Royal Beach Club Nassau just opened and it might be the most talked-about new cruise destination in the Caribbean. We went. We split up and covered the whole island. We ate the food, did the research, and have a genuinely honest take on whether it’s worth your money.
The short answer: it depends on two things — what you pay, and how much port time you actually have. We’ll get into both.
Watch Our Full Royal Beach Club Tour and Review
If you found this from the video — welcome. Below is everything from our day on the island, plus our honest verdict on pricing, cabanas, and timing.
What Is the Royal Beach Club?
Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is Royal Caribbean’s brand-new private island destination, located right in Nassau Harbour. It’s available exclusively to guests sailing on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Silversea — so if you’re booked on one of those lines and Nassau is on your itinerary, this is an option for you.
It’s not a ship excursion to a remote beach. It’s a full beach club — pools, bars, food, water sports, cabanas — sitting across the harbour from where your ship docks, with views back toward Nassau and the cruise pier.
Getting There
You book it as a shore excursion through your cruise line. To get to the island, you take a short ferry — about 10 minutes — that departs from inside the cruise port at the far end of the ship docks, in the direction of Atlantis Resort. Pricing is dynamic, which is Royal’s way of saying it fluctuates based on demand. Check your cruise planner early. Prices vary by sailing and tend to increase as the date gets closer.
Your first look at the island as you come in on the ferry is genuinely impressive — clean, well-designed, clearly well-funded. It delivers on the marketing photos, at least from a distance.
What’s There: The Full Layout
We split up to cover the whole island — Kris took the right side, Mel took the left. Here’s what we found.
The Party Pool and Main Social Area
Right at the heart of the island is the party pool — the social centre of the whole beach club. Bars, lounge seating along the waterfront, a water slide, music, the whole setup. The facilities look fantastic. Everything is brand new, well-maintained, and smartly laid out. This is clearly a premium product and it shows.
On a less crowded day, this will be a really great time. On a busy day — more on that in a moment.
The Infinity Pool
Further along: a large infinity pool with views over the ocean and a swim-up bar right beside it. In the interest of thorough research, we tested the daiquiris on the way down and the Goombay Smashes on the way back. Both held up well.
The Beach
The beach on the far end of the island is genuinely beautiful — clear water, great sand, and in the early afternoon light, absolutely stunning. This part lives up to every photo you’ve seen. Most people don’t make it this far, which is exactly why it’s worth the walk. The further you go from the party pool, the more peaceful it gets.
The Quiet Beach
At the very far end of the island, you get open views toward the entrance to Nassau Harbour with the lighthouse in the distance. It’s a completely different atmosphere from the party pool end — calm, quiet, genuinely lovely. This was our favourite part of the whole day. The water is warm and calm, and most guests never made it this far.
Food
Food is included in your excursion price, which we appreciate. We had cheese bites, chicken tenders, a chicken Caesar wrap, and a lobster BLT wrap. Honest verdict: the food was actually great. It’s not the reason you come here, but for a beach day it does the job well.
Cabanas
Beach cabanas are the premium offering here — private shade, your own dedicated space right on the water. They look fantastic. At the top of the range is the ultimate family cabana: outside area, inside area, a slide from the top, a loft with a bar, covered outdoor dining. If you have a large group and cost truly isn’t a factor, it looks spectacular. We’re talking thousands of dollars though, so keep that in mind.
The Honest Verdict: Is It Worth It?
Here’s where we want to be really specific, because the answer genuinely depends on two things.
Factor 1: What You Pay
Royal uses dynamic pricing, so what you pay can vary quite a bit. If you catch it at a reasonable rate — and you have a full day in port — this is a genuinely great experience. The facility is beautiful, the beach is fantastic, and you have time to actually enjoy it.
Factor 2: Your Port Time
This is the one most people overlook before booking. We arrived at noon. Three other Royal Caribbean ships had been at the Royal Beach Club since early morning. Almost every chair was already gone by the time we got there. The pools were packed, and we were all leaving at roughly the same time around 5:00 — so the crowds never thinned.
For us, on a short port call like that, we wouldn’t do it again at full price. The math just doesn’t work out.
The key question to ask before you book: What time does your ship arrive, and how many other Royal Caribbean ships are in port that day? If you’re getting a full day and the price is right — go for it. If you’re on a half-day call, you might get more out of exploring Nassau itself.
Are the Cabanas Worth It?
They look incredible. And if budget is genuinely no concern, the beach cabanas are fantastic — private space, no chair scramble, your own piece of the island.
Our honest take: we’d rather put that money toward another cruise. More days at sea, more destinations, more experiences. That’s just how we think about it — and we suspect a lot of you in the Dockside crew feel the same way. But if you’re celebrating something special or travelling with a big group, the premium cabanas are genuinely worth considering.
Getting Back: What to Know
The ferry back drops you at a different dock location inside the cruise port — not where you came from this morning, so you won’t be retracing your steps. It’s a slightly longer journey back to your ship from there, and there is a security checkpoint along the way. Have your ship card and photo ID ready.
On timing: we left the Royal Beach Club with about 60 minutes before our ship’s all-aboard time, and that was plenty. Figure roughly 10–15 minutes on the ferry, 15 minutes walking through the port, and about 10 minutes at the security lineup. Build in a small buffer and you’re fine.
The Bottom Line
Royal Beach Club Nassau is a beautiful facility. On the right day, with the right port time and the right price, it’s a genuinely great experience — and our top pick for a full Nassau port day if you’re on a qualifying sailing.
But do your homework before you book. Check your arrival time. Check the other ships in port. If the timing works and the price is right, you’ll love it. If you’re on a short call at peak price, Nassau itself has plenty to offer.
Planning a Nassau port day? Read our complete Nassau cruise port guide for everything else you need — from Queen’s Staircase to the best Bahamian food.
Dockside Travel 
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