Answer first: The Royal Beach Club Collection is Royal Caribbean Group's set of paid, exclusive land-based beach destinations. Paradise Island (Nassau) opened December 23, 2025. Santorini opened April 27, 2026. Cozumel opens December 31, 2026. Antigua is on the announced pipeline. The Group has said it will grow from two land-based destinations to eight by 2028. Each Beach Club is a paid shore excursion, not an included port day, that's the single most useful thing to understand before booking around one.
Who This Article Is For
This piece is written for travelers actively comparing 2026 and 2027 Royal Caribbean (and Celebrity) itineraries. If you fit one of these, this article is for you:
- You're trying to figure out whether to pay extra for a Beach Club or use the included port day.
- You've been to Perfect Day at CocoCay and want to know how the Royal Beach Clubs differ.
- You're booking 2027 itineraries and want to know which Beach Clubs are likely to be open by then.
In the Wake also serves grieving widows and widowers, disabled adventurers, healing families, and exhausted caregivers. The Royal Beach Clubs are designed to be small and quiet by cruise-destination standards, which makes them an interesting fit for travelers who find Nassau or Cozumel overwhelming. The Accessibility page and the Solo travel hub are good companions.
If you've cruised Royal Caribbean in the last decade, the company's private-destination strategy is familiar: Perfect Day at CocoCay as the headline included beach day, Labadee on Eastern routes, and a steady drumbeat of upgrades to both. The Royal Beach Club Collection is a different model. Smaller, paid, deliberately exclusive, and rolling out at a pace that surprised most of the industry. Twelve months ago there were zero. As of mid-May 2026 there are two open and a third with a confirmed opening date. By late 2027 there will likely be four or five.
This article walks through what's actually open, what's actually coming, and the planning implications. The on-the-ground details for each location live on the port pages, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island and Royal Beach Club Cozumel have the pier diagrams, day-pass pricing, cabana options, and accessibility notes. The point of this article is the strategy and the planning math, not the towel rental.
What's Open Right Now
Two Royal Beach Clubs are operational as of mid-May 2026.
Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, Nassau (open December 23, 2025)
The first Royal Beach Club opened to its first guests on December 23, 2025, with a public grand opening on January 7, 2026. The site sits on Paradise Island in Nassau. A 25-minute custom-ferry ride from the Nassau cruise terminal at Prince George Wharf. It is 17 acres with a maximum daily capacity of 4,000 guests. Five purpose-built ferries, each carrying 241 passengers and five crew, run continuously through the port day. Guests with a confirmed booking ride; the public cannot.
That deliberate small footprint is the most interesting design choice. Nassau handled 6.1 million cruise passengers across roughly 1,600 ship calls in 2025. A single peak day in April 2025 saw 31,011 passengers. The Royal Beach Club caps at 4,000. Meaning even on a peak Nassau day, the club's per-guest space ratio looks closer to a small resort than to the main port. Day-pass pricing has been running about $99 to $129 per person depending on season, with cabanas from roughly $249 to $599 for overwater units. Standard admission includes the ferry, a beach chair and umbrella, towels, pool and beach access, and complimentary non-alcoholic drinks. Food and alcohol are extra.
The fuller on-site write-up, what the swim-up bar pours, where the accessible paths run, what the cabana actually contains, lives on the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island port page. The relevant strategic point for this article is that the Beach Club model proved itself in Nassau quickly enough that the Group accelerated the rest of the pipeline.
Royal Beach Club Santorini, Greece (open April 27, 2026)
Santorini is the first Royal Beach Club outside the Caribbean and the first in Europe. It opened on April 27, 2026, less than four months after Paradise Island. The site combines beach access with two tour stops bundled inside a single full-day excursion called Ultimate Santorini Day. The package includes round-trip transport from the ship's tender pier, a stop in Oia for the white-washed-and-blue-domed photo set, a stop in Fira's shops and cafes, and admission to the Beach Club itself. Food, draft beer, house wines, non-alcoholic drinks, and Wi-Fi are included once you're inside the club.
The Santorini location matters strategically because it answers a long-standing problem: Santorini is one of the most photogenic ports in cruising and one of the most logistically painful. Tendering is mandatory. The cable car queue stacks. The bus and donkey paths to Fira move at their own pace. A Beach Club that bundles transport with a controlled-capacity beach exit gives Royal Caribbean a way to offer Santorini without the day going sideways for nervous first-timers. It's also notable that Celebrity guests can book it. Making this the first land-based destination shared across the two brands at launch.
