Royal Caribbean's new adults-only beach getaway will have poolside cabanas, swim-up bar
Royal Caribbean may be the world leader in family cruises, but the latest expansion of its private island in the Bahamas will be all about adults.
The world's biggest cruise line on Thursday said the soon-to-debut Hideaway Beach area at Perfect Day at CocoCay will feature a large adults-oriented infinity pool where the drinks will flow from a swim-up bar and a DJ spinning tunes. It will also have the first sports bar on the island, which will double as a live music venue.
The beach will also have an exclusive cabana area called The Hideout with its own private pool where adults can literally hide away from not just their kids but most other cruisers visiting Perfect Day.
The entire Hideaway Beach area, as previously announced, will be for adults only — something the executive in charge of dreaming up new experiences for Royal Caribbean told TPG was a nod to demand from customers.
The age cutoff to enter will be 18.
"One of the number one things that guests have been looking for at CocoCay is an adults-only space," Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's chief product innovation officer, said in an exclusive interview in advance of the announcement. He cited extensive customer research.
Scheduled to open in January, Hideaway Beach will be an extra-charge area of Perfect Day, with a day pass starting at $39 to $89 per person, depending on the day. It'll be more expensive than most of Perfect Day's beaches, which are open to Royal Caribbean cruisers at no extra cost, but significantly less pricey than the island's high-end Coco Beach Club, where the daily fee to enter can run around $200 per person.
"There are different tiers of experience on Perfect Day at CocoCay," Schneider noted. "The Coco Beach Club is ... meant to be more of an exclusive experience. You've got a dedicated restaurant, a dedicated menu that is very elevated. Hideaway Beach is not meant to be that."
In contrast to the built-for-a-luxury traveler vibe of Coco Beach Club, the experience at Hideaway Beach is "meant to be a really awesome mass-market adult product," Schneider added.
Located on the northwest side of the island (the until-recently-undeveloped area to the right of the pier as you face the island from a docked ship), Hideaway Beach will have a capacity of around 1,800 to 2,000 people.
That'll bring the total capacity of Perfect Day to around 13,000 people, Schneider said.
The capacity increase will allow Royal Caribbean to simultaneously dock two vessels with a larger combined capacity at Perfect Day than in the past. But Schneider says the island still wouldn't host two Oasis-class vessels at the same time.
Related: The 6 types of Royal Caribbean ships, explained
The new Hideaway Beach area will sprawl over eight acres, increasing the area of the island open to passengers to 65 acres. The entire acreage of Perfect Day — including staff-only areas and undeveloped land — is about 130 acres.
The newly developed area will include:
- Hideaway Beach. A beach area bigger than an acre with resort-style loungers and umbrellas. The turquoise water fronting the beach will have in-the-water hammocks and swings.
- Hideaway Pool. A large amorphous pool with a swim-up bar that will have an infinity edge facing the beach. A DJ will spin tunes from an "island" in the middle of the pool, and there will be in-water seating and loungers.
- Hideaway Cabanas. Ten private cabins for groups of up to eight people located around the main Hideaway Pool. They'll come with cabana attendant service at the push of a call button, a minifridge, floating beach mats and charging outlets.
- The Hideout. An elevated private cabana area with 10 cabanas that line a heated infinity-edge plunge pool exclusive to Hideout guests. The cabanas will also come with cabana attendant service as well as in-water loungers, an outdoor shower and resort-style seating.
Schneider said pricing for the cabanas hadn't been finalized but that it would fluctuate from day to day, depending on supply and demand. This already is the case for cabanas at other locations at Perfect Day.
The Sports Bar at Hideaway Beach, to be called On the Rocks, will be an alfresco venue located at a rocky area overlooking the ocean. It'll feature live music, televisions playing sports and games such as pool and shuffleboard.
Other Hideaway Beach venues will include the only pizza eatery at Perfect Day (to be called Slice of Paradise). The pizza will be complimentary to Hideaway Beach guests, and the venue also will have a bar.
Another food outlet, Snack Shack (already a staple of Perfect Day), will serve up complimentary chicken sandwiches, burgers, fried mozzarella sticks, fresh salads and more. Diners can take their meals at shaded seating areas and Adirondack chairs and tables on the sand.
Two more full-service bars will be located along the beach.
For 2024, 22 Royal Caribbean cruise ships will stop at Perfect Day. Vacationers will find voyages to the island from nine cities, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral in Florida; Bayonne, New Jersey (one of the cruise ports in the New York City area); and Galveston, Texas.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.