Well here we are, on the little island where we made the very first stop on our nine month journey around the world. That was back on December 11, 2023, the day after we left Miami, and since then we’ve sailed 75,000 nautical miles, more than three times the circumference of the Earth at the equator, and visited more than 60 countries and 150 ports. Tomorrow morning we’ll return to Miami, disembark for the last time, and be shuttled to the airport to begin the trip home. But today has been about Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island, and there’s lots to tell. Plus, there’s news about future happenings, so read on.
I suspect that the government of the Bahamas would tell you that the island’s actual name is Little Stirrup Cay, and that it lies next to Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line’s own private island, which for some unfathomable reason Norwegian’s marketing department hasn’t gotten around to renaming. If you want to locate these two tiny specks of land on a map, just draw an imaginary line from Freeport to Nassau and plant your thumb on the midpoint of that line. You’ll be pretty close.
Cruise lines love these private islands, because they can keep their passengers confined to an ecosystem that they have endless ways of monetizing. You can spend a day on the island at no cost, of course, but if you want to do anything like snorkel, jet ski, enjoy a cabana, take your kids to the water park, view the immaculately groomed sand from their helium balloon, swim in the private pool, or access the exclusive, upscale area, it’s going to cost you.
But today was a little different, because Royal Caribbean opened its new, exclusive area of the island, called Hideaway Beach, to the world cruise passengers as part of our farewell celebration. And I must say that if you’re a beach person (I’m not) you’ll love it. The umbrella-shaded beach chairs are plentiful and comfortable, the horseshoe shaped lagoon is right out of a promotional brochure, and there’s a huge infinity pool with a swim-up bar. All of the amenities are first rate, and if you’ve won the lottery there are lovely cabanas for rent. Hideaway Beach is at the opposite end of the island from the pier, but there are shuttles to take you back and forth, so getting there is quick and easy. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether it’s worth the money to level up to Hideaway Beach. All I’ll say is that it’s really nice.
This is September, not December like the last time we were here, and today it was extremely hot and humid on Coco Cay. I’m not a beach person, and I try to limit my direct exposure to the sun, so I found a shaded beach chair with a beautiful view of the lagoon and settled in with a cold drink. Still, I was soaking wet from the heat and humidity in no time at all, and about two hours was all I could stand before I reluctantly retreated back to the air conditioned ship. I was back on board in time for lunch, but Michele is made of hardier stock, and she stayed on the island hanging with friends until 4:00.
All aboard time was 4:30, and sail away was at 5:00, but while we pulled up the anchor and left the pier we didn’t go far, because there was a fireworks display from the island at 7:45 to mark the end of our great adventure. Then at 9:00 there was a show in the ship’s theater featuring Frankie and the Dreamers, a Four Seasons tribute band that had performed earlier in the cruise and who the passengers voted to ask back for our final night on board.
In between all of this we squeezed in the time to do our final packing and put our last suitcase out in the hall, where the crew will pick it up tonight and deliver it to us in the Miami cruise terminal tomorrow morning. Then, as I wrote above, we’ll be off to the airport to begin the trip back to Hummelstown. Even though this was the final stop of the cruise I’ll do at least one more blog post after we get home, maybe some sort of epilogue. To all of you who have read these posts and followed our journey, thank you for coming along. Your likes and comments on Facebook motivated me to keep writing for nine long months, and because of that it’s truly been a labor of love. Plus, collectively those 150 or so posts will serve as a great journal and memoir that I’ll enjoy going back through in the years ahead.
Before I finish, I promised that there is some news to share. Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean’s CEO, is currently aboard, and at a session in the theater on Saturday he announced that there will be a seven day reunion cruise in Alaska next September, where he’ll release the details of Royal’s next Ultimate World Cruise. Yes, it’s official, they’re doing this again, but before they do they’re taking a year to get our input, consider what went right and what could be better, and work out a new itinerary. Whether or not we’d do this again remains to be seen, but we’ve already booked passage on next September’s reunion cruise to reconnect with our new friends and hear about the next big one.
That’s it from the Serenade of the Seas. My next post will be written in the comfort of my favorite recliner at home. See you then.
Royal is definitely stepping up its game in the final days of the cruise. Check out the ice sculpture of the company logo in the Windjammer Cafe and the lovely fruit carving.
I’m flattered and delighted that they’ve selected my photo of a whale surfacing in Antarctica for a memories presentation (yes, my first name is Jon). Who knows, maybe it will show up in a promotional video someday.
There was a serious party in the Centrum last night.
Our cruise director, Joff Eaton, and some senior crew members (we call them stripes) were directing the festivities from above.
Now that’s a balloon drop.
Ready for a great day on Coco Cay.
On to Coco Cay. That’s the water slide in the pay-extra water park in the background.
Coco Cay reminds me a little bit of Disney World. It’s beautifully done, but there isn’t much unused space.
Entrance to the water park.
That’s our ship, the Serenade of the Seas, docked next to the Wonder of the Seas, until recently the world’s largest cruise ship. I’m not a fan.
In case I forgot where we were.
I loved this fantastic sand sculpture.
When we arrived at Hideaway Beach we were greeted with complimentary drinks served with the world’s coolest straws.
This is Hideaway Beach, the new pay-extra area on Coco Cay. The lagoon is in the background. It really is very nice.
The infinity pool on Hideaway Beach. The swim-up bar is on the left, and the lagoon and ocean are in the background.
Another view of the infinity pool and swim-up bar.
The swim-up bar.
I’m told that these cabanas at Hideaway Beach go for more than $2000 a day. Of course you can split the cost six or eight ways.
Fireworks as we departed Coco Cay for Miami.
A farewell drink on the pool deck.
Frankie and the Dreamers are special. See them if you get the chance.
At the end of the show they brought a lot of the crew up on stage so we could thank them for a great nine months.
Suitcases in the hall, a sure sign that we’re going home in the morning.
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