Pier Pressure Portcast

Your Complete Guide To Royal Caribbean’s Private Island

• Jesse Hall and Rick Pruzinsky • Season 1 • Episode 7

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 44:06

CocoCay can look like “just a private island stop” on an itinerary, right up until you realize it’s basically a full-scale beach resort designed for cruise days, with enough pools, beaches, bars, and food spots to make you wish your ship stayed longer. We walk you through Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay from the moment you step off the pier, including the little details people miss like tram routes, signage, and how the island opens up once you pass the arrivals area. We even settle the CocoCay vs Coco Key debate in a way that’s really about something bigger: traveling with respect, listening to understand, and learning how destinations describe themselves.

From there, we get practical. We talk about what’s included on CocoCay (and there’s a lot), where families should go first like Splashaway Bay, and how the Oasis Lagoon pool area becomes the default “home base” for many cruisers. We also share our favorite quick eats, including the Snack Shack and why it’s a must if you want a fast win without overthinking lunch.

Then we break down the upgrades that can change your budget fast: Hideaway Beach pricing, Coco Beach Club, Thrill Waterpark, day beds, cabanas, and the Up, Up and Away balloon ride. You’ll hear our key planning hacks too, like how your drink package carries over, when cabana rentals can include admission, and why booking ahead can save real money. If you’re trying to plan the best CocoCay day possible, this is the guide we wish everyone had before they sailed.

Subscribe, share this with your cruise crew, and leave a review so more travelers can find the show. What’s your top priority on CocoCay: slides, the pool, or the quiet beach?

Support the show

Welcome And Sponsor Shoutouts

SPEAKER_00

It's time to cruise all day night. Baby cruising. Straight trip trip.

SPEAKER_02

And welcome to another episode of the Peer Pressure Forecast. My name again is Captain Jesse. And with me, as always, the greatest, the cruise coach, the one and only. Rich, how are you, buddy?

SPEAKER_01

I'm blessed. Vacation Nation. How y'all doing?

SPEAKER_02

And uh today we're going to start with some sponsors. Uh, Rich, I want you to mention some of our great partners.

SPEAKER_01

So, first off, hands down, the best in the apparel game. Uh, we have to definitely give a huge shout out. You see the shirt I'm rocking right here. It is official merch of peer pressure portcast. That's right, Steve Huss over at FlowAmazing. Again, FlowAmazing.com. He's got you covered whether you need any bit of regular apparel, custom apparel. He's got so many different lines. But again, simply go to the merch tabs, go to partners, go to peer pressure portcast and order your t-shirt today. It comes in one of three colors. That's right. You see the aqua one I'm rocking here. It also comes in black and also comes in white.

SPEAKER_02

And let me tell you, the logo looks really sharp on it. Um, let me let me show. I was looking at this for for for somebody else before. Look how sharp that is. That's the same one that uh the cruise coach is wearing. But uh, yeah, get get yours today, flowmason.com. And who who else are we uh celebrating as a partner?

SPEAKER_01

Obviously, we have to give a shout out to Space Coast Podcast. That's right, the best podcast spot here in Brevard County and the closest professional podcast studio to the People's Port. That's right. So we are right down the road from Port Canaveral, the best of the best. And don't forget Amara Spa and Salon or Salon and Spa right there, right very close to 520 in Rockledge, the Salon and Spa on the Boulevard. If you are on your way to the cruise ships, on your way to Port Canaveral, go ahead and stop over there. Stop in, speak with Misty. She's the best uh females when it comes to uh females in blondes. She will knock it out of the park. And then again, if you need your nails done, see Miss Amber in the back. Again, absolutely phenomenal. And don't forget Light Company Apparel. That's right, the newest and hottest Christian apparel game there is Christian streetwear. Again, share the light, and that's lightcourel. And that can be found on Instagram, Facebook, anywhere else. Christian apparel is found as well.

CocoCay Or Coco Key Pronunciation

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Well, thank you to all of our partners. Uh, today we're doing a little bit of a deep dive into World Caribbean's private island. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01

That's right. And here's the first one a little stump the captain, a minute and a half in. What is that island called? Coco K.

SPEAKER_02

And is it a K or is it a key? I know. It's so weird. It's spelt K. And we have the Florida keys, but that's spelled key K-E-Y. So for me, I it's always been Coco K.

SPEAKER_01

So again, it's like we've been talking in the past, tomato tomato. Right. Obviously, the slogan is perfect day at Coco K. Right. And when somebody wrote that about a year and a half ago to myself, I was like, no, dummy, it's Coco K because it rhymes with perfect day. Right. And then I started doing a little more research, and it actually is considered a key. So again, whichever way you say, we're okay as long as you are part of the vacation nation. Amen to that.

SPEAKER_02

Well, that was a good stump. I hope, I hope that clears up for some people. I I don't think anybody would really uh go ahead and and correct you unless it was probably one of the locals who just was very fond of you know the correct pronunciation. Um I know I've been corrected from a few things. It's uh kalik, not kalik, their their favorite beer uh in the Bahamas, and it's Bahamian, not Bahamian.

