Seems like Serenade misses Coco Cay a LOT due to high waves

[5 in OK]

So we are booked on the Serenade out of New Orleans in December. We are scheduled to stop at Coco Cay. Almost every review I've read says they couldn't tender due to high waves - making it three sea days back to back. Seems like they would have an alternate port to detour to that would like to have 2500 visitors ready to spend their money?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Serenade is not the only Royal Caribbean ship to miss Coco Cay due to high waves or strong current. I've been on Majesty and on Freedom when we missed the island. It's funny, my brother-in-law is convinced that Coco Cay is mythological and doesn't even exist, because every cruise that he has booked with Coco Cay on the itinerary, the ship could not stop there! He now refuses to book any itinerary with Coco Cay.

 

I've been fortunate enough to make it there several times and really enjoyed the days I spent there. One time, however, we had a very difficult time getting back on the ship because the waves picked up suddenly. It was a real struggle to get off our tender boat and back onto the ship.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Gangway Style

[steveru621]

Not just high waves. We were stopped in the morning at Coco Cay on the Explorer and the captain delayed the tenders because of a thunderstorm. About an hour later, an announcement that since there would be rain and thunderstorms all day, Coco Cay would be skipped and off we went to Port Canaveral.

[momof4_tn]

It does happen, but it makes it a lot also. Just remember people are more apt to write a bad review, than none at all. We've went to Cocoa Cay 3 times and all 3 times were sucessful. Two on Monarch is February and October, and once on Serenade in January.

[Firefighterhoop]

I sailed several short cruises this Winter, or the Bahamas route from Baltimore on the Grandeur, and out of the 8 times I was scheduled to make it to CoCo Cay, we made it 3.

 

Speaking with crew on various ships, it was a very bad Winter for it compared to usual, but as others have said, missing it is not uncommon.

[sergeant655]

I was on Freedom when it had to miss coco cay due to a medical emergency. freedom went to Nassau instead and spent the day there. The shore excursions desk had some shore excursions lined at at last miniute notice. The tours offered were the same as the ones offered by Oasis when it stops there. I went to senor Frogs and enjoyed my time there.

[5 in OK]

Serenade is not the only Royal Caribbean ship to miss Coco Cay due to high waves or strong current. I've been on Majesty and on Freedom when we missed the island. It's funny, my brother-in-law is convinced that Coco Cay is mythological and doesn't even exist, because every cruise that he has booked with Coco Cay on the itinerary, the ship could not stop there! He now refuses to book any itinerary with Coco Cay.

 

I've been fortunate enough to make it there several times and really enjoyed the days I spent there. One time, however, we had a very difficult time getting back on the ship because the waves picked up suddenly. It was a real struggle to get off our tender boat and back onto the ship.

 

 

Thank you for responding! Here's hoping I get your luck instead of your brother-in-law's!

[5 in OK]

It does happen, but it makes it a lot also. Just remember people are more apt to write a bad review, than none at all. We've went to Cocoa Cay 3 times and all 3 times were sucessful. Two on Monarch is February and October, and once on Serenade in January.

 

 

You are right - there are more bad reviews than good ones!! We are going in late December first of January - hopefully all will be well!

[5 in OK]

So if they miss due to weather - why don't they detour to another port?

[Kevin's girl]

We have been lucky enough to make it to Coco Cay three times. We even got to spend the night there once. We are proud to be part of the 1400 passengers to take part in a little Gilligan's Island excursion. The only time this has ever happened to RCI passengers and the reason the cruise line is so very careful not to ever have it happen again. It gave us bragging rights and some unforgettable memories :)

[megr1125]

So if they miss due to weather - why don't they detour to another port?

 

Time, distance, availability of another port....fees associated with going to another port...

 

The port calls are scheduled years ahead, last minute changes are not always possible.....especially in winter when there are way more ships in the Caribbean than there are in the summer....

[Merion_Mom]

We have been lucky enough to make it to Coco Cay three times. We even got to spend the night there once. We are proud to be part of the 1400 passengers to take part in a little Gilligan's Island excursion. The only time this has ever happened to RCI passengers and the reason the cruise line is so very careful not to ever have it happen again. It gave us bragging rights and some unforgettable memories :)

 

Great bragging rights, indeed!!!