Royal Beach Club Cozumel, Opening December 31, 2026
Cozumel is the next opening and the one with the largest impact on Western Caribbean itineraries. The site is 42 acres, more than twice the size of Paradise Island, and sits roughly 20 minutes by bus southwest of the Cozumel cruise piers. Royal Caribbean has confirmed an opening date of December 31, 2026. The published design includes a North Beach and a South Beach, a centerpiece pool with a swim-up bar that transitions into a "toes in the sand" zone, and a food hall called The Mercato featuring Mexican specialties alongside standard beach food. The familiar Royal Caribbean "chill / family / party" zone breakdown applies inside the property.
Two things about the Cozumel project are worth attention beyond the standard beach-club pitch.
Public beach access is part of the deal. Royal Caribbean has committed to building new public beach access in Cozumel as part of the Beach Club development. That's a meaningful concession in a market where beach access has been a contentious local issue for years. It does not mean the Beach Club itself becomes public, it remains a paid Royal Caribbean / Celebrity excursion, but the surrounding shoreline gains additional unrestricted access points. For independent cruisers planning a Mahahual day or a Palancar Reef snorkel, this is news to watch.
The originally-paired Perfect Day Mexico is on hold. The Cozumel Beach Club opens in late 2026; the separate Perfect Day Mexico destination was rejected by Mexico's environment ministry SEMARNAT on May 19, 2026. The pairing strategy was deliberate, Royal Caribbean has been candid that the goal is to make Western Caribbean itineraries as strong as Eastern ones, and the Eastern advantage has historically been CocoCay. With Perfect Day Mexico blocked at the original Mahahual site, the Cozumel Beach Club now stands alone as the Western Mexican destination; Royal Caribbean has signaled it intends to re-engage with Mexican authorities on a redesigned project but no revised opening date is on the books.
For 2026 sailings that touch Cozumel before December 31, the Beach Club is not yet a factor, see the Cozumel port page for what's available now (Palancar Reef snorkeling, San Gervasio ruins, Chankanaab, Mr. Sanchos, Nachi Cocom). For sailings in 2027 onward, expect the Beach Club to appear in shore-excursion lists alongside the existing options. The detail page for the Beach Club itself, pier diagrams, transit, accessibility, pricing once published, lives at Royal Beach Club Cozumel.
The Wider Pipeline: Two Destinations to Eight by 2028
Royal Caribbean Group has publicly framed the Beach Club Collection as part of an expansion from two land-based destinations to eight by 2028. The two existing land destinations are Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee. The new ones, in announced order:
- Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, open December 23, 2025
- Royal Beach Club Santorini, open April 27, 2026
- Royal Beach Club Cozumel, opening December 31, 2026
- Royal Beach Club Antigua. Announced, opening date not yet published
- Perfect Day Mexico: original Mahahual site rejected by SEMARNAT on May 19, 2026; Royal Caribbean has signaled re-engagement on a redesigned project, no revised opening date set (different model from the Beach Clubs; closer to the CocoCay format)
That's five new properties named so far, plus the two existing CocoCay and Labadee locations, against a stated target of eight by 2028. The remaining unconfirmed slot or two leaves room for at least one more announcement in the next twelve to eighteen months. Royal Caribbean has hinted at additional Mediterranean and Caribbean candidates without committing to a city.
For practical planning, the takeaway isn't the count, it's the cadence. Five major land-based openings inside roughly twenty-four months is the most aggressive private-destination rollout in cruise industry history. Ships that didn't have a Royal Beach Club on the itinerary when you booked may have one by the time you sail. Itineraries published a year out are likely to be revised when new clubs come online. Watch for confirmation emails 60 to 90 days before sailing, that's when itinerary changes typically reach guests, and it's when a "new for your sailing" excursion line item may appear.
