The Back to Back - Jewel of the Seas 2025 June 27-July 4, 2025 Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Coco Cay, Nassau, Coco Cay)
Cruise #26 and 27... Let's GOOO!
After 25 cruises, we needed to shake things up so Chris and I decided to take a Back to Back cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We sail from Galveston mostly as we live less than 80 miles from the terminal but the Galveston market has gotten SO HIGH in price. The cruise industry has realized that people who live in Texas and surrounding states will pay BIG BUCKS to not have to fly to Florida and the cruise fare prices have skyrocketed in the last 3-5 years. Combine that with the exact same routes every single cruise due to distance and location of Galveston, we needed a change. We discovered in 2024 on our Independence of the Seas cruise out of Miami that is is actually CHEAPER to fly to Florida to get on a ship; even when you include airfare. This summer proved to be the same scenario.
This Back to Back cruise (3 day and 4 day combined) fare, taxes and port fees was over $700 less than the same 7 days out of Galveston. Even the 5 day cruise out of Galveston was still $400 more than taking a back to back cruise out of Florida. Even when you include airfare, we still saved money by flying to Florida. Now keep in mind we still stayed in Ft. Lauderdale for 2 nights prior to the cruise and this racked up costs but overall, we still saved money not cruising out of Galveston. TIP- Be ready to pay well over $1K per person for ANY ship out of Galveston in the summer. Even 4 and 5 day cruises are running $1K per person in the summer.
We have cruised 13 previous times with Carnival, 9 times with Royal Caribbean, 2 times with Norwegian and 1 time with Princess.
This blog will contain entries of our day-to-day life aboard the Jewel of the Seasas well as a shore excursion details, port tips and tricks and so much more. We will also highlight our Pre-Cruise trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL as well.
Throughout the blog posts, we will also share the lots of tips, tricks and insiders knowledge about cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale, information about cruising to Royal Caribbean's private island, Coco Cay as well as great information about Jewel of the Seas.
The Jewel of the Seas was good to us... And we loved Coco Cay!
Bahamas Bound Jewel of the Seas Back to Back Cruise #2 Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Adults Only Beach Club in the Bahamas- YES PLEASE!
After 25 26 cruises, we needed to shake things up so Chris and I decided to take a Back to Back cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. This Back to Back consisted of a 3 day "weekend" cruise followed by a 4 day Monday- Friday cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We have never been to Ft. Lauderdale so we flew in 2 days early to explore on our own.
This 4 day cruise was the complete opposite as the previous 3 day weekend cruise loaded with adults overindulging. This 4 day cruise was LOADED with kids and families and there was not near as much "boozing" on this cruise. Due to the July 4th holiday falling on the last day of the cruise, I think families saw an opportunity to take vacation days and take their kids along. We enjoyed this quick cruise to Nassau and Royal Caribbean's private island, Coco Cay so much!
Jewel of the Seas was good to us! Until next time Royal Caribbean!
We really enjoyed this quick cruise to Nassau and Coco Cay. We LOVE Coco Cay so it was nice to be able to "go right back" just a few days later! This Back to Back cruise was AWESOME and I'm so glad we added it to our Cruising Adventure list!
Up Next... Harmony of the Seas with the kids (Winter Break 2026)
We are ready for a day of rest, relaxation and NO KIDS!
Good Morning Coco Cay- We love you!
The Celebrity Reflection and Jewel of the Seas!
We booked the Adults OnlyHideaway Beach Club for an additional cost. We explored this venue on our Independence of the Seas cruise in Summer 2024 and we LOVED it. TIP- Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing and we paid $48/per person for access to this Adults Only area. The original price is $89/ pp. We believe this is WELL WORTH it.
Once we arrived at Hideaway, we made our way to the pool and placed our stuff down on the beach chairs and then made our way to the Swim Up Bar. This is the largest Swim Up Bar in the World and is SO MUCH fun. All of the bartenders at this bar LIVE on the island and serve 3 months on the island and 1 month off. We were even able to reconnect with 2 from our Indy cruise last summer.
The Hideaway Beach Club pool and Swim Up Bar. We spent all day in the pool chairs... We loved it!
Hello Coco Cay and Hideaway Beach Club!
