Review of Half Moon Cay (cabana video & pics etc)

[wildberry]

My wedding party (17 of us total) were fortunate enough to get the Private Oasis cabana on 05/16. Hands down, well well worth the money! We had an amazing time...the view was to die for...and it was so nice to have the entire thing to ourselves. Everyone in our group mentioned that it was by far an amazing experience and they would all do it again in a heartbea

 

 

View of the rest of HMC from the Cabana...

 

 

Everyone on the Oasis staff from the bartender to the cooks and the maintenance/housekeeping folks were attentive to our every need - there was someone there just to sweep up the sand from the cabana floor, every time someone walked in. They also went into the bathrooms every time someone came out to make sure it was pristine. There was nothing out of place or dirty, and the service was stellar.

 

 

Of course we had alcohol galore too (mixed drinks, tropical fun drinks, beer...you name it). The food was delicious as well - and so much more than we could even think about eating! We had hamburgers, fish & bbq chicken, fresh fruit, tons of different salads, enough guacamole to feed a small nation and a platter of cookies/brownies etc.

 

 

The tender process was smooth, and it's a very short walk through the sand to the cabana once you get there. They have tons of towels there at the cabana, no need to bring yours from the ship. The fee includes all the food and drink you want, towels, private bathrooms (2 of them), private shower, changing room, hammock, lounge chairs both in and out of the sun, 2 large clamshells, hot tub (comfortably seats about 7 people), snorkel equipment, floats, massage table (masseuse extra), and water slide. They also had an ipod docking station and they had an ipod already hooked up and playing when we got there...Oh, and let's not forget the PRIVACY!

 

 

 

The bar with the grilling area behind it.

 

 

We did pay for 3 extra people, but Carnival comped mine and my (new) husband's fees. Not sure if you really have to pay the extra person charges, but they did hand us tender tickets based on the number of people. Suppose other folks could take another tender and just meet up with you there - not sure really how they know who should be there and who shouldnt, they dont give you wristbands or anything. They did ask for our pop flavor preferences and flipper sizes when we booked. I ordered flippers for everyone, but only 2 out of our group used them - we were having too much fun doing everything else!!

 

Bottom line...dont hesitate to book the Oasis if you can...it was by far an amazing experience!

 

Questions? Just ask...

 

Did I miss it, but what was price? how many people did you have to have? did you rent this before you go or on the ship? we are going May 8 2011.

[Kristin1112]

$1395 for the first 12 people, $99 for each person after that. You cannot reserve in advance unless you have a "group booking" through Carnival. If you're on HAL, you can reserve in advance so I hear but not sure of their price.

 

If you dont have a group booking, get to the ship as early as possible and get in line at the excursion desk promptly or you'll miss out.

[reno3]

I would like to rent a cabana.

What time does the excursion desk open?

[Irishlinny]

I would like to rent a cabana.

What time does the excursion desk open?

The excursion desk is open when you get on the ship...head over there as soon as you board:)

[Kristin1112]

Everything I read (and was told by the excursion people) was 11:30, however, the sign at the desk said noon - and they opened promptly at that time.

 

I would get in line ASAP upon boarding...by noon there was quite a lengthy line.

[carly chloe]

I didn't think I would... but we are leaning now towards getting a cabana. Hopefully we'll be fast enough!!! I want to be the furtherest cabana down that can hear the music. Does anyone know a good one for that? Is there alot of people around #4 or #5? Can you hear the music from there? Thanks!

[Typhoon1]

I didn't think I would... but we are leaning now towards getting a cabana. Hopefully we'll be fast enough!!! I want to be the furtherest cabana down that can hear the music. Does anyone know a good one for that? Is there alot of people around #4 or #5? Can you hear the music from there? Thanks!

 

I don't believe it. You must be rich. :D:D

 

I'm glad your taking the advice of many of us here, that have been promoting the cabanas.

 

If your fortunate enough to make it to the excursion desk, you'll have to let us know if it was worthwhile. Once you try it, you'll have to do it next time you go back.

 

A visit to HMC is incomplete without a cabana.

[carly chloe]

You said you do cabana #4. Can you hear the music and is there alot of people around? Are there alot of people by there going to the lunch pavillion? After sitting outside on the deck in 90 degree weather I decided it sound to bad.

[lilylight]

You said you do cabana #4. Can you hear the music and is there alot of people around? Are there alot of people by there going to the lunch pavillion? After sitting outside on the deck in 90 degree weather I decided it sound to bad.

