Nassau vs. Coco Cay???

[first timer with teens]

Ok, CocaCay experts: We've been to Labadee, and will probably hit CocoCay on our next cruise. Just some good, solid comparisons, please.

[obosix]

Been on both cruise lines. Def Coco Cay over Nassau. Did do an excursion while in Nass. Get off ship. Find excursion pick up, travel and then there at beach. IN Coco liked just getting off ship and there at beach. No waste of time. Coco is clean and lots to do. My choice is Coco

[obosix]

First Timer,

 

Labadee is a little diff from Cay. You are sectioned off from the rest of the island in Lab, in Coco the whole island is private and you can really go where you want. Did enjoy Labadee, there is a market place run by the locals that we found some really nice things to buy. Where you sit to eat I found it a little disturbing as the fencing that surrounded the area to keep the locals away, was pretty close to where we were eating. There were Hatians sitting on the other side and we felt real bad for them. The water park was enjoyed by the kids. Get your tickets on board if possible, sells out real quick. When you get off tender we found the area heading toward the right was less crowded. Make sure you have tip money for the gents that help you find your chairs. On Coco Cay was alot more of a private island and I kinda liked it better. Have fun

[dolphincruiser404]

Does Coco Cay really exist - LOL?????? Every cruise that I go on, and has Coco Cay on the itinerary, it is cancelled. Last time was the weather. This time they announced that it was due to rough seas. Later a crew member told me it was actually due to a large number of sharks around the island. I kind of believe that. I also heard that there was a problem with it on a lot of Florida beaches over the weekend.

[robbie500]

I would pick Coco-Cay, but we have used our days in Nassau to have "full access" to the pools and other ship ammenities while others are onshore.

You win either way. Coco cay lay around on the beach, Nassau, lay around the pool with all the pool waiters at your beckon call!!!

Have Fun!

Rob

[wallie5446]

I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed for calm seas so I can see what Coco Cay is all about!

 

First cruise ever in a week! :D

 

Robyn, Did ya'll make it to CoCo ? If so , what did you think?

[Travelgrrl]

Hi Izzyvet! I was on the Brilliance transatlantic with you, I think! The Radiance is great, similar to the Brilliance but I like her even more, somehow. And I had heard so many bad reports about Nassau that I almost didn't get off the ship there on my last cruise in March.

 

That being said, it was an OK port and I had fun for a couple hours, but Coco Cay (or any of the private islands) makes for a very fun, almost free port day. You don't have to pay for transportation, lunch, etc.

 

We went to the end of the island (near Willie's) and it was nice and deserted. I vote for the Radiance!

[garbgepikr]

Have not been to Coco Cay, but have visted Nassau twice. Nassau was Ok for the first time. Straw Market was fun, local shopping gave you the "Island shopping experience" but then there wasn't much else to do, so we headed back to the ship. Paradise Island was really pricey for a beach day, so we opted not to do that. The next time we visted, we heard about taking a Taxi to a Hotel called the Crystal Palace. We did, and it was incredible! For about $2, we got a cab and were taken to this beautiful hotel, where we were welcomed and treated like guests. They charged us $2 each for a chaise and towel, then gave us tokens for free mini golf and free use of the huge swimming pools, water slide, etc. There was a fabulous snack bar that had hot dogs, grilled fish tacos, fruit, etc for a fair price.

Inside the Hotel, there was a casino when you wanted a break from the sun. Local vendors walked the beach and offered jet ski rentals and fresh fruit. It was wonderful! In my experience, going to a cruise lines private island offers a wonderful beach day though. Aboard the Disney ship, we went to their private island. It was paradise! No shopping or local "flavor", but clean and unspoiled. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for.

[mrg0433]

Nassau has a dock, and Coco Cay uses tenders. In Nassau I would recommend taking the Ferry over to Paradise Island. The Atlantis Hotel Casino has an outstanding Aquarium within the hotel. It is worth seeing. Coco Cay is a beach--nice if you just want to lay in a hammock and swim. We did enjoy the barbeque and bar service to our hammock while we were on Coco Cay. On windy days, it is not unusual for stops on Coco Cay to be canceled or swapped for another day because of problems landing the tenders. If you want to just kick back, then take Coco Cay. If you hate tenders and want to do alot of different things in one day, I would suggest Nassau/Paradise Island. Guess I haven't been much help.

 

Mary

Plymouth, MA

I'm trying to decide my next cruise. I've narrowed it down to two cruises, both going to St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The Radiance of the Seas is one of the ships, haven't done any Radiance class ships yet, and it goes to Coco Cay. The other cruise would be on Carnival's new ship, Valor, which looks pretty cool, but goes to Nassau. I think I would like Coco Cay better, and it's really down to which port I would like best. The ships are a toss-up, I think they would both be fabulous. So which should it be??

[Linda/Ohio]

Just got back from a short cruise that did both ports. Have also been in both previously. I love Cococay. But-you do need money there if you want ot buy from the vendors on Cococay--they are locals that come over for the day to sell their wares. Food and iced tea is provided by RCCL. Adult Beverages can be put on your Seapass. We went parasailing again--love that feeling of flying.

 

linda/ohio

[Linda/Ohio]

If you do opt for Nassau--you can just do a little shopping on Bay Street--then head to the Athena Cafe for lunch. Good view of downtown from balcony of restaruant.

 

 

Linda/Ohio

[nancyhi]

CoCo Cay is an RCCL island. Carnival doesn't stop there. I heard its nice tho. I asked this one guy who had a bunch of really nice photos on his website about it and he said since its all RCCL customers, the food is all part of the deal. I was worried I'd have to go back to the boat to eat lunch, but he said you can stay right on the island since the food is included. I thought that was cool. You just pay for sodas and drinks. I think he said they take the drink cards too. So you just pay to use their beach stuff, except the chairs are free and plentiful. Sounds good to me.

[Cruisechick82]

I haven't been to coco cay but have been to Nassua. I'd definately take coco cay over Nassua as we found Nassau to be somewhat dirty, the shopping wasn't any better than in the states and their were plenty of pushy people wanting to braid hair, sell cuban cigars, offer tours or carriage rides. It got so bad I finally just started ignoring them rather than telling them no.

 

I felt the same way about Nassau. We didn't care for it at all. We took the Atlantis tour which was really nice, but pretty much went right back to the ship after that as we just didn't like Nassau.

 

I've also been to Cococay and it was very nice. There are still some shops and people wanting to braid your hair, but it's easy to avoid that small area. The island is very beautiful and is a nice place to just relax.