Another Perfect Day! Royal Caribbean to build epic beach getaway in Mexico
It's official: Another Perfect Day is on the way.
Cruise giant Royal Caribbean on Wednesday announced it would build a massive private beach getaway in Mexico that would be similar to Perfect Day at CocoCay, its highly rated private island in the Bahamas.
To be called "Perfect Day Mexico," the resort complex will spread across about 200 acres of land located right where ships dock at the port of Costa Maya, Mexico, Kara Wallace, Royal Caribbean's chief marketing officer, told TPG in an exclusive interview.
Speaking with TPG in advance of the announcement, Wallace said the new Perfect Day would open in 2027, likely "towards the back half" of the year. It'll be open exclusively to customers arriving on Royal Caribbean ships, she said.
Perfect Day at CocoCay is "the most successful port of call that we go to," Wallace said, citing guest satisfaction ratings that are higher than any other port in the world. "So we took that as inspiration to expand the portfolio to Mexico."
Like Perfect Day at CocoCay, Perfect Day Mexico will feature both high-adrenaline attractions and low-key areas for relaxing — "thrill and chill," as Royal Caribbean likes to call the two categories of resort options.
Royal Caribbean didn't offer many details about what vacationers would find at Perfect Day Mexico other than that it would include a water park, pools and beaches, restaurants, bars and music. But Wallace suggested the complex would wow customers in a similar manner to Perfect Day at CocoCay.
"We're known for our game-changing thrill and chill, giving our guests, no matter who they are, what they want and what they would expect in a perfect day," Wallace said. "And that means something ... for everybody."
Over the past few years, Royal Caribbean Group has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into overhauling and expanding Perfect Day at CocoCay, including adding a major new adults-only zone called "Hideaway Beach" just this year.
Related: Royal Caribbean debuts Hideaway Beach: See photos of the adults-only beach club
Royal Caribbean Group is the parent company of Royal Caribbean, as well as Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises.
The revamping of Perfect Day at CocoCay (which until a few years ago had much less infrastructure and was just known as CocoCay) also has included the addition of the biggest water park in the Bahamas or Caribbean and the region's largest freshwater pool.
The additions have turned Perfect Day at CocoCay into a massive beach and amusements escape for cruisers on a scale not seen anywhere else in the world. With the addition of Hideaway Beach this year, it now has room for around 13,000 people at a time. It's expected to draw about 3 million visitors this year — a new record.
Wallace told TPG that Royal Caribbean would use the existing docks at the port of Costa Maya when its ships arrive at Perfect Day Mexico.
Passengers arriving at the destination would have the option of staying within the Perfect Day Mexico compound or going off property on shore excursions across the region, she added — a notable difference from the vacation experience during calls at Perfect Day at CocoCay. At the latter destination, which is an island wholly controlled by Royal Caribbean, passengers never leave the environs of the resort complex.
Related: How to visit Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay on zero dollars
As part of the new development, Royal Caribbean would build a transportation hub for local shore tours, Wallace said.
Wallace also promised that the new Perfect Day would "bring in the local culture, the vibrancy, the food, the landscapes, the people" of its location into the experience found within the compound.
While the land area that Royal Caribbean is developing as part of the Perfect Day Mexico project is about 200 acres, about 100 acres of that will be preserve as wild habitat, Wallace added.
In a statement, the governor of Quintana Roo, the Mexican state where the development would be located, praised Royal Caribbean's development plans.
Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruise ships and itineraries
"We are very excited that Royal Caribbean has decided to invest in Mahahual, a land of opportunity and hard-working people," the governor, Mara Lezama, said in the statement, using the name of the village in the area. "My administration is looking forward to working very closely with the company to ensure a sustainable destination that brings shared prosperity to the region and that our local communities are part of this historic investment."
Royal Caribbean has hinted that it would build a new Perfect Day development for several years, and Royal Caribbean fans have been eagerly awaiting an official announcement.
The development is just one of several that Royal Caribbean Group has in the works at beach destinations in the Bahamas and Caribbean that have been designed to offer its customers more places to visit.
Others include Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, a private beach destination opening in the Bahamas in 2025, and Royal Beach Club Cozumel, a recently announced beach getaway scheduled to debut in Cozumel, Mexico, in 2026.
Wallace said Perfect Day Mexico would fit into itineraries on cruises to the Western Caribbean with home ports in the Gulf of Mexico, such as those along the west coast of Florida and in Texas.
Wallace said more details about Perfect Day Mexico would be announced in the spring.
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