10 BIG Mistakes Cruisers Are Making on Cruise Private Islands
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- Опубликовано: 12 июн 2024
- If you're going on a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise, you're probably going to be visiting one of the cruise line private islands. Be sure to watch this before you go, so that you can avoid making some of these common cruise private island mistakes!
These beach days can be some of the best days of your cruise vacation, but there are some cruising do'd & don'ts that you'll want to know!
This video is full of cruise tips for first timers & experienced cruisers. Whether you're going on a Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Holland America or MSC Cruise, this is cruise advice you'll want to know.
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ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!
Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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The buffet on the ship is always better than offerings on private islands. Plus no flies on the fruit!.
I agree .... I wasn't impressed with the buffet but fortunately, I ate before getting off the ship.
I’ve been on 28 cruises on multiple cruise lines, and I love to watch your videos because it seems like I always learn something. Great tips!
That means a lot coming from you! Thanks for watching 😊
We just came home from a Royal Carribean cruise and as always, CocoCay was my favorite part of the trip. Never disappoints. Music, drinks, food, pools, and beach, what a fun day.
So fun! Thanks for sharing
Lunch tip at coco cay if you goto south beach there's always a chair or 2 not overcrowded the ocean is great and right behind you is a bar and food and bathrooms to clean up. South Beach is terrific
Half Moon Cay has the prettiest beach I've ever seen!
Castaway Cay is the first private island I visited and is still special.
Having a pier makes a huge difference.
30 plus years ago I found what I thought was just a seashell. Brought it on board and when I got back to my room I placed the shell in the sink with water in hopes of cleaning it.. When I returned to clean the shell I found a Hermit Crab hanging out of the shell. I took the shell and the hitchhiker to the balcony and returned it to the sea.
💙💙💙
We get a good breakfast before we leave the ship and skip lunch. We always go to early dinner and don’t want to be full. We love main dinning room. Sea days we go to specialty restaurants for lunch. Best of both experiences.
I think I love that 😂👏
Just went to Bimini with Virgin! Fantastic!! Food included and alcohol! I rented a cabana and it come with an attendant!
HAL Half Moon Cay has gorgeous blue water & white sand beaches. HAL prices for cabana rentals are insane. They cost from $499- over $1000. Extra cost to have butler service and for each additional guest. All were booked prior to our cruise.
Lobster rolls and plates were available for additional cost. Beverage package is excluded on Half Moon Cay. Drinks cost more than on the ship. Plus, they are not as good and smaller cups.
HAL exploits sting rays by using nets to trap them. Charge passengers to swim with them.
I’ve been to Grand Cayman to feed sting rays in open ocean. For years, fishermen cleaned their fish in same location. Sting rays swim to the small boats to be feed.
0:26
Love the snack at CocoCay. We go there when it opens then hit the buffet later in the day. My favorite at the snack shack is the caramel brownie, so yummy!
We just did a Caribbean cruise in February with NCL and my husband ziplined on their private island in the Bahamas at Great Stirrupup Cay. It was a very beautiful place and all inclusive except the cabanas.
There was a small gift shop by the zip line thatsold tshirts that were charged on your room card. Unfortunately the puffy writing on them smelled moldy and after 9 washings at home and letting them hang outside in the sun and rain for 2 weeks they ended up in the garage. We did get a picture of my husband zipping there as well. There was also a small areas where the locals could set up their stalls. I love buying lical so did purchase there and it was all cash. I really like this private island better than then the one NCL has in Belize which was only a big pool and you pay for food and drink.
Half Moon Cay is my favourite beach...the sand and water is amazing! We always rent a clam shell to get some protection from the hot sun. The buffet luncheon is always yummy and we have never found the lines to be too bad. 😎
MSC ocean cay is favorite, go Yacht Club and eat at restaurant to avoid gen pop and buffet. ;)
Loved Half Moon Cay, we rented a cabana towards the end of the beach, not hardly anyone at opposite end and we didn't have to walk they gave us a golf car ride there. ❤
What a great spot!
Been to Half Moon Cay, Coco Cay, Castaway Cay and Ocean Cay. By far MSC Ocean Cay was the best!
