Half Moon Cay open?

[qe2]

On our Eurodam cruise in late December. We did not go to Half Moon Cay. We were told that there was severe damage from a previous storm. Has anyone been there since new years?

Is it in good condition?

Thanks

[INSIDERS CABIN]

We were there on December 24 and all was good; beach was perfect, facilitiies fine. Perhaps was there a rumor on board? In the past, we have bypassed when tenders could not safely transport goods and passengers due to winds and high surf.

[sail7seas]

It is commoly known that sea/weather conditions dictate whether a ship can tender to the island. We have been there through the years probably 20 or more times and I would say about 20% of the time we could not tender and had to turn away. Some of those times, it was bright, sunny beautiful day but the seas were too rough to tender safely.

 

It is disappointing but it happens.

The published itineraries showing Half Moon Cay always have an asterik beside the port saying "conditions permitting". That must be a clue it is not unheard of for the call to HMC to be cancelled.

 

[qe2]

After being on 50 cruises, I am aware that it is not always possible to tender in to a port/island. However, we were told that the island had the beach and buildings severely damaged. I am trying to find out if this was actually the case and if so, has it been repaired.

[qe2]

We were scheduled to go there on Dec 20. It was the captain who said that we were not going there because of damage. I really didn't know whether to believe him. If it was ok on the 24th, I can assume that the damage was minimal and that chances are normal that ships will call there.

[G&G]

We were at Half Moon Cay on 12/11/09. There was no damage and there has not been any storms that would have caused damage to the facilities. The cold fronts that have been coming through Florida with winds & cold air have probably affected the ability to tender to the island.

[sail7seas]

We were scheduled to go there on Dec 20. It was the captain who said that we were not going there because of damage. I really didn't know whether to believe him. If it was ok on the 24th, I can assume that the damage was minimal and that chances are normal that ships will call there.

 

Which ship? Which Captain?

[qe2]

Eurodam Dec 19 sailing. I think that it was Capt. Mercer.

[Parrot57]

We were also on the Dec 19 sailing of the Eurodam. We were scheduled to tender at HMC along with another HAL ship. As the other poster stated, we were told there was beach erosion. However, that evening at dinner, another person told me that his cabin steward told him that the reason we did not stay was because there was an outbreak of H1N1 on the other ship. He also said the other ship did tender to HMC.

 

It seems strange that the ship with H1N1 would dock. You would think they would be the ones turned away. I am not sure this is true and I have been able to find out anything.

[qe2]

Interesting! I guess that we need to hear from someone on the Statendam. That was the other ship that was there.

[Krazy Kruizers]

My interest is piqued -- I'll be curious to learn what will happened that you were unable to visit HMC.

[sail7seas]

Which ship? Which Captain?

[Copper10-8]

We were supposed to make a port call at HMC last Saturday, 02 JAN 10, on Westerdam. Btw, cruise ships don't/can't "dock" there - they tender with two HAL-owned large tenders. On approach to the island, Capt. Harris came on the P/A around 0800 to say that things did not look good. There was a strong wind blowing into the beach and there had been a full moon the night before, causing a higher than normal tide. In addition, there were some pretty descent swell waves. The wind plus high tide had caused the beach to be pretty much under water/washed away - in other words, there was not much beach left. The capt, stated that, as a result, all shore excursion involving H2O, had already been cancelled. In addition, the presence of the constant swell would make tendering (getting in and out of them via the ship's tender platform) very uncomfortable, to say the least, especially for the very young, the elderly and the mobility impaired.

Capt. Harris continued a slow approach until we were alongside the beach/swimming area, about a mile and a half to two miles out, and about an hour after his first announcement. At this time, the wind had not let up and was still blowing from the same direction, into the beach. (we could see white caps) and the swell was still present. The ship had been in constant contact via radio with the island facilities manager who reported no improvement in the conditions. Taking everything into account, the captain then decided to cancel the HMC port call and make the rest of the day another sea day. The only alternate port of call would have been Nassau but berthing space there was not guaranteed.

Disappointing? Sure! There were two couples onboard who were to be maried inside the HMC chappel that day.The right decision? Without a doubt! Btw, the capt. scheduled a Q&A session with himself and the CD inside the Vista Lounge about two hours after making that decision + announcement to cancel. In it, he took flak from pax who just couldn't or wouldn't understand why there was no HMC. In that session, he stated that another HAL ship had no problems getting into HMC the day before, so on New Years Day, and he doubted that other ships would have any problems in the coming days. It just wasn't our day! (second time this has happend to us) HMC is a beautiful place but getting in there, you are at the mercy of the elements (not necessarily bad weather/storms) and you just never know!

[Y's Owl]

I wish that someday they construct a deep water dock there so tenders don't have to be used. I have been on two cruises which were supposed to dock there and on both occasions we could not go to the island because of high winds and seas. At least we received an onboard credit for missing it this past cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Which ship? Which Captain?