SPEAKER_01

Correct. Or is that no, you were right? Bahamian, yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02

So I've been corrected as well from some of the locals because that is important. You know, somebody came over here and like uh whatever it is, uh Flow Rida, and there's that's a hip-hop guy. But if somebody came in here mispronouncing Florida, and it's they were like, Did you mean Florida? I'd probably be the first to correct it. Yeah. But now that it's uh actually like an entertainer, uh Flow Rida is correct as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you know, and again, it here's what it comes down to is just try to learn the language, right? It's it's no matter what. Some of us call them ships, some of us call them boats because they float. We won't say who that is. Guilty as charged, the guy in the gray hat. But uh, you know, again, it's just all we're trying to do is educate you, all we're trying to do is advise you, all we're trying to do is literally have you live that cruise culture. And and look, we make mistakes, we're all human. Yeah, but the biggest thing that we're gonna challenge you with right now is are you listening to respond or are you listening to understand?

SPEAKER_02

Amen to that. That's a great question. Uh, because again, when you go to any kind of international destination, including uh Bahamas, which are its own island nation, uh, yeah, they have their own culture, they have their own pronunciations of things. What is a uh a kunk chowder here may be something different over there. So it's just it's just acknowledging that we're we're not all the same and and every culture has a a nuance of its own. So uh when you're visiting Coco Key, as Hamians like to uh remind you uh the pronunciation, uh what what what is some of the big standouts?

How The Island Changed Over Time

SPEAKER_02

I mean, I I remember when I worked on the Royal Caribbean vessel in '99, it was just Australian pines, a volleyball court, I think a couple rowboats. Coco Key wasn't what it is today. And now, uh after lots of investment and I think continual improvements, we're seeing this little private island become a sp ev where everybody it it is clearly setting the bar, and everybody is trying to either reach that, meet that, or exceed that, but Royal Caribbean set the bar.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. You know, and it's approximately 125 to 140 acres. There's uh, you know, 60 acres available to the general public, and it's about a mile long, right? So it's it's not so small.

SPEAKER_02

No, no, you can walk around the island in probably like an hour, uh, an hour and a half, you know, uh and that would be great, right? I mean, I remember um uh a couple episodes back we were we were talking about Ocean K. They did a 5k, and I'm thinking, it's a private island. How are you gonna get 3.1 miles out of this thing? Well, you'd you know, you do laps, right? So uh and and of course, you know, if it was a round, like a perfect circle, it'd be it would look like a uh a track, right? Like a like a uh a high school track or any other kind of competitive track which is a quarter mile, right? So it's four um four laps is a mile of a typical uh track, right? So when you think, okay, well I'm gonna do a 5k on an island, you know, where where you we're you know, how many laps are you gonna do? You know, if if if the island is is that small. But apparently when you actually go around the coastline, because it's not a perfect circle, it has all these legs and fingers and it's in and out, in and out.

SPEAKER_01

And it's not a full circle.

SPEAKER_02

Right. Yeah, and it so so if you're hugging the the actual perimeter, the coast, it's gonna feel like every bit of a mile, versus if you were if it was like you're just going around a perimeter of something that's that's much smaller, right? And uh and doesn't have the the big undulating legs in and out and and and you're if you're not going along the coastline. With that being said, there's so much to fit on this island. It actually looks small from you know, when you pull into the port, you're like, oh okay, well here we are, and it has this big long pier. And then by the time by the time by the time you get onto the the the island proper, past the pier, past the the welcoming bridge and everything else, it's like wow, it does open up, and now you're seeing how that pool is one of the biggest in the Caribbean. You're seeing the slides, some of the tallest in the Caribbean. So, um, and is it Caribbean or Caribbean? It is Caribbean. Caribbean. See lots of different pronunciations, exactly tomato tomato.

SPEAKER_01

Now, and what's the name of the company that goes to Coco K? Well, that's Royal Caribbean. See, we're just we're all over the place, right? They just need to, you know, so it again, no matter which way you say, and and again, I always used to say it Caribbean, right, because I always sailed on Royal Caribbean, and then I had to speak to some friends of mine, and uh, we're gonna give a nice little shout out to my boy, the bird nerd. Oh, and if you go to Instagram, it's naturally trinbago. And if you want a bird watching event unlike ever before in Trinidad and Tobago, reach out to my boy Clinty. Shout out to him, he's a teacher with myself, and uh just just phenomenal, right? Someone who's been in the world, an educator, he's one of the best math educators there are in the business. But seriously, if you're ever in Trinidad and Tobago or uh Tobago, right? So we'll we can go there as well. Yeah, and um, or if you're ever on Instagram, just naturally trend phenomenal, and he is basically the equivalent to myself with cruises, uh definitely jumping in. You know, there's two types of people who enter the pool. There's those who you know put their toe in the water, and there's those who do cannonballs. And I'm a cannonball kind of guy when it came to to being the cruise coach and jumping all in, and he's the same way. He is the best of the best when it comes to uh birds and just wanting to know anything else. And uh again, phenomenal uh partner with peer pressure portcast.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Yeah, I I wouldn't I wouldn't mind seeing uh Trinidad Tobago as a uh uh a destination for for cruise ships. So I'm and I'm sure there's maybe a couple, but it's just not a a popular uh destination on a lot of itineraries.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Um, but hopefully one day uh that'd be great because that whole South uh Caribbean, closer to the equator, yeah, um, you just don't see a whole lot of uh ships you know reaching that destination, but it's a beautiful destination. And just like Brazil, they celebrate Carnival, which is like you know, around February, March. And I'll tell you what, what a party that is.

