Spotted: Construction equipment arrives to Royal Caribbean's Bahamas beach club site

Eagle-eyed cruisers spotted what looks like construction equipment on the site of what will be Royal Caribbean’s next big project.

Royal Caribbean has big plans for a new private beach club in Nassau, Bahamas that will open sometime in 2025. Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island is the cruise line’s first such club, and perhaps one of the early steps is beginning.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Susan Linhares shared photos from Friday of equipment arriving to the narrow strip of land near the Port of Nassau.

A barge carrying earth moving equipment was spotted being offloaded onto the area.

On Saturday morning, Earl McGrath took additional photos that showed the equipment still in place.

A first-of-its-kind experience

When it opens, the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island will offer Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers a new option while visiting Nassau. Nassau has traditionally been rated poorly by cruise ship passengers for a lack of compelling experiences.

The beach club is an attempt to address that issue, as Nassau is one of the busiest cruise ports for Royal Caribbean. Given its proximity to the United States and the close relationship the cruise line has with the country, Royal Caribbean cannot afford to allow a poor guest experience.

Located on Paradise Island adjacent to where the cruise ships dock, the 17 acres site promises to create, “the ultimate beach day.”

The Royal Beach Club is exclusively for Royal Caribbean cruise passengers, but unlike its private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay, admission is not complimentary. Instead, it will cost extra to visit the beach club and space is limited to about 2,750 guests per day. This means not everyone on the ship will have the opportunity to go.

Read more: CocoCay tips, advice, and everything you need to know

Pricing details are not yet known, but the new club will offer beach and pool access, lunch, and the rental of a beach chair.

There will be private cabanas, pools, and special attention to highlight Bahamian culture within the space. This includes Bahamian fare, island-style barbecues, live music, and local artisans. 

Opening in 2025

The exact timeline for when the Royal Beach Club will open is unknown, but the line said it expects to start operations in 2025.

In an interview with a local Bahamian newspaper in January 2024, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley indicated it would be a summer 2025 opening.

According to Bayley, ground breaking could happen soon, “The Royal Beach Club project is moving along through the process. There’re a few more details that need to be confirmed and ironed out with our partners and with the government. We’re hoping to break ground in the coming weeks but certainly by the end of the first quarter we need to start breaking ground.”

Owned & operated by Bahamians

Something truly different about this beach club will be how equity is shared with the Bahamian people.

49 percent of the The Royal Beach Club will be owned by Bahamians, with Bahamians running, managing, and operating it.

Bahamians will be invited to invest in the project and hold equity up to 49 percent, with the remainder being held by Royal Caribbean. 

In addition to keeping profits in The Bahamas through the equity program, the Royal Beach Club will participate in a new tourism levy that will direct 1% of gross profits to a fund to improve attractions and experiences in The Bahamas.

Over 10 years, the economic impact is projected to be approximately $1 billion through guest spend, government taxes and other expenditures.

Royal Caribbean’s bold short cruise strategy

The Royal Beach Club is one piece of of the cruise line’s careful maneuvering to dominate short cruises.

First and foremost, no other cruise line has beach clubs. That will be a difference maker for anyone considering a cruise ship vacation.

Moreover, it’s located in the heart of where short 3- and 4-night cruises visit, meaning it boosts a major cruise port offering exclusively for the benefit of Royal Caribbean passengers.

The new club will be flanking the cruise line’s change of having the brand new Utopia of the Seas offer short cruises beginning in July 2024. 

Typically, big new cruise ships sail 7-night cruises, but Royal Caribbean wants to dominate the short cruise market by offering weekend sailings on its best ships in a bid to attract new cruisers.

In September 2025, Wonder of the Seas shifts to offer weekend cruises as well.

Combined with a visit to the already super popular Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean will soon offer short cruises that appeal to first-time cruisers that offer port visits no other cruise line can match.

A second beach club in Mexico

Following up on its Nassau beach club will be the Royal Beach Club Cozumel, opening in 2026.

Similar to The Bahamas, the Cozumel beach club will have beaches, swim-up bars, pools, private cabanas, snorkeling, kayaking and other activities. There will also be a restaurant, bar and lounge, a street market and hands-on experiences like tequila tastings and cooking classes. 

No specific site has been announced, but it will be located “along the western coast of the island.”