There are more than one cruise vacations on the Royal Caribbean International lineup in which Cocoa Cay is a port of call.
Except I wouldn’t exactly call this tiny island off the Florida coast a port.
The waters are too shallow to dock Freedom of the Seas. Any ship on the cruise line that owns this island.
From the ship to a boat to the island.
And so for the first port of call on this seven-night cruise vacation on Freedom of the Seas, my dear wife Karen took one of the first boats off deck one, leaving the ship around 8:30 a.m., best to beat the lines we knew would form.
Our goals were modest, for Cocoa Kay is a not a booming metropolis. Ha! (RIP, friend and guest columnist Paul Curran.)
The welcome from the staff.
I have the feeling – OK, call it a sneaky suspicion – that the population of Cocoa Kay comes off the ship just a little before the passengers, setting up everything that must be done to welcome the latest round of visitors.
Hover over a gallery photo for a description. Click on an image for an enlarged slide show.
We spent minutes among the shops, having stopped on Cocoa Cay and bought the T-shirt during our cruise that also took us to Nassau and Jamaica.
We wanted to head to the beach, figuring the chaise lounges would go quickly. We found a pair. Within moments, two ladies settled in front of us with a major-league umbrella, blocking our sun and view of the water. I moved us sideways.
We laid out about a half-hour, knowing that we were in the strong ray part of the world. We packed up our towels and took a walk.
Paid privileges.
Some of our cruise buddies had signed up for paid excursion on Cocoa Cay, such as walking tours and supervised fun in the water. We had decided to save our money.
Priceless memory.
We took a few minutes to share a rope hammock instead, laughing as we found our balance.
Then it was back on the boat to the ship, skipping the barbecue lunch on Cocoa Kay, which he knew was cooked onboard and served by Freedom of the Seas staffers. We’d opt for more room and choices in the Windjammer buffet.
Depart from here.
The going-back process this early was pretty and relaxing.
Dock o the Kay.
The sunny side of the boat.
We chose the near-empty top deck for the return trip.
Scrubby side.
Shuttling back, I thought that the spots RCI had not touched looked mighty scrubby indeed.
Shop, beach or excursions for you? Would you eat on the island or return to the ship? Which is your favorite photo, and why?
Tomorrow: Visiting St. Thomas
Mark Bialczak 
hi marky-mark – I would go to the ship to eat – fav pic is the hammock one – thanks for the smile with that – 🙂
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I had a feeling you’d like the relaxation shot, Y. 🙂
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Well I like read some of the comments and others did too! Ha!
So cute the pair of feet!
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i love the hammock shot, and is what i would be doing on the island, as well. you sound like experienced and well-informed cruisers, and made good choices along the way. the food, the timing, the beach – all of it.
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This was a long time coming for me, Beth, and I indeed made the most of all of it. ❤
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Jealous of the sun and sand! Who needs to pay for an extra excursion when you can hang in a hammock?! That’s my fave pic!
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Thanks, Megan. It was a great place to hang with my dear wife! I hope you are well, my friend. ❤
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Great pictures, Mark. I love the islands but am not a fan of cruises (no way I’m going to have to be anywhere at 8:30 on a vacation!) It looks lovely though.
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I woke up early on the ship every morning to look out from the balcony, Elyse. I loved the view. 🙂
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I would eat and live on the island forever. My favorite picture is the two pairs of gorgeous legs on the rope hammock…hehehe. Happy holidays to you and Karen! (=＾・＾=)
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Thanks for liking our stems, Patricia. 🙂
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