SPEAKER_01

And it actually varies. That that's a conversation uh Coach Quintal and I have had. It it varies from the uh nation that you're at. So we're I think we're gonna go ahead and one of these days, bring him in here to allow, you know, just to allow him to educate uh our our uh viewers, the vacation nation. That's somebody who is born in Trinidad and Tobago, uh, someone here who has taught here the American way, uh, and again goes every summer back home, stays with his family, and again, just a phenomenal person to have in in our own uh circle.

SPEAKER_02

That's that is that is awesome. Yeah, we we love all our characters, we have lots of great friends. And uh speaking of friends, how about Blake's Bob, Baluna Travel, uh great associate. Uh, I know he treats you really good, and um, and that's and he does a lot of land-based stuff. So uh yeah, we have just a great sphere of uh professionals, and it's and it's great to great to have all of these resources uh at our dispose, and because that helps you as well, as as our viewer and our audience, and hopefully our future uh patron that's gonna visit us on one of these cruises one day. So this is this is the point of the show is uh to get you as informed as possible so you can make the best uh decision regarding your vacation for your family and what you want to see and what you want to do.

Virtual Walkthrough From The Pier

SPEAKER_02

So what do you think about uh taking everybody on a little virtual trip to Coco Key?

SPEAKER_00

Vibe Show. Vibe show, vibe show, vibe show.

SPEAKER_01

Not a slideshow, a vibe show. That's right. Brought to you by Team Limitless Travel, the CruiseCoach.com and Peer Pressure Portcast. All right, we're starting. All right, so we're gonna go ahead and jump right in. Um, that right there is an area for the kiddos. So parents, do not hesitate. You want to go ahead and see the best of the best. You want your kids to be um busy from start to finish. That is hands down the splash away bay. Uh also when you come in, you'll see a little pirate ship where they can uh have a little water fun as well. But hands down for the kids, that's a spot we highly recommend Splash Away Bay. And again, so many things to do there. It is included. So one thing we're gonna definitely let you know when it comes to Coco Kay, everything is included besides two or three different things. But Splash Away Bay is right there immediately when you go down Sandy Lane, it's gonna be on your left before you get to the Oasis Lagoon Pool. And for all kids, definitely a hot spot.

SPEAKER_02

I'm telling you, I would I mean, I wish I was a kid again just to go enjoy this. Look at that. That's so that's so cool. I mean, it's probably one of the biggest splash pads I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and and again, there's splash away uh bay on the ships as well. So you're gonna have that on land at Coco K. I'm gonna pronounce it Coco K. I'm sure my partner here, Jesse, the captain, is gonna say Coco Key. So don't get alarmed. It's the exact same spot we're talking about. Right.

SPEAKER_02

Perfect D at Coco Key. There it is. All right, moving on.

SPEAKER_01

So there it is. Uh that's ship alley. That's probably one of my favorite pitcher, perfect views. Immediately after you get uh off the ship, you're gonna go ahead and look uh towards um the far side. Now, something you can't see, the ship on the right, it that's usually Liberty of the Seas. It is usually the sister ship with us on the island and Utopia of the Seas on the left, hands down, the world's biggest weekend, aka the game changer. But something off in the distance to the right where the Liberty is, is another uh competitor's island. That one is called Great Stirrup K. And do you know? Here it is, stump to captain number two. So if that's called Great Stirrup K, what was Coco K or Coco Key named before Royal Caribbean purchases?

SPEAKER_02

Lesser Stirrup K.

SPEAKER_01

Lesser or Little. So little that's fine. You're I'll take that, right? So uh again, and and Royal Caribbean's not going to be lesser or little compared to anybody else. There's a reason why their stocks sitting right at 280, 290 compared to everyone else in uh under 100. But again, Royal Caribbean knocking things out of the box, and everything you see here is going to be complimentary, usually uh available to you. My our suggestion is go ahead and do everything you can that is free, try it out, and then start adding to it maybe your second or third time on.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that that's that's always wise.

