Perfect Day at CocoCay has become Royal Caribbean’s calling card, its signature product. It’s actually fair to say that the cruise line has built a large part of its business model around the island destination.
That strategy has included taking its newest ship, the Oasis-class Utopia of the Seas, and using it for 3-4 day sailings that all stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay. The cruise line will double down on that move in 2025 when Wonder of the Seas, another newer Oasis-class ship will move to 3-4 day sailings in 2025.
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In addition, Royal Caribbean has multiple new Perfect Day-style “Beach Clubs” in development. That’s something CEO Jason Liberty talked about during his company’s second-quarter earnings call.
“We also continue to lead the vacation industry with exciting new experiences on our ships and our portfolio of private destinations. Perfect Day at CocoCay continues to perform exceptionally well, and we are reaching important milestones on Royal Beach Club Paradise Island opening in 2025 and Royal Beach Club in Cozumel, Mexico opening in 2026. These new experiences uniquely position us to continue taking share from land-based alternatives,” he shared.
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Royal Caribbean also plans to build a second Perfect Day, Perfect Day Mexico at the Costa Maya port.
The cruise line has gone all in on CocoCay, but it recently made a change to the original Perfect Day that many passengers will not like.
CocoCay has multiple pools and an adults-only area that costs extra.
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CocoCay is a very large island to walk
Before the island was remodeled in 2019, Perfect Day at CocoCay, then called just CocoCay, was a tender port. There was no dock and passengers had to ride tenders, small ships that brought them from their ship to the island.
While the tender process was slow (and unpleasant for people prone to motion sickness) it did end with passengers being right at the beach. Under the new system, up to two Royal Caribbean ships can dock at Perfect Day at CocoCay and once yo arrive, it’s a long walk from the pier to the port.
For many passengers that’s not a problem, but Royal Caribbean also has run a tram service taking people from the port to their pier. Once you arrive at the opening area of Perfect Day at CocoCay, there’s a tram system that will take passengers anywhere they want to go on the island.
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Many people do opt to walk everywhere, but CocoCay is a big place. The walk from the ship to Hideaway Beach, for example, can take 20-30 minutes and it’s all in open areas with a lot of sun exposure.
Royal Caribbean isn’t changing the tram system on the island, but it has decided to mostly eliminate the service from the ship to the pier..
Perfect Day at CocoCay loses a key service
The tram service from the ship to the end of the dock/beginning of CocoCay always had a long line. Some of the people using the service have mobility issues while others simply want to avoid a long walk in direct sunlight.
That will no longer be an option for most passengers.
Recent visitors to CocoCay received a notice in the Royal Caribbean app headlined “Important CocoCay tram service information.”
“Beginning October 1, 2024, tram service at CocoCay pier will be discontinued. Trams for guests with special needs wheelchairs, scooters, etc. will still be available by the end of the pier (close to the Forward gangways). Island staff will be present on the pier to direct guests. The main tram service will continue operations next to the Thrill Water Park,” the cruise line shared.
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Royal Caribbean has not shared who will qualify as special needs in order to ride the tram to the port. It’s likely the cruise line will use the honor system for that.
The cruise line acknowledged receipt of a request for comment on the change at CocoCay but did not offer an official comment.
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