Im very, very concerned. Please read and advise

[cruisequeen4ever]

Yes! To me, since it’s a private island, they should be a free benefit to cruise pax or worst case, a cheap add-on. Anything over $50 is ridiculous to me for a private island entertainment experience.

[d9704011]

I was very concerned about the cost of suites on my next cruise then I realized I didn’t actually need one and ewill probably enjoy myself just as much with a balcony cabin.

[Ptroxx]

I didn’t spend a dime in the island and had a blast.    
I went back to the ship and had run of all the water slides.  For free.  
 

enjoy yourself enjoy the island.  Enjoy the empty ship.   

[brillohead]

54 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Yes! To me, since it’s a private island, they should be a free benefit to cruise pax or worst case, a cheap add-on. Anything over $50 is ridiculous to me for a private island entertainment experience.

And since Chops is a private restaurant owned by the cruise line, it should be free.  And since the bars on the ship are owned by the cruise line, the drinks should all be free.  🙄

 

The island visit is free.  The waterpark is extra.  

[Jeff&Mel]

We returned 2 days ago from our cruise.  We had the PERFECT day at Coco Cay!!  We rented a beach bed for $199.  We felt that it was well worth it!  I didn't think it was to much money.  We were on vacation and really did not want to have to rush to get good seats on the beach.  Like everyone else says, you don't have to purchase anything.  I couldn't even imagine going to the waterpark even if it were free.  Different strokes for different folks, We had a wonderful time snorkeling, swimming, drinking, having a delicious lunch and just relaxing on our beach bed.  All in all, a perfect day!

[pokerguy90]

8 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I read, but I don’t know why you are “very very concerned.”  It is quite possible to have a perfect day at Coco Cay without spending a dime! Spending extra on water park,  cocoa beach club, cabanas, zip line, etc is your choice. The pool, the beach, the lagoon, loungers, umbrellas, food and nonalcoholic beverages are all free. 
 

Your title is a bit overkill 

m

Nope, title not overkill. Learned that technique from watching the 💩 news.  They bait you in the headline... the. Talk about other crap.  Works for them.  Now it works for me.

Its Genius.  

[pokerguy90]

6 hours ago, brillohead said:

For what it's worth, I just checked on the day-pass price at the Kalahari water park closest to me, and it's $94.99/person and locker rentals are $25.99.  

And that's for an indoor water park without the super-huge slides that they have at Coco Cay.  And food and drinks are extra.  

Kalahari only charges for the water park if you are NOT staying at the resort. Otherwise, every room accommodates 4 guests how all get unlimited entry into the waterpark.  The only charge the fee to discourage people from not staying over.  We get deals all the time for Kalahari the 4 of us get the room, access to the park including the day you check out, for about $225-250.

[BeachChik]

7 hours ago, hotsauce126 said:

 

Yeah you don't have to but that doesn't change the fact that things are ridiculously priced. But if people want to throw the cost of another cruise at royal for a little wooden beach shelter or a small water park that's their prerogative 

I paid $320 for a cabana on South beach. It was worth every penny. It was great to be able to get out of the sun and sit on something comfortable especially with kids. Plus they come with concierge that you just push a button to call and they get whatever you need. It was glorious.

 

Some people spend so much gambling that they get free cruises. We all spend money on things we don’t need. What is valuable to one isn’t to another and vice versa. 

[A&L_Ont]

Sounds like Kalahari is the perfect destination.

[pokerguy90]

5 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

I read the title and expected to read about Coronavirus cropping up on a Royal ship not the price of the waterpark. LOL

Ah, ha, within, lies my Genius...

[Coralc]

We don't plan on giving them anymore money for Coco Cay. Cruise cost/airfare/dining package/beverage package were sufficient. We may enjoy beach or pool. We don't need the waterslides, cabana or south beach club at extra cost. We also don't have any children who might be disappointed. 

[Swampbabe]

8 minutes ago, pokerguy90 said:

Ah, ha, within, lies my Genius...