SPEAKER_01

And that's uh Arrivals Plaza. So you immediately get off the ship. As you can see there to the right, they do have trams available. So if you have a mobile mobility issues or you just really just want to kind of chill out, there is handicapped accessible. Uh, and again, walking through, you're gonna see some of the beauty on the left right there. And if you can't really see it over in the distance, there that's greater stirrup or great stirrup K. And then you're gonna see Coco Beach Club all the way to the left. You're gonna scan over, that's gonna be the bridge area that you see, and there's the the perfect day sign. We're gonna continue walking. You see Thrillwater Park straight ahead, that big tower.

SPEAKER_02

Man, it never gets old. No, it definitely doesn't. I mean, you're just salivating, you're walking towards, and I remember when I first got to that pier, it didn't have the the the coverings or the paint or anything else. It was just straight up concrete. Uh, but now of course they've they decorated it, they've offered some shade, so you're not fully exposed, um, commuting from your your ship, uh, and and and then getting it over to the private island. I for I for one would really like that uh that trolley though.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, that tram, that tram is definitely there for you. And all the way to the right, you really didn't get to see it. They're still building, so a lot more still to come on the uh you know the mile-wide island. And then all the way to the right also is gonna be a little bit out of pocket. That's Hideaway Beach, and that is uh adults only pay out of pocket, about 99 bucks a person. Um so not too bad. Uh, we've seen it, we've been there as low as $26 a piece per person when it first opened. They got it up, they went up price-wise to about $109, $108, and now they're just they're sitting right at that $99 uh spot. Uh, your drink package does carry over to the island, so that is that's something that's huge, and it does carry over to Hideaway Beach as well. So only a few things out of pocket will let you know. Again, Cocoa Beach Club, the Thrillwater Park, and the day beds, cabanas, and things like that. But again, try it all out as it's complimentary.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly. And there's that or that the aerial view. Look at that.

SPEAKER_01

That that's absolutely stunning. You know, what you see there near to far, you're gonna see the overwater cabanas. Uh, so what would you say that overwater cabana price would be right there, Jesse? I think I remember a quote of like $1,200 a day. Uh actually about two and a half to three K.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, how many adults are eight people.

SPEAKER_01

So here's the nice part. It does include um, you know, usually your entry into that area. Um, you know, you have you have a bunch of different lagoons, you have a bunch of different areas, a bunch of different beaches. You have Chill Beach, which we'll talk about, South Beach, Harbor Beach, and then Cocoa Beach Club as well. So again, uh so many things to see, so many things to do. Honestly, if you are bored on that island, we're gonna say it again, it might be a you thing.

SPEAKER_02

No kidding. Here we go. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01

And those are the trams. You know, the trams, there's you have a tram that goes from the ships to a cent a center part, and then from the center part, you usually have to walk to Coco K, uh, the main part, right? The part that's free. Then there's another tram that'll take you from that's the the main station over to Hideaway Beach because it is a little bit of a walk. Uh if you want to hug the coastline, we have a good friend, our boy Tyrone, aka Big T. He's actually taken us from Hideaway Beach all the way, kind of skipped the line and took us all the way back to the ship as well. But those float, those, those go all the way around the island. So again, whether you're going to Chill Beach, uh South Beach, Harbor Beach, and Cocoa Beach Club, that's going to get you there. Very similar to Ocean K, like we talked about a couple weeks ago. Make sure you're staying out of the walkways. Because again, just because it's a walkway and you don't think anything's coming, you've got a train or tram with approximately 35-50 people on it. So let's not one person inconvenience 50 people, please.

SPEAKER_02

I like that.

SPEAKER_01

And signs, signs everywhere, signs. I see a lot of signs and the map. Yep, you know, and again, there's so many things to see there. You're gonna have a now, this is a continuous loop. So when you get off, obviously, the on the bottom of that sign right there, that's gonna be your arrival's plaza that we saw. That was the video that we first showed, and then it goes in a huge circle. So, all the way around, you're gonna go ahead and you're gonna walk up to um Captain Jack's that you do have to pay a little bit out of pocket for, that does have some of the best chicken wings on the island, and then you're gonna continue down Sandy, uh, Sandy Lane. Sandy Lane's gonna loop around, that's gonna take you through the big lagoon that it's known for, and then the lagoon will be on your left, which you're gonna see one of the most picture perfect views that you will see. That's on the left, and then if you continue on to the right, is gonna be the oasis swim up pool bar. So uh it used to be the largest uh swim up uh bar in largest swim up lagoon pool in the Caribbean, but as you know, competition makes everybody better, and Carnival now with Celebration Key has the largest pool.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, they got out dead.

SPEAKER_01

I knew it wasn't gonna last for long. Nope. But again, so many things to see. So that's actually from our balcony on the ship.

