Swimming with Pigs Shore Excursion Review - Royal Caribbean CocoCay 

Let's get into my review of Swimming with the Pigs, a shore excursion that we booked via Royal Caribbean during our spring break cruise on the Icon of the Seas.

• March 2024 we sailed on the Icon of the Seas 7th sailing where we booked a shore excursion via Royal Caribbean called Swimming with the Pigs off of Perfect Day at CocoCay.  The pictures looked like a great experience

• We paid over $260 with tax for two adults and it was supposed to be a 1.5-hour excursion.

How did it go?

• We started with a skiff ride to the island where the pigs were.  The water on the ride was beautiful teal water. After a briefing where we were told we could not touch the food the pigs were being fed, we moved to a dock next to a pretty small beach.

• They informed us that we could not bring our cell phones and they had to be left on the dock.  No pictures were allowed with the pigs on the beach which was a bummer.

• We walked to the beach where there were various lines to take pictures with pigs.  

• There were approximately 60 people on the excursion with 6 handlers. It was a pretty small beach with approximately 8 pigs. 3 of the pigs were brought into the water.

• We lined up and when it was our turn, we tried to hold up a pig for a picture while someone held an apple that the pig was trying desperately to eat and someone else took a go-pro picture of us.  The pigs were constantly pooping in the water and staff from the excursion were attempting to pick it up while we did our best to not let the floaters touch us and we also tried to avoid the more watery droppings.  It was gross!

• We stood in three lines to take pictures with the pigs and they took 6 pictures in total during our time on the beach.  The pigs were huge and super heavy to carry.  One stepped on my husband's foot and he had a big bruise.

• We were done taking pictures within 30 minutes and waited on the dock for the rest of the group to be ready.

• They gave us a QR code where we can now buy our pictures and it is $50 for ten pictures.

• I had expected that the pigs would be friendly-ish, that they would play in the water and we would swim with them as advertised. I did not consider the poop but that is on me.  

• I was not told this was simply a photo opportunity with pigs. The sad part is that for the $130 you could not take a single picture of a pig in the water and we had to pay more for the pictures.

• When I went to view the pictures to purchase,  they were intermingled with everyone else's and it took a good half hour to find ours. I decided not to purchase them in the end.

• In my opinion this shore excursion was a complete waste of money. I would not go again and I urge you to not do this excursion if you are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise..

• Shame on Royal Caribbean for offering a "Swimming with Pigs" when it was simply a photo opportunity where you have to pay for your pictures, an unsanitary mess, and that Royal charged so much for so little. 

• It changed my opinion of the excursions the Royal Caribbean cruise line offers.  I always thought you paid more through Royal because the excursions were vetted, and I have had some phenomenal experiences on past excursions

• A more appropriate name for this shore excursion would be Photo Opportunity with Pigs on a Beach except you cannot take your own pictures and must pay an additional $50 for your pictures.