Royal Beach Club vs Perfect Day at CocoCay
The Beach Clubs and CocoCay solve different problems. Confusing them, assuming one is a smaller version of the other, leads to the most common planning mistake on these itineraries.
| Attribute | Royal Beach Club Paradise Island | Perfect Day at CocoCay |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 17 acres | 140 acres |
| Daily capacity | 4,000 guests | ~13,000 guests |
| Cost to guest | $99–$129+ per person (paid excursion) | Included with cruise fare |
| Access | Ferry from Nassau cruise terminal | Ship docks alongside |
| Audience | Royal Caribbean & Celebrity guests who pre-book | Every guest on a CocoCay sailing |
| Marquee features | Beach, pool, swim-up bar, overwater cabanas | Thrill Waterpark, Coco Beach Club, Up Up & Away balloon, zip line |
| Best for | Adults wanting a quiet, premium beach | Families wanting a full theme-park-style day |
The decision is rarely about which is "better". It's about whether you want an included headline day or a paid quieter one. On itineraries that touch both (which exist), the math frequently shifts toward CocoCay for families with children old enough to enjoy the waterpark and toward the Beach Club for couples or solo travelers. On itineraries that touch only Nassau (the much more common case), the question is Beach Club versus standard Nassau port day, see the Nassau port page for what the alternative includes.
Santorini is the unusual case where the Beach Club isn't competing with an "included" alternative. It's competing with the rest of the Santorini day, which is logistically demanding. The bundled excursion model fits the port. Cozumel will be the harder call, because Cozumel already has well-established independent options: Palancar Reef diving, the Mahahual day trip, Chankanaab, Mr. Sanchos. The Beach Club's value proposition there has to compete with options the average cruiser already knows.
What It Changes for Itinerary Planning
Look for Beach Club Slots Before You Book
If a Royal Beach Club matters to you, for any reason: noise tolerance, mobility, group size, the simple appeal of a controlled day, check shore-excursion availability when you're comparing sailings, not after you've booked. Day-pass inventory is finite by design. Cabanas are scarcer. Both go on sale through the Cruise Planner roughly 90 days before sailing, sometimes earlier. Booking the cruise around the Beach Club rather than the other way is the lower-stress sequence.
Build a Backup Plan
Beach Club operations depend on weather, sea state, and ferry mechanicals. Paradise Island is ferry-only. Santorini relies on a tender ride from the ship to Athinios pier plus the bundled excursion buses. A bad sea-state morning can cancel the whole day. Build a Plan B for each Beach Club port: the standard Nassau options if Paradise Island ferries are down, the cable car / bus route to Fira if the Santorini bundle is canceled. The Port Day Planner handles this kind of contingency stack for every port on your itinerary.
Match the Spend to the Group
Beach Club admission is per person. A family of four at peak season is looking at roughly $400 to $520 in day-pass charges before food, drinks, or a cabana. Comparable to a mid-tier excursion at most ports, but front-loaded onto a single day. The Budget Calculator models this against the rest of your onboard spend so the Beach Club doesn't blindside the rest of the trip. Solo travelers and couples generally find the math kinder than larger groups.
Watch for Itinerary Substitutions
Itineraries published more than a year out have been changing more often than they used to. When a new Beach Club opens, ships frequently get re-routed to include it. Sometimes at the cost of a port already on the schedule. If your booked itinerary touches the Bahamas in 2027, expect possible Paradise Island additions. If it touches Mexico in 2027, expect possible Cozumel Beach Club additions. The cruise line will notify you, but the changes can land 60 to 90 days before sailing rather than at booking.
Use the Ship and Stateroom Tools to Pair the Right Cabin
A Beach Club day pulls you off the ship for most of the daylight hours. That changes the calculus on balcony cabins for the rest of the cruise. Fewer sea hours in the cabin, more in port. The Stateroom Check walks through whether the balcony is still worth it given how many true sea days you'll have. The Ship Size Atlas matters too: a packed Oasis-class ship feels different on a sea day from a Quantum-class ship at the same itinerary length.
Actionable Takeaways
Treat the Royal Beach Clubs as Excursions, Not Ports
The single biggest planning shift the Collection introduces is that "private destination" no longer always means "included." CocoCay is included; Royal Beach Club is not. Build that line item into your budget from the booking stage, not from the Cruise Planner email at 90 days out.
Book the Cabana Early or Skip It
Cabana inventory is the scarcest resource at any of the Beach Clubs. The overwater units in Nassau go first; the Cozumel inventory hasn't been published yet but will follow the same pattern. If a cabana is the deal-breaker for whether the Beach Club works for your group, for shade, accessibility, privacy, or photography, book the moment your sailing's Cruise Planner opens. If you can't get one, the standard day pass still includes a beach chair and umbrella; sometimes that's enough.
