Perfect Day at CocoCay is Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, and getting around is very easy.

The island underwent a major refurbishment, and re-opened in 2019 as Perfect Day at CocoCay, which offers guests a wider choice of fun activities to do while visiting.

Getting onto the island is complimentary, and not dissimilar from any other port you visit.  Since this is a private island, only Royal Caribbean ships can stop here, and the choice of what you can do during the day is quite extensive.

You will find plenty of signs around the island to let you know how to get to various places, but a map gives a great overview of the layout of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Download the full 2024 CocoCay map

The island is divided  up into a few major areas to help navigate, as well as provide a simple overview of what is offered in each area.

Read more: Do's & Don'ts of Perfect Day at CocoCay

You'll also see color coded paths around the island's main walkways.

The light green walkway will take you to Chill Island, which is the classic beach day experience.

The light blue walkway will take you right to the CocoCay water park.

The orange walkway will take you to Oasis Lagoon pool.

Chill Island is the name of the traditional beach day area on the island's west end. If you had been to CocoCay before it became Perfect Day at CocoCay, this should be the most familiar to you.

Chill Island is a laid back area, which features a large beach expanse with plenty of seating and umbrellas for guests to use.

There is no cost to access Chill Island.

Oasis Lagoon is located in the center of the island, and is the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean.  For those that prefer a pool day over a beach day, this is heaven and features a large swim up bar.

There is no cost to access Oasis Lagoon.

Coco Beach Club is an exclusive area for guests that want a limited access, elevated beach day experience.

When you pay to get into the Coco Beach Club, there is an private beach with seating and umbrellas, as well as an infinity pool. The beach club has its own restaurant available for anyone who enters the club, which serves up the kind of top-notch food you would find on the cruise ship.

Read more: I tried it: Coco Beach Club at Perfect Day at CocoCay

There is an extra admission cost for Coco Beach Club.

South Beach is located on the eastern side of CocoCay, and is the perfect beach retreat for anyone that values seclusion.

Another holdover from the original CocoCay, South Beach is a long expanse of sand and shore to enjoy.

There is no cost to access South Beach.

Thrill Waterpark is where water slide fans will want to visit to enjoy some incredible thrills.

At the heart of Thrill Waterpark is Daredevil's Tower, which has a slides of various thrill factor, including the tallest waterslide in North America, Daredevil's Peak.

The other major slide complex in the park is Splash Summit, which has six really fun slides for the entire family.

Thrill Waterpark Map

You will also find the Caribbean's biggest wave pool to enjoy in Thrill Waterpark.

There is an extra cost for admission into Thrill Waterpark.

Harbor Beach is the closest beach to the pier that brings you back to the ship, and it is great for anyone that wants no waves.

Since it is an inlet, it is a great area for unexperienced swimmers, young children, or anyone else that prefers extremely calm ocean water.

There is no additional cost to access Harbor Beach.

Hideaway Beach is the newest expansion of the island, and it's an area exclusively for adults.

Opened in 2024, Hideaway Beach has an extra cost for admission and it's only available for guests who are at least 18 years old.

There is a large beach, along with a heated pool.

There is an extra cost for admission to Hideaway Beach.

Perfect Day at CocoCay cabana map

Cabanas are a very popular option for a day in the sun, and here is a map of all of the cabana and daybed locations at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Cabanas at Perfect Day at CocoCay are available for rent in six different areas, while day beds are availble in four areas.

More Perfect Day at CocoCay information:

• 10 things you didn't know about Perfect Day at CocoCay
• 8 things you should know about the Coco Beach Club before you go
• Guide to Perfect Day at CocoCay Cabanas
• Top 10 Perfect Day at CocoCay secrets and tricks
• Summer 2021 Cruise Planning Guide
• Perfect Day at CocoCay Price List

Travel advisors can now apply for Royal Caribbean's new $40 million program for financial support.

The "Pay It Forward" program is designed to support travel advisors hit hard by the slowdown in travel and are now taking applications by travel agent owners.

The new program makes a $40 million pool of funds available to qualifying travel advisors, who can apply for three-year, interest-free loans of up to $250,000 to keep their businesses focused on a return to growth.

Travel partners can seamlessly submit loan applications on this dedicated site accessible through CruisingPower.com. The site provides additional information and everything advisors need to know, including additional program details and eligibility parameters.

“We know our travel advisor friends are suffering, too, and we will get through this tough period together, just as we always have,” said Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean Group’s chairman and CEO.  “Our travel partners have stood strong beside us for more than 50 years, and we are determined to be there for them now. We’re going to get to the other side of this challenging time together.”