NCL’s Harvest Caye in Belize is owned in partnership with the Belize government. All bars and shops are entirely Belizean operated. Food and drink are not included.
I like this way of supporting local economies
Thanks for sharing this
I've been to Labadee, which had jet skis and para sailing. The ocean by the beach is very rocky, so you'd definitely need those water shoes. It was ok there, but Coco Cay is much better and you do not have the locals pestering you to buy items, like on Labadee
There are no locals on Coco Cay, just employees from the cruise.
Thanks for sharing this
I would think that if you want a pool day, the pools on the ship will be nicely uncrowded.
I guess I'm an oddball, because the private islands just don't do much for me. I'm the type of guy that, if I go to the beach, I'm looking for the shade. If the island has a decent music venue, I might get off the ship and hang out there, providing it's not in the sun.
Me too.
I've only done one private island - Labadee, Haiti on a RCL Caribbean cruise. I was nervous and had planned to stay on the ship but thankfully, I decided to venture out for "an hour or two" .... I ended up staying out until an hour before all aboard time as I was really enjoying myself. This was in Jan 23 so it saddens me that it is not safe to visit with the current situation in Haiti.
Coco Cay is the best private island I have ever seen!❤
There’s so much to do!
Our HAL Half Moon Cay was canceled due to high winds. Bummer. This was our first time on HAL. We are Disney and love Castaway Cay because there is a beach for families and a beach for adults only. Each has its own lunch serving area.
Love your content! Thanks for doing the show. Great info 😊
New subscriber!!!Thanks for all the very informative information ❤
The only private island we have ever been to is the NCL Harvest Caye in Belize where neither the food nor drinks were included. The beach and wildlife sanctuary was. We took turns swimming in the ocean, walked around for a bit, and were back on the ship for lunch.
Thank you for all your great pro tips for cruisers. This was my wife and my first cruise and we purchased and used your trip planner to help us prepare. We along with 18 of our family members all enjoyed our eastern Caribbean MSC Seascape trip. Turns out we were on the same ship! Thanks again!
Wow, how fun! So glad the hear that the LWC Ultimate Cruise Planner was helpful & that you had a great cruise 👏👏
Half Moon Cay ❤
Love it there too
Love, love, love your channel!! It’s very informative and your reviews often reflect my cruising tastes. Thank you for all that you do!
My wife and I will experience our first private island with Princess in the Bahamas early 2025. 🙌🏾
We definitely avoided the peak time for lunch on Ocean Cay! But because we didn’t research what was available and the times things were available, we missed lunch completely! Definitely do some checking about what the schedule is and what you can do, ahead of time. And be sure to reserve snorkeling gear, umbrellas and the like before arriving. We waited (because storms had canceled several of our port stops and we wanted to see if we actually got to get off!) and everything was reserved. We still found a couple of shady chairs and relaxed on the beach.
Thanks for your information, I have not yet done the places you have spoken about but never say never. I'm now preparing for my Canaries jaunt in October. I definitely have the bug and find your videos so helpful. Another MSC ship this time but am 'looking' at other lines now.
Thank you for this video. Going for the first time to any ships private island next February- Coco Cay. This helps!
I've only been to Half Moon Cay and loved it. Can't wait to go to Celebration Cay when it opens! 🎉🎉🎉
At half moon cay I have learned to not get into the first food line, but to keep walking and walking and you’ll find a much shorter line.
Another informative video Ilana. We have only been to Labadee and that was 20 years ago. It was very nice . Certainly back then it wasn't as developed as those in your video. Nice beach and swimming. The local vendor area was well unique. It actually made me sad because the folks were so desperate to sell their wares.
We cruise usually to the Southern Caribbean and the itinerary have not had stops to a private island.
Happy cruising Ilana.
I love MSC's Ocean Cay, the perfect Caribbean island 🏝
Im a Princess cruiser and Princess Cay is always my favorite day! I always call it "my" island because my name is Kay. We get on the first tender over and usually the last one back. It is the most relaxing, easy days ever! Don't miss the private island!!!!
👍 Cococay, Half Moon Cay and Ocean Cay Reserve with Cococay having the best food setup of the 3 (especially snackshack)
We enjoyed hanging out at the Lighthouse bar on Ocean Cay. It was great the drink package was honored and we were helped by some of our favorite servers from the ship.
