half moon cay: advice please

[firsttimewithcunard]

We have 2 days at Half Moon Cay as part of a 20 day cruise with Holland America. What is the advice in terms of hiring beds on the beach and so on. Prices for cabanas seem very expensive (particularly when there are just two of us).

[Essiesmom]

You do not have to 'hire' loungers on the beach, they are free. Cabanas are limited. There are also clamshell shelters that can be rented and can shelter two people. I would not make any reservations for your first visit. After that, you will know what it is like and whether you want to spend the money. EM

[catl331]

It does seem expensive to pay for the cabanas unless you are sharing and of course, you should use it all day. There are many lounge chairs and palm trees to put them under. On our first time there we sat for awhile and then explored the island. We booked the stingray encounter the second time. Last time I did not even get off the ship. Quite a few others stayed behind also. It started raining after the bbq was served. I think the idea of getting an idea of what is what the first visit is good. If you are planning on doing alot of beach visits elsewhere on your cruise, just a few hours on this isle would be sufficient. The pools on the ship are quite empty when everyone heads to the beach.

[sevenseasnomad]

Agree you should check out HMC your first visit. We rented a cabana our first visit and found that while it was nice, having the money back in our pockets would have been nicer. Would we rent a cabana again? No, not unless we were sharing the cost with another couple.

 

Next time at HMC (Dec. 2010) we plan on walking around the island more, which is what we should have done the first time!

 

No matter what you decide to do, you're going to love this little crescent of paradise (crescent because the island is shaped more like a crescent moon than a half moon---but Crescent Moon Cay just doesn't cut it).

[jtl513]

We never stay on HMC more than a few hours, and we don't stay on the beach for the whole time, so renting a cabana would be a big waste of money for us. There's plenty of free loungers, and it's not hard to find a shady spot to put one in if you go far enough down the beach.

 

This picture was taken early in the morning, and there isn't as much shade later on. The next three webshots pictures show more what the shade is like later in the day. The small buildings are the cabanas, for $299 /day. Unfortunately this pic doesn't show any clamshells opened up, but in the foreground left you can see a couple of them collapsed by loungers.

 

Click to enlarge, and see other HMC pics

[matondo]

Get the clamshell. Nothing like lounging in a chair and just gazing at the beautiful blue water. Book early because they usually sell out fast. If you want to upgrade to the cabana for the second day at HMC I would think, if they are available, HAL could assit you with that.

[cb at sea]

There's shade if you need it...and you don't have to stay on the beach the entire time! I'm not sure paying extra for a clamshell is really worth it! After all, aside from alcohol, the day has already been paid for in your fare.

There are loungers everywhere, and you can move them, if you want to!

[cruz chic]

There's shade if you need it...and you don't have to stay on the beach the entire time! I'm not sure paying extra for a clamshell is really worth it! After all, aside from alcohol, the day has already been paid for in your fare.

There are loungers everywhere, and you can move them, if you want to!

I'm with you...can't see the value in getting a clamshell or a cabana. I love to spend as much time as possible on the beach and I'd be hard pressed to spend the money for these things. I would much rather spend it on something else. To me, the cabanas remind me of a playhouse you would have as a kid. There is nothing much in there for what they are charging. I'm sure many others will disagree with me but IMO it's just not worth the money.

[WhansaMi]

I guess it depends on how you like to spend your day.

 

My best day on a beach, ever, was in a cabana on HMC. The loungers were overstuffed and so comfortable I took a nice long nap. I loved having the fans blowing over me, and I am too fair-skinned to be in the sun for very long. It was nice to have some snacks readily available, anytime I wanted, without having to go over to the food court.

 

For me, to have a day of pure relaxation, it was a price well worth it.

[Krazy Kruizers]

For the few hours we spend on HMC we don't find it worth while to rent either a cabana or a clam shell.

 

We like to walk around -- find a shady spot for a drink -- do our own thing.

[Essiesmom]

Agree you should check out HMC your first visit. We rented a cabana our first visit and found that while it was nice, having the money back in our pockets would have been nicer. Would we rent a cabana again? No, not unless we were sharing the cost with another couple.

