Perfect Day at CocoCay has become Royal Caribbean's calling card, its signature product. It's actually fair to say that the cruise line has built a large part of its business model around the island destination.
That strategy has included scheduling its newest ship, the Oasis-Class Utopia of the Seas, for 3- and 4-day sailings that all stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The cruise line will double down on that move in 2025 when Wonder of the Seas, another newer Oasis-Class ship, will move to 3- and 4-day sailings.
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In addition, Royal Caribbean has multiple new Perfect Day-style Beach Clubs in development. Chief Executive Jason Liberty discussed that project during his company's second-quarter earnings call.
"We also continue to lead the vacation industry with exciting new experiences on our ships and our portfolio of private destinations," he said.
"Perfect Day at CocoCay continues to perform exceptionally well, and we are reaching important milestones on Royal Beach Club Paradise Island opening in 2025 and Royal Beach Club in Cozumel, Mexico, opening in 2026. These new experiences uniquely position us to continue taking share from land-based alternatives."
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Royal Caribbean also plans to build a second Perfect Day Mexico at the Costa Maya port.
The cruise line has gone all in on CocoCay, but it recently made a change to the original Perfect Day that many passengers will not like.
Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWithMe
CocoCay is a very large island to walk
Before the island was remodeled in 2019, Perfect Day at CocoCay, then called just CocoCay, was a tender port. There was no dock and passengers had to ride tenders, small ships that brought them from their ships to the island.
While the tender process was slow (and unpleasant for people prone to motion sickness), it did end with passengers being right at the beach. Under the new system, as many as two Royal Caribbean ships can dock at Perfect Day at CocoCay, and once you arrive, it's a long walk from the pier to the port.
For many passengers that's not a problem, but Royal Caribbean also has a tram service taking people from the port to the pier. Once you arrive at the opening area of Perfect Day at CocoCay, a tram system will take you anywhere on the island that you want to go.
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Many people do opt to walk everywhere, but CocoCay is a big place. The walk from the ship to Hideaway Beach, for example, can take 20 to 30 minutes, all in open areas with a lot of sun exposure.
Royal Caribbean isn't changing the tram system on the island, but it has decided to mostly eliminate the service from the ship to the pier.
Perfect Day at CocoCay loses a key service
The tram service from the ship to the end of the dock/beginning of CocoCay always had a long line. Some people using the service have mobility issues while others simply want to avoid the long walk in direct sunlight.
That will no longer be an option for most passengers.
Recent visitors to CocoCay received a notice in the Royal Caribbean app headlined "Important CocoCay tram service information."
"Beginning October 1, 2024, tram service at CocoCay pier will be discontinued," the cruise line wrote. "Trams for guests with special needs wheelchairs, scooters, etc. will still be available by the end of the pier (close to the Forward gangways). Island staff will be present on the pier to direct guests. The main tram service will continue operations next to the Thrill Water Park."
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Royal Caribbean has not specified who will qualify as special-needs passengers in order to ride the tram to the port. The cruise line probably will use the honor system for that.
The cruise line sent a statement to Come Cruise With Me on the change
As you know, we are all about continuous improvement and always looking at guest feedback. We're addressing feedback we've received on the tram/pier by both optimizing the experience for those who need a tram, pedestrians walking the pier and guests who catch the tram from the main tram station – the station at the end of the pier to the right, on the island. With more trams going straight to the main station, the pickups can be more frequent and guests are more easily (and quickly) able to get around the island.
We're in a trial period to see how it goes and reviewing feedback. So far, we've seen that the main tram station is doing great based on the feedback received because of faster service/less wait time and it's a more seamless and safer flow at the pier. Guests who need to access the tram due to a disability or other condition will, of course, still be able to do so.
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