Verify Your Sailing's Status Before You Plan Around It
The rollout is fast. Itineraries change. Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner is the authoritative source for whether your specific sailing has a specific Beach Club available. Third-party sites may lag. Confirm in the Cruise Planner before you commit to a Beach Club–dependent plan.
Don't Forget the Public Options
The Royal Beach Clubs are exclusive by design. They're also expensive. Nassau, Cozumel, CocoCay, and the rest of the Caribbean still offer the day you remember from earlier cruises: public beaches, independent excursions, and free shoreside time. The Beach Clubs are an option, not an upgrade you owe the cruise line.
FAQ
What is the Royal Beach Club Collection?
Royal Caribbean Group's portfolio of paid, exclusive land-based beach destinations built specifically for cruise guests. Paradise Island opened December 23, 2025; Santorini opened April 27, 2026; Cozumel opens December 31, 2026; Antigua is announced. The Group is moving from two land-based destinations to eight by 2028.
When does Royal Beach Club Cozumel open?
December 31, 2026. The 42-acre site is roughly a 20-minute bus ride southwest of the Cozumel cruise port. The originally-paired Perfect Day Mexico project was rejected by Mexico's environment ministry SEMARNAT on May 19, 2026; Royal Caribbean has signaled re-engagement on a redesigned project but no revised opening date is on the books.
Is Royal Beach Club included in cruise fare?
No. Each Royal Beach Club is a paid shore excursion. Paradise Island day passes have been running about $99 to $129 per person depending on season, with cabanas from $249 (beachfront) to $599 (overwater). Santorini is sold inside the bundled Ultimate Santorini Day excursion. Cozumel pricing hasn't been published yet.
How does Royal Beach Club compare to Perfect Day at CocoCay?
CocoCay is 140 acres with capacity around 13,000, included with cruise fare, designed to absorb a full day of multiple Oasis-class ships. Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is 17 acres with a 4,000-guest cap, ferry-only, and a paid upcharge. Different products, different audiences. See the CocoCay port page for the included-day comparison.
Can I visit Royal Beach Club Paradise Island without a Royal Caribbean cruise?
No. Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is exclusively for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity guests with a confirmed booking. Access is via dedicated ferry from the Nassau cruise terminal. There is no walk-up admission.
Will Cozumel still have its public beaches and existing excursions?
Yes. Royal Caribbean has committed to building new public beach access in Cozumel as part of the Beach Club development. The independent options Cozumel is known for: Palancar Reef snorkeling, Chankanaab Beach Park, San Gervasio ruins, Mr. Sanchos, Nachi Cocom, and the longer day-trip down to Mahahual, remain. See the Cozumel port page for the current list.
Where to Start
If a Royal Beach Club is on your shortlist for an upcoming sailing, the practical sequence is short. Confirm the Beach Club is on your specific itinerary in the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner (don't trust third-party schedules for this). Decide on day pass versus cabana, and if cabana, book the moment Planner opens. Build a weather backup using the Port Day Planner. Run the cost through the Budget Calculator with the rest of your spend. And if the Beach Club is the reason you're considering an upgrade in stateroom or itinerary, run that too in the Stateroom Check before you commit.
The two quizzes, the Cruise Line Quiz and the Ship Quiz. Narrow the field if you're not yet decided on a sailing. Voyage Packs are a paid product. The rest of the planning tools on this site are free.
Sources
The data in this article was verified against primary sources in May 2026. Last reviewed: May 14, 2026.
- Royal Caribbean Press Center, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island opening. royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com
- Cruise Industry News, Royal Caribbean Opens Beach Club at Nassau's Paradise Island, January 2026. cruiseindustrynews.com
- Cruise Critic, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island sneak peek and capacity figures. cruisecritic.com
- Royal Caribbean Press Center, Ultimate Santorini Day, summer 2026. royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com
- Royal Caribbean Blog, Royal Beach Club Santorini opens, April 2026. royalcaribbeanblog.com
- Royal Caribbean Press Center, Cozumel public beach access announcement. royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com
- Cruise Critic, Royal Beach Club Cozumel, what we know so far. cruisecritic.com
- Royal Caribbean Group, Royal Beach Club Santorini announcement and pipeline expansion. royalcaribbeangroup.com
- Royal Caribbean, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island product page. royalcaribbean.com
- Royal Caribbean, Royal Beach Club Cozumel product page. royalcaribbean.com
- Nassau Cruise Port, 2025 passenger volumes. seatrade-cruise.com