Today was the third and final night of our Bahamas cruise on Freedom of the Seas. We spent the day at Perfect Day at CocoCay while docked next to Mariner of the Seas.
While guests visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay yesterday encountered thunderstorms and rain, we were welcomed onto the island today with sunny skies, light cloud coverage, and a slight breeze.
My parents and I enjoyed a light breakfast in the Windjammer and walked around the running track a few times as Freedom of the Seas docked at CocoCay.
We got off the ship around 8AM and headed to Chill Beach. This is my preferred spot to relax on CocoCay due to the quieter atmosphere and plethora of chairs and umbrellas available. While we initially picked chairs right against the water, it was far too sunny so we decided to move back into the shade.
Next up was a swim at Oasis Lagoon, where we visited the swim up bar and enjoyed a cocktail. The water in both the pool and ocean today was quite chilly!
I had to make a brief stop back to the ship mid-day, and I couldn't believe how empty it was! Nearly everywhere onboard was empty around 11AM.
I headed back to shore around 11:30. It was noticeably more crowded during the afternoon than the morning, but it did not feel too crowded at CocoCay, even though there were probably around 7,000 - 8,000 passengers on the island. If you're looking for that quiet island-feel, though, make sure to get off the ship as soon as the gangway opens.
I wanted to show my parents as much of Perfect Day at CocoCay as possible, so we took the tram to South Beach. Here I grabbed a small lunch of mozzarella sticks from Snack Shack and went to find a shady place to sit.
Unfortunately South Beach does not have nearly as much seating as Chill Beach. All chairs with umbrellas were taken so we opted for a few chairs in the sun. While walking on the beach, I noticed the area of the beach that had been reserved for crew members has been converted into daybeds.
The far end of South Beach has a sandbar far into the water where visitors can walk out to and encounter warm water and great views. It was amazing how far you could walk into the water! I hung out there for a while, which had far warmer water than the main beach.
Next up after South Beach was a trip back to Oasis Lagoon, which had transformed from a quiet pool into a huge party. While it was not as insanely loud as the party at Oasis Lagoon when I visited the island on Wonder of the Seas during college spring break, there was definitely a high-energy party atmosphere!
It seems to be nearly impossible to find chairs near Oasis Lagoon once afternoon hits, but luckily there is a nice grassy area where we were able to lay down our towels.
After much fun in the sun, we got back onboard around 3PM and walked around the promenade deck with some incredible ocean and island views. The sprawling promenade deck is by far my favorite aspect of Freedom of the Seas.
Sailaway was at 5PM and we watched it from the helicopter pad. The helicopter pad is my favorite sailaway spot, and we watched as Mariner of the Seas departed for Port Canaveral, Florida followed by our own departure from Perfect Day at CocoCay.
We had dinner tonight at Izumi Hibachi. I had reserved this dinner ahead of time on the Cruise Planner app and was excited to show my parents what I think is the most fun restaurant in Royal Caribbean's fleet.
Unsurprisingly, it ended up being a ton of fun! We were seated with four other guests and our chef put on a fantastic show with jokes, the scrambled egg “snake,” and song and dance. The food was delicious as usual, including the She’s a Geisha cocktail that I just have to get every time I eat at Izumi.
Dinner ended around 7PM and we wanted to catch our final sunset on Freedom of the Seas. We were headed directly west, so the sunset was best viewed from the front of the ship. Therefore we walked to the helicopter pad again where we were rewarded with gorgeous ocean views as we sailed toward Miami.
We then spent some time relaxing on the upper pool deck, shopping for souvenirs, and watching a bit of karaoke.
It was a Perfect Day at CocoCay today, both on the island and onboard the ship, and all too soon it was time to pack our bags and get ready for departure tomorrow. A 3-night cruise definitely feels short, especially when there is no sea day, but it was a wonderful trip overall, filled with exciting days in port and near perfect weather the entire cruise.
Keep an eye out on the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel for our upcoming full ship tours of Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. Thanks for following along on my live blogs!