Read more: 10 Secrets Royal Caribbean travel agents wish you knew

In March 2020, Royal Caribbean Group launched RCL Cares as a travel agent support program to provide resources for travel professionals.

Who can apply?

To qualify for the funds, it's required that:

1. The applicant be the owner or an authorized representative of the travel agency.
2. Agency commission earnings with RCG have been at least $4,000 for bookings that sailed between July – December 2019. These minimums and eligibility requirements may vary by state.

Please note that travel agencies in California, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. are not currently eligible to apply, but Royal Caribbean is working to get those locations included.

In addition, in light of the Small Business Administration reopening the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to make additional federal funding available to small businesses, we’ve teamed up with ACAP + The Loan Source to help facilitate travel advisors PPP applications. ACAP + The Loan Source specializes in helping to ease the application processes for PPP loans and forgiveness. Travel partners can begin their PPP loan application here with ACAP + The Loan Source at any time.

The contract you agree to when you book a cruise now includes additional disclosures regarding COVID-19.

Royal Caribbean has updated its Cruise Contract with new language related to the current global health crisis at some point in the last few months.

Section 4 of the contract used to cover simply "medical care and other personal services" has been updated to now cover "public health, COVID-19 policies and procedures, knowing acceptance of the risks".

What is a cruise contract?

If you have been on a cruise before, you have agreed to plenty of other protocols and policies through Royal Caribbean's cruise contract.

Every cruise line includes this as part of the agreement you make when you book a cruise.  

Upon placing a deposit, Royal Caribbean adds a check box to indicate the guest has read through the Cruise Contract and agrees to everything inside.

Airlines also have something similar, known as the Conditions of Carriage, that cover almost every scenario a passenger can encounter to clearly indicate expectations of rules and penalties for violating those rules.

Here's what the revised section includes:

Recommended Consultation with Personal Physician

Passengers are encouraged to discuss going on a cruise ship for travel with their personal physicians and to review the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) website for updated
information.

Further, the passengers acknowledges, understands and accepts the risk of contracting COVID-19, influenza and/or Norovirus while on the ship, in the terminal, or on shore.

Furthermore, guests understand that there is a limitation in what Royal Caribbean can do to limit exposure and that that all risk cannot be eliminated.

"Passenger knowingly and voluntarily accepts these risks as part of this ticket contract, including the Risk of serious illness or death arising from such exposures, and/or all related damages, loss, costs And expenses of any nature whatsoever."

Agreement to Abide by Current COVID-19 Policies and Procedures

Passengers agree to comply with Royal Caribbean's health protocols at all times including pre-embarkation, while onboard, during port calls and shore excursions and/or final disembarkation.

These health policies are subject to change based on guidance and directives from established health authorities in the U.S. and other destinations where the Vessel
visits, including the CDC.

"Passenger’s agreement to abide by Carrier’s COVID-19 Policies and Procedures constitutes an integral part of this Ticket Contract."

COVID-19 Policies and Procedures

Royal Caribbean lists some (but not all) of the health policies to expect to follow:

1. Providing an accurate, truthful and complete health questionnaire in a form and containing any and all health or travel-related questions as required by Carrier in its sole discretion, for each Passenger prior to boarding
2. Pre-embarkation and/or periodic testing and temperature checks of each Passenger
3. Modified capacity rules for activities (including but not limited to restaurants, gyms, and entertainment events onboard and for shore excursions) which may limit or eliminate the ability of Passenger to participate in particular activities
4. Mandatory use by each Passenger (except where medically contraindicated) of face coverings in most locations outside of the Passenger’s cabin while onboard, during embarkation, disembarkation and shore excursions
5. Mandatory social distancing of Passengers at any/all times while on board and during embarkation, disembarkation, and shore excursions
6. Additional restrictions during shore excursions depending on local conditions, including but not limited to denial of disembarkation at destinations unless participating in only Carrier-approved shore excursions
7. Mandatory hand sanitizing by Passenger upon entry or exit of any public areas
8. Confinement of Passengers to cabins, quarantine or emergency disembarkation of Passenger if, in Carrier’s sole discretion, such steps are necessary to prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19
9. The required completion by Passenger in a timely manner of any written authorizations or consent forms required for Carrier to carry out its COVID-19 Policies and Procedures (including but not limited to medical information, medical privacy, or personal data privacy consent forms)
10. Other policies and procedures deemed by Carrier in its sole discretion to be necessary to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19

Mandatory Compliance with COVID-19 Policies and Procedures

This section deals with noncompliance and ensuring everyone is following the rules onboard.