 

What an adventure you had. Probably better as a story than when you were experiencing it. :eek:

[ChipLondon]

It is time that people realised that there is no such place as Coco Cay, it is just a made up name that sounds exotic and makes people book a particular cruise :D

[wwcruisers]

Our recent stop at CocoCay was on X, last February -- really enjoyed it. :cool:

Sorry for those of you who keep missing it -- but, once you've been there, you'll understand why the weather can be a problem. Unlike Labadee, there is no dock, and the ship must passengers in -- from a fairly good distance. The tenders get to their interior dock through a narrow and rocky inlet. Wouldn't want to try to navigate that in a storm, or rough water. :eek:

Edited April 26, 2014 by wwcruisers

[fluffysue]

How is it getting there at this time of year? Sailing on Grandeur next week and this is the stop I'm probably most looking forward to. Never been there but it looks gorgeous from the pictures I've seen. :)

 

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[5 in OK]

It is time that people realised that there is no such place as Coco Cay, it is just a made up name that sounds exotic and makes people book a particular cruise :D

 

Made me laugh!:D

[LoneStarCruzrs]

How is it getting there at this time of year? Sailing on Grandeur next week and this is the stop I'm probably most looking forward to. Never been there but it looks gorgeous from the pictures I've seen.

 

We were just on the April 5th Serenade cruise that was supposed to stop at Coco Cay, but missed it due to high winds and 8 ft seas. I have not heard whether the one on April 19th made it or not.

[ASeaPrincess1]

We were just on the April 5th Serenade cruise that was supposed to stop at Coco Cay, but missed it due to high winds and 8 ft seas. I have not heard whether the one on April 19th made it or not.

 

We were on the April 19 cruise..... And YES, we DID make it to Coco Cay!

:)

[tahoemc]

We were just on the April 5th Serenade cruise that was supposed to stop at Coco Cay, but missed it due to high winds and 8 ft seas. I have not heard whether the one on April 19th made it or not.

 

X2 - we were on the April 5 sailing too. Bummed, but I don't mind the sea days:cool:. Still better than a good day at work;)

[Bonnie Voyager]

How is it getting there at this time of year? Sailing on Grandeur next week and this is the stop I'm probably most looking forward to. Never been there but it looks gorgeous from the pictures I've seen. :)

 

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We made it to Coco Cay just a few days ago, from Grandeur's 4/19/14 sailing! No problem at all! :D

Edited April 28, 2014 by Bonnie Voyager

[Folk Singer]

It does happen, but it makes it a lot also. Just remember people are more apt to write a bad review, than none at all. We've went to Cocoa Cay 3 times and all 3 times were sucessful. Two on Monarch is February and October, and once on Serenade in January.

 

We have been there as well, but it is not someplace I would hurry to go back too.

 

Maybe different if we had small children. It was OK, but preferred Labadee.

[Bonnie Voyager]

We have been there as well, but it is not someplace I would hurry to go back too.

 

Maybe different if we had small children. It was OK, but preferred Labadee.

 

I agree with you. I also prefer Labadee over Coco Cay (especially OLD Labadee from before they wiped out my favorite "Hideaway Beach" to build their giant pier).

 

However, I did enjoy Barefoot Beach at Coco Cay last week, as it was much more natural and desolate like Labadee used to be. But the beaches right near the tenders at Coco Cay, although lovely, were so crowded! :eek:

 

Still, a beautiful day at any beach, is a good day in my book! ;)

[nbsjcruiser]

We missed it once on the Majesty. It worked out fine in the end though because it was windy and cloudy that day but the captain got the ship to sunny weather. Also, we got an extended stay in Key West (a full 11 hours!) which was fantastic.

[KansasK]

I have been on four cruises with a stop at Coco Cay and each time we were able to tender to the island and had a nice day there.

 

One drawback were the sea gulls that were so aggressive at lunchtime. If someone wanted to eat on the beach and left their food for a second on a chair on the beach, a seagull would swoop in and take the top of the bun off their hamburger. They were on the walkways, also, but not so bad at the picnic area. The sea gulls were not like this for the first two stops there. I imagine we human beings fed them and now they know when lunch time is.

 

We did miss a stop at Georgetown, Grand Cayman due to high waves when on the Liberty. The Captain announced this and we had another sea day. My husband was on the jogging track on the top deck and said he noticed the ship turning and wondered what was going on. The captain said we could go there, but they were not sending out tenders. The sea day was a good day, too.

[slyther]

Freedom made it's Coco Cay call on 4/21, but the tenders started late due to waves and were slow to return to the ship for the same reason (causing 1 Alpha Alpha Alpha at the gangway)