Today is the last day of our cruise, and there was no better place to celebrate the end of Wonder of the Seas’ inaugural sailing than at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
In an attempt to avoid the crowds at the Windjammer before everyone disembarked the ship, I headed to Solarium Bistro for breakfast. Whereas the Windjammer would be packed with guests eager to quickly eat and get off the ship, Solarium Bistro was much more relaxing.
Today’s experience at Perfect Day at CocoCay was going to be quite different than normal. Whereas I usually spend the day at Chill Beach or Oasis Lagoon, today I booked the Swimming Pigs Tour excursion.
Outside of the Coco Beach Club and Thrill Waterpark, I had never done an excursion at CocoCay before. I was curious to experience what extra activities are offered to guests, and the Swimming Pigs tour seemed the most unique.
The excursion met at the far end of Chill Beach next to the jet ski area. Here, we boarded a small boat and sailed to Treasure Island, a small private island located just a few miles from CocoCay.
We arrived at the island to pigs and piglets swimming in the ocean, running around the sand, and, of course, eating.
Animal tourism can be a highly debated topic, so I chatted with one of the directors on the island to learn more about the pigs and organization.
There are around thirty pigs total on Treasure Island. The brown and black spotted pigs are native to the Bahamas and were brought from Cistern Key, a small island located right next to Treasure Island. Other pigs on the island were brought to Treasure Island from further away during the tourism reopening.
The pigs have access to an acre and a half enclosed pig area, and they are free to do what they want on the island. If a pig does not want to come to the beach when visitors are on the island, that’s fine.
Each pig is fed veterinary grade cornmeal in the morning and night, and there are five freshwater drinking areas for the pigs on the island.
Upon arrival to Treasure Island, we were given a brief lesson on how to interact with pigs to ensure safety of all guests and animals. Following that, we made our way to the beach, where we were able to get in the water and swim with pigs.
Usually visitors are not permitted to use their cameras or phones on the beach with the pigs, but the photographer was not present today so everyone was permitted to take their own photos.
Time on the beach with pigs lasted about 45 minutes, and guests were also able to interact with pigs that walked to the Observation Deck above the beach.
The cost of the Swimming Pigs Tour was around $100. It was certainly an interesting excursion, although I’m not sure it is entirely worth the cost. There are so many exciting activities to do at Perfect Day at CocoCay that booking an excursion is not totally necessary. Plus, $100 can get you full access to Thrill Waterpark or perhaps even the Coco Beach Club, which lasts all day as opposed to just two hours.
That being said, this can be a nice excursion choice for animal lovers or those who have been to CocoCay several times.
Upon arrival back to Perfect Day at CocoCay, I headed to the swim-up bar at Oasis Lagoon. Wonder of the Seas was docked next to Freedom of the Seas today, where there are apparently nearly a thousand college students onboard for spring break. Because of this, Oasis Lagoon turned into a massive party.
I spent around an hour at Oasis Lagoon, but it got far too loud for me so I decided to walk to the beach instead. I spent some time at the far end of South Beach, where there were fewer crowds and quieter music. The weather today was fantastic, with plenty of sun and a nice breeze.
Lastly, I attended a happy hour at the Coco Beach Club for media guests on Wonder of the Seas. I hadn’t been to the Coco Beach Club in a while, so it was nice to enjoy the facilities and views.
Back onboard, I caught a few glimpses of Royal Caribbean’s construction on Hideaway Beach, the adults-only beach coming to Perfect Day at CocoCay in fall 2023.
We said goodbye to Freedom of the Seas and CocoCay as Wonder of the Seas began the journey home to Ft. Lauderdale.
For dinner tonight we went back to Izumi sushi. The menu at Izumi features not only sushi dishes, but also a variety of bowls and noodles. At our table, we enjoyed plenty of sushi as well as chicken teriyaki and yaki udon.
The evening ended with country music at The Mason Jar followed by acoustic guitar at the pub. It will be sad to say goodbye to Wonder of the Seas tomorrow, but I am already looking forward to my cruise next month on Oasis of the Seas!
Have you seen our full ship tour of Wonder of the Seas? Check it out on the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel:
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Stray observations
The DJ music is extremely loud at Oasis Lagoon, and while it is great while at the pool, I wish it was quieter elsewhere on the island! I wanted to escape the noise while relaxing on the beach, but it was difficult to find an area that did not have loud music coming from Oasis Lagoon or a speaker.
Today was my first time at CocoCay with bigger crowds than what I had experienced during the cruise restart. I was used to having most chairs empty on the island, but it took me a while to find an empty chair at Oasis Lagoon! I ended up having to put my towel down on the ground while I swam. It’s a good idea to get on the island early to ensure chair space at the pool. This was not a problem at the various beaches I went to today.
