The Perfect Day At CocoCay Chicken Parm Sandwich

Perfect Day at CocoCay is Royal Caribbean’s private island water park in the Bahamas.   It has a diverse array of activities from water slides, beach lounging, and pool partying, pricing ranges from free to expensive.  But the one, almost legendary, food item on the island is also included within the cruise fare: the CocoCay Chicken Parm Sandwich. It’s available only in the island’s Snack Shack.

I consider it “almost legendary” for two reasons:

-The Chicken Parm Sandwich is not officially on the CocoCay Snack Shack menu.  It either has to be specially ordered or constructed by oneself.  This makes it an insider treat or hack, heightening the status of the sandwich.

-Cruise vloggers have also attested to this sandwich at CocoCay, most of them recommending it as one of the best complimentary food items on the island. I first read about this sandwich from Matt Hochburg of Royal Caribbean Blog.

The Sandwich

Now that I’ve hyped this sandwich up like the 2^nd coming of the Popeyes fried chicken sandwich, what is it?  It’s ridiculously simple.  The CocoCay Chicken Parm Sandwich is one part fried chicken sandwich and another part mozzarella cheese stick with marinara sauce.  Mix them together….and voila! You get the crispy parm sandwich.

Verdict: Give It A Try

This is a good chicken parm sandwich. The fried chicken sandwich itself has a light, crispy batter to it, more like a McChicken (light crunch/neutral spice) than a Popeyes Fried Chicken (really crunchy batter) or a Chic-Fil-A #1 (not as crispy but plenty of spices). The marinara sauce is standard and the mozzerella sticks isn’t too heavy. Out of all the fast food/buffet chicken parm sandwiches that I have had, this is one of the best versions I’ve had.

Conclusion:

I would recommend giving this sandwich a try. However, is it worth booking a $4,000 Royal Caribbean cruise, travelling all the way to the Bahamas, and taking PTO from your busy schedule to try this sandwich? Of course not.

Consider this scenario instead: a family of four is looking for an affordable cruise vacation to celebrate a family occasion. Their choices are Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, and Disney. Royal and CocoCay is a clear differentiator in a family looking for an exclusive destination:

1. The ship can dock directly to the port (NCL’s private island requires a tender boat)

2. Have a fun water park experience with North America’s largest water slide (Disney’s Castaway Cay is a beach day/Carnival doesn’t have a dedicated private island with a all the bells and whistles)

3. Provide an all you can eat buffet experience with reliabily good food for any picky family eater.

So if you are looking to cruise, have an empty stomach, and end up in CocoCay, yes this sandwich is worth pursuing.

PS The all-you-can-eat taco bar is also worth a shot.