We spent all day lounging in the pool chairs and enjoying the way less crowded pool and lagoon area. TIP- We were in port at Coco Cay with the Celebrity Reflection which holds 3K passengers and our ship held just over 2K so this was a very light day for Coco Cay. We met some fellow cruisers and talked to them for quite a while before getting lunch at Slice of Paradise. This pizza joint is solely located within the Hideaway Beach Club and offers really great (and weird) pizza options. We loved the BBQ and I especially liked the Bahamian Seafood pizza. It sounded weird but it was REALLY tasty!
The Slice of Paradise Menu had something for EVERYONE and it was so good!
The BBQ and the Seafood pizza slices!
We also tried the beef and the chicken empanadas.
This area was extremely nice and well kept!
Afternoon We spent the majority of the rest of the afternoon in the pool and lounging in the pool chairs with sunscreen breaks in between. Before we left Hideaway to go back to the ship we stopped at the Snack Shack for one more order of Mozzarella sticks (ok two) and another funnel cake. I swear these are literally addictive and SO GOOD!
It's time to say goodbye but we LOVED spending our day here!
See you next time Hideaway!
We got on the tram back to the Jewel of the Seas around 3:45PM as all aboard time was 5PM. We were in port with the Celebrity Reflection and our entire tram was packed with some very "rowdy and lively" passengers from the Reflection! We had a blast getting all the way back to the ship and met some friends in the meantime.
Just 12 hours left in our Back to Back adventure... We are NOT ready for it to be over!
In 26 cruises, we have seen a LOT of towel animals but never seen one on the TOILET! Haha.. we called asking for our luggage tags and our room steward said "check the wash room". We were literally LOL! #Memories
The Celebrity Reflection set sail before we did at 5:10PM and the Jewel of the Seas set sail back to Ft. Lauderdale at 5:20PM. I watched another sail away from Coco Cay from the outside of Deck 5 and really enjoyed watching the crew get the island ready for the next day of cruisers. Coco Cay sees 8-12K passengers EVERY DAY and a ship is in port every single day!
Goodbye Celebrity Reflection- We will see you in the morning!
An empty Coco Cay- A rare sight!
I seriously LOVE this island... It may now be my favorite port!
Evening I enjoyed more live music in the Centrum before Chris met me to do one final round of blackjack in the Casino before cashing in our chips for the cruise. Overall we ended $12 ahead and that is a WIN! We turned in all the cash towards our On Board Spending account and ended the cruise with a $7 bill so again, that is a WIN!
We enjoyed drinks at Schooner Bar and played one more trivia of American Anthems and won this trivia as well. This would make 4 wins for this cruise! After trivia we went back to the room and got all of our suitcases ready to put outside the room at 10PM. TIP- We opt for the luggage assist program that allows you to disembark the ship without having to deal with your luggage the next morning. The only kicker... you have to have everything packed and ready by 10PM the night before disembark!
We enjoyed our last dinner in the Main Dining Room and the service was the best of our time in the MDR this cruise. Our waiters, Jay and Pat, went above and beyond and we really appreciated all they did to make our experience one to remember. The food was much better on this menu than the previous night as well.
The Taste of Italy menu in the Main Dining Room
Chicken Parmesan- 2.0 The chicken was REALLY dry and overcooked!
Mushroom Risotto- 1.5 Why would I have been thinking it would be similar to the Giovanni's? I think that set me up for failure but Chris agreed it was nowhere near as good.
Crème de Pot-3.0 Great flavor and texture.
We had hoped to go to the Crazy Quest for our night entertainment but the Safari Lounge was PACKED so we opted to enjoy the piano man and a last round of drinks at the Schooner Bar. Once again, Raj and Simon were some of the best bartenders we have had and we LOVED getting to know them!
We decided to walk on the outside deck 5 one more time and were shocked the helicopter pad was open so we ventured up there around 11PM. We noticed bright lights of a "city" and assumed we it was Miami. We took a video and pictures but when we got back to the room the Map Channel said we were pointing due west so those lights would have been "Bermuda"... UMMMM NO! That was Miami! I would die on that hill! But proves we were just going in circles to get back to Ft. Lauderdale!
