Perfect Day at CocoCay: What Royal Caribbean Didn't Tell Us (But Regent Did)

When we booked our seven-day Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise through the Caribbean, I'll be honest—I was skeptical about the "Perfect Day at CocoCay" port stop. Private island days always feel like cattle calls to me, and I'd heard stories about Royal Caribbean's CocoCay being packed with thousands of passengers from their megaships. But here's the thing: Regent Seven Seas isn't Royal Caribbean, and their approach to this port is completely different. After spending a full day there last month, I finally understand why people rave about it. Let me back up. The Seven Seas Explorer is nothing like those massive Royal Caribbean vessels. We had around 750 guests aboard, which already felt intimate compared to the 5,000-plus that Royal Caribbean routinely packs onto their ships. When Captain Iversen mentioned during the welcome briefing that we'd have exclusive access to certain sections of CocoCay, I didn't really think it would make much difference. I was wrong. We arrived at CocoCay around 8:30 AM, right as the island was waking up. The tender process from the Explorer was smooth—our concierge had arranged priority tender tickets for us, and we were on the beach by 9 AM. And here'…