Royal Caribbean’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, offers a variety of ways for passengers to enjoy a sun-soaked day in The Bahamas.
The island features seven different beach areas, a huge lagoon-style pool, a water park, splash pads, an adults-only hideaway, overwater cabanas, a zip line, water sports, and even a helium balloon ride.
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Many of the activities on the island are included in passengers’ cruise fares, but excursions and a few attractions like the Thrill Waterpark, zip line and helium balloon cost extra.
For passengers who want to experience the vibrant marine life around the island, snorkeling is a popular add-on excursion option. Passengers can choose from a guided reef snorkeling tour or an all-day snorkel-at-your-leisure activity in the waters just off the beach.
If snorkeling at your leisure sounds like your style, you can make the most of your snorkel day on CocoCay by following these helpful tips that a cruise passenger recently shared in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit.
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You can pay extra to go to the Beach Club at CocoCay.
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1. You can bring your own snorkel gear to CocoCay.
“Bring your own snorkel gear and don’t sign up for the snorkel-at-your-leisure excursion,” Reddit user greenbananas1200 recommended. “The snorkel-at-your-leisure excursion is essentially just the equipment rental.”
The passenger explained that they saved money and got to use more comfortable equipment by bringing their own snorkel and mask on their cruise. The snorkeler also noted that life jackets were available to use for free.
“We bought snorkel gear at home and brought it (only the mask because we couldn’t fit the flippers in our carry-ons). It is worthwhile – I paid only $30 CAD for my set, while rentals were around $40 USD,” greenbananas1200 explained. “My own set also had the valve at the top of the tube that closes so you don’t breathe in water, while the rentals did not.”
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2. Snorkel early to see more marine life around CocoCay.
“Wake up early before other people snorkeling scare all the fish away,” greenbananas1200 suggested. “We were in line to be the first ones off the ship. I would HIGHLY recommend!”
The passenger reported seeing lots of fish while snorkeling early at the island. They weren’t sure they would have been able to see many if they had gotten a later start.
“There are some mixed reviews on the snorkeling at CocoCay so I was expecting to only see some tan-coloured fish,” greenbananas1200 noted. “Instead we saw many interesting fish (including one with a long spike on its nose), a small stingray, a large ~5ft spotted eagle ray, a ~3ft fish/shark-looking thing.”
The passenger also shared that their free snorkeling experience at CocoCay ended up being better than a pricey snorkel excursion in Nassau.
“We saw way more in the free snorkeling at CocoCay than the 2-stop snorkel excursion in Nassau that we paid $90 USD pp for,” greenbananas1200 shared.
3. Snag a locker to store snorkeling gear on CocoCay.
“When you get on CocoCay, claim a locker,” greenbananas1200 advised. “They are free but first-come-first-served so get one first that you can use throughout the day to store your gear.”
The complimentary lockers are available throughout the island. CocoCay also offers freshwater showers for passengers who want to rinse off after swimming or snorkeling.
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4. Chill Island is a prime snorkeling spot on CocoCay.
“We snorkeled at Chill Island,” greenbananas1200 noted. “We saw the cool larger animals under the floating platforms/rafts (there are 3-4 of them), so I would recommend looking near those. But be careful, it was actually really scary!”
In the comments on the Reddit thread, a few other passengers offered some additional tips like don’t forget the sun protection. The back of your body can easily get sunburned while you’re snorkeling.
One passenger also recommended having a plan B for your day on CocoCay in case the ocean conditions aren’t ideal for snorkeling.
“Just a PSA, we went a few weeks ago and the winds/waves were pretty decent and they did not allow anyone to snorkel outside of the littlest area in front of the beach,” user jimmythebartender_ explained. “Also, if there’s winds the surf kicks up and makes it really tough to see the bottom – so make sure you’ve got some other rad things planned, there is lots to do there!”
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