 

Not sure about hearing the music from #4. We were at #10 and definitely could not hear any. Between the sounds of the ocean and the breeze I think the music would have to be pretty loud to be heard from most of them but I'm not sure.

On the second post in this thread I posted some pics where you can see the amount of people who were sitting out in front of cabanas 1-5 vs the ones further down. I'm sure this amount would change depending on how many people were sailing etc but I think after reading a lot of the posts here I think cabanas 1-5 generally have more people sitting in front of them as they are closer to all of the "action". While I personally enjoyed the peace and quiet with being a little further down the beach I would most definitely have still rented a cabana if one of the further ones had not been available. Just being able to dip in and out of it when the sun became too much, the fridge, the snacks, the lounge chairs, misting fan etc etc etc would all still have outweighed having more people sitting in front of the cabana. HTH

[Irishlinny]

I didn't think I would... but we are leaning now towards getting a cabana. Hopefully we'll be fast enough!!! I want to be the furtherest cabana down that can hear the music. Does anyone know a good one for that? Is there alot of people around #4 or #5? Can you hear the music from there? Thanks!

We had #5 last month. You can hear the music from there. Unfortunately we didn't get to enjoy it much since shortly after they were getting it all warmed up, it started to POUR:eek: And the rain went on for hours...so hard, in fact, that at times you could no longer even see the ship docked in front of the beach!! So while we got the cabana to escape the sun & heat, it became a blessing for totally different reasons. There will be more people in front of these cabanas than the higher numbered ones, but they're not right on top of you...the cabanas are set back a little from the lounge chairs.

I liked it because it was convenient to the restrooms, food pavillion and the bar.

 

Was well worth it to us!:)

[Typhoon1]

I liked it because it was convenient to the restrooms, food pavillion and the bar.[/font]

 

Was well worth it to us!:)

 

Chloe, please take note.

[carly chloe]

Thank you Irishlinny for a answering my question. That's what I needed to know- just in case I would get to pick which cabana I would perfer.

[bead_dazzled]

Thank you for the great info on the cabanas on HMC. I was undecided about the cabanas until I read your post and viewed the video.

 

We are sailing on the Destiny in July and I am zipping right over to the excursion desk and book us a cabana!

[SailBabySail]

Lilylight THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for taking the time to post such complete information and photos of HMC. This is our 4th cruise and, we are sailing the Miracle on July 2 and this is the first cruise in which we will be stopping at a private island. I would love to do a cabana but would also like to explore a bit and wonder if there are things to see by foot in the immediate area of the food pavillion and cabanas. Also, one last thought, if on the day of arrival at HMC it is pouring rain do you think that Carnival refunds the $225 fee? Once again, thank you, for the time and effort you put into this post.

Edited June 9, 2010 by SailBabySail

[AJI2596]

FANTASTIC REVIEW!!! You really answered a lot of questions for me! We will be traveling with 3 little ones and I was worried about some things but you cleared up a lot.

 

THANK YOU!! Your video was very helpful too. I see how we can sort of trap the kids on the deck:) Excellent:) :D

[Irishlinny]

Lilylight THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for taking the time to post such complete information and photos of HMC. This is our 4th cruise and, we are sailing the Miracle on July 2 and this is the first cruise in which we will be stopping at a private island. I would love to do a cabana but would also like to explore a bit and wonder if there are things to see by foot in the immediate area of the food pavillion and cabanas. Also, one last thought, if on the day of arrival at HMC it is pouring rain do you think that Carnival refunds the $225 fee? Once again, thank you, for the time and effort you put into this post.

As far as exploring goes, there are a number of little winding paths that you can take and explore. Lots of nice foliage, flowers, birds, etc (and you will probably encounter some of the chickens & roosters!). You can walk up the entire length of the island if you want.

Forget about getting the refund if it rains, though. Unless Carnival cancels an excursion, there are no reunds. But if it rains, go ahead and get off the ship and go to the cabana anyhow. Your stuff will stay dry in there, and there's no law saying you can't swim in the rain;)....unless of course it's a thunderstorm:eek: There were alot of folks in the water when we were there, and because it was early is the season, it was a fairly chilly rain. Was probably warmer to be in the water!

FANTASTIC REVIEW!!! You really answered a lot of questions for me! We will be traveling with 3 little ones and I was worried about some things but you cleared up a lot.