"Any noncompliance by Passenger or members of Passenger’s travelling party with Carrier’s COVID-19 Policies and Procedures or this Ticket Contract shall be grounds for refusal to board, refusal to reboard after going ashore, quarantine onboard the Vessel, disembarkation, reporting to governmental or health authorities, or other steps deemed necessary in Carrier’s sole discretion under the circumstances to protect the health and well-being of others."

If someone violates one of the COVID-19 Policies and Procedures, it is grounds for the passenger to not receive a refund or compensation of any kind.

Passenger will be responsible for all related costs and fines, including without limitation travel expenses and for proper travel documentation for any port, or for departure from or arrival to Passenger’s country of residence.

Passenger Testing Positive for COVID-19 Pre-Cruise

Within 14 days of the cruise beginning, if a passenger tests positive for COVID-19, exhibits signs or symptoms of COVID-19, has had close contact with a person confirmed or suspected as having COVID-19, Royal Caribbean reserves the right to deny boarding to that person.

In such a a situation, any passenger denied boarding because of a known or suspected infection with COVID-19 will be entitled to a refund or future cruise credit equal in value to the Cruise Fare Passenger paid to Royal Caribbean.

Passenger Testing Positive for COVID-19 During Cruise

If you test positive for COVID-19 or exhibit symptoms, Royal Caribbean may disembark, refuse re-boarding after a shore excursion, or quarantine Passenger as well as members of Passenger’s traveling party, or take other steps which Carrier determines, in its sole discretion, are necessary under the circumstances to protect the health and well-being of others. 

If that were to occur, you are entitled to a prorated refund or future cruise credit for the unused portion of the Cruise Fare.

Each such Passenger is responsible for all other related costs and fines, including without limitation travel expenses.

Old cruise contract language from November 2020

New cruise contract language from February 2021

A new week means a new photo of Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship to join the fleet.

Every week, Meyer Werft shipyard releases a new webcam photo of Odyssey of the Seas under construction.

Here is a look at this week's photo and last week's photo to give you a sense of if anything has changed.

February 15 photo 

February 8 photo

Odyssey of the Seas is outdoors so that she can receive additional features that cannot be installed while the ship was in the hall during initial construction.

The webcam photos give us a regular look at the progress being made, but webcam photos never look as good as a photo from a talented photographer with good equipment.

Björn Haß shared some new photos as well of Odyssey of the Seas, as well a look at the snow that fell around the shipyard.

Photos by Björn Haß

Odyssey of the Seas comes in at 169,000 GT and measures a length of 347.1 meters, and has a capacity of more than 5,000 passengers.

When she joins the fleet, Odyssey of the Seas will be the fifth cruise ship in the Quantum/Quantum Ultra Class to be built at Meyer Werft.

The next step for Odyssey is her conveyance down the Ems River to begin her sea trials. It has not been announced yet when that will take place.

Odyssey of the Seas will enter service with cruises from Europe in summer 2021 before heading to Port Everglades, Florida to sail the Caribbean in winter 2021.

Norwegian Cruise Line has thrown in the towel on May 2021 cruises, which may point in the direction other cruise lines will follow.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) announced on Tuesday they continued their suspension of cruises through May 31, 2021.

In a statement, NCLH said it will continue to work with government and public health authorities to take all measures necessary to protect its customers, crew and communities visited.

Prior to today's announcement, cruises had been cancelled through April 30, 2021.

Guests who are currently booked on cancelled voyages on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises or Regent Seven Seas Cruises are asked to contact their travel advisor or the cruise line for more information.

Throughout the entire cruise industry shutdown, the major cruise lines have mirrored each other's cancellation announcements and that means Carnival and Royal Caribbean may soon follow.

Moreover, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian work together on the Healthy Sail Panel group of experts.

Will Royal Caribbean also cancel their cruises?

The short answer is no one knows yet.

Royal Caribbean currently has cruises cancelled through April 30, 2021 (excluding sailings onboard Quantum of the Seas in Singapore and Spectrum of the Seas in China).

It is important for Royal Caribbean cruisers to take notice of these cancellations as a possible sign of what may come for Royal Caribbean.

There also is not distinct pattern when Royal Caribbean may make a similar announcement or not. The only pattern thus far is when one of the "big three" cruise lines cancels more cruises, it seeems it is just a matter of time before the other two dominos fall.

We have a first look of a photo from onboard Royal Caribbean's next new Oasis Class cruise ship.

Wonder of the Seas is under construction and slated to enter service sometime in 2022.

At the aft of the ship is the iconic AquaTheater, which is an outdoor ampitheater home to some of the best stage shows on any cruise ship.

Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, Nick Weir, shared a photo on Twitter of the still under construction AquaTheater.

