Building upon the success of its private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean has big plans for its next Perfect Day destination in Mexico.
Billed as a “game-changing destination for thrill and chill,” Perfect Day Mexico is a more than 200-acre destination adjacent to Mexico’s Costa Maya cruise port in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. It’s slated to open in fall 2027.
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The huge new cruise destination will feature seven locally inspired neighborhoods that promise never-before-seen thrills and record-breaking experiences like the tallest waterslides in the Americas and the first sombrero slide. Perfect Day Mexico will also debut the world’s longest lazy river — an hour-long float with float-up bars and an optional crazy section with rapids.
Although many “loyal to Royal” cruisers are stoked about Perfect Day Mexico and all the thrills and chills it will offer, others worry about what this and the growing focus on resort-like port experiences means for the future of cruising.
Reddit discussions show that some Royal Caribbean passengers are concerned that the cruise line is leaning too much into manufactured travel experiences in cruise ports and away from authentic destinations.
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Perfect Day Mexico boasts bold attractions like Loco Waterpark, featuring more than 30 waterslides.
Image source: Royal Caribbean International
Perfect Day Mexico doesn’t look like everyone’s perfect day
“This might be an unpopular opinion but I’m not a fan of the private islands. I’d rather take a cruise to a port with access to cool excursions or the ability to wander off on your own for the day. Going to a private island is too much of a manufactured experience, and if I wanted that, I would just stay at an all-inclusive resort,” Fatty_Boombalattie wrote in a thread discussing Perfect Day Mexico in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit.
A number of cruisers agreed with the sentiment. Others noted that it’s a valid opinion, even though it’s not the popular one among Royal Caribbean cruisers.
“It’s unpopular, but it’s a 100% valid way to feel. The original purpose of cruising was to experience new places,” brokentr0jan pointed out. “With that being said, I think Royal is catering to people who want these all-inclusive feeling beach resort experiences and obviously it is working because it has been incredibly popular.”
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Perfect Day Mexico isn’t the only resort-like experience Royal Caribbean has in the works, either. The cruise line is also adding exclusive beach clubs in The Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico, as well as an exclusive island cruise destination in the South Pacific — Lelepa in Vanuatu.
“Honestly, this is the opposite of what I want to see. They are moving towards having every stop be a company-owned spot just like CocoCay,” Joe4mofo added in the thread. “If this is the direction things are headed, I will end up passing on cruising when it gets there in the future.”
Royal Caribbean is working to maintain some destination authenticity
To be fair, Royal Caribbean doesn’t plan to completely transform these beach destinations entirely into Royal Caribbean-branded resorts and waterparks. Much like Labadee, its exclusive destination on Haiti’s lush northern coast, Lelepa will offer a locally inspired experience highlighting the natural beauty of the destination with beaches, nature trails, and water activities.
“Why does Lelepa look the best? Probably because it looks more authentic, relaxed and less of a theme park! Take me there please,” ArissP added in the Reddit thread.
Related: Royal Caribbean drops popular port from months of cruises
Although Perfect Day Mexico is heavy on attractions like CocoCay, Royal Caribbean is partnering with the local community to infuse authenticity into the destination and celebrate Mexican culture throughout. The brightly colored Costa Maya getaway spot will offer regionally inspired dining, showcase local artisans, and employ local workers.
Royal Caribbean is collaborating with Mexico’s state of Quintana Roo to develop the destination sustainably and is investing in local infrastructure projects as well.
The Costa Maya cruise port will remain open — and open to all cruise lines — during all phases of the Perfect Day project and beyond. Royal Caribbean is building a new cruise port welcome center to familiarize passengers from all cruise lines with landmark attractions in the Mahahual area and provide transportation throughout the region.
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