a great mix of space, beachgames, floating bar nearby, and
close to the food and restrooms.
Harbor Beach is best for thesmallest crowds and the calmest
water.
It is on a protected inlet,which makes the water not as
choppy.
And then like we alluded toearlier, the party spots.
(10:26):
This is the Oasis Lagoon SwimBar, always packed and festive.
And then Hideaway Beach, thefull-on adult-only party zone.
And for a floating bar, you haveone located off of South Beach.
You can wade out into the water,climb the steps, grab a drink.
No blender drinks here, justbeer and basic cocktails.
All right, my favorite part isthe food.
(10:50):
So for food and drinks, theincluded options.
You have Skipper's Grill andChill Grill.
These are both buffet style withtacos, burgers, sandwiches, and
salads.
So these are just like anextension of the ship included.
You don't have to pay for it.
The Snack Shacks, thinkgrab-and-go chicken sandwiches,
fries, Greek salad, mozzarellasticks, funnel cakes, all that
(11:11):
good stuff.
And then a DIY dessert, makeyour own cookie ice cream
sandwich at the self-servestations.
Yum.
For premium dining, you can goto Cocoa Beach Club.
This is more high end, fullservice dining.
Think lobster, steak, cevichetype entrees.
And then also Captain Jack's.
(11:32):
It is an extra fee.
It has wings and fries.
It is near the pier.
You can get shaded seating andit has live music.
Your drink packages work on theisland.
So your onboard deluxe beveragepackage or refreshment package
extends to Coco Cay.
Same with the Boom internetpackages.
You can post your pictures inreal time.
If you need to work, leave yourwork at home.
(11:52):
And then your daily crown andanchor drink vouchers can be
used here as well.
I've actually heard that theirinternet is a lot better than
Disney's internet when it comesto island internet.
Yeah, VOOM.
I've heard VOOM is much betteras well.
I agree.
Next is some planning tips andhidden gems.
Early bird strategy.
Get off the ship as early as youcan.
(12:14):
Just like with, honestly,anywhere you go, anywhere you
travel, it's going to be lesscrowded the earlier that you get
off the ship.
And it's also going to be lesshot in the morning, then return
mid-afternoon after the crowdshave thinned out again.
So the middle of the day,probably like that like 10 to 3
(12:34):
time frame is when it's the mostcrowded.
And you want to try to avoidthat time frame as much as you
can if you want to get the leastamount of crowds.
Make sure you eat breakfast onthe ship.
There's no breakfast anywhere onthe island.
So just make sure you grabsomething before you go.
Yeah, so if you do get up and goout there early, Don't go so
early that you don't eatbreakfast.
(12:54):
Towels are not handed out on theisland.
You do have to bring them fromthe ship.
But there are towel swapstations across Coco Cay.
So you can exchange wet towelsfor fresh ones.
Something of note is that you dohave to check out your towels.
So this is on the ship or not.
And however many towels youcheck in, you have to turn back
(13:17):
in.
So if you check out four towelsand you turn back in three, then
you're going to get charged...
each towel that you don'treturn.
And it's$25 per towel.
So you definitely want to makesure that you're paying
attention to how many towelsyou're taking and how many
towels you're returning.
Yeah, Boreal's a lot more strictabout this than like Disney is.
(13:38):
So don't let your husband takeeight towels and only bring back
two.
Right.
Accidentally end up like in thesuitcase or something like that.
Yes.
Free lockers.
These are available near Thrill,Water park, the zipline, and
chill island areas first come,first serve.
For accessibility, most of theisland is wheelchair accessible.
(13:59):
There are pool lifts availableat Oasis Lagoon and Cocoa Beach
Club.
There is a dress code for thewater slides.
No rash guards are allowed onnon-raft slides.
The lifeguards are reallystrict, so just keep note of
that.
Bring closed-toe shoes if youare doing the zipline.
(14:20):
I'd say this goes along with allof our cruising episodes.
