Royal Caribbean builds on its biggest edge over Carnival, Norwegian

Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line have bet big on the Caribbean. All of the major cruise lines have multiple ships sailing in that region due to passenger demand out of Florida.

The Caribbean isn’t far from Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That makes it easy for all the major cruise lines to have multiple ships calling on ports like Nassau, Cozumel, Roatan, Key West and a handful of others.

In addition, all of the cruise lines operate private islands. Those offerings vary quite a bit. Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Disney Cruise Line offer islands that are just beaches. Norwegian’s island requires passengers to travel from their cruise ship on a smaller tender boat, while the other cruise lines can dock at their islands.

Royal Caribbean, however, has changed the game when it comes to private islands. Its Perfect Day at CocoCay offers the traditional beach experience as well as a lot more. It has a free-to-use beach as well as multiple added-fee options. Those include a Beach Club with a fancier lunch and its own pool, a water park, and a new adults-only area, Hideaway Beach, with a heated pool.