Bahamian Rhapsody

Royal Caribbean has a knack for reimagining what paradise looks like. Launching from Miami on the Oasis class Wonder of the Seas, you could spend a perfect day at Coco Cay, the Bahamian island that the vacation brand transformed into a thrill-and-chill destination, as appealing to adults as it is to kiddies. Or, looking forward to fall 2027, you can imagine Perfect Day Mexico, with its huge sombrero hat welcoming day trippers off the docks. 

But now, just opened last December, we head to Royal Beach Club, set on a 17-acre, white-sand strip off the port of Nassau in the Bahamas called Paradise Island. It’s a new concept, this time incorporating local flavors, artistic touches, and even local ownership into the mix. You first set eyes on this strip from the port side of Wonder of the Seas: a jewel of colorful cabanas and inviting umbrella-dotted beaches. 

Like Boracay, imagine this exclusive beach club as a narrow, horizontal stretch, carefully curated for relaxation. The Royal Caribbean property sits aside a throng of private mansions and, much further to the right, large hotels. (Word has it one of several properties that was acquired and cleared to make way for Royal Beach Club belonged to actor Nicolas Cage, who sold it during the tax crunch of 2008. The actor’s sale was eventually Royal Caribbean’s gain.)

Five colorful ferries launch from Nassau port to take you on a swift ride to Paradise Island, where you dock at either the Chill or Family entry point. 

From there, the island strip is divided into three “neighborhoods”: the chill area with a relaxed music vibe, poolside cabanas and lots of bars; the family zone offering plenty of waterslides, cabanas and kid-friendly activities; and the huge party cove serving up the world’s biggest swim-up bar. (Royal Caribbean guests are recommended to book their day excursion beforehand since Royal Beach Club only takes about 4,000 pax per day.) 

When you arrive, dancers in colorful local costumes welcome you; steel drums and percussion add to the festive vibe known as Junkanoo, a centuries-old street parade tradition here.

This is not just any beach club; it’s an authentic Caribbean experience. In an unprecedented public-private partnership, Royal worked with the local government to ensure the property is 49.1% owned and operated by Bahamians. This extends beyond creating hundreds of local jobs during construction and in daily operations; the Royal Caribbean team went further to add authentic flavors, music and local artists, even extending their Artist Discovery Program from ship to shore, enlisting a roster of Bahamian artists such as Minolta Butler to create murals and install pieces across 25 venues and spaces for Royal’s first beach-club experience. 

Step ashore

Nassau itself is bursting with colors, as you leave the ship to explore its hillside enclaves of local cigar rollers, chocolate makers and the famous Straw Market (think Divisoria) for local straw hats and carved souvenir items. The colorful vibe of Nassau’s entry point extends to the beach club, with colorful cabanas and umbrellas dotting the two beaches and three swimming pool areas. You can rent beach or pool cabanas, with infinity pools facing out to a brilliant turquoise ocean horizon. (Other nice touches: free WiFi on the island and free premium sunblock available at kiosks for super-hot days.)

Food and beverage is key to Bahamian fun, so there are seven beach bars and three swim-up bars on the property, including the two-story Floating Flamingo with an Ultimate Family Cabana upstairs—a one-of-its-kind, two-story private retreat, fit for families up to 12. Highlights include a dedicated whirlpool, frozen drink machine, thrilling slide, private bathroom, personal attendant and more.

The food experience delivers local flavors, like the guava-glazed Pinwheel Shrimp Skewers, the Spicy Crunch Fish Sandwich, and the Fire Engine Fritters: bite-sized, full of rice, corned beef and corn, seasoned with local goat-pepper “crack sauce.” (Yes, they love their fiery pepper here: the local expression is “Season it to the gods.”) The Bahamian Baked Mac ‘n’ Cheese is another must-try, along with the Guava Duff cake. Most foods are complimentary on the island, and drinks are free-flowing with a beverage package. Try the Gully Wash, aka Sky Juice, a popular cocktail made with gin, coconut, lime and condensed milk.

Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley was thrilled about this brand-new vision of paradise. “Our guests love the Bahamas, and this is the first private-public partnership that's occurred in the Bahamas for such an incredible destination experience. I think it's a kind of shining light for maybe how things will be in the future. It's been a journey; we started this project almost 10 years ago, and it takes a lot of work, collaboration to bring everybody together to create something new and exciting.” 

Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Jason Liberty added: “This is a project that the Bahamian people asked to make sure was not only a win for the major investor, but also brought benefits in terms of real ownership for Bahamians. And we believe we have struck that balance.”

Wonder of the seas

Onboard Wonder of the Seas, there were plenty of other fun attractions. This time I boarded at Miami port, and quickly settled into a comfortable stateroom on Deck 7 with a queen-size bed with high-thread-count cotton sheets, a widescreen TV, daybed and balcony with a sunset ocean view. The staff put out a bottle of wine and a spread from popular onboard Japanese specialty restaurant Izumi. (Yum.)

This being January, with an arctic cold blast in play, I didn’t indulge in the usual waterslides or thrill activities this time; no FlowRider surfboarding; no Zipline or wall climbing; not even the Ultimate Abyss—a monster-shaped, superfast corkscrew slide from Deck 16, down 10 stories to the main Promenade deck. But I’d already taken that challenge before. 

What was special this time was the show InTENse at the Aquatheater. It’s an all-woman water performance featuring a cast of 20 talented athletes, among them the world’s top slackliners, high divers, aerialists, synchronized swimmers and more, performing “deck-defying feats” set to mashups of Bjork, Led Zeppelin, Chemical Brothers, Depeche Mode and others. Royal Caribbean does seem to continually raise the bar on water shows: the coordination of aqua risers, deep dives, platform dancers, lighting and aerial stunts was amazing. (After the show I met a Filipino named Niel decked out in headset and aerial gear; his job was coordinating the high divers, and I told him they did an awesome job; really made a splash.)

From feats to eats

For this voyage, I tried two specialty restaurants. Hooked, at the fore of the ship overlooking the Solarium (a great place for heated whirlpools and cocktails), offered New England Clam Chowder (creamy and pulpy, the way I like it); the Catch of the Day was a branzino (basically Spanish sea bass), grilled/roasted to perfection with a crispy outer skin and flaky white flesh; capped off with a Danzante Pino Grigio and a coconut cream pie whipped into a delicious frenzy, topped with toasted coconut shavings.

The next night took me to Central 150, which really brought me “home” with a crispy Berkshire pork belly paired with apple watermelon radish slaw. 

Not to be outdone, the Duck Duo was slathered in poached pear sauce, a tender confit leg paired with two pan-seared breast medallions. Very flavorful, though not exactly light dining. The dessert—Fried Cheesecake with Whipped Cream, Nutella and Caramel Popcorn—was actually as light as cream puffs, joyful to the palate.

My Wonder of the Seas cruise took me to the heights—literally, with InTENse—and down to Coco Cay island for what has become almost a comforting tradition: settling down into the Hideaway Beach swim-up DJ bar and pool, heated this time to cut the January chill, drink(s) in hand. 

It ended with another glimpse of perfection, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, which is just one more chapter in the vacation brand’s ongoing mission to keep you wildly entertained and rhapsodically relaxed. 

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For more information or to make reservations, visit RoyalCaribbean.com. Follow @RoyalCaribbean on IG and X, and check out #WonderoftheSeas and #RoyalBeachClubParadiseIsland.