As cruise lines vie for industry supremacy in myriad categories onboard, they’re also playing a game of one-upmanship onshore. Private islands, those secluded oases of fun and sun that await cruisers on many warm-weathered itineraries, are as much a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses thing as who has the best waterslides, thrill rides, culinary program, entertainment and, yes, even bedding.
Cruise lines have owned or operated private isles for nearly half a century, but perhaps at no other time has the development of these secluded sanctuaries been so feverish. From Central America and the South Pacific to the Caribbean and coast of southern Africa, more than a dozen are in the construction, expansion, renovation or planning phase.
This collective order of full speed ahead by the industry is steel drum music to the ears of cruise vacationers looking for a happy medium between all the seeing and doing options while in port and a relaxing sea day. Because most private islands operate as extensions of the ship, they offer an experience at higher levels of containment, control and cleanliness than a typical beach break shore excursion. It’s not unusual for the food, drink and the people making and serving it to come straight from the ship. Talk about working remotely.
Even if owned by the same cruise line, no two private islands are alike. They all share basic amenities, however: an inviting beach with loungers, umbrellas and lifeguards, casual outdoor eateries, bars aplenty, shopping of various degrees, walking trails, rentable cabanas and a starting point for shore excursions. Some offer elaborate waterparks and ziplines while others feature animal encounters and dedicated kids zones. Because upcharges are part of cruising’s DNA — even “all-inclusive” sails aren’t 100% inclusive — no one should be surprised that a few cruise lines charge extra for the choice spots to catch some rays.
Every major mainstream cruise line — Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises — owns or leases at least one private island. Most are shared with sister brands of the same corporate portfolio, though visits by ships of higher categories are less frequent; an exception is premium-class Princess Cruises, which has Princess Cays on the larger Bahamian island of Eleuthera.
No man, princess or cruise line is an island as the Bahamas has the highest concentration of these private parcels of paradise. One of the busiest is Perfect Day at CocoCay, which welcomes more than 3 million Royal Caribbean passengers in non-pandemic years, and more are expected once an adults-only section called Hideaway Beach is open later this year. The resort, on Little Stirrup Cay north of Nassau, features North America’s tallest waterslide. From the top, one can see NCL’s Great Stirrup Cay one island over. Opened in 1977, it’s the industry’s first private island getaway. Near the southern end of the archipelagic state, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays are used by brands of Carnival Corporation including the referenced namesakes and Holland America Line.
Bringing some Anaheim and Orlando influence to the Bahamas is Disney Cruise Line with Castaway Cay, the perfect place to take snaps with Mickey and friends while holding a glass of non-alcoholic Olaf’s Flurry Freeze. A tropical breeze from the opposite direction is MSC’s lower-key Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. Emphasizing conservation over stimulation, MSC’s take is if you want a theme park experience, go back to the ship where there awaits immersive high-tech entertainment with innovative technology and water play. Meanwhile, it’s adults only at Virgin Voyages’ Beach Club at Bimini, where pool parties and beach bonfires heat up just 55 miles east of Miami.
Elsewhere in the world, Royal Caribbean’s Labadee in northern Haiti is home to the world’s longest over-water zipline. In Central America, Harvest Caye, owned in partnership by Norwegian and the Belizean government, is unique and not necessarily in a good way. Because the restaurants are owned by locals, there’s no such thing as a free lunch there for NCL and Oceania Cruises passengers.
On select itineraries in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, MSC makes stops at its Sir Bani Yas resort southwest of Abu Dhabi. Originally built in 2016 by Costa Cruises, the private island destination’s showpiece is Arabian Wildlife Park, home to over 13,000 endangered and indigenous animals.
On the horizon is Carnival’s yet-to-be-named private port on the southern side of Grand Bahama. Expected to open in late 2024, the destination will have a nature reserve, pool and Bahamian-run shops and restaurants easily accessible by a pier that can accommodate two of the fleet’s largest ships simultaneously.
Carnival hasn’t made a peep since COVID about its plans to build a private destination in Baja California, but according to Seatrade Cruise News, the world’s largest cruise line and Mexican cruise port developer ITM Group are teaming up to build one in Ensenada. A future stop on cruises to the Mexican Riviera or itineraries to the California coast or Hawaii that, by law, require an international call, the proposed “La Española Village” would feature the usual — local grub and grog, music and other live entertainment — along with an expansive family-friendly adventure park, tentatively dubbed “The Isle at Ensenada.”
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean is making progress on the pandemic-delayed Perfect Day at Lelepa, the Southern Hemisphere’s first private island destination cruising experience. RCI hasn’t announced an opening date, but based on remarks made by a senior vice president for the company, within the next few months itineraries out of Australia will include a visit to the small island in Vanuatu.
While many elements of its other private destinations will be repeated in the South Pacific, Royal Caribbean is promising that the Vanuatu resort will not be a cookie-cutter of its existing escapes that cater to a U.S. demographic.
“What’s a perfect day for an Australian is not a perfect day for an American,” said Mark Tamis, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of hotel operations. “Thrilling for an Australian might be snorkeling while a thrill for an American might be going down a water slide … not that Australians don’t also like water slides, of course.”
One thing Americans and Australians can agree on, and this goes for everyone else in the world, is having a safe cruise vacation. There could be trouble in paradise if one heeds the warnings of the U.S. Department of State. Travel advisories have been issued for some of the most popular cruise destinations.
Haiti was at Level 4 at press time, a classification that means “do not travel” to that nation due to “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.” According to the executive agency’s advisory, “Violent crime, such as armed robbery, carjackings, and kidnappings for ransom that include American citizens are common.”
The Bahamas was at Level 2 at last check, but despite the less severe designation, the federal department says increased caution should still be exercised due to “violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults,” particularly in Nassau and Grand Bahama.
Because cruise lines’ private island destinations are under heavy control and security, they can be regarded as sanctuaries, protected from unsavory activities that may occur outside their enclosed perimeters.
“One of the significant benefits of private destinations is they provide a safe environment for passengers,” said maritime lawyer Spencer Aronfeld (www.aronfeld.com). “This is my 33rd year repping passengers. I’ve handled a lot of accidents at these cruise line resorts, but never by third-party crime.”
If there is a downside to these private islands, according to Aronfeld, it’s that they deprive guests of an authentic port experience.
“Take Virgin’s Bimini Beach Club,” he said. “I feel really bad for passengers because they don’t see anything about Bimini. There’s no difference between the club and, say, Fort Lauderdale. But where there’s high crime, these resorts at least give people a chance to say they’ve been on the island. It’s sad to some degree, but it’s better than nothing.”
If you go …
Carnival Cruise Line — carnival.com
Disney Cruise Line — disneycruiseline.com
Holland America Line — hollandamerica.com
MSC Cruises — msccruisesusa.com
Norwegian Cruise Line — ncl.com
Oceania Cruises — oceaniacruises.com
Princess Cruises — princess.com
Royal Caribbean International — royalcaribbean.com
Virgin Voyages — virginvoyages.com
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