SPEAKER_02

Nice.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, no better way to see it. You got throw water park all the way to the right. That is a little bit out of pocket as well. It's about $140 per person to go to Throw Water Park. 14 slides, Daredevil's Peak, the largest or the tallest water slide in the Caribbean. And here's one nice thing. What do you think happens if it rains and you're at the water park, Jesse, that you paid out of pocket for? Rain check. They will actually, if it's less than two hours of rain, they're gonna give you some money back. Okay. More than two hours, they'll give you more of your money back. So there's there's actually a refund type when it comes down to that. So hats off to Royal Caribbean. What they're doing is making sure it's a perfect day, Coco Kay. Stump to Captain, here we go. You led yourself into it. How many feet up does that balloon go? 150. 450. 450. 450. And it's wheelchair accessible.

SPEAKER_02

Wow.

SPEAKER_01

About $95 out of pocket to go on that.

SPEAKER_02

I bet the views are amazing, though.

SPEAKER_01

Yes?

SPEAKER_02

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01

I have not done it because this guy is scared of heights. Now that Devil Tower um water side looks amazing too. Yep. Again, more signage. You know, that's as you can see, right? A lot of rocks. So that is very similar to what we saw at Ocean K. Yeah. They just did a little more refining when it came down to it. And and Royal Caribbean's still continuing to uh to make this better. So here's it is here it is. This is an easy stump the captain, I think. And we're just stumping the captain. Which is newer? Ocean K or Coco K? Oh, Ocean K. No?

SPEAKER_02

How am I Oh, you stumped me, Damp?

SPEAKER_01

2019, we're both.

SPEAKER_02

Really? Oh, they're equal. They're equal. They're little twins.

SPEAKER_01

Now, I I honestly, the one thing I don't know, I don't know which was first by the official date, but I know both of them were 2019. So, you know, Royal Caribbean has put a lot into this. Ocean K, as we saw, you and I spoke this week. Right. Sandy K is going to be right next to Ocean K, which is going to be a private resort uh located right there by Ocean K Bahamas as well. So it's so many things that are going on. And again, competition makes everything better. Yep. Immediately to the left of that sign that you see there is going to be great stirrup K. They just now have the docks for Norwegian Island, which

Pools Beaches Food And Free Perks

SPEAKER_01

is right next door. So so many things to see, so many things to do. Vacation nation. We're just going to continue our two favorite words. Stay tuned.

SPEAKER_02

That's right.

SPEAKER_01

And that's the bridge. Um, that's one of the most popular views. Immediately on the left, you see, there is one of the largest swim up bars in the Caribbean. So I guess when it comes down to the swim up side of it, you might say that is one of the largest. You're going to have three coves right there with the um oasis lagoon pool. And that is not um temperature regulated. So I will say in the colder months it does get a little cold. But once you're in, you're usually good. The minute is when you stand half in the water, half out of the water.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, as long as the sun's blazing, you're thermally regulating. Uh, but if it's overcast and it's windy and the water is like you know, below 70, then I could see it being a little bit uncomfortable. But for the most part, again, you're you're in the middle of of the Bahamas. It's it's almost always a nice temperate climate, so it could be comfortable for anybody.

SPEAKER_01

And and there's so many things that are complimentary, right? We talked about at the beginning. This is like that view is complimentary. Right. Walking into that right there is complimentary. As you can see, a lot of kids will be in that area, you know, shallow area. Shallow, you literally can just walk in. Um, so the trams are included, lockers included, that kid's splash pad that we told you about, loungers, towels, food. Yeah, you know, nine dining spots, five pools, 20 bars, seven beaches. Wow. Yeah. Right? And those loungers are included as well. Uh look, Jesse, Jesse might be drooling over here because he when we were on the when we were on the grandiosa, he had to get one of the loungers in the on the pool deck. Yeah, you gotta do it. And that right there is sitting off to the side, you know, they do a really good job. And that's one thing I think they learned from uh from Coco K is they now have at the Royal Beach Club, the difference would be obviously the temperature regulated pool, you're paying out of pocket for that, but now there's seating. So where you see where that guy is sitting on the edge of the pool.

SPEAKER_02

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

Um, if you go down, if you on at Royal Beach Club, where his feet would be right there, those are actually benches. So more people can sit on the side of the pool.

SPEAKER_02

Fine.

SPEAKER_01

So nice little uh learning curve, even with Royal Caribbean.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no kidding.

SPEAKER_01

And there it is right there, the swim up area. Uh, so you get you know, from the three different coves, you can kind of go wherever you need to go. Uh, you want to hang out, you want to, you know, say yes please to palm trees on the right, or have a coco loco, which is the drink of the island, rum-based, and uh that can be found anywhere on Coco K. Again, you're walking in right there. Uh, they call that zero degrees, so you're kind of just walking in. Uh it's super, super cool area. And if you continue to go past the pool there, you're gonna walk, you're gonna go to our favorite uh eatery. We'll talk about that later on as well. And that was that's a view from inside the swim up bar. So obviously across the way, you could swim up to it or you can walk up to it where we did in this situation. And what's nice is whatever is the smaller of the two ships, those are usually the ones who have to come work on the island that day. So a lot of times you're gonna see some of the Liberty uh staff, you know, um the family to come on. And again, uh they see us, they already know it's Coco Loco time.

