If private island in the Caribbean says ‘quiet beach with lots of sun and blue water’ (see below.) to you, get ready to think again. Royal Caribbean has big plans for its CocoCay in the Bahamas. See above.
For $200 million, Royal Caribbeane will build a pier that its 6,000-passenger Oasis-class ships can dock at, and one of the largest waterparks in the region. And the largest freshwater pool in the region. And helium balloons to take cruisers up 450 feet. And. And. And a new name for the 125-acre island: Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley told USA Today that “It’s really about bringing the kind of innovation and creativity that we’ve brought the past few years to our ships and creating the kind of experience ashore that we think (will) deliver the perfect day.” Combined with an ambitious refit of more and more features to its older ships and another Oasis-class coming, Royal Caribbean is becoming almost like a floating Disney World.
Not that the other big operators are far behind with on-board features. And they are also making big changes in their own islands. It’s almost as if the ocean itself is becoming irrelevant to the cruise experience.