 

Eurodam Dec 19 sailing. I think that it was Capt. Mercer.

 

You asked this question before and OP answered you right away.

[Copper10-8]

I wish that someday they construct a deep water dock there so tenders don't have to be used. I have been on two cruises which were supposed to dock there and on both occasions we could not go to the island because of high winds and seas. At least we received an onboard credit for missing it this past cruise.

 

Talk to Carnival Corp and Mr. Mickey! They have' date=' in the past, financed and constructed port enhancements at Charlotte Amalie (Crown Bay), Cozumel and Costa Maya. However, building a huge concrete pier at HMC is going to no doubt adversely impact the overal scenery of the island! Plus I have no clue, water depth-wise, how far out to sea they would have to go to have, say a Vista-class ship, be able to dock there. [/color']

If one were to take a close look at how many times a port call at HMC is cancelled due to swells/wind/weather, etc., those numbers pale in comparison to when pax are able to get in and enjoy the island.

[bbro]

Our ship (Eurodam) was at HMC on 12/27 along with the Noordam. No problems for either ship. Both tendered and the weather was rainy/windy. I didn't go ashore so I can't speak of damage - but all the reviews from our cruise make no mention of damage at all.

[jtl513]

We were scheduled to go there on Dec 20. It was the captain who said that we were not going there because of damage. I really didn't know whether to believe him. If it was ok on the 24th, I can assume that the damage was minimal and that chances are normal that ships will call there.

 

We were at Half Moon Cay on 12/11/09. There was no damage and there has not been any storms that would have caused damage to the facilities. The cold fronts that have been coming through Florida with winds & cold air have probably affected the ability to tender to the island.

Ditto what G&G said. We were there 12/12, and it was fine. We also live in FL and weren't aware of any severe storms hitting the Bahamas between 12/12 and 12/20.

[afcroozer]

We were on Statendam, scheduled for a day at HMC, along with Eurodam. At 0800, just prior to tendering on a sunny but windy Saturday morning, Capt "Jack" announced that there was severe beach erosion and strong winds and water too rough for tendering, so after consultation with Eurodam's captain and the shore administrator it was best to cancel the visit and spend the day at sea, returning to FLL at 0100 rather than 0700 the next morning to conclude the voyage. We were all naturally disappointed, and we were too far out to see whether he was right that the swimming beach was almost gone from a storm (70 mph winds allegedly) the previous night.

We were also in the modst of a GI breakout, which had its own inconveniences.:mad:

[catl331]

sounds more like norovirus. Sometimes rip currents caused by the high winds cause channels to appear in the sand under the water along the beach. Maybe this is the erosion they were talking about. It can reverse itself and fill in. The islands are owned by the Bahamas and maybe they do not want a deep water port there.

[pipedreams62]

If the wind is howling so bad, a captain can't get in there and tender safely,what's the appeal of going in? What would a dock do? You'd be at the beach with the winds blowing sand in your teeth all day,isn't exactly idyllic.

 

 

 

[Typhoon1]

I wish that someday they construct a deep water dock there so tenders don't have to be used. I have been on two cruises which were supposed to dock there and on both occasions we could not go to the island because of high winds and seas. At least we received an onboard credit for missing it this past cruise.

 

No way, Castaway Cay, (Disney) has a dock, and it does nothing but detract from the natural beauty of the island. I don't want to look at tons of concrete and steel at such a beautiful slice of paradise.

 

I'll take my chances with the 20% chance we may miss that port

[qe2]

I'm glad to hear that the island is fine. It may very well have been that the beach was damaged. There were very high winds before we arrived. They do keep heavy equipment so that they can quickly make repairs. Or it may have been that if the Statendam had noro and the weather/island were not the best. I personally would have rather missed the island than have been exposed to noro. While we always want to know all of the details, we have to trust that the captain is making the right decision.

[Vic The Parrot]

If the wind is howling so bad, a captain can't get in there and tender safely,what's the appeal of going in? What would a dock do? You'd be at the beach with the winds blowing sand in your teeth all day,isn't exactly idyllic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very true.

 

 

Makes me wonder about some of the people John mentioned ...

They get honest and open answers from a professional sea captain, and yet they think they're being taken for a ride. :rolleyes

 

 

PS ..

 

Welcome back. How was the Amsterschwartz? :D

[Copper10-8]

Very true.

 

 

Makes me wonder about some of the people John mentioned ...

They get honest and open answers from a professional sea captain, and yet they think they're being taken for a ride. :rolleyes

 

 

PS ..

 

Welcome back. How was the Amsterschwartz? :D

 

Doesn't surprise you, does it, Vic?;) The cheque, svp, Monsieur!