Perfect Day at CocoCay has consistently been Royal Caribbean's highest-rated destination. If you have visited the island, it's easy to see why.
CocoCay offers a classic cruise ship private island experience where you can have a quiet beach day, sip some drinks, and eat a barbecue lunch for passengers who want that. Royal Caribbean (RCL) also delivers that with the added convenience of having a dock and not forcing passengers to tender (take a ride in a small ship) to the island, which has been the case for most cruise lines' private islands.
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In addition to offering a classic private island experience, Perfect Day also offers improvements. First, it offers all visitors access to the largest pool in the Caribbean, while Carnival (CCL) , MSC, and Norwegian's (NCLH) private islands don't offer a free pool.
Visitors to Perfect Day at CocoCay can also opt to pay extra for a water park, a private beach club with an elevated dining experience. And there's an adults-only area, Hideaway Beach, which offers a heated pool and its own unique menu items.
The dock at CocoCay can accommodate two ships each day. Royal Caribbean takes advantage of that, but with Celebrity Cruises also calling on the private island, demand outpaces availability. That's a problem the cruise line plans to fix.
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Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWithMe
Royal Caribbean explains its Perfect Day strategy
Royal Caribbean has massive plans to build out its private destination portfolio. That includes what it's calling Beach Clubs. In the Caribbean, the cruise line has begun building a Beach Club in Nassau and a second in Cozumel, Mexico.
These will be added-fee private beach club experiences that borrow heavily from Perfect Day at CocoCay. They are, however, meant to be part-day experiences so passengers can also experience other parts of Cozumel and Nassau.
In addition to the Beach Clubs, Royal Caribbean just shared plans for a second Perfect Day in Mexico.
Royal Caribbean International CEO Jason Liberty talked about his cruise line's plans for the new Perfect Day and why it's key to the cruise line's overall strategy and growth plans during the cruise line's third-quarter earnings call,
"We are incredibly excited about our recent announcement of Perfect Day Mexico, which will combine the adrenaline-pumping thrills and ways to chill that Royal Caribbean is known for with the vibrancy and beauty of Mexico," Liberty shared.
In talking about the new island, he offered a look inside his cruise line's broader strategy.
"Perfect Day Mexico is strategically located to deliver exceptional vacation experiences in both the Eastern and Western Caribbean and supports our ambition that every guest on the Royal Caribbean brand will have a Perfect Day on their Caribbean itinerary," the CEO said.
The new Island will also support offering Perfect Day to passengers sailing out of Galveston, Texas.
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"It also allows us to further grow the large and growing Gulf Coast area, including the Texas market, which is larger than Florida and has a similar cruise consideration, but only half the penetration," he added. "Upon its completion in 2027, Perfect Day Mexico will join our incredible collection of private destinations that include Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, opening in 2025, and Royal Beach Club in Cozumel, opening in 2026."
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