There are all sorts of ways you can spend extra and plus up your day at Perfect Day at CocoCay, including one that's back from the dead.
Ever since Royal Caribbean enhanced its Bahamas private island with expanded choices in how to spend your time, it has been a home run with guests who have continuously rate the experience quite highly.
Among the choices of where you can spend your day is Thrill Waterpark, which is an extra cost area that includes waterslides, a wave pool, and more. It's a very popular spot for families.
A new option has appeared in the Cruise Planner for admission to this area that hasn't been available in many years.
The return of a waterpark pass
Up until this week, Royal Caribbean only offered a full day waterpark admission pass for its guests.
The full day pass includes all day access to the waterpark, and it's been the standard way to get in (in addition to renting a Thrill Waterpark cabana, which also includes admission to the area).
Royal Caribbean has added back the half day waterpark pass to the choices.
The Thrill Waterpark — Half Day Pass is valid for the afternoon only and is listed as providing 3 hours of park time.
There's no indication of what time exactly the half day pass is valid for, but it's significantly cheaper than the full day pass.
For the Utopia of the Seas July 4th sailing, the full day pass is $147.38 and the half day pass is $92.38. That's a 37% discount. A sale that ended last night brought both prices down to $105.58 and $67.08, respectively.
Royal Caribbean had removed the half day pass years ago
What's surprising about this option coming back is that it had been gone for a long time.
Sometime in 2019, Royal Caribbean pulled the plug on these passes and began removing them as bookable choices.
It was speculated the problem was how to police the half day passes. Royal Caribbean did away with wristbands in favor of the SeaPass card being a virtual admission ticket in.
Since the new pass is only for the afternoon, denying entry until after lunch makes it simpler to ensure only the right people are allowed in at a given time.
Half day passes offer a cheaper way to get slide time
Bringing back half day passes is a more affordable way to get into the waterpark, especially for those on a budget.
Plus, some guests simply want to hit a few slides and not commit all day to the area. This can be true of families with young children, who are limited to the slides they can go on because of height restrictions.
Moreover, it means guests can enjoy other parts of the island.
Royal Caribbean offers a lot to do around CocoCay, including various beaches and pools. There are even other extra cost areas, such as the adults-only Hideaway Beach or elevated Coco Beach Club.
Having an afternoon only pass could also be a logistical play for the cruise line.
The reality is a lot of passengers begin returning to the ship after lunch, regardless of how much time the ship is docked at CocoCay.
Lines develop quickly for the waterslides at Thrill Waterpark, and it's the main issue with any waterslide. However, as the day goes on, people start to leave.
By 2pm, wait times for water slides can drop substantially and it's possible Royal Caribbean sees this as an opportunity to let more people into the park at a reduced price.
This provides a win-win scenario for all: Royal Caribbean makes more revenue and guests can take advantage of reduced admission cost.
Is a waterpark pass worth it?
Thrill Waterpark can be a fun day enjoying all the exhilarating slides, but is it a good value?
There are three admission types for Thrill Waterpark:
- Full day pass
- Half day pass
- Thrill Waterpark cabana
Depending on how much you pay, it can greatly dictate the value proposition.
The price of admission varies depending on what ship you are sailing on, as well as when your cruise is set to commence. Like other add-ons, Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing to determine the cost.
There are eight different slides within the park, plus a wave pool, and an obstacle course pool named Adventure Pool that has lily pads, a rope swing, a rock wall, and more.
The slides are spread across two towers.
Your admission also includes choice of beach chairs and umbrella. Plus, there's a Snack Shack location within the park.
The half day pass brings the price down, but you've only got a few hours to try it all.
One downside to the half day pass is it's for the afternoon only. The reality is you won't get every minute out of that pass because you have to be back on the ship.
For example, if the pass is for the afternoon and the all aboard time is 5pm, the reality is you won't be going down a waterslide at 4:59pm. Through a combination of repeated announcements and a sense of responsibility will mean you'll likely head back to the ship well before 5pm.
That means the last hour of the day is likely not very useful.
On the other hand, while a full day pass offers much more time, you may run into a different prohibition.
Lines develop quickly for the slides as the day goes on. Ideally, you'll head off the ship early and do as many slides as you can before 10am. But the worst wait times for slides will be between 10am and 2pm, meaning you'll either wait in long lines or end up doing something else.
Ultimately, Thrill Waterpark is a fun spot for families and if you've never been, the slides are fantastic. I like there are varying degrees of thrills and they're not all gut-wrenching screamers.
The key is to track prices and keep an eye out for a good sale that brings the price down. If you can get admission for a lower than average price, it can make the purchase worthwhile.