A legend in your own mind

[happymanitee]

I just prepared my kids in advance.  I told them there would be water slides, but we weren’t going on them.  We can visit the local water park here in the summer.  I told them we were just going to play in the beach and swim in the ocean.  The price was $99 for our trip, but I have a family of 5 and I’m not going to pay $500 for a few water slides and a wave pool.  They were 100% happy and not disappointed at all because they were already prepared to ignore the water slides.

[Dancingnurse79]

The Water Park is currently $53 for my May 8th cruise on Mariner. $130 seems like a steep increase for your cruise. But they can technically charge whatever they want. You don’t have to buy. 

[keishashadow]

9 hours ago, pokerguy90 said:

Does anyone else think the admission prices for the PD@COCOKAY IS OUTRAGEOUSLY OVERPRICED FOR THE WATER SLIDES AND OTHER AREAS.  $130 pp for slides : really...

I missed booking before the 1/3 day passes disappeared. 

 

Bought passes for us & GD about a month ago, under $300 for all.

 

apples to oranges perhaps but many people don’t blink an eye about spending a ton on beverage packages, spa treatments or fancy excursion.  Why should this be any different?  There have always been extra options available for those who wish to partake on the private islands.

[brillohead]

12 minutes ago, keishashadow said:

apples to oranges perhaps but many people don’t blink an eye about spending a ton on beverage packages, spa treatments or fancy excursion.  Why should this be any different?  There have always been extra options available for those who wish to partake on the private islands.

Exactly.... at least you get to spend the whole day in the waterpark.  The ziplines at Labadee and Coco Cay last a minute, but people aren't click-bait-titling threads here about the cost of that.

[hotsauce126]

1 hour ago, BeachChik said:

I paid $320 for a cabana on South beach. It was worth every penny. It was great to be able to get out of the sun and sit on something comfortable especially with kids. Plus they come with concierge that you just push a button to call and they get whatever you need. It was glorious.

 

Some people spend so much gambling that they get free cruises. We all spend money on things we don’t need. What is valuable to one isn’t to another and vice versa. 

 

They're $1000 on my cruise

[BeachChik]

1 minute ago, hotsauce126 said:

 

They're $1000 on my cruise

Prices fluctuate constantly. 
 

And again we all spend money on things we don’t need. How many spend hundreds on a drink package? Or thousands in the casino? 
 

 

[Btank]

8 hours ago, brillohead said:

For what it's worth, I just checked on the day-pass price at the Kalahari water park closest to me, and it's $94.99/person and locker rentals are $25.99.  

 

Yep, it's a LOT more expensive than it was when I was a kid.  Day passes for Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas (another indoor park) are $150.  Tickets for other Texas water parks such as Schlitterbahn can be less expensive, but don't include lockers and meals (as well as the travel and lodging expense).  I'm not aware of any of my friends that have gotten away from Schlitterbahn without paying >$100 each.

 

     --bruce T.

[cured]

We are one of those crazy people that spent money on an overwater cabana. And we purchased tickets to the water park.  The per person price of the cabana is less than the per person price we paid for some of our excursions in the med.  And with 3 sea days with no excursions vs the one sea day on the med cruise with lots of excursions and off ship spending, we are money ahead with just getting the cabana. It is all relative.  We are comfortable with what we paid. So apparently we are not very, very concerned.

 

You asked for advice.  Make note that Royal Caribbean is a for profit company.  Their goal is to make a profit. They can't make a profit by keeping prices low enough for families AND by including everything.  Be glad that the prices are ala carte otherwise your cruise price would be much higher if everything was included.  This way, you can pick and choose what you want to spend.  It is Capitalism 101.   You have the right and ability to voice your opinion via your pocketbook.

 

We choose to cruise less and spend more on extras per cruise. Some people choose to cruise more and spend less on extras.  Just a choice. Neither is wrong

Edited March 2, 2020 by cured

[JoeFan]

The best part about it, is you don't have to spend a dime to have a great time on PD.