First Time RC Cruise - Please Help

[Rich M]

First time going on RC. We are going on a 4 day out of FL on Feb 6th. We thought the majority of the stuff on CoCo was free but finding out that everything seems to cost on RC. Couple questions:

What do you recommend to book on CoCo?

What excursions would you recommend for Nassau?

Does the prices always change on the drink packages and other offerings? I notice the price when I booked to what it is now has changed including even just some bottle water.


All help is much appreciated. For insight there is a total of 5 of us, 4 adults and 1 child age 7. Thank you in advance.

 

[OKW Lover]

When we stop at Coco Cay we don't book any of the extra cost items. There is plenty of beach and recliners available for free.

 

[Lori74]

drink package prices do fluctuate. you can buy at a price that is comfortable to you, and if you see it advertised for a lower price you can cancel and buy at lower price. if someone wants to buy the deluxe drink pkg all adults staying in the same cabin are required to purchase. however, you can call and ask if they can allow an exception, but they will have the other adult at least buy the non alcoholic pkg. you can use the drink package on coco cay.
you can definitely enjoy coco cay without paying for anything. they have beach, chairs, giant pool, places to eat. however, they do have shore excursions, equipment rentals, waterpark. you make of it what you want. just look at your planning page and see what interests you.
nassau has alot to offer as well. look at their shore excursions and see what interests you. or you can do things on your own. just make sure you are back to the ship in time if you go out on your own. atlantis is quite nice. they have aquarium tours, beach passes, casino etc. nassau has forts, a pirate museum (7 yr old might enjoy), shopping etc. take a look at a map and see whats within walking distance.
i can try to answer any other questions if you like

 

[Capt_BJ]

there's half way decent snorkeling at CoCo ... it is a marked area with life guards so good for beginners. You can rent gear there (they call it an excursion) or bring your own ..... no cost if you have your own gear.




as mentioned the drink package prices are very dynamic to say the least. A couple of months out I start checking every day!!! A good price and come and go that fast. I cruised for Thanksgiving and the best price for booze package I saw was $62 /person/day ...... pre covid I wouldn't consider until it was under $50 and often got for $45 ..... at $60 and up ya kinda have to work to get your money's worth ......

 

[Rich M]

there's half way decent snorkeling at CoCo ... it is a marked area with life guards so good for beginners. You can rent gear there (they call it an excursion) or bring your own ..... no cost if you have your own gear.


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as mentioned the drink package prices are very dynamic to say the least. A couple of months out I start checking every day!!! A good price and come and go that fast. I cruised for Thanksgiving and the best price for booze package I saw was $62 /person/day ...... pre covid I wouldn't consider until it was under $50 and often got for $45 ..... at $60 and up ya kinda have to work to get your money's worth ......

Wow that looks amazing. Yeah I am not sure about the booze package. I got me the soft drink one and was happy to see they have freestyle machines. My sister may opt for the one with Shakes but waiting to see if costs goes down. My son will want the booze lol

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I was advised to avoid the wait and see approach because you often end up on the wrong side of the price fluctuations when you're ready to buy. I had started with a wait and see approach and wound up missing rock bottom pricing for our cruise. It's very easy to cancel pre-cruise if you decide you don't want it. I got into the habit of checking pricing weekly and each time there was any kind of sale. It's super important to do the math before canceling, because what they may be advertising as a sale could actually be more than what you've already booked. Excursions also go on sale like this as well. We rented snorkel gear on CocoCay, but it's one of several things RCCL messed up with our billing and never fixed. I now wish I just brought our own.

 

[peacefrogdog]

I was advised to avoid the wait and see approach because you often end up on the wrong side of the price fluctuations when you're ready to buy. I had started with a wait and see approach and wound up missing rock bottom pricing for our cruise. It's very easy to cancel pre-cruise if you decide you don't want it. I got into the habit of checking pricing weekly and each time there was any kind of sale. It's super important to do the math before canceling, because what they may be advertising as a sale could actually be more than what you've already booked. Excursions also go on sale like this as well. We rented snorkel gear on CocoCay, but it's one of several things RCCL messed up with our billing and never fixed. I now wish I just brought our own.

This.
if you can afford it, book what price seems good knowing that you can cancel and rebook if the price drops. Aside from Black Friday, I usually get reimbursed within 1-2 days