If you're doing anything extra,you need closed-toed shoes, like
climbing wall, ice skating, likeall the ice skating, you'll need
socks.
Just make sure you're aware.
On the island, look out forwildlife.
They have chickens, iguanas, andbirds that roam freely.
So you never know what you'regoing to see.
(14:40):
It just makes me laugh that theyhave chickens that are roaming
around.
I don't know why.
It just makes me like chuckle.
The official drink of Coco Cayis the Coco Loco.
It's frozen, fruity, and you canget it with or without alcohol.
And yes, you can snorkel.
Just make sure you bring yourown gear or you can rent it.
There's even a sunken planewreck that you can find.
(15:02):
It's fun.
Okay, so next we're going totalk through excursions.
Each port stop on a cruisealways has a selection of
excursions offered.
So Coco Cay is no different andit has a wide selection of
things to choose from.
For all of the different areas,they each have day passes and
(15:23):
cabana rentals.
So any of the areas that we wentthrough, they're all going to
offer that as an option.
Some of the other things thatyou can you can purchase for an
excursion is the Coco Cay allday snorkeling at your leisure.
The swimming pigs tour, whichthis is just really popular in
the Caribbean period, like whereany a lot of the places where
(15:45):
you go.
This is a fun excursion that youcan book.
There's a glass bottom boattour.
A wave jet guided tour.
So it's a Sea-Doo tour.
You can do a combined swimmingpigs and stingray tour.
Reef snorkeling, which sounds sofun to me.
There's sandbar getaway.
(16:06):
So they take you in like alittle boat to a sandbar and you
can snorkel and have like alittle private area.
There is a floating beach mat.
So it's just this gigantic matthat's out there and you can
like all lay out on it.
You can kayak.
Scuba diving is available forcertified divers.
(16:27):
And then thrill water park, youcan get like a full day or half
day passes.
And then last but not least, up,up and away helium balloon
rides.
All of those will be availableto book within the app as
excursions or on your cruiseplanner.
I thought it was very neat thatthey have like a little key on
(16:48):
each excursion and with likelittle pictures of what to wear.
what to bring, if there's anylike restrictions or minimum
ages.
So it's like all very easy tosee if you click into one.
So make sure you're checking.
Oh, yeah, because, you know,sometimes you just forget or you
don't think, oh, crap, I need,you know, money or money or, you
(17:09):
know, yeah, you just get excitedabout the trip and you just
don't think about it.
So when we went, we weresnorkeling in the Dominican and
for some reason we didn't thinkto bring like a credit card we
just had cash and little did weknow there was like a massive
like flea market outside sowe're like shoot we have like
(17:30):
enough cash to tip the driverand the excursion but we didn't
think about like souvenirs afterright right i bet that was so
fun too yeah so it worked outsomeone took apple pay so that
worked but i was like nevermaking that mistake again oh i
love apple pay it's the best ilove being able to just take my
(17:52):
phone phone and not have toworry about anything else.
That's amazing.
Just some last bonus tips andfun facts.
Julie talked about this earlier,but there's a secret menu item.
Ask for the chicken parmsandwich at the snack shack.
You won't regret it.
The DIY ice cream sandwiches.
It's soft serve and cookies.
(18:12):
Enough said.
What else can you ask for there?
That's perfect.
Perfection.
If you're wanting to do thehelium balloon ride, the up, up,
and away, it's best first thingin the morning.
The wind tends to pick up later,and if it's over so many knots,
they can't fly.
Same with the one at DisneySprings.
You don't want to be one ofthose people that ends up on
(18:34):
social media because you getblown away.
And people are filming yougetting like blown out into no
man's land.
Day beds and in pool loungers atCocoa Beach Club go fast, as you
can imagine.
So this is something that youwant to get there early to grab.
On average, Coco Cay averages11,000 guests per day.
(18:57):
So expect some crowds, but it'sbig enough for their space to
spread out.
Yeah, that's a lot of people,but it is a very large space.
And they do a good jobdispensing the people.
My clients that have gone,they've never come back and
complained that it was overlycrowded.
I think the water park probablygets pretty crowded, but I think
(19:18):
people just kind of come toexpect that.
But no one's ever had an issuewith finding a chair or anything
like that.
$250 million was invested toupgrade this island to what it
is today.
It is, like we were just saying,it is massive and has tons to
do.
It's a gorgeous space.
If you ask anybody who lovesCastaway for Disney.
(19:41):
They love Coco probably morejust because there's more to do.
They've just done such a goodjob with it.
It's unique in that they havethat gigantic water park as part
of the island.
Speaking of which, it holds thetallest water slide in North
America and the largest wavepool in the Caribbean.
Well, that's fun.
On a little island out there inthe middle of nowhere.
(20:03):
I know.
Every time I see it, everythingis so colorful and bright and
just happy.
It is a perfect day.
It really is.
So if you found this episodehelpful and you would like to go
visit Perfect Day, be sure toshare it with a friend or leave
us a review.
We would love to help you getthere.
As always, our planning servicesare completely free to you.
(20:27):
As always, thank you so much forlistening.
We appreciate all of ourlisteners.
We hope you all have a fantasticweek and we will chat with you
all next week.
Bye.
thanks for tuning in to anotherepisode of wonderlust and wishes
(20:52):
if you enjoyed today's episodedon't forget to subscribe and
leave us a review on yourfavorite podcast platform and
remember the world is full ofwonders waiting to be explored
until next time happy travelsbye for now
Welcome to Wanderlust and Wishes, the
podcast where we explore theworld one destination at a time.
I'm Julie.
And I'm Crystal.
As travel agents withFantastical Vacations, we are
here to share our passion fortravel and help you turn your
wanderlust into reality.
From hidden gems to bucket listadventures, join us as we dive
into the sights, sounds, andstories of our favorite
(00:20):
destinations.
So grab your passport, pack yourbags, and let's embark on this
journey together.
So let's get started.
UNKNOWN (00:30):
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to episode 67 ofWanderlust and Wishes.
Today, we are going to dive intothe details of Perfect Day at
Coco Cay.
We've talked about that this isthe private island for Royal
Caribbean in the past, but we'venever gone into the details of
the island.
And we thought that would be agreat topic.
(00:54):
But first, we have several bitsof news to go through.
All sorts of news.
We've missed some news over thelast couple weeks, so we're just
going to throw it all in.
So rapid fire here.
epic universe minecart madnessand ministry of magic were added
to express pass so only dragonracers rally is the only one
without it now so that's a gamechanger yeah huge 2026
(01:17):
disneyland is now open forbooking finally hallelujah
getting later and later everyyear i know i know with that
they also opened the end of 2026and first quarter of 2027 for
word Disney Cruise Line.
So we can now book those ifyou're looking for like spring
(01:37):
break 2027 and want like a yearand a half to pay on it.
For those that are interested ingoing to Halloween Horror Nights
but have a little bit of scaredycat and you are a little
apprehensive about going, theyhave released this Deathly
Afraid medallion.
It's about$20 and you wear it.
(01:58):
And when you go through thescare zones, the scare zone
actors know to kind to take iteasy on you and they don't jump
out and scare you.
However, this is not for thehouses.
So you can wear it all you wantin the house, but it's not going
to make a difference.
I was watching videos thisweekend on social media of
people testing it with andwithout, and it was night and
(02:20):
day difference.
So they're really like, they seeit, they're going the exact
opposite way.
So that's cool.
Yeah.
It's like the, it's like the seaof like parting, parting of
scary people.
They just like go away.
This weekend was D23.
We didn't get a lot, especiallycompared to how much we got last
year.
So instead of doing a fullepisode, just some little
(02:41):
tidbits, lots of movie news.
Tron is getting a red and orangeoverlay starting mid-September
for a couple weeks, maybe amonth for the new Tron Ares
movie.
A Carousel of Progress at WaltDisney World is going to get an
update with Walt Disney and WaltDisney Animatronic that will
introduce the show.
(03:03):
So he'll be right at the verybeginning which is really cool
i'm excited about that yeah theymust be loving it to disneyland
for them to bring it this wayand then the other piece of news
that's a little controversialalready is the walt disney world
castle is getting the og colorsback so the pink is going away
and it's going to be like thegray and blue with some gold i
(03:25):
don't have feelings one way orthe other but i know that
there's lots that are superexcited and some that are sad i
was telling crystal before westarted recording that at first
when they started doing the pinkI was like what are they doing
why are they changing it and nowI love it so it's gonna be weird
without it but either way I meanit's it's still iconic it's
(03:47):
still Cinderella's castle soit'll be great yeah all right so
let's jump into the episode soif it's your first visit or your
fifth hopefully we have somesort of tip or trick or secret
you'll want to use that willhelp you make the most of your
time on the So it can be aperfect day without spending a
(04:07):
dime.
Or if you'd like to spend money,you can do that too.
One of the things that can oftenbe confusing is the
pronunciation of the word C-A-Y.
For Disney's private island inthe Bahamas, it's called
Castaway Cay, and it's stillspelled C-A-Y.
But for the Royal CaribbeanIsland in the Bahamas, it is
(04:31):
Coco Cay.
If you hear it both ways, justroll with it.
So we're going to start out withthe island overview and layout.
As we've mentioned, Coco Cay isRoyal Caribbean's private island
in the Bahamas.
It is exclusively for theircruise guests, so this is not
open to any other cruise line.
It is an all-day shore excursionthat's part beach, part water
(04:55):
park, and part pool party.
So you will usually see two ofRoyal's ships there.
Sometimes you'll see a celebrityship because that's part of the
same company.
It'll be interesting to see ifthey dock both the Icon and the
Star of the Seas at the sametime, just because they hold so
many people.
I think they're trying to avoidthat, if possible, getting like
(05:16):
a bigger and a smaller ship.
The island is kind of split intofour main zones.
There's Chill Island and OasisLagoon.
This is home to the massivefreshwater pool.
There's tons of free loungers,family-friendly beaches.
There's Thrill Water Park.
When you get off the ship, Thisis you walk right into the
thrill water park area.
This is the iconic tower withthe Daredevil's Peak, which is
(05:39):
the tallest slide in NorthAmerica.
There's a wave pool, tons ofslides, but it is an extra cost.
There is South Beach and CocoaBeach Club.
This is on the far side of theisland.
South Beach is free.
Cocoa Beach Club is an upscaleextra fee experience.
And then there is HideawayBeach.
This is adults only.
It's also an extra fee area witha lively spring break energy.
(06:01):
Yeah.
That's a nice way to put it.
Spring break energy.
Lots of partying, basically, iswhat we're going for over there.
If you're looking for a relaxingday over there, that's probably
not what you're going to begetting.
So a quick tip, grab a map atthe Arrivals Plaza or use the
Royal Caribbean app forwayfinding.
(06:21):
Look for color-coded paths.
The light green means that it'sChill Island.
Orange equals Oasis Lagoon slashCocoa Beach Club.
And then blue equals the ThrillWaterpark.
So and I don't know if this willmake a difference to anybody
else out there, but I waslooking at maps online and the
way they have it all set up isyou come in like the bottom
(06:44):
middle of the island.
But that is actually on thenorth side of the island.
So I don't know why on all themaps that is on the bottom.
So I was so confused when I waslike doing directions.
That's upside down, basically.
Yeah, it's upside down on allthe maps that I could find.
So yes, you can have a full daywithout spending any money.
(07:08):
So here are things that areincluded.
So we have beach chairs,umbrellas, and access to Chill
Island, South Beach, HarborBeach, and Breezy Bay.
The Oasis Lagoon Pool.
That is the largest freshwaterpool in the Caribbean.
There's Splashway Bay andCaptain Jill's Galleon, two
splash zones that are perfectfor little kids.
(07:31):
There's a free tramtransportation around the
island.
There's freshwater showers andbeach wheelchairs available.
And then dining at Skipper'sGrill, Chill Grill, and Snack
Shack is all included.
And apparently they have anamazing chicken parm sandwich at
the Snack Shack.
(07:52):
So you're probably wonderingwhat costs extra.
And as we were kind of goingthrough the first section, you
heard us say a couple of thingsthat cost extra.
So Thrill Water Park, pricingvaries by the sailing.
It's dynamic pricing, but canreach$150 to$200 plus per
person.
It does include 13 water slides,a wave pool, and adventure pool,
(08:14):
but just be prepared becauseit's the first thing you see,
the kids are going to ask aboutit, and it can be a hefty price.
Cocoa Beach Club, it's around$150 plus per person.
It does include high-end foodsuch as lobster and steak,
infinity pool, beach loungers,and access to luxe cabanas.
Hideaway Beach would which isthe adults-only section.
(08:35):
Entry starts around$40 perperson.
Think Vegas-style party scenewith a DJ and swimmer bar.
Cabanas and daybeds, they startaround$1,000.
Some include water park or beachclub admission for up to six to
eight guests.
And then excursions, there's zipline, helium balloon rides,
snorkeling, jet skis, kayaking,and more.
(08:57):
We'll kind of talk throughexcursions a little bit later.
So a pro tip for this section,definitely be on the lookout in
the cruise planner for yourcruise, because a lot of times
these things will go on sale,especially like Black Friday
type sales.
It's not always at that time,but that's a good time to start
(09:19):
looking.
I know that some of my clientshave gotten the water park half
off.
And you can always book it andcancel it and rebook if you see
like a better price down theroad.
True.
All right, our next section isall about pools, beaches, and
the best vibes.
So the Oasis Lagoon is a massivepool with islands, coves, and a
(09:41):
swimming bar.
It does get kind of livelymidday, so head early if you
want space to spread out.
The best quiet beach is on ChillIsland.
It's a little bit farther fromthe ships So as Crystal was
saying, it's like actuallysouth, but on the map, it's like
you go up and to the left fromthe ship.
It's quiet, peaceful, and closerto the food and drinks.
(10:05):
All around beach would probablybe South Beach.
It's a great mix of space, beachgames, floating bar nearby, and
close to the food and restrooms.
Harbor Beach is best for thesmallest crowds and the calmest
water.
It is on a protected inlet,which makes the water not as
choppy.
And then like we alluded toearlier, the party spots.
(10:26):
This is the Oasis Lagoon SwimBar, always packed and festive.
And then Hideaway Beach, thefull-on adult-only party zone.
And for a floating bar, you haveone located off of South Beach.
You can wade out into the water,climb the steps, grab a drink.
No blender drinks here, justbeer and basic cocktails.
All right, my favorite part isthe food.
(10:50):
So for food and drinks, theincluded options.
You have Skipper's Grill andChill Grill.
These are both buffet style withtacos, burgers, sandwiches, and
salads.
So these are just like anextension of the ship included.
You don't have to pay for it.
The Snack Shacks, thinkgrab-and-go chicken sandwiches,
fries, Greek salad, mozzarellasticks, funnel cakes, all that
(11:11):
good stuff.
And then a DIY dessert, makeyour own cookie ice cream
sandwich at the self-servestations.
Yum.
For premium dining, you can goto Cocoa Beach Club.
This is more high end, fullservice dining.
Think lobster, steak, cevichetype entrees.
And then also Captain Jack's.
(11:32):
It is an extra fee.
It has wings and fries.
It is near the pier.
You can get shaded seating andit has live music.
Your drink packages work on theisland.
So your onboard deluxe beveragepackage or refreshment package
extends to Coco Cay.
Same with the Boom internetpackages.
You can post your pictures inreal time.
If you need to work, leave yourwork at home.
(11:52):
And then your daily crown andanchor drink vouchers can be
used here as well.
I've actually heard that theirinternet is a lot better than
Disney's internet when it comesto island internet.
Yeah, VOOM.
I've heard VOOM is much betteras well.
I agree.
Next is some planning tips andhidden gems.
Early bird strategy.
Get off the ship as early as youcan.
(12:14):
Just like with, honestly,anywhere you go, anywhere you
travel, it's going to be lesscrowded the earlier that you get
off the ship.
And it's also going to be lesshot in the morning, then return
mid-afternoon after the crowdshave thinned out again.
So the middle of the day,probably like that like 10 to 3
(12:34):
time frame is when it's the mostcrowded.
And you want to try to avoidthat time frame as much as you
can if you want to get the leastamount of crowds.
Make sure you eat breakfast onthe ship.
There's no breakfast anywhere onthe island.
So just make sure you grabsomething before you go.
Yeah, so if you do get up and goout there early, Don't go so
early that you don't eatbreakfast.
(12:54):
Towels are not handed out on theisland.
You do have to bring them fromthe ship.
But there are towel swapstations across Coco Cay.
So you can exchange wet towelsfor fresh ones.
Something of note is that you dohave to check out your towels.
So this is on the ship or not.
And however many towels youcheck in, you have to turn back
(13:17):
in.
So if you check out four towelsand you turn back in three, then
you're going to get charged...
each towel that you don'treturn.
And it's$25 per towel.
So you definitely want to makesure that you're paying
attention to how many towelsyou're taking and how many
towels you're returning.
Yeah, Boreal's a lot more strictabout this than like Disney is.
(13:38):
So don't let your husband takeeight towels and only bring back
two.
Right.
Accidentally end up like in thesuitcase or something like that.
Yes.
Free lockers.
These are available near Thrill,Water park, the zipline, and
chill island areas first come,first serve.
For accessibility, most of theisland is wheelchair accessible.
(13:59):
There are pool lifts availableat Oasis Lagoon and Cocoa Beach
Club.
There is a dress code for thewater slides.
No rash guards are allowed onnon-raft slides.
The lifeguards are reallystrict, so just keep note of
that.
Bring closed-toe shoes if youare doing the zipline.
(14:20):
I'd say this goes along with allof our cruising episodes.
If you're doing anything extra,you need closed-toed shoes, like
climbing wall, ice skating, likeall the ice skating, you'll need
socks.
Just make sure you're aware.
On the island, look out forwildlife.
They have chickens, iguanas, andbirds that roam freely.
So you never know what you'regoing to see.
(14:40):
It just makes me laugh that theyhave chickens that are roaming
around.
I don't know why.
It just makes me like chuckle.
The official drink of Coco Cayis the Coco Loco.
It's frozen, fruity, and you canget it with or without alcohol.
And yes, you can snorkel.
Just make sure you bring yourown gear or you can rent it.
There's even a sunken planewreck that you can find.
(15:02):
It's fun.
Okay, so next we're going totalk through excursions.
Each port stop on a cruisealways has a selection of
excursions offered.
So Coco Cay is no different andit has a wide selection of
things to choose from.
For all of the different areas,they each have day passes and
(15:23):
cabana rentals.
So any of the areas that we wentthrough, they're all going to
offer that as an option.
Some of the other things thatyou can you can purchase for an
excursion is the Coco Cay allday snorkeling at your leisure.
The swimming pigs tour, whichthis is just really popular in
the Caribbean period, like whereany a lot of the places where
(15:45):
you go.
This is a fun excursion that youcan book.
There's a glass bottom boattour.
A wave jet guided tour.
So it's a Sea-Doo tour.
You can do a combined swimmingpigs and stingray tour.
Reef snorkeling, which sounds sofun to me.
There's sandbar getaway.
(16:06):
So they take you in like alittle boat to a sandbar and you
can snorkel and have like alittle private area.
There is a floating beach mat.
So it's just this gigantic matthat's out there and you can
like all lay out on it.
You can kayak.
Scuba diving is available forcertified divers.
(16:27):
And then thrill water park, youcan get like a full day or half
day passes.
And then last but not least, up,up and away helium balloon
rides.
All of those will be availableto book within the app as
excursions or on your cruiseplanner.
I thought it was very neat thatthey have like a little key on
(16:48):
each excursion and with likelittle pictures of what to wear.
what to bring, if there's anylike restrictions or minimum
ages.
So it's like all very easy tosee if you click into one.
So make sure you're checking.
Oh, yeah, because, you know,sometimes you just forget or you
don't think, oh, crap, I need,you know, money or money or, you
(17:09):
know, yeah, you just get excitedabout the trip and you just
don't think about it.
So when we went, we weresnorkeling in the Dominican and
for some reason we didn't thinkto bring like a credit card we
just had cash and little did weknow there was like a massive
like flea market outside sowe're like shoot we have like
(17:30):
enough cash to tip the driverand the excursion but we didn't
think about like souvenirs afterright right i bet that was so
fun too yeah so it worked outsomeone took apple pay so that
worked but i was like nevermaking that mistake again oh i
love apple pay it's the best ilove being able to just take my
(17:52):
phone phone and not have toworry about anything else.
That's amazing.
Just some last bonus tips andfun facts.
Julie talked about this earlier,but there's a secret menu item.
Ask for the chicken parmsandwich at the snack shack.
You won't regret it.
The DIY ice cream sandwiches.
It's soft serve and cookies.
(18:12):
Enough said.
What else can you ask for there?
That's perfect.
Perfection.
If you're wanting to do thehelium balloon ride, the up, up,
and away, it's best first thingin the morning.
The wind tends to pick up later,and if it's over so many knots,
they can't fly.
Same with the one at DisneySprings.
You don't want to be one ofthose people that ends up on
(18:34):
social media because you getblown away.
And people are filming yougetting like blown out into no
man's land.
Day beds and in pool loungers atCocoa Beach Club go fast, as you
can imagine.
So this is something that youwant to get there early to grab.
On average, Coco Cay averages11,000 guests per day.
(18:57):
So expect some crowds, but it'sbig enough for their space to
spread out.
Yeah, that's a lot of people,but it is a very large space.
And they do a good jobdispensing the people.
My clients that have gone,they've never come back and
complained that it was overlycrowded.
I think the water park probablygets pretty crowded, but I think
(19:18):
people just kind of come toexpect that.
But no one's ever had an issuewith finding a chair or anything
like that.
$250 million was invested toupgrade this island to what it
is today.
It is, like we were just saying,it is massive and has tons to
do.
It's a gorgeous space.
If you ask anybody who lovesCastaway for Disney.
(19:41):
They love Coco probably morejust because there's more to do.
They've just done such a goodjob with it.
It's unique in that they havethat gigantic water park as part
of the island.
Speaking of which, it holds thetallest water slide in North
America and the largest wavepool in the Caribbean.
Well, that's fun.
On a little island out there inthe middle of nowhere.
(20:03):
I know.
Every time I see it, everythingis so colorful and bright and
just happy.
It is a perfect day.
It really is.
So if you found this episodehelpful and you would like to go
visit Perfect Day, be sure toshare it with a friend or leave
us a review.
We would love to help you getthere.
As always, our planning servicesare completely free to you.
(20:27):
As always, thank you so much forlistening.
We appreciate all of ourlisteners.
We hope you all have a fantasticweek and we will chat with you
all next week.
Bye.
thanks for tuning in to anotherepisode of wonderlust and wishes
(20:52):
if you enjoyed today's episodedon't forget to subscribe and
leave us a review on yourfavorite podcast platform and
remember the world is full ofwonders waiting to be explored
until next time happy travelsbye for now
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