SPEAKER_02

That's right.

SPEAKER_01

Look at that view, and and that's the view right there. So across the way, you're gonna have the Cocoa Beach Club, again, Cocoa Beach Club, uh out of pocket as well, hideaway out of pocket as well. You're gonna see some cabanas in the in the far end as well, and then that's the lagoon type area. So there's so many different lagoons that you can stop at. Cabanas you're gonna come out of pocket for, day beds, which we'll talk about later, you're gonna come out of pocket for, and then, like we talked about hideaway beach, uh, Cocoa Beach Club, and uh Thrillwater Park, and then the Up Up and Away Balloon Ride. So, not too much to come out of pocket for. Try everything that's free, and then later on, make sure you reserve it before you get on the ship, and that's usually will save you 20 to 30 percent right off the top. Another hack from Pier Pressure Portcast. So, those are the overwater cabanas right there, like we talked about earlier. About 25 to 2500 to three to three K. Again, you can find those uh deal as well, but that does include um so many different things as well, super chill area, and again, you see all the different beaches, like we're gonna talk about the Oasis Lagoon. We've already visited that. You have Chill Beach, you have South Beach, and you have Harbor Beach. And those are the day beds right there. How much do you think those day beds run?

SPEAKER_02

400 for the day.

SPEAKER_01

499 is retail. So do not wait to get on the island to think you can reserve that and when it's not taking, you know, uh when you you think you're gonna go and just walk up and get a better price. Those are usually sold out, those go for $4.99. We've seen them in the $320 range, is the lowest. You'll you'll see them. Again, two people can hang out there. You want to cover up, you know, your uh your skin from the sun, you're able to do that as well. And that's overlooking uh, you know, one of the beaches as well. So so many things, and immediately to the right of that, again, is gonna be that Snack Shack we talked about earlier. And we're gonna explain to you why we like the snack shack so much later on. So stay tuned.

SPEAKER_02

So with with these, uh, really quickly regarding the day beds, uh, is there uh butler service or any kind of you know, what are you getting besides just having a day bed?

SPEAKER_01

Is there any other they're gonna give you, you know, obviously their world-class client service is gonna come down and take care of you. Okay. That really is you're paying for that that view, you're paying for, you know, someone's exclusivity, I guess. Exactly, exactly. And and it's it's far away from the oasis lagoon pool. You know, it's not, I don't want to say that area is as packed as you would be in the oasis lagoon pool and a swim up bar.

SPEAKER_02

Makes sense.

SPEAKER_01

And that is that's hands down, our most pitcher perfect spot. So we talked about it earlier. When you get off the ship, arrive arrivals plaza, you're gonna walk through, you're gonna go, you know, veer right to uh Sandy Lane, continue walking around, and that's gonna be one of the lagoons there to your left. Uh, you're able to see the ships from a view. I always take a picture from right there, right? And what you see to the left, right there as well, is one of the grills. So the grills are almost identical. You have Skipper's Grill and Chill Grill. Obviously, Chill Grill is located over by Chill Beach, and Skipper's Grill is on the way. That's gonna be more of a buffet style. Okay. Hamburgers, hot dogs, you're gonna have your international, you know, you'll have your tacos, um, you're gonna have your that is included. Right. So again, you have two um you have two uh eateries, all you can eat right there.

SPEAKER_02

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01

And that's that's one of our favorite views. So it we kind of kicking it back to go back to see the that view when you get off the ship, arrivals plaza, that wow feeling. You know, we just wanted to show you right there the up up and away balloon ride, 450 feet up, and then you have Daredevil's Peak again, which is the tallest water slide uh at in the Caribbean as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's amazing. Oh, another movie.

SPEAKER_01

And there it is, you know that you can hear, see, in a year ago, there would be a DJ playing right now. But once Hideaway Beach came into effect, they moved the the DJ over to Hideaway Beach, and now there's gonna there's gonna be some fill of sound, but it's not like it used to be. So that's one thing I will say it's kind of lacking. Gotcha. Is and you're not allowed to bring your own speakers. So, but we that's a really, really cool view. We're at that bridge, that bridge looking down all the way to the sky. So, again, say yes, please, to palm trees. Amen. And there it is. That's our uh snack shack. That is our favorite eatery. Why is it our favorite eatery? That funnel cake. So, yes, yeah, you're gonna have so it's got um it has your burgers, it has your chicken sandwiches, it's got a few different things in and out. You can actually get chicken sandwich with mozzarella sticks on top. Oh mozzarella sticks you can get separate as well, and then you're gonna have your cookies, your brownies, and what I like to call hashtag that funnel cake. And that funnel cake's as I always say extra powder, sugar, and extra caramel.

