PROS and CONS of Hideaway Beach! When YOU Should Book! Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day CocoCay!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มี.ค. 2024
- Finally made it to Royal Caribbean's adults only section of Perfect Day CocoCay, Hideaway Beach! Somehow, it was not exactly what I was expecting and wanted to share with you the Pros and Cons of Hideaway beach specifically, who should book it and when!
Filmed on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas while docked in CocoCay, Bahamas.
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Weekend Cruiser has such an outstanding channel and it's only a matter of time until he gets the subscribers and likes of "Tips for Travelers," "Shiplife," Emma, "Royal Caribbean Blog," and others. What I really respect is his focus on original content and not recycling the same boring lists.
You are always so kind! Thank you and maybe one day!
We’ve gone for $56 for two people, which is a steal for CocoCay fun. We won’t go again. We didn’t like the fact the DJ has no control over the music, so it’s the same repetitive songs at Oasis swim up bar, but now we’re paying for it. And despite seeing the crowd isn’t into the music being played, there’s nothing the DJ can do. Plus, the capacity is too high. It was 1500+ people in an area, rowdy with their drink packages, while using the pool as their bathroom. Hideway attracts all the party people and allows for the rest of the island to be more serene. We like the more peaceful atmosphere of the rest of the island now that Hideaway exists 😊
We were on the Allure of the Seas the first weekend of February and had Hideaway Beach booked as out excursion. It was the second day it was open to paying passengers. I paid $35 a person which is a steal for ANYTHING on Coco Cay! It is a little bit of a walk to get there if you don't take the tram. We loved it! Heated pool (I saw people drinking a lot, but they didn't seem to need to use the restroom all afternoon) which was nice and warm! I wonder what was keeping the pool so warm! 🤣 The pool swim up bar had that bar had that Miami south beach feel to it with the rockin music! The Slice of Paradise I had the Seafood Pizza (I love trying something different) which was topped with shrimp and Red Snapper on it! It was actually really good! We timed it with lunch, so we avoided waiting in lines at either spot. We got loungers closer to the snack shack which we had hamburgers too. It really wasn't that long a walk in my opinion to either spot from where we sat. Allure of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas were both docked at the island. The lagoon water was still a little cool, but I got in and saw a Barracuda! I felt it was well worth $35 a person! If it goes to $130 a person, not so much! Honestly, I still like MSC's Ocean Cay better.
Great feedback! I would agree that I like the untouched MSC Ocean Cay the best too. Seems like the price at Hideaway Beach is going to vary tremendously these days
Wow great room
This was an excellent review. Thanks for sharing 😊
Love this format of videos!
Thank you! Finally getting The hang of this thing
Thank you, Branden. As for us, we are really going to love the heated pool. We booked it twice for this June. We really like warm water.
Thank you for the honesty. Finally
I have nothing if I don't have that! :-)
Great video. You are hilarious 😂
Hahaha I'm glad someone gets my gamer! Always tough to tell when I'm telling it to the camera 😂
I think I would have to agree. I don't think I would book everytime I went. But I do think if I went in summer (which I usually don't) or holidays when school is on vacation, I wouldprobably book for the adult only experience. And I absolutely LOVED that heated pool! And loved the live band at the On the Rocks bar!
I agree 💯
Thanks for the info. I was looking to go there on icon in September. I may not go now.
No wrong decisions but you have options!
As I watch this video it's about 35F, so I could handle the chilly 72. No need for a heated pool for me. If I was younger - ok, much younger, I would definitely go there. Great video Brandon.
Thank you, Judi!
Hello from Ohio! Thank you for such an unbiased viewpoint giving pros and cons ty :)!!!🥰🚢
My pleasure!! Learned a long time ago that just because I like or don't like something doesn't mean you will feel the same! More into giving you the experience and the cibe and letting you decide if it is a good fit for you :-)
We ALMOST booked Hideaway when we went a couple of weeks ago on a weekend cruise. We decided against it because the weather wasn't looking great and i didn't think they would refund us because of some rain and wind. I also thought about the vibe and that it would probably appeal to all of the bachelor and batchelotte parties and some of the college spring breakers. We stuck with our usual South beach area and the weather was really bad so we headed back after about an hour & half. No harm no foul because no money spent. I will stick with Beach Club passes when we are in the mood to treat ourselves.
I don’t think I’ll bother unless it’s forecasted to be pretty chilly. Thanks!
Hi Brandon! You did an awesome job showing and explaining about all of the different options on Coco Cay!I have not cruised in several years and I cannot get over all of the things that it's possible to spend money on after paying for the cruise. I suppose that you can just go to the beach and swim in the ocean if you just put your towel on the sand like we used to do when we were kids? I am not complaining, because you do get a lot for the extra money if you want those extra amenities.
