For decades, cruise ships served as floating hotels that brought passengers to highly-desirable locations. That still happens, of course, but the ships themselves -- especially the newest offerings from Royal Caribbean (RCL) -) and Carnival Cruise Lines -- have become as much the destination as any port.
Yes, both cruise lines still use older, smaller ships to sail port-heavy trips, but for their newest ships, passengers are sailing because of the ship as much as for any place it stops. That's especially true in the Caribbean/Bahamas where both Royal Caribbean Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) -) sail the bulk of their fleets.
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With their newest and biggest ships, both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have made ports secondary to the ships themselves. That does not mean that people don't want to stop in interesting places, but larger ships are limited in the ports they can call on.
That's why so many ships stop in Nassau and Cozumel -- two ports that can handle large ships which many experienced cruisers consider sort of "blah" destinations. Royal Caribbean has found a major answer for this problem by making its Perfect Day at CocoCay private island a highly-desired destination that works as an extension of the on-ship experience.
Your drink package works on the island, which offers beaches, a large pool, and an added-fee waterpark and beach club. Royal Caribbean CFO Naftali Holtz talked about the combination of its newest ships and its private island during the company's first-quarter earnings call.
"The booking strength has been particularly evident on Caribbean sailings, where our superior hardware and Perfect Day at CocoCay continue to be a winning combination. More than half of our Caribbean sailings visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, which is Royal Caribbean International's highest-rated destination in the Caribbean," he shared.
Now, Carnival is working to build its own take on Perfect Day at CocoCay on Grand Bahama.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Building Its Own Private Destination
Carnival has a couple of private island solutions in the Caribbean, but neither one really equals Perfect Day at CocoCay. The cruise line's Half Moon Cay is a classic private island that's basically a beach that does not offer a dock, meaning passengers just take smaller ships (tenders) to the island.
The company also sometimes uses the Beach Club at Resorts World in Bimini as a private destination. That location is also used by Virgin Voyages and can be booked as a Resorts World-branded excursion on some Royal Caribbean sailings. It's actually not that dissimilar from CocoCay, but it's much smaller and you have to take a tram ride to get there.
Carnival plans to equal the playing field with Royal Caribbean when it opens a new port project in Grand Bahama in late 2024. The company shared some details on the project on a web page.
"The Grand Port project will be located at the Sharp Rock site, ensuring convenient movement between the cruise port and the main population center of Grand Bahama, which is just a few minutes away," Carnival shared.
Carnival has not shared too many details, but the port will be capable of simultaneously accommodating two of the largest ships in the world with a capacity of 6,000 guests each. It is also expected to offer a pool as well as beaches.
"Offering experiences for all tastes, from the serene relaxation of the beach to high-adrenaline water and adventure amenities, and a wide range of dining opportunities ranging from high-end cuisine to beachside snacks. The Bahamian Town Square and Festival Walkway will connect the port’s various amenities with beautifully kept grounds surrounded by local flora," Carnival shared.
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Royal Caribbean Has Expanded Private Island Plans Too
Royal Caribbean is expanding its capacity at CocoCay by adding Hideaway Beach, an adults-only area, The cruise line has not shared whether that new area will require an additional fee or be an area like the Solarium on its ships where people under a certain age are simply not allowed.
CocoCay can accommodate two Oasis-class ships and will almost always have two ships docked each day as the cruise company also has plans to use the private island for select sailings of its Celebrity brand.
Royal Caribbean is also building a Perfect Day-style destination in Nassau. Called the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island, the added-fee experience will offer pools, restaurants, and beaches with access via water taxi from the Nassau port.
“Not everybody's going to have an opportunity to go to the Royal Beach Club. It wasn't designed for that purpose," Royal Caribbean Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider told Matt Hochberg of Royal Caribbean Blog. "Because we then hope you sail with us again the next weekend and have that opportunity. And so that's where it kind of fits into our strategy."