 

Next time at HMC (Dec. 2010) we plan on walking around the island more, which is what we should have done the first time!

 

No matter what you decide to do, you're going to love this little crescent of paradise (crescent because the island is shaped more like a crescent moon than a half moon---but Crescent Moon Cay just doesn't cut it).

Half Moon Cay is named for Henry Hudson's ship, the Half Moon, which also appears on HAL's logo...EM

[jtl513]

Half Moon Cay is named for Henry Hudson's ship, the Half Moon, which also appears on HAL's logo...EM

As are the Half Moon meeting rooms on the Vista and Signature ships, and the Hudson rooms are named for ol' Henry hisself! (The Stuyvesant rooms are named for Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Netherlands.)

[kalliekae]

We never stay on HMC more than a few hours, and we don't stay on the beach for the whole time, so renting a cabana would be a big waste of money for us.

 

Thank you so much for posting your photos! We have not been to HMC in many years so we were considering a cabana for our November cruise. After seeing your pictures, I know we will not have any interest in staying there all day. Like others, we will enjoy walking around, having a drink and then going back to the ship. However, friends that we are traveling with are anxiously awaiting HMC and a cabana since they love to lounge around all day. Different strokes............;)

[Nanner]

My DH and I both fry in the sun. I also have a condition that makes too much sun a bad idea. So we rent a clamshell for a whopping $14. Plenty of room for 2 loungers, and you don't feel guilty leaving for a while to do a bit of swimming or go on an excursion. If we spent the money for a cabana, I think I'd feel bound to hang out the entire day at HMC. With the clamshell, if it is cool or we have had enough sun, we aren't out much money if we decide to head back to the ship.

 

It all depends on what you want, and what you feel like spending your money on.

[Willsot]

We didn't rent a cabana on HMC until our fourth visit. Now that we have, we'll rush to make a cabana reservation as soon as they are available on future visits. We loved it.

[SusieKay]

We found most of the shade from the palm trees was gone before noon, so that's when we headed up to the buffet, and found no lines and a choice of seats-all under a nice shady canopy. After lunch we snorkeled near the Oasis area, and were back on the ship before 2pm. It was a lovely day on HMC. If we came back for a second time in the same trip, we would probably do the same thing!!

[jtl513]

... many lounge chairs and palm trees ...

 

We found most of the shade from the palm trees was gone before noon, ...

Those aren't palms! :) Some kind of conifer that gives a kind of "thin" shade.

[cheggy]

we were there the 22nd of Dec. It was cloudy ALL day and cool with sprinkle of rain the entire time. Now what if you spent the price for the cabana and end up with this kind of day? save your money unless you have so much you don't mind.

[Typhoon1]

We've seen cloudy days in February.

 

It was overcast, but still warm and we both got sunburn. A good time was had by all.

[SusieKay]

Those aren't palms! :) Some kind of conifer that gives a kind of "thin" shade.

 

Sorry, I am not an aborist. What difference does it make-the shade was still gone before noon!

[cheggy]

we had a good time too but no one got a tan much less a burn. We walked the loop and enjoyed the sights. the rainjacket kept off the cool wind as well as the raindrops.

[SusieKay]

Correction: I spelled arborist incorrectly-it was too late to edit it when I realized it.

[bodget]

maasdam stopped at HMC on the 7th.65 deg. cooler than the rest of the trip by more than 15 deg

[Mr. Oregon]

We positively loved the Cabana at HMC. It was our last day on a 7 day ruise and we had been very active the entire time, so it was nice to have a break before our return.

 

The Cabanas include soft drinks, fruit/snacks, snorkeling gear and an outdoor shower. Here are a couple of photos from last year's cruise.

 

 

 

We enjoyed it enough that we have a cabana reserved next week on our Nordam cruise.

[aaerobear]

we were in HMC on the 22nd of Dec (Statendam) and had the Blue Cabana and the butler package. What a great way to indulge one's self and that's what it is all about. The weather was not all that great, but the experience was. The service was fast and efficient and the food was great (loved the cold lobster salad sandwiches)

 

I know it is not for everyone and it is definitely not cheap, but it was just what the doctor ordered for us.