Love your tips!
Thanks so much for watching! 😊
We're Princess faithful and hubby loves the barbeque lunch at Princess Cay. The tip about going early is spot on...we slept in that first morning, had breakfast and then missed the lunch. Bummer, particularly since the island doesn't have much other to offer us.
Years ago on DCL we went to lunch early on Castaway Cay. AFter the kids were gone we went to the buffet by the adult beach! Going to Coco Cay on Celebrity this fall and Ocean Cay next spring!
TIP: I brought inflatable noodles on our beach days. It was so easy to inflate and deflate and barely took up any room in my beach bag.
Liked staying overnight on MSC’s Ocean Cay, with the 2 lighthouse night shows!
I love Great Stirrup Cay but it’s not a guaranteed stop because it’s a tender port (until the pier is built). We had such a fun day there. One of my favourite stops!!!
Perfect Day at CoCo Cay is hands down my fav. I’ve been to Carnivals, MSC, NCL but coco cay is the best.
A big thumbs-up as ever. We’ve been on about 20 cruises but only sailed the Caribbean once, when our South Africa itinerary was cancelled. As it turns out, most of the Caribbean stops were cancelled anyway! Two stops out of nine, no private island. So it was good to hear about your experiences. I’m not a big beach or sun person so the idea doesn’t have huge appeal, it looks so busy and those theme park things are unattractive. It’s great to hear there are some nature reserves, mind. I’d probably do an hour out of curiosity and then get back to the ship. Mind, those swimming pools look nice.
I also loved MSC’s Ocean Cay. Very simple, relaxing and I went back on the ship for lunch, hardly anyone was there at the buffet. In 2025, I’ll be on a Carnival cruise that will go to Princess Cay and the refurbished Celebration Key. Can’t wait!
We love Castaway Cay❤️
Ocean Cay was great and we rented a Cabana for the day
We always go as soon as the grill or buffet opens on the island. It always works well as we get fresh food and avoid the crowds.
Sadly, we have never been to a private island. We were booked on a B2B and missed Peincess Caus on both cruises because of swells/wind😢
We haven’t been on a private island in many years that provided food probably one of carnivals private islands years ago six years probably so I’m not sure which Cruise Lines private is offer food at them. Thank you Alana for sharing this video. It’s been very helpful.
A really smart thing we saw on a recent catamaran excursion for beach time was someone brought inflatable pool noodles for their group and a small rechargeable air duster to inflate them.
Great tips! What about bringing your own Floaties to Private islands?
I have never been to any of the cruise line private islands. But, looking forward to visiting them in the very near future. Thanks for sharing...
Definitely good to know before you go. Thanks for watching 😊
I’ve not cruise the Caraïbes nor Bahamas yet. But I’ll be definitely checking about these.
Enjoy!
I have been to a few PI, but not to Perfect day at CC. Not a big fans of PI living here in Florida where I can go to a beach in a few hours. Of the one's I've been to, MSC is probably my favorite. I cruised on MSC this past March for the first time after a few Celebrity cruises to find for myself whether the bad name is true or not. I have to say, I had a fantastic experience on the MSC Magnifica. The food was much better than Carnival and better MDR quality than my last Celebrity Summit cruise. Yes, you read correctly. Anyway, Ocean Cay is nice, but no slides or the fancy stuff like others, but is was quiet; did not feel crowded and was very peaceful. Found a nice spot with shade and had a great experience.
Great video, Ilana!! Spot on! With visiting a private island, I always bring a beach bag with hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, face sunscreen, lip balm , a towel from the cruise ship, water shoes, some cash, my cruise card/medallion. Don’t stay on the ship even if you’re not a beach person. Take a walk around the island. Many of the private islands have small shopping areas and beautiful quiet spots to enjoy.
Coco cay was the best we rode jet skis and the hot air balloon it was so beautiful absolutely the best !!!!!!!!!!!!
You’re making me bummed I’m going to Alaska next month not Bermuda 🇧🇲 (that’s July)
Half Moon Cay is my favorite private island.
