Royal Caribbean’s personal island in The Bahamas, Good Day at CocoCay, is thought for its crystal-clear waters, making it the right vacation spot for seashore and water actions.
Among the many hottest on the island is snorkeling. Whether or not you are a talented snorkeler or attempting it for the primary time, CocoCay’s calm waters are good for exploring the underwater world.
As one of the crucial frequent actions, it is common to search out fellow cruisers posting recommendation on-line, so future company can study from their experiences.
Reddit consumer greenbananas1200 did simply that, sharing invaluable snorkeling tricks to the r/royalcaribbean Reddit thread.
They start the publish by saying, “We went to cococay yesterday and went snorkeling! I did quite a lot of analysis earlier than to be ready and wished to share some recommendation we discovered.”
In case you’re planning to snorkel at Good Day at CocoCay, taking a number of suggestions from seasoned snorkelers may also help you take advantage of your journey, and greenbananas1200‘s publish is crammed with useful recommendation!
Deliver your individual gear
Buying your individual snorkel gear is cheaper in the long term.
“The snorkel-at-your-leisure tour is actually simply the gear rental. We purchased snorkel gear at dwelling and introduced it (solely the masks as a result of we could not match the flippers in our carry-ons). It’s worthwhile – I paid solely $30 CAD for my set, whereas leases had been round $40 USD,” says greenbananas1200.
In keeping with Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Planner, the “CocoCay All-Day Snorkeling at Your Leisure” tour prices $39.58 for an upcoming cruise on Icon of the Seas, with an onboard value of $53.90.
As greenbananas1200 defined, the tour is not an precise tour. Fairly, it is simply rental gear for the day. In different phrases, you will not be guided by means of the Bahamian waters by an skilled!
Although you might pay $40 for the snorkel gear, it is easy to search out gear on Amazon for much less. Plus, you should use it all through your cruise.
So, as an illustration, in the event you’re in CocoCay sooner or later and Nassau the subsequent, you’ll be able to simply take a cab to a neighborhood seashore and snorkel without having to lease extra gear or buy an tour. You may even retailer it in your storage on your subsequent tropical getaway.
ZEEPORTE had an reasonably priced gear set for simply $38.99 that features a snorkel masks, fins, silicon respiration tube with a dry snorkel prime, and a mesh carry bag, making it simple to get your gear out of your cruise ship cabin to the seashore.
It additionally is available in varied colours, together with lavender, darkish blue, gray, crimson, and yellow.
Please be aware that now we have linked an Amazon merchandise above, which comprises an affiliate hyperlink. The affiliate hyperlink doesn’t value you something further, however Royal Caribbean Weblog will make a small fee if you are going to buy the merchandise by means of the hyperlink.
Get up early
“We had been in line to be the primary ones off the ship. I’d HIGHLY suggest [it]!” said greenbananas1200, “There are some combined critiques on the snorkelling at cococay so I used to be anticipating to solely see some tan-coloured fish.”
Nevertheless, as a result of they began their day brilliant and early, they skilled snorkeling at its greatest.
greenbananas1200 continues, “As an alternative we noticed many attention-grabbing fish (together with one with a protracted spike on its nostril), a small stingray, a big ~5ft noticed eagle ray, a ~3ft fish/shark-looking factor. We noticed far more in…cococay than the 2-stop snorkel tour in Nassau that we paid $90 USD pp for.”
CocoCay provides loads of different actions to benefit from the island’s magnificence even in the event you aren’t snorkeling, and getting off the ship early is likely one of the greatest methods to maximise your time ashore.
For instance, by mid-afternoon, many complimentary chairs and loungers on the seashore may have been taken, and the island can really feel a bit extra crowded. By arriving early, you’ll be able to snag your perfect spot and calm down in peace.
Learn extra: I went to CocoCay for the primary time, and here is what I might do in another way
Declare a locker
Whereas the ship isn’t far, you wish to take sure necessities ashore, together with remedy, sunscreen, and flip-flops. Nevertheless, you could not wish to lug all the things round all day. Enter CocoCay’s complimentary lockers.
“Once you get on cococay, declare a locker,” advises greenbananas1200, “They’re free however first-come-first-served so get one first that you should use all through the day to retailer your gear.”
The lockers are scattered all through the island and will not value you something. To make use of a locker, you’ll set a pin that can mean you can open and shut it as many occasions as you want all through the day. They do replenish early, so do not wait to say one!
Snorkel at Chill Island
Good Day at CocoCay provides quite a lot of seashores, together with the adults-only Hideaway Seashore and the family-friendly South Seashore.
In case you’re uncertain which one to decide on, greenbananas1200 suggests heading to Chill Island: “We noticed the cool bigger animals below the floating platforms/rafts (there are 3-4 of them), so I’d suggest trying close to these. However watch out, it was really actually scary!”
Chill Island is simple to search out. After disembarking the ship and strolling onto the island, head straight till you see Captain Jack’s. Then, take a left and proceed over the bridge.
Not solely is Chill Island nice for snorkeling however it’s additionally conveniently positioned close to the Chill Grill, so you will not must enterprise far for lunch. It is also the place you will see that the CocoCay Island Market, good for stocking up on last-minute souvenirs.