When are you coming on a group cruise with us?!
Hey Brandon! Great review! I was there with Allure and Liberty in port. It was the first weekend of spring break season and PACKED! The party beach was crowded and bouncing! I was looking for the party vibe, so it didn't bother me. Plus, you can go to the opposite end of the pool and lean up against the infinity wall and decompress. Then head right back and get more. lol I was under impressed with the food as well. The Guava Chicken pizza was tasty, though I bet it will be at a local Sorrento's by the end of summer. One other thing I would suggest is to get there early. I got a late start (did I mention spring break vibe?) and didn't get there until around noon. It took 45 minutes to get a chair. Once I did, there were no worries about my stuff and the party was on. I agree that if you aren't looking for the party vibe, then this will be a better value in the winter.
Good feedback on getting there early! I would say for the most part as long as you're there by 10:00 a.m. You're good
Hey Brandon! Liked the review! Agree with you on most points ! We sailed Oasis 2/25, got Hideaway for $30 each - my sis has mobility issues and you are very correct about that being a problem! We did
Not try the pool and it WAS crowded! Ocean water was rather Chilly! - and we were not impressed by the food- not likely I will pay again, especially if Solo! South beach with the floating bar is My area! THANKs for the review!
Thanks for commenting and mentioning the mobility issue! I always like to throw that out there but recognize I am by no means an expert in that space.
Great video Brandon, we will be trying Hideway for the first time December 2024 and only paid $18 each so no risk. Do all the chairs have umbrella coverage? seems like the picture shows many without shade, and if that's the case might head back to South Beach.
Majority of the chairs have umbrella coverage. It is not tough to come by in the free section. There's also a good number of trees if you want to move the chair
I was there on Allure (Oasis Class) at the same time as a Freedom Class ship. Never waited in line for food or drink and easily found a nice seat. Admission to Hideaway is also capped.
That is great that you didn't have to wait in line! How full did the club feel? The cap is 1,800.
We are leaving on Symphony this weekend. Our Labadee stop was replaced with Coco Cay. I was able to get Hideaway Beach passes for me and my wife for $22.99 per person. Oasis is also scheduled to be at Coco Cay with us, so two large Oasis class ships. The only thing I can guess as to why the price is so cheap is because there are probably going to be a lot of families with kids on the cruise due to spring break. Thrill Waterpark is $155.99 in the cruise planner and only has 2 slots left, which is how I come to this conclusion.
You forgot the fish sandwich and coconut shrimp. I have Hideaway booked for your group cruise 😂
I did not notice the shrimp. I still don't think that would change my opinion, but I do like coconut shrimp 🦐🦐
Hi! great review, thanks. FYI: The drinking age is currently 21 on RC which will also be the same on Coco Cay so this may reflect in ghe 18-20 year range on hideaway and their purchase if they cannot drink.
You are correct on the drinking age for US based Royal ships but have not seen that impact the 18 year olds wanting to be part of the party and not feel left out! But fingers crossed - I would still like 25+ lol
Thanks for the great review. Wondering, has hideaway Beach made the rest of the complimentary beaches feel less crowded? I prefer a less crowded beach day. Thanks for your videos.
110% it does!! I actually talked about this in my video that just released today on what is left to do free at CocoCay. Having a large section open up to take more people, makes the other sections much less crowded.
Yes! Just saw that video... I appreciate your insights. I have a large group going and was considering if 2 cabanas would be best so we could be together since in the past, the beaches have felt crowded. I even considered getting everyone into cocoa beach club. I can't wait to see how much of a difference the new section makes, especially since there will be 2 medium (freedom class) ships in port. Hopefully it will have that "private island" feel and not a crowded spring break. Lol
Hey Brandon, we will be at Cococay in December on Liberty on a group cruise. We are curious about Hideaway. Gonna see how much it is to decide if we give it a try. Thanks.
I think a few people have bought it already Brand for the group! Doesn't seem to be too expensive!
Thank you for this Brandon! I will be sailing on Celebrity Reflection the week of July 1st to the 5th, and Coco Cay is one of the stops. My wife and I have been there once before in May of 2022. We had a blast and been looking forward to going back. We reserved Hideaway Beach at about $70 per person and have been considering getting a refund.
What appealed most was that there will be no children, but you are right about the early 20 somethings. I'm not sure we (who are in our early 50s) want to deal with them and loud music by the pool doesn't sound fun. I am a fan of electronic music and wouldn't mind hearing that all day, but I'm sure there will be a lot of top 40 as well, which I can't stomach! And honestly $70 is a bit steep, especially when there is so much great stuff on that island for free.