There's no way you can tell me this IS NOT Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. It is clearly a city and there's not other place nearby that would put off that much light!
This was maybe 5-7 minutes later on the TV in the stateroom. It has not updated yet... We were sailing south and that was Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.
We LOVED this day at Hideaway Beach and Coco Cay! We will be back... SOON!
We LOVE Coco Cay and really enjoyed getting to visit this private island TWICE during this Back to Back adventure! We cannot wait to take the kids in Summer 2026!
This cruise was special and we really enjoyed adding a Back to Back to our list of cruising adventures. Not to mention, we LOVE Coco Cay and getting to visit twice was PERFECT.
Up Next... a possible Fall Break cruise and then Harmony of the Seas with the kids for Winter Break!
TIP- Coco Cay is Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas and offers an entire island of beaches, restaurants, water activities and even a water park offering the tallest waterslide in North America. The island can house 2 ships at one time and up to 12K passengers and crew. The island also houses workers year round in an apartment complex and crew members from every ship will get off the ship to work the bars and restaurants of the island. For the most part, everything is included on the island; such as beach chairs, umbrellas, food and even your Ultimate Beverage Package. The waterpark, Coco Beach (upscale beach club), cabanas at various locations and Hideaway Beach Club cost extra.
Hello Coco Cay... We are ready for the PERFECT DAY!
Perfect Day at CoCo Cay really is the best port for your money when sailing with Royal Caribbean! I cannot wait until RCCL has Costa Maya similarly built in 2027.
Daredevils Tower in Thrill Waterpark- The tallest waterslide in North America!
The walk from the ship to the shore is my favorite!
Chill Island is the most attended beach at Coco Cay and directly to your LEFT as your get onto the island from the pier!
Oasis Lagoon Pool in the center of Chill Island!
We visited Coco Cay for the first time in 2015 while sailing on the Serenade of the Seas but it was just a strip of land and not the exotic private oasis that it is now. And since we had been to the NEW Coco Cay before in 2024 on the Independence of the Seas we knew what to expect and decided to go a different route this trip. In 2024 we paid extra for the adults only beach Hideaway Beach but this time we wanted to explore as much of the island as we could on our own.
We started by walking all over Chill Island exploring the beach area, straw market and Snack Shack area before making our way to the Oasis Lagoon Pool- The largest fresh water pool in Caribbean. We wanted to be able to sit at the swim up bar before a lot of the crowds got off the ships and our arrival time was perfect. We got two seats at the swim up bar and loved talking to the bartenders from both ships and workers who lived on the island. We stayed here until about 11:45AM and it was the perfect way to spend the morning; the drinks were flowing and the vibes were very relaxed.
Oasis and Jewel of the Seas docked in Coco Cay. It is almost laughable how small the Jewel is compared to the Oasis!
Welcome to Chill Island.
The walk to Chill Island is SO EASY and quick... You're at the beach before you know it!
The Oasis Lagoon Pool and swim up bar... The largest fresh water pool in the Caribbean.
Cheers to two MASTER teachers!
Up, Up and Away was actually working on this day. This is an added cost at Coco Cay and rarely goes up due to wind! It is on my "bucket list" for Coco Cay... May in Summer 2026.
We loved Oasis Lagoon- Be sure to check it out!
Afternoon We left the Oasis Lagoon and made our way to Breezy Bay one of the Snack Shacks. These shacks are all over the island and offer FREE food that ranges from chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and the best mozzarella sticks ever. Not to mention the star of the Snack Shack... The funnel cake! We grabbed some lunch and the decided to get into the actual ocean at Breezy Bay. TIP- This beach area was not crowded at all and we were able to get beach chairs (with umbrella) even at 12:30PM. The ocean was pretty choppy which we assumed is why it is called Breezy Bay.
Breezy Bay was legit... Check it out!
The Snack Shack menu options... We have tried them all between the 2 trips! The mozzarella sticks and funnel cakes CANNOT BE MISSED!
The funnel cake- 5.0+ Seriously, I could eat a dozen of these!
Welcome to Breezy Bay... We loved the water!
I am in my happy place... the beach!