I did not like the long wait to get a shuttle to Princess Cays in the Bahamas,
Virgin Voyages private beach club on Bimini is my favorite and the only one I really care to eat lunch at. Otherwise we usually have breakfast and then go to the island and have a late lunch once we return.
Love your videos and you are my "go to" person for all things cruising. I have been to several private islands and love them all. I am planning a Baltic cruise on Holland America in September and wonder if you have been on a Baltic cruise that departs from Rotterdam. If so, do you have any hotel recommendations? Any other advice? Thank you so much!
Castaway Cay is wonderful!
Nice to hear!! I haven’t been there yet
I love the pool at Coco Cay. I'm not a beach person. We always go early to get our pick of lounges. We go to the buffet lunch as soon as they open, at 11:30. As Diamond members, our drink vouchers are good on the island. I've been to the water park a few times, with my granddaughter, but there are plenty of great things to do for free. We generally are back on the ship by 2, so we can enjoy what's onboard when it's not so crowded. We went on one NCL cruise. The private island was nice and had a lovely nature center, but we were not happy about having to pay for food.
6:23 with Disney we had great meals and could charge drinks to our shipboard account. However with Carnival there was NO included food and they wanted our credit cards for all food and drink (even though the entire plaza and beach is owned by Carnival). Won’t make that mistake again
Howdy Ilana, Some private islands are good. Others didn't like. Am subscribed and hit the like button. Always take a long walk on the private islands. Eating on the cruise ship is good. We have done that before. When on vacation don't like to be connected to anything. Always bring sunscreen and buy repellant. Usually it is swim at your own risk. Like Grand Turk. My wife really liked it too.
Disney.. Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay!!
Happy you are home safe and sound had a amazing time on ur last crusie can’t wait to hear your review video llana 💐💜🩵🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️💐🌻💐💚💚🦋🫶🏻🌸💛🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🌹🌹🌞💘🪻🪻🧡❤️🌈💚💚🛳️🌹🪻🪻🪻🧡🌼🌼❣️❤️❤️🪷🌈🌈💘🌸💙🌸🫶🏻🛳️🛳️💜💐💐🫶🏻🫶🏻💕
In December we went to Princess Cay. Having been
Disney Castaway Cay was underwhelming to say the least. Went to the adult section and decided to try lunch there, not like it was promoted. I'm pretty easy going concerning cruises and don't complain about much if anything but Castaway Cay is certainly a flop. Surprising since a Disney puts on a top notch cruise.
Coco Cay by Royal. I was there last week
I am going to CoCo Cay this Summer for the first time with RCCL, and we purchased a pass for the CoCo Beach Club. My brother has been to CoCo Cay several times, and highly recommended the Beach Club. I’m excited, but we shall see if I think it is worth the extra cost...
We had funny expirience on Disney Costa Cay privet island during lunch. Myself and grand dauter were enjoying swim in the lagoon, while my wife went to get some lunch from Cookies-2 BarBQ restaurant. 15 minites later my wife caled us to enjoy the food she aquared for us (tipical picnic food: Hot doogs, cheeseburger, gtarden salad, chilen drumstiks ets...). When we got to our lounges on the beach we ware shoked to see that SEAGULS had fest on our lunch, just because it was not covered from the view. The moral is. Now we going to eat lunch only to the restaurant. BTW i am big fan of yours cruising videos. Have been cruising since 2005.
NCL has Harvest Key which does not include food and Great Stirrup Cay which does.
I liked Coco Cay, though I avoided the water park area. With Castaway Cay, I found the adults only area to be odd, in that the loungers were on a slope. The second time I was at the family beach (it was a group theme cruise, and we had met up for a photo) which had better facilities. It's been a long time since I've been at Princess's private island, which was little more than a beach with cooking / dining facilities and I think some shops.
Oh, bringing cash money is correct. I had a cabana once, but didn't bring any money for a tip for the attendant and couldn't charge it. I felt terrible about it.
I know you don’t really talk about Disney, but Castaway Cay is by far my favorite private island.
Perfect timing for this video. We are headed to Perfect Day at Cocoa Cay next month. Our first time to a cruise line private island.