Photo by Nick Weir

While the venue is still being worked on, we can easily noticeable one of the most striking new features of the space, which is the enclosure around the very back of the space.

Read more: Why are new cruise ships still being built?

Wonder of the Seas may be the fifth Oasis Class cruise ship, but Royal Caribbean is not "copying and pasting" her based on the previous vessels.

AquatTheater on Harmony of the Seas

From just the concept art, it is clear you can see structural differences to the ship when compared to existing Oasis Class ships.

Wonder of the Seas was originally slated to debut in 2021, but the global health crisis pushed those plans back and will now be delivered sometime in 2022.

Under construction in France, Wonder of the Seas had to be delayed in order to spread out spending. She is still scheduled to sail exclusively in China.

Read more: 5 plans Royal Caribbean will and won’t be able to do in 2021

The new cruise ship was floated out in September 2020, but there have been few updates regarding the ship since.

Royal Caribbean has not released itineraries for Wonder of the Seas to book, nor indicated when exactly in 2022 Wonder will start sailing yet.

Odyssey of the Seas will debut first, with a spring 2021 delivery.

Quantum of the Seas may be the only Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailing right now, but she's got a lovely story fit for Valentine's Day.

Currently, Quantum of the Seas is offering 3- and 4-night cruises with no port stops from Singapore and one crew member couple onboard helped celebrate Valentine's Day.

The ship has had over 25,000 guests across 20+ sailings since December, and working onboard is Rose (USA) and Johel (Brazil).

Rose Serim is the Cruise Program Administrator and Johel Fonseca is the Sports Supervisor on Quantum of the Seas. They shared their story how they met and continue to sail together.

We met on Ovation of the Seas in October 2017. Our first date was onboard Ovation at the specialty restaurant, Izumi.

We've since been together for almost 3.5 years and in addition to Ovation, have been on Spectrum of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, and now Quantum of the Seas together.

Royal Caribbean added the crew are thrilled to be back onboard and are sending their love to everyone at home. 

Rose and Johel are the ones on the Flowrider surf simulator and the iFly skydiving simulator.

Royal Caribbean recently announced that Quantum of the Seas will remain in Singapore until June 2021 to continue offering cruises for three additional months between March 22, 2021 and June 21, 2021.

These 2-, 3- and 4-night Ocean Getaways  operate with a set of comprehensive health and safety measures in place, such as mandatory testing, reduced sailing capacity and strict physical distancing measures.

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day is filled with chocolate, flowers and a Royal Caribbean cruise! We are spreading the Royal Caribbean love with our look at all the Royal Caribbean news from this week.

It looks like Royal Caribbean will work to give all of its crew members COVID-19 vaccines.

An email was sent to crew members to inform them that Royal Caribbean expects to vaccinate its crew once sailings restart.

The cruise line does not yet know how or when the vaccine would be distributed to crew members, as it may depend on the country of residence, the timing of the next contract and whether the crew is already on board or traveling. 

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean has not yet cancelled Alaska cruises
• Royal Caribbean will continue offering cruises to nowhere from Singapore through June 2021
• Royal Caribbean releases 2022-2023 cruises sailing from Northeast US
• Grandfather of toddler who fell from a Royal Caribbean ship sentenced to probation
• 10 Ways Cruising Has Changed in the Last 30 Years
• Which Ships Did Royal Caribbean Sell?
• Why hasn't Royal Caribbean cancelled Alaska 2021 cruises yet?
• Congress members call Canada's ban of cruise ships "unacceptable"
• Why are new cruise ships still being built?
• Odyssey of the Seas construction photo update - February 8, 2021
• First Timers' Guide to Celebrity Edge
• Carnival takes down new health protocols from its website
• Cozumel floats idea of being homeport for cruise ships
• MSC introduces humanoid robot bartender

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 393rd  episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available and we're talking about Royal Caribbean's Royal Promenade

In this episode, Hayley shares her cruise story celebrating her wedding anniversary in Alaska.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

New RCB Video: Reacting to "You Should Forget 2021 Cruises" advice

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — Reacting to "You Should Forget 2021 Cruises" advice — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Here are the two port projects Royal Caribbean intends to complete

The global health crisis has wreaked havoc on Royal Caribbean's plans for the next few years, but at least two projects will still continue.

Port of Galveston Port Director Rodger Rees confirmed the two projects Royal Caribbean told him will move ahead in 2021.

Despite the major setbacks financially, Royal Caribbean remains committed to the Port of Galveston cruise terminal project, as well as the Freeport, Bahamas port expansion.

New cruises were just announced for sailings out of the northeast United States.

Royal Caribbean pushed up its Northeast 2022-2023 deployments and released the new sailings for guests to book today.