SPEAKER_02

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_01

Oh and there's that sports area right there. You know, we talked about it. You have your chill beach, you have your South Beach, you have your Harbor Beach. So of those three, what do you think that is right there? Chill Beach. It's actually South Beach.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Right? So South Beach down in Miami. Yeah. What do you notice, right? There's a lot of fun to be had. So to the right, you have volleyball. And you got a little bit of, I guess you would call that soccer pool. Yeah. Foot foot pool. Foot billiards or something like that. Yeah, you know. So again, just doing things different. As you can see, kids playing, adults playing, eight to eighty. You used that that term earlier on in the episodes. It's phenomenal. Cruise tastic. No other way to do it. And that's walking. So if you veer right, you're gonna go to Sandy Lane. If you veer left at Arrivals Plaza, you're gonna go to Chill Island, and that's where that loop completely goes around and connects.

SPEAKER_02

Gotcha. Oh, look at this.

SPEAKER_01

And that's the other side of that lagoon. That's the other side of the uh that's you have that right there is Captain Jack's, and then you're gonna see that's the bridge where a lot of people take the photos. You have zip lining in the front as well. That zip line is 1,600 feet, $79 as well, and it goes from right to left in this picture. But that's just again, whether you are a lagoon type person, right? You know, Ocean K, lagoon type people usually go there, or you like that Oasis swim up bar and pool, either way you want to go. There's everything for you at Coco K. And that is not Coco

What Costs Extra And Price Tips

SPEAKER_01

K.

SPEAKER_02

What is this?

SPEAKER_01

That is Hideaway Beach, the adults only. So stay tuned. Oh, we just gave you just a little snippet, a little tease right there, a little check it out. Adults only, 18 and up. Your drink package carries over to Hideaway Beach. Again, if you can get it for about $70 to $80, we highly recommend it. Royal Beach Club in Nassau, under $100, we recommend it. But so many things Royal Caribbean's doing, and stay tuned with peer pressure, portcast, the Captain Jesse, and the CruiseCoach.com.

SPEAKER_02

Uh man, what a reveal. Uh that that was awesome. It takes me back. I and and it's been too long since I've been to Coco Key. I gotta go back. Um, I feel like it's it's there's so much more that I have to discover. I think uh me and my my sailing mates, uh, when we went the first time, we just we found the pool and we stayed there the whole time. Right. Like I haven't explored anything. I certainly haven't done anything uh as far as uh uh amenity-wise, like the the cabanas over the water or day beds or and I think we ate at the complimentary uh eatery, you know, just with everybody else, big pavilion, one big buffet line, you know, grab your hot dogs and hamburgers and whatnot. Uh, but knowing that there are so many more options and so many more things to discover, I really need to go back.

SPEAKER_01

And you know, we we didn't really do a huge deep dive because we could sit here for hours and we don't want to bore you, right? There's so many things to to to see and do that we haven't named. You have kayaking, you have snorkeling, you have jet skiing, you have glass bottom boating.

Big Three Planning Takeaways

SPEAKER_02

That's fun, right?

SPEAKER_01

So we're gonna give you three big takeaways from today.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_01

So we call we like to call that the big three. You know, uh down in Miami, there was the big three, and then someone wanted to leave who wanted more money. That's a LeBron joke. We already know Jordan's better, so we won't even go there. So the big three. Number one, your drink package carries over from the ship to Coco K. All right. Um, cabana rentals does include admission. So, for example, if you get a cabana for Throw Water Park, it also covers admission. Right? So that's right. Uh if it Cocoa Beach Club, it also covers admission. Okay. But but go ahead and pay attention to how many you can include, like Royal Beach Club, Nassau Bahamas, do a cabana, more uh bang for your buck when it comes down to it, because it also covers admission. And then uh again, when it comes down to it, you are allowed to come and go at Throw Water Park. So it's not just like you walk in, you have to stay. So if your child wants to come and go, go to Lagoon Pool, then go back to the water park, then go to the lagoon, then go back to the water park, then go to the snack shack. Now there's also a snack shack inside throw water park as well. So you might say, Well, throw water park is a little on the expensive side. It's 120 to 140 bucks per person per day, but you can come and go as you please, and it's that full day access. So those are your big three from Pure Pressure Portcast, the Captain Jesse, and the CruiseCoach.com.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Well, Rich, that was um extraordinary. I mean, what once again the deep dive that you that you walk us through is is always uh so comprehensive. I I feel like we just came back from a little mini vacation. Um thanks for the sights and sounds of the movies and and of course all those uh all those photos. It it just never gets old, you know. Seeing everybody having a good time, seeing uh again all those amenities. Uh just if you get bored there, you're just a boring person, you know. And I've I've always felt like that. Like only only boring people get bored. If you cannot find something to do on that island, then yeah, that's certainly.

SPEAKER_01

It literally has something for everybody, right? Right? Eight to eighty,

Safety Notes And How We Help

SPEAKER_01

even even if you're younger than eight. Yeah, right. So, you know, you want to make sure obviously kids when it comes to the splash pad, make sure you have the waterproof diapers on, right? Big picture. Um, you know, and you know, we highly urge if you are a little bit on the older side, make sure you're you know you are safe when it comes to snorkeling. We've seen some things happen over the last couple uh months and years that you know some people maybe struggled with the tide. You know, so it's kind of big picture. So make sure your safety is is a priority. Obviously, a father myself, uh we just want to make sure you guys, vacation nation, you are taken care of, right? So we love what we do because of clients like you. We're not just saying that's that's not just that is not just speak. We literally are educators and advisors. Not only that, we are world-class crustac educators and advisors. I'm a teacher myself. So from I get to school 8 a.m. to 3 30, I'm educating students, right? High school students, 14 to 18. Immediately 3:30 happens, and I start taking calls from the vacation nation and start booking. Right now, we're booking so many things. So if you want to go to Alaska, we have you covered. You want to go to the Caribbean, we have you covered. You want to go to overseas, we have you covered. You want to do a world trip. We talked about that a couple weeks ago, we got you covered. So there is no cruise, we're not here for you for. And again, if you want a land base, we have you covered as well. The landmaster, Blake Spa, um, the captain Jesse alluded to him earlier. He's doing land tours all across Europe. There's he's got train rides perfected. Um, he he was just at the the castle, um, where they, I believe the Harry Potter. Again, not my world.

SPEAKER_02

Universal Studios, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so no, the one, the real castle.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, in Scotland.

SPEAKER_01

Bingo. He was there.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so not not the not the Americanized Floridian version. And that's what that's what we do. You know, between Blake Spa and Josie, myself, the captain, and all of our affiliates with the Maluna Travel Network. Yeah, we make we try to make sure we educate you because here's the thing you might call us, we educate you, we qualify you, and it stops there at that time. But that's okay. That doesn't mean that we can't help you down the road. It see, here's the thing: cruising has changed. Captain Jesse alluded to it. Ten years ago, you used to be able to get on a cruise ship for a couple hundred dollars. Now, certain times of the year, as you heard earlier that we were on, we were on the grandiosa back in January. Guess what? We were on for a couple hundred dollars. But you have to make sure you understand the promos that are going on. So that's what we do. We don't minor in this vacation nation, we major in it. And again, you are our

Subscribe Share Prayer And Farewell

SPEAKER_01

most important asset because your word of mouth spreads like wildfire. So make sure you subscribe, make sure you share, make sure you like the peer pressure portcast. We're just saying it. This is our seventh episode, right? Seven episodes.

SPEAKER_02

Just getting started.

SPEAKER_01

And and we have covered so many things. We can't wait till our 700th episode with you, Vacation Nation, and being able to share our love for traveling, our love for cruising, our love for you. Because again, it's all about his light. This is we are we are two godly men doing this. We can't do this without the Lord's light, we can't do this without the vacation nation. Uh, again, we say it all the time: share the love and share the light. This world has too much darkness. So many people are so stuck on themselves in a me society. And I promise you, when it's not about me and it's about we, and it's not really about us, it's about him. Things are gonna be different for you. So, again, as you know, Jesse, there's only one way we end this episode.

SPEAKER_02

That's right. Or bow our heads.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, dear Lord, we love you and we thank you. We thank you for every opportunity and every blessing, Lord. We just pray that you'll be with all those cruising. We play, we pray for everyone in Coco K and the Bahamas. We pray for all those dealing with any health issues, mental health, physical health. We pray for all those who are in hospitals, family-friend right now, uh, in the hospital, Lord, coming back from heart attack, uh, multiple heart attacks, Lord. We just give it up to you. There's so many things in this world, Lord, that we cannot control. We have to give it to you, Lord, and again, allow your light to shine brighter than anything else. There are so many things we cannot control as human beings. We thank you for the uh the safe space um flight for uh Artemis. We pray for all those who who participated in that, and again, for all those who are continuing to share your light, Lord. We are so grateful for you, so grateful for your light, and we know one day you will come back again. Lord, we thank you for the Captain Jesse and myself and my family and our family uh and Jesse's family. And again, Lord, just continue to be with us, walk with us, talk with us, and allow your light to shine bright in all that we do in Peer Pressure Portcast and Space Coast Podcast as well, Lord. We love you and we thank you. In your name we pray.

SPEAKER_02

Amen. Oh, that was great. I always look forward to those end of episode uh prayers, and uh and I hope our audience enjoyed it too. Um, like like uh the captain mentioned, you know, give that share, give that comment, give that uh subscribe. Uh it means a lot to us and it helps us reach more people because one day we're gonna be taking over uh a cruise ship of our own, and it's gonna be you, the vacation nation, that follows us. So thank you so much, guys.

SPEAKER_01

And again, that's a perfect way to end the episode. Follow us, and we'll take you somewhere. Vacation nation.

SPEAKER_00

Until next time, nice weather's getting hot up. It's time to cruise all day and night. We'll be cruising. Straight, dripping, dripping, dripping. Oh she grew in Cause that's how we livin', living, living