I completely agree with your assessment! I would not go there either for that.
I said the same about it being 25+
Great video. To many costs.
Can you please compare hide a way vs. coco beach club?
James, this would make an AMAZING video! Let me see what I can do next time I am back - might be a bit. And I have to check the Beach Club prices. That will be the deciding factor as it is more expensive for a start.
I just removed it from my cart! Much appreciation!
Always watching out for you!
Thanks for your honest review! For some reason, I have no desire to try out Hideaway Beach. The loud music doesn't appeal to me at all. I do have an opportunity to go to Coco Beach club at $80 a person in May. What are your thoughts on Coco Beach Club?
For $80? I would definitely do the CocoCay Beach club. At least that way you'll know if you like it or not, and that's not too much of a difference for the Hideaway Beach
$30 is not that bad. I would consider that. Next time I go to Coco Cay I will try it. Gives me something else to do there. I did the Beach Club before and thought the cost was too much for the experience. Not sure if you have mentioned this before, but since you solo cruise, have you tried NCL? Would be interested to see your thoughts. Anyway, thanks for the video. Good stuff.
Ncl does not have a solid weekend option right now. Pre-covid they had the Norwegian Sky but she is not returned to weekends. Thank you!
Can you comment on the Caribbean water open for swimming and snorkeling? In the pictures from RC it doesn’t look like a lot of open water swimming area. Is it possible to walk along the beach for a long distance? In the past cruisers were able to walk along the coast of the island and the further away from the ship, the more serene it seemed. For the free area it seem now like you can only walk to a certain point. Is that possible in this area or are there limits as to where you can walk? Thank you for the video!
It does feel like you are now paying for the experience that you used to get at Oasis Lagoon. It seems now, Oasis Lagoon is overrun with kids and isn't the vibe it used to be without the DJ. I do think the new food options add some value especially for Pescatarians like myself as several of the new items are seafood. It would be nice if they added a few more exclusive items. I feel like if you can get it for under $30 anytime of the year, it is probably worth it. In the winter, I would pay more.
I have a Freedom Cruise (4/22/24) and Utopia (8/5/24) coming up. So I just did a comparison and it is astonishing how different the prices are. Hideaway Bay on Freedom is $26.99 (great price but will be with 4 year olds so no go) and $74.99 for Utopia. I don’t need a heated pool in August. The Beach Club is $131.99 (not worth it) in April on Freedom and $245.99 in August on Utopia. Obviously everything with the newer ships is more money, but that is just ridiculous. I love the free stuff on Coco Cay just fine!
You and me both Beth!
$65 pp on our June cruise
Nice to hear your take on it. I think it is worth maybe $39 and lower. Otherwise for a first timer maybe $45. Biggest complaints I’ve heard was the music. Some people don’t like the style of music they play or say it’s too loud. It’s not for everyone. They’re targeting the 18-30 year old.
Completely agree on the DJ saying. It is not for it. The more senior adult. When you think of adults only, do not think of a relaxing environment necessarily. You can do that there but the DJ and the party is there as well
Do they have lockers here like they do outside Hideaway Bch?
I don't remember seeing lockers on there. Actually. I have to think they might? There's some right by the tram station and the walkway to the beach, but I don't know there's any inside. There has to be right?
Going there next month on my first cruise. It went on sale for $18.99 so it seemed like a no duh decision at that price.
Update: we loved Hideaway beach. Our cruise had tons of kids so it was great to get a break. Loved the beach and heated pool even though the thumping club music is not our thing. I would recommend it if the price is right like it was for us. I’d say
Love the honesty. It’s so exhausting watching videos from people who think everything they did was the greatest thing ever, and they would gladly spend $2500 again for 7 hours with a server bringing drinks. Tell us you’re getting freebies without telling us you’re getting freebies. 🙄🙄🙄
Hahaha Thank you! Totally get it.
We were at Hideaway Beach two weeks ago, we were able to stay on a beach bed that was in front of the pool however, we tried walking down to get pizza and we were stopped and said that we are not allowed to go down there that it was for upscale who bought a cabana. We were also not able to swim in the second pool. Did you have that experience?
The pizza should be open to everyone! However, the 2nd pool is for Cabana VIPs only.
Seafood pizza is ❤❤❤ in the Caribbean. Fish, conch, lobster. I prefer the fish
Really?!?! Ya'll are going to make me buy Hideaway Bay again just to try this seafood pizza hahah
@@TheWeekendCruiser can’t promise Hideaway pizza is as good as “Mac’s pizza” on the island of Bequia
@@julesjohn4920 Tell me more of this pizza you speak about... I have not heard of it!
for may it is 55.99 each to get in. on royal Caribbean 🤔
I’m jealous of y’all getting this for $30, our sailing in November is $55
He's probably also going to be at full capacity with that price.