 

THANK YOU!! Your video was very helpful too. I see how we can sort of trap the kids on the deck:) Excellent:) :D

Yup, you can "trap" the kiddos on the deck. If they're young enough, they might get a kick out of the misting fan while you enjoy a bit of downtime! A friend of mine once brought an inflatable kiddie pool and had it on the deck (wasn't meant for kids to use in our case, but that could work for you!)

[SailBabySail]

As far as exploring goes, there are a number of little winding paths that you can take and explore. Lots of nice foliage, flowers, birds, etc (and you will probably encounter some of the chickens & roosters!). You can walk up the entire length of the island if you want.

Forget about getting the refund if it rains, though. Unless Carnival cancels an excursion, there are no reunds. But if it rains, go ahead and get off the ship and go to the cabana anyhow. Your stuff will stay dry in there, and there's no law saying you can't swim in the rain;)....unless of course it's a thunderstorm:eek: There were alot of folks in the water when we were there, and because it was early is the season, it was a fairly chilly rain. Was probably warmer to be in the water!

 

Thanks for the info Irishlinny. I didn't think they would refund but no harm in asking, right? I would probably plunk the DH down in the cabana whilst my son and I explore. Since we are going at the beginning of July I think we might get lucky with the weather. I can't wait...it is our first "private island" and looks like a great one at that. Just 3 weeks to go..:D

[jkudzu]

Thank you so much for posting the review, photos, and videos of HMC. It was kind of you to put so much effort and time into it and it gives us "newbies" a wealth of information. Are there any locals selling goods or gift shops on HMC? (there are on Princess Cay)

[CarolineInToronto]

We have the best memories of our day at HMC... if I forget about the sunburn I caught ;)

 

We ended up at the Taupe cabana and I surprised DH with an upgrade to the Butler program. Oooh la la! The exceptional food from the Pinacle at the cabana was probably wasted on them -- they would have been happy with hotdogs from the BBQ. But they loved both Ngura and Eka, and both played with them a lot with floats in the water, etc. They did *try* everything from the gazpacho to the filet and the drunken whale dessert made them laugh :)

 

Here are my HMC pics, FWIW: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/558811952OUqmvz

 

 

[carly chloe]

Nice pictures!! How did you like cabana #1? It doesn't look to crowded at all. Was it like that all day? So nice you had a good day!!

[kiwicutie]

This is one of my ports of call on a HAL cruise to SA in October, now I know what to expect when I get to Half Moon Cay, since I will be alone, I probably will not get either a clam shell or cabana, but sit on the beach with a towel for a few hours, You didn't mention showers?? are there any at all???

I did enjoy your review though.

Kiwicutie:)

[reno3]

This is one of my ports of call on a HAL cruise to SA in October, now I know what to expect when I get to Half Moon Cay, since I will be alone, I probably will not get either a clam shell or cabana, but sit on the beach with a towel for a few hours, You didn't mention showers?? are there any at all???

I did enjoy your review though.

Kiwicutie:)

 

I found this on another thread about showers on HMC

"There are a couple of public ones on the path to the food pavillion and one by the path to the beach by the kid area."

[SASA13]

Thank you for the excellent review and pics. You answered all my questions about renting a cabana. I am going to definitely rent one, I can't wait.

Thank you again.

[nybumpkin]

we had #5 (Sky Blue) last week. Last year we had #11 (Gray). You can hear the music from #5. We liked the location, but I would opt for 6-10 if they are available. They're on the other side of the rentals area.

 

One problem we had with #5 that we didn't have with #11 was people wanting to use our shower. Maybe it was our fault - we let two of our son's friends who were seated nearby to use the shower, so everyone else thought it was fair game. But what part of the "private cabana" sign is hard to understand?

[reno3]

we had #5 (Sky Blue) last week. Last year we had #11 (Gray). You can hear the music from #5. We liked the location, but I would opt for 6-10 if they are available. They're on the other side of the rentals area.

 

One problem we had with #5 that we didn't have with #11 was people wanting to use our shower. Maybe it was our fault - we let two of our son's friends who were seated nearby to use the shower, so everyone else thought it was fair game. But what part of the "private cabana" sign is hard to understand?

 

This is something that would really put a damper on our day:mad:

What did you say to the other people:confused:

I think the people that do not read CC do not realize that the people in the cabanas pay extra for them. Maybe they think it was just first come first serve and everything is fair game. I have read that people even take the floats:eek: