What to do on Coco Cay, Bahamas?
Much like the cruise lines other private islands, this private island isn’t much different – a slice of paradise with something for everyone looking for a great day out and off ship. The cruise industry has a number of these and the first time I was on a cruise that called into one of them, I was prepared to not like it because I enjoy doing things in port – not laying on the beach – because I live in Florida.
Coco Cay is the island you will experience with Royal Caribbean as we did on a recent three day cruise on the Majesty of the Seas. There are plenty of services and no shortage of things to do. We usually opt for something experiential and inexpensive so we brought our own snorkel gear with us and brought that onshore.
- A beautiful and colorful sign for Coco Cay welcomes you off the navette or tender.
If you don’t bring your own you can rent but quite honestly you can almost buy for the price of renting on the island so why wouldn’t you buy your own and bring it with you? If your airline charges fees for luggage it might not make sense. And for some there is the schlepp factor and for those reasons there is plenty of equipment that you can rent onshore. We live in Florida so we drive to the cruise port.
Tenders take you to the island and depart frequently. Chances are you will arrive about 8 and depart about 5 giving you plenty of time to see, explore and have fun. There are hammocks, equipment rental locations, plenty of beach chairs, a buffet lunch, a small “straw market” with T shirts and the usual items from local merchants is always worth a prowl round.
In the little bay there is pretty good snorkeling. There are floating platforms you can snorkel to and make your way round the bay to see it all – plenty of colorful fish along the rocks and a wrecked small aircraft and a sunken ship with cannons. These are quite fun for kids I’m sure and make for fun viewing by adults even.
We snorkeled out to the first platform and had a rest, then went to a second platform where we found the sunken one or two seater aircraft – or what was left of it. There are lifeguards so you are covered there if that is your worry. Additionally there are shark nets around the bay so you won’t have to worry about them. While we didn’t see any rays or barracuda we know they are there and others saw them. A lifeguard mentioned you can also sometimes see sea turtles which we didn’t see this trip but have during other snorkeling trips. That is always special.
What to take onshore: sunscreen, pool towels from ship you can get upon departure on deck, water that you brought with you from home or before you boarded the ship, underwater camera and your cruise ship stateroom charge card. Really there is everything else you would need onshore.
Overall it is an excellent experience and well worth spending time at Coco Cay whether you do your own thing in a beach chair or hammock and then snorkel and enjoy a nice buffet afterwards with a drink or do one of the more structured events that are available through the cruise line’s excursion desk. You will enjoy.
Here’s to adventures everywhere!
How Do I Travel 
When I saw your pic on Twitter, this was the most anticipated post for me this week. Last time I was at Coco Cay, it was my first cruise and it wasn’t Royal (Admiral Cruises!) We actually took Majesty a few years back in December. We bypassed Coco Cay and stayed in Nassau the entire cruise. So, I have always wondered how Coco Cay was today.
How easy/annoying was being tendered?
The tendering was as simple as can be. We waited until the tender filled but still was easy and quick. Thanks to your posts my stomach and i would love to get to some of those restaurants!!!