Last December we went to Princess Cay & found it completely different from Cocoa Cay. There was limited variety of food & the quality wasn’t great either. We rented the Clam Shell at the beach & we were disappointed to find just an uncomfortable lounge chair inside. No table to set your things or a drink on. That meant sand got in everything! We didn’t stay very long. Next time I’m on a Princess cruise, I’ll stay on ship on the private island day.
At Cocoa Cay, there will be a salad area, hamburger/hotdog area, Mexican area etc.. The food is great & areas are spread out so it’s not crowded. There are many different areas with a variety of activities or you can just lie on the beach. However, I remember when that private island was just a few huts, hammocks, & lounge chairs & it looked like an island rather than a theme park. That was the best & I miss the simplicity
@@genitagray6126 Thank you for the helpful information. Glad to hear it's more spread out so hopefully it won't be as crowded.
Disney Cruise Line has two private islands. I’ve only been to one of them, Castaway Cay.
Going to Harvest Caye on my next cruise, it’ll be my first private island and I understand my drink package doesn’t work on the island and the food is not free. It looks nice and I think has a couple beaches. I’ll have to watch some RUclips videos on the island.
Renting a cabana was the best purchase we made on Coco Cay!
Love that!!
I agree with the cabana. It makes the day so relaxing and special.
We've been to NCL's "Mythical" Great Stirrup Cay twice, only to be cancelled both times lol. Water was rough both times so we didn't get to visit. I've heard that hey are building a pier though so hopeful it's before our 2026 visit!!
I only ever visited Coco Cay and did not bring any cash with me since my drinks package was valid on the island. After the first drink I was basically ignored by bar staff because I didn't offer a tip. I think those bar staff communicate because I got the ignore routine at the other bars. Tipping is king.
Every cruise I’ve been on charged for drinks. They also charged to use ship jets, you can use your wristbands but you do pay
I really really wish the cruise lines would establish a Cruise Island here in Australia. There are plenty of islands in the Whitsunday Islands (near the Great Barrier Reef) that could be purchased (or leased long term). Alternatively there would be some in the Pacific Ocean that could be used.
PD@CC and Castaway Cay are my faves because there is so much to do for FREE. Secondly, the buffet food is very good at both islands. Half Moon Cay is set up nicely but the food 👎🏾👎🏾
Virgin Voyages Bimini beach club has horrible food too
We’re going to our first private island next year on Norwegian Escape which will be Great Stirrup Cay. My husband and I are so excited to snorkel there. If anyone has any tips for us, I’m all ears!
We loved MSC private island. We left ship early so we could find a shaded area to sit for our group. We got one by a food stand. We really enjoyed ourselves until some showed up and plopped down by us with a speaker blasting their music in our ears. Good thing it was close to supper time and we were leaving because I don’t know how long I could have put up with that.
Can you please make a video on how to have a best port day at coco cay? How much money to spend and if its possible to enjoy it without spending anything? Thanks
Always rent a cabana.
The biggest mystery for me about these private islands - when is Cay "Kay" and when is it "Key" (or "Quay")? English can be confusing...
Ditto! 😂
Disneys Castaway Cay
It doesn’t bother me, heck we’re on vacation so I don’t mind paying! Drinks are fabulous.
Sometimes we go to private island early and return to ship for lunch.
Just been to Half Moon Cay. They don't have free drinks!! I got ripped off for 2 x Pina Coladas, $32. Lesson learned - stay on board!!
It’s too bad but other than the juice at the buffet, the drinks are extra on HMC
Easy solution - for the itineraries that contain a cash grab island do t book anymore.
I will no longer book an NDL itinerary with harvest caye. Actually happened to like great stirrup caye and will continue to go there 😊
Can you use your cruise card to pay for your alcohol drinks at Half Moon Cay? Also if you don’t have the internet package can you connect to the internet on the island?
@@user-zi7jq3qk6kyes, they do take your cruise card and it'll be charged to your room.
I went to half moon cay and the buffet was only open limited hours
I brought shells on my first cruise, but I heard you just have to clean them when I did my research.
I loved MSC cruise and private island Ocean Cay. The buffet for lunch on island did not have a big line. We ate at 1pm. It does close at 2ish. We are going to Cocoo Cay this August. I'm worried about crowds. I heard they have the adult only area. Not sure it is worth the extra $40 to adult area.
Cococay