Deen on Deck. It's a travel blog.

Having heard almost universally positive reviews of Coco Cay, I will admit, I went in with expectations sky-high. Did it disappoint? Not at all. Royal Caribbean’s private island exceeded my hopes, with a few notable exceptions. Was my day perfect? Pretty close! But also chock full of surprises…

All in all, the reviews didn’t lie, Coco Cay was a delightful experience — and we didn’t shell out an extra penny for the waterpark, cabanas or any additional add-ons. The surprises were mostly positive, and the ones that weren’t? Just lessons for next time…

1. The Food. Was. Amazing. Let’s get to the important stuff first, shall we? Eating. And some kingly and queenly complimentary eating you will do on Coco Cay. I’ve been to my share of private islands, and the included food tends to be a big BBQ buffet type of deal, which offers up hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, etc, and they’re…fine. Coco Cay goes BEYOND this. The variety was amazing, with some vegetarian options (the portobello and mozarella sandwich was to die for). Don’t sleep on the desserts here, either — they were unbelievable (lookin’ at you, Caramel-drizzled dark chocolate brownie). The hot dogs, burgers and chicken were high quality and a shaved-rib eye cheese steak is also available (people in my group didn’t even bother to describe it… they just moaned). Beverages included lemon lime, strawberry and mango “refreshers”, not available on the ship — a very nice touch. I heard many folks comment that they didn’t expect the food to be as delicious as it was.
2. Chill Island Beach was possibly the best snorkeling I’ve done in the Caribbean. Sometimes the private islands don’t have a lot to offer us snorkeling enthusiasts, as often the natural coral/rock formations have been disturbed by the development, and few native fish species remain. This is not the case at Coco Cay. Because of the thoughtfully placed rock barriers, Chill Island Beach offers an amazing opportunity to see loads of colorful fish, very close to shore.
3. Incredible, lovely, abundant SHADE. We melanin-challenged folks sometimes fear the beach, and for good reason. Ten minutes of tropical sun exposure with no shade to escape to can have us frying. Not a problem on Chill Island Beach or most of Coco Cay in general; there’s plenty of shade to be had, and some of it even involves a hammock! We were very pleased with availability of loungers in the shade as well — plenty to go around.
4. Except at the pool. This came as a bit of a surprise to me, because I had expected to LOVE the “largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean”, Oasis Lagoon. Instead, what we found was a very chilly pool, packed to the gills with people, VERY loud music (yes, yes, I know it’s a party vibe they’re going for – get offa my lawn!), and practically no shaded or really ANY loungers available. Definitely pretty to look at, but if I’d have known what to expect from Oasis Lagoon, I’d have stayed at Chill Island Beach.
5. The “Straw Market”, touted as being “staffed by locals”, is actually super expensive. Straw markets are known for having some wonderful deals, but this one doesn’t deliver. These aren’t just “opening” prices for tourists, either — bargaining is not a thing at this market, and the vendors don’t do it (I’m guessing this is RCI policy). So, while it’s set up to look like a small bahamian straw market, what it actually IS is an extension of the cruise ship, and things are priced accordingly: $25 shorts, $40 bags, $50 dresses, to give you an idea of prices we saw. On the bright side, they do take credit cards!