Cruise lines’ private islands used to be stretches of sand with a few bars, a few dining areas, and maybe some sort of children’s playground. Spending a day at one of these was essentially a day at the beach — maybe a beach party, maybe a quiet day sitting by the crystal clear ocean.
In many cases, visiting one of these destinations required the use of a tender — a small vessel that transports passengers from ship to island, making the whole process quite cumbersome.
Royal Caribbean (RCL) changed that in 2019 when it debuted the revamped CocoCay destination.
Not only did the island have a dock that could accommodate two Oasis-class ships, enabling passengers to simply disembark on the island. The cruise line also added a water park for an additional fee, a giant pool and a private beach club.
This game-changing move turned CocoCay from a routine beach into a multi-faceted destination where passengers could opt for a leisurely day or choose from all kinds of other experiences.
In addition, the changes also turned CocoCay into a revenue driver for the cruise line. The company sells admission to the beach club, water park, zip line tickets, rides in a tethered hot air balloon and a variety of different cabanas throughout the island.
This sets a standard for private islands as destinations. Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) as a mod has a plan to rival what Royal Caribbean has built.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet
Carnival, Royal Caribbean wants to build destinations
Royal Caribbean and Carnival continue to build larger cruise ships, and this limits where those ships can dock. This in turn makes it essential that cruise lines have destinations that appeal to passengers. Private islands like CocoCay serve as a kind of extension of these massive new ships.
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In addition to CocoCay, Royal Caribbean has a less developed island in Labadee, Haiti, and is building a private beach club in Nassau, Bahamas. This would be a private island experience with beaches, a pool and multiple dining options.
Carnival has a similar plan on Grand Bahama Island, and while the cruise line has been mostly quiet about its ongoing development of the project, it met with local business leaders and residents in late July to update them. on the project, CruiseHive reported.
The meeting took place at the Grand Lucayan, a resort/hotel that Royal Caribbean once had an agreement to purchase. He was held to answer questions about the project, which is expected to create around 1,000 jobs.
“The Bahamas has been a valued partner and vibrant destination for Carnival for 50 years, and we are grateful for the continued support from the Government of The Bahamas, the Ministry for Grand Bahama and the Grand Bahama Port Authority,” said Carnival President Christine Duffy . a previous news release.
What is Grand Bahama Carnival Planning?
The cruise line has dubbed the new project a “destination port.” It is basically a mix between a traditional harbor and a private island.
Carnival’s Grand Bahama cruise port destination, taking place on the south side of the island, “will continue to serve as a gateway to Grand Bahama while also offering guests a uniquely Bahamian experience with many exciting features and amenities, along with business opportunities for residents of Grand Bahama,” the cruise line said.
Once completed, the new port destination will house two of the cruise line’s largest Excel-class ships. One of them, Mardi Gras, exists now, while Celebration begins sailing later this year.
In addition to a beach, “guests will be able to explore and enjoy Grand Bahama by sea, via a dedicated shore excursion dock, or by land, via the dedicated land transportation hub,” Carnival said.
“The cruise port itself will also feature an area designated as a nature reserve and an indoor pool feature, along with many Bahamian-operated retail, food and beverage options for guests to enjoy.”