Three ships - Adventure, Anthem and Voyager of the Seas - will sail from Cape Liberty and Boston.

Today's release is phase one of the northeast sailings, and a phase two is still to be announced later.

The array of new sailings include 4 to 11 night cruises to destinations in Bermuda, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and New England.

The new sailings from the Northeast departing from May 2022 to April 2023 are now open for sale.

Adventure of the Seas will transition from Galveston to Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey and sail a combination of itineraries to Bermuda, the Caribbean and Canada. Cruises to Bermuda will include overnight stays in Bermuda.  New for summer 2022 are Adventure’s 9-night Eastern Caribbean sailings that will visit St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Bermuda and Royal Caribbean’s private destination, Labadee, in Haiti. The ship will also offer 4- and 9-night cruises heading up the east coast to visit Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; Boston; Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine.

Anthem of the Seas will resume sailings from Cape Liberty when she returns from Southampton, England in October 2022. Anthem will also sail 11-night southern Caribbean sailings to destinations such as SanJuan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John’s, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; and Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis.

Voyager of the Seas will cruise for the first time from Boston, where she will offer 7-night cruises to Canada that will visit Saint John, Halifax, as well as Bar Harbor and Portland. Voyager will also sail to San Juan on a 7-night cruise with stops in the Dominican
Republic and St. Thomas and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Voyager will arrive to the U.S. to start her season in Boston following a 14-night Arctic Crossing from Copenhagen, Denmark, which will bring guests to the wild landscapes of Iceland and Greenland along the way.

View all of the sailings here:

• Anthem of the Seas
• Adventure of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

This is the second 2022 deployment released as part of the winter release of new deployments, with China & Hawaii sailings released a few weeks ago. 

Over the next few weeks, Royal Caribbean will release additional sailings to fill out the rest of the 2022-2023 schedule.

Keep in mind that the deployment schedule is subject to change.

Planning on booking a 2022 cruise? These stories will help:

• 5 things to look for before you book a cruise
• What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?
• Should I take a short or a long cruise?
• Why you shouldn't book the cheapest cruise you can find

When Royal Caribbean introduced the Bionic Bar with its one-armed robot bartenders 7 years ago, it turned heads. 

Now, there's a new bartender in town.

MSC Cruises announced today the first humanoid bartender will be found aboard its MSC Virtuosa cruise ship.

Known as "Rob", the bartender will be part of the MSC Starliner One bar experience, which is themed to a futuristic spaceship.

Rob can mix and serve cocktails (with or without booze) and personalize drinks as well. He can even talk to guests in 8 languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese). His LED face can convey a variety of emotions.

This humanoid robotic bartender moves his arms, body and head in a highly natural way, all collaborating to give the impression that a real bartender is preparing the cocktail - a very unique engineering feature. Different facial expressions and a voice have been designed to give Rob a human-like personality.

Parallels between Rob and Royal Caribbean's Bionic Bar started almost as soon as MSC made the announcement.

Beginning on Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean introduced the first robotic bartenders in 2014.

The Bionic Bartenders are not humanoid. Instead, they are a robot arm that can make drinks based on orders placed by guests via tablets.

The Bionic Bar concept has spread to a number of cruise ships in the fleet since the debut, including other Oasis and Quantum class cruise ships.

Ordering drinks

Guests will place orders for drinks in specifically designed vertical digital cockpits. 

Guests can monitor the status of their drink while Rob makes it through digital monitors within the area and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the robotic island.

The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic souvenir glasses.

Between making drinks, Rob can interact with guests and change his facial expressions or even dance.  He is capable of telling jokes, riddles and space trivia.

The MSC Starship Club

In addition to Rob, the bar has 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and a 12-seater infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the possibility to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour.

MSC said they have spent almost six years developing the space, and worked hard to push the boundaries of engineering.

During this time, MSC Cruises has worked with leading experts from companies specializing in robotics and automation, interior design as well as entertainment and digital experience solutions to create a custom designed entertainment venue with a humanoid robot as the star.

The robotic island solution is completely automated and integrated with all the catering machines and tools needed for the end-to-end drink preparation and delivery. Safety glass and the 2-level safety laser barriers have been installed to avoid any mishaps.

Human bartenders will be always be on-hand to assist and prepare unique beverages too as part of the overall experience.

The MSC Starship Club also offers an extensive futuristic menu served from the human bar in addition to the cocktails served by Rob These cocktails are not included within the drinks packages.

MSC Virtuosa is the newest cruise ship for MSC Cruises anbd after completing a few three, four and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean, MSC Virtuosa will be deployed to Northern Europe in summer 2021 with a range of itineraries to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capital cities.