We then decided to take the FREE tram down to the furthest part of the island, South Beach to try out the "Ocean Bar" floating in the middle of a sand bar in the ocean. This was so cool as you had to literally swim way out into the ocean then climb up to the bar. It would only accommodate 36 people including the bar tenders and we were able to sit there for about an hour before getting off and allowing others to enjoy. We then went and swam some more in the much calmer waters of South Beach. The water was warm and just perfect for an afternoon at the beach. TIP- South Beach was VERY crowded and it was much harder to get chairs midday. The water, however, was much calmer than Breezy Bay.
Greetings from the Floating Bar... This was a cool experience!
The South Beach Sand Bars were really cool. Easy to swim out to and enjoy the Bahamian waters! Very "chill" vibe!
Time to ride the tram back to Oasis Lagoon!
We grabbed the tram back to Oasis Lagoon to try and dry off before making our way back to the ship around 3PM. We took the tram back to the entrance of the island and then walked the pier back to the Jewel of the Seas. Once onboard we exchanged our beach towels and then went back to the stateroom to shower for the rest of the day. Chris opted to take a nap and decided to read in the Safari Lounge until it was time for sail away.
Our walk back to the ship was just perfect!
Goodbye Coco Cay... We will see you in 3 days!
The Jewel of the Seas...not our favorite but not forgotten!
The walk back to the ship at Coco Cay is so cool!
Evening We set sail back towards Ft. Lauderdale shortly after 5PM just after the massive Oasis of the Seas departed Coco Cay. I love sailing away from Coco Cay as you get to see the entire island as you depart. After we watched sail away for a while we went to Pre-Dinner Trivia and drinks in the Schooner Bar. We were able to win another trivia of "general knowledge", making our 2nd win of this cruise.
The best mail we have ever received on a cruise... Consecutive Cruisers!
Adios Coco Cay... See you soon!
I love pier watching at the end of a day in port!
Oasis of the Seas- She really is a beauty!
Oasis of the Seas is such a GORGEOUS ship! #GOALS- I see an addition to my bucket list!
Another view of Coco Cay as we set sail to Ft. Lauderdale!
Coco Cay, Bahamas!
We had dinner reservations from our Ultimate Dining Package at Izumi Sushi and this turned out to be the biggest hit of the entire cruise (both cruises). We have been to Izumi before but this time the food (and service) were some of the best we have EVER had in 26 cruises. TIP- The Ultimate Dining Package allows you to order from the Pre-Fixe menu which allows 1 appetizer, 2 large plates and 1 dessert. However, the waiter gave us the option for 2 appetizers and 2 large plates and since the dessert were lacking, to say the least, we opted for this. Each of got 2 appetizers and 2 large plates (sushi rolls). Again, this was the absolute best sushi we have ever had and was the HIGHLIGHT of our cruise. Izumi is not to be missed.
Time for Specialty Dining #5- Izumi! I may be hooked on this Unlimited Dining thing...
The Izumi Sushi full menu
Miso Soup- 4.0 This really hits the spot when having sushi!
Pork Gyoza Dumpling- 4.5 These were fried perfectly and full of flavor.
Firecracker Shrimp-4.0 These were great but I preferred the dumplings!
Truffle Creamy Lobster Tempura Roll- 5.0 Easily the best sushi I have ever had! Champagne Lobster Roll- 5.0 Wow... This was a bougie sushi roll if I have ever had one!
A free lava cake (not on the menu) from the Chef. We were just too full for more than one bite!
After dinner we walked around the upper decks of the Jewel of the Seas enjoying the beautiful weather and the sounds of the waves and open ocean. We made our way back to the stateroom to take medication and then we went to 80s Party in the Centrum! This was SO COOL and we really enjoyed this party in the Centrum!
We loved this party in the Centrum!
We then went to the Safari Lounge for the Battle of the Sexes and the Quest Gameshow. These are 2 very popular shows on Royal Caribbean and we really enjoyed them both. We called it a night around midnight as the next day was "turn around day" for us since we would be doing the next cruise as well for our Back to Back cruise.
Check out our day in Coco Cay!
We seriously LOVE Coco Cay and this day did not disappoint. We cannot wait to come back.. in 3 short days!
Up Next... Embarkation Day #2 and "turn around day" on our Back to Back cruises!