It went down a little to $50 today
I paid $62 for June. It will be my first time
Let us know what you think!
Now it’s reduced to $42, haha
That would be a "no" to the fish pizza for me!
#same
Sounds a bit of an odd combo, but think I would try it…haha!
We have a cruise plan next year in october and the site is showing Hideaway Beach for $94 a person. I'm thinking that is a hard no.
100% ha
So is there not a buffet over there???? 2 small food shacks doesn’t seem like that’s enough for the potential crowds.. and if I do ever book it and it looks like weather, I would cancel it before the cruise to make sure I can get my refund lol
There is not a buffet! Will be interesting to see how the snack shack holds up over there with the crowds.
Correct 24 or 25+ makes more sense.
Why does everyone like warm water? I can take a bath at home. Give me some refreshing… even exhilarating water. Otherwise, I’ll get in the hot tub.
Lol....agree!
I think I will agree with this too. I like warm water in the winter. In the summer though. I definitely want it to feel a little bit more refreshing.
Warmer pool water for certain months, for other months the ocean would be refreshing
At least 21+…if they can’t legally drink, then what are we doing here?? @RCL
Hahaha being teenagers! 😂
Can they drink at 18 at the beach club? Or do they need to be 21?
@@user-pc5zx7le7y it’s always 21
@@user-pc5zx7le7y For any cruise leaving out of the USA, they will need to be 21+ at all private islands.
@@user-pc5zx7le7y Exactly why it’s confusing…just make it 21+
Thank You for sharing your Pro/Con I'm debating on booking Hideaway we are on ICON in May 2024, still thinking??
Totally up to you. Check the price and see what you think. If you are on Icon and see the price is higher, know it will probably be very full that day. Depends on what you are going for.
I'm going 5/24.. It's on sale now. I'm contemplating
You should mention that the pricing is dynamic. So while you paid $30, it’s $56 on my cruise. Also, regarding food, you forgot to mention the coconut shrimp. I wish it was 25 and older, too. Don’t want to deal with a bunch of drunk 18 and 19yr olds. That’s why my family booked a Hideout Cabana.
Apologies, I'm not mentioning it dynamic. I did talk about the supply and demand on keeping the prices down but didn't actually say the price is going to vary. Good call out. Actually did not see the coconut shrimp. I have heard since making this video that it is there but I did not physically lay eyes on it or try. It must have been hiding! 😂
Not for me, probably. BTW, I just dropped a customer and his husband at 1000 Biscayne Blvd where they live which should be right about where your view is from.
You were certainly not far off! I love that area.
I really was looking forward to Hideaway Beach but canceled my bookings for after seeing many previous videos of the line of chairs packed just too close to one another. I also didn’t like the fact that they took away the DJ from the pool area, which has no DJ now and they want you to pay to listen to music at Hideaway, this kind of pissed me off. I don’t want to be waiting in long lines for food and drinks, I can only imagine how packed Hideaway beach will be with a bigger ship there along with your ship.
Royal has mentioned several times that they can accommodate 3 ships at Coco Cay, that’s way too many people for me. And if the weather is not good, IMO, Royal is not going to refund your money for Hideaway Beach. I’m sure many people are going to love it and others not so much.
You got it! It all depends on the experience that you're going for and I think you and your on the same camp!
We booked the VIP Cabana for cruise in couple of weeks. Got it for around $1k and had $400 OBC and since we have Royal Genie won’t have a real use of the OBC onboard minus anything in shops. Let’s be honest, would be struggle to spend $400 on shirts etc 😂
Hahaha you'll have to up your game Park West!
Let me know what you think of the VIP Cabana! Have not heard anybody that has rented there yet
@@TheWeekendCruiser Haha good one about Park West!
So am I hearing that the obnoxious DJ / music is no longer at the pool at Oasis Lagoon and that he has moved to the pool at Hideaway Beach? If so, I will pass on Hideaway Beach and enjoy the quiet of Oasis Lagoon.
There is space to escape at hideaway but Oasis Lagoon is now just someone's playlist. Still has music but it is quitter and a lot less party.
It should definitely, at least be 21 and up.., they can’t even drink
🤷🤷
I thank God you can getaway from the DJ. It’s great for awhile but that same beat over and over is annoying.
Not having screaming, splashing, annoying crotch fruit is well worth $30.
haha, that could very well be true! Especially, when you have two oasis class ships there. Would def be nice to get away!