Who didn't like Half Moon Cay?

[CanadianMAG]

We are planning another cruise and my DH mentioned to me it doesn't want to go on a cruise that has a stop on the private island? :eek: :eek: :eek: Is he the only crazy one out there that didn't like the Island. It cannot be a lack of anything to do because on EVERY Island we went to we went on an excurision, ate, then went back on the ship.

[prmssklamert]

Just got back from our cruise (and honeymoon - we got married on the ship June 4th) on the Zuiderdam and Half Moon Cay was my favorite private island by far and probably my favorite stop. I think most ships in the Caribbean stop at their private island. And if you don't like it you can always stay on the ship (which is empty and much more relaxing).

[CanadianMAG]

Just got back from our cruise (and honeymoon - we got married on the ship June 4th) on the Zuiderdam and Half Moon Cay was my favorite private island by far and probably my favorite stop. I think most ships in the Caribbean stop at their private island. And if you don't like it you can always stay on the ship (which is empty and much more relaxing).

 

Oh I love the private island! I just thought it was CRAZY!

 

p.s. I will still book a cruise with private islands on it :cool: :cool: I am soo bad

[jhannah]

Dislike HMC? Yikes! I love it. Wish I were there NOW.

[judyzoo]

We renewed our marriage vows on Half Moon Cay. It was wonderful!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Both of us love HMC. Of all the private islands that we have been, HMC has the softest white sand.

The first couple of times that our ships were to have stopped there the stop was cancelled either because of rough weather or storms. We were so disappointed after hearing so much about this island from other cruisers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

CanadianMag

Please ask your husband why he doesn't want to go HMC - I am curious.

[kryos]

Dislike HMC? Yikes! I love it. Wish I were there NOW.

I will probably always sail HAL if for nothing else than for the stop at HMC. It's a little slice of heaven right here on earth.

 

I don't know what the private islands for other cruise lines are like, though. Our stop at Princess Cays on my January Sun sailing was cancelled cause the island wasn't ready yet (repairs from last year's hurricanes), so I have no idea if it's comparable to HAL's. But ... I have a feeling the other cruise lines' private islands are nothing like Half Moon Cay.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[tjcox9]

I've only been there once and it was 1999 - and sure didn't see anything special then. Please reassure me that a lot has changed since then as I may be visiting again this fall.

 

TJ

[Krazy Kruizers]

A lot has changed in 6 years.

There are cabanas - 10 of them.

There are clam shells - 100 of them.

There is the Agua Trax Adventure.

There is Horseback riding.

There is the Stingray Adventure.

So much to see and do besides relaxing on the beach and enjoying a wonderful BBQ.

[Krazy Kruizers]

OH

 

And there is the new children's water park.

And the Eco lagoon Cruise.

Wonder what else I missed??

Help me out recent cruisers to HMC.

[CCCM]

I was on the same cruise as CanadianMAG (we met on the boat over to Virgin Gorda). I loved HMC. I wish we had more time on it. Two days, skip Nassau. I fell asleep in the Clam Shell. I swam in beautiful water and felt very comfortable. We also did the Eco Lagoon Kayak and it was nice. BBQ was okay.

 

I can't really remember Royal Carribeans island that well. I was too scared from being on the end of the banana boat.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Did only one RCI cruise and it did include their island. It was okay. From what I remember it was divided into 4(?) sections. And they kept the children in one area away from the adults. DH got great footage of a baby baracuda swimming in the area we chose to relax in.

 

[Pudgesmom]

I had mixed feelings about Half Moon Cay.

 

We were there on the Oosterdam, at the same time as the Rotterdam. While the island was beautiful, the sand soft and the water warm, I felt that it was EXTREMELY overcrowded.

 

The wait to get on a tender was an hour and a half, the tender ride was 45 minutes due to one-way traffic into the docking area, there were no beach chairs, the clamshell we rented was not available, and the people were six deep on the beach. This is a PRIVATE island?

 

Sorry, I won't go back.

 

 

Beth :(

[WindyCity]

I, too, don't think there is anything special about HMC. It's a beach. The bar-b-que was so-so (chicken, burgers and hot dogs). We did opt for a cabana for our upcoming cruise - maybe I will change my mind then, but for now -HMC is ok.

[Steamboatin]

Face the facts!!!

 

Holland America Lines stops at Half Moon Cey for only one reason.

 

It is a very BIG profit center for them!!

 

If you enjoy contributing to their profit center than certainly go and do so.

[jhannah]

Um, isn't that why they're in business? I assume I'm contributing to their profit centers by going on the cruise, buying photos, excursions, souvenirs, etc.

[Bucky3]

We've never been to HMC but thoroughly enjoyed Princess Cays. There were plenty of lounge chairs, sun or shade, and unless you wanted to rent a water toy or float or buy drinks it didn't cost anything.

[khfadpi]

Half Moon Cay is beautiful. There is nothing better than being on a beautiful white beach with calm turquoise water. :)

[peaches from georgia]

Face the facts!!!

 

Holland America Lines stops at Half Moon Cey for only one reason.

 

It is a very BIG profit center for them!!

 

If you enjoy contributing to their profit center than certainly go and do so.

I only get off the ship if the weather is comfortable and the island not too crowded. But, if you enjoy the beach you can have a great day on HMC and it won't cost you a cent. No one forces anyone to rent a cabana, book any excursions, or drink anything except water or ice tea. Don't quite understand your gripe. :confused:

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have to admit that weather and how many ships are at the island in one day can make all the diffenece in the world. In 2003 we were there on the Zuriderdam, the weather was extremely windy and extremely cold. The water was so rough I am so surprised they tendered. With two ships there the picnic area was very crowded and with the wind it was difficult to hang on to paper plates. Over all we were not really impressed with HMC.

 

OK, so now 2 years pass and we go to HMC while on the Westerdam. What a HUGE difference. We were the only ship, very beautiful Warm Day, the water was so very warm. The food at the picnic was fantastic and it was truly PARADISE:) Just like the sign "I wish we could stay there forever"

 

So what I am saying is not everyone is going to get Paradise every time but I am sure glad we did our second time.:)

[Italian Nancy]

First off, congrats prmssklamert.. we were married in the Oak room aboard the Zuiderdam almost 2 yrs ago.. Like your dh, my dh does not like the private island stops either(regardless of which ship/cruise line we sail) he feels cheated out of a port of call.. he is not a sun worshipher like myself, I love them. Like the other responses, enjoy the day aboard the ship while everyone else is on HMC.. we are doing a b2b in September to celebrate our 2nd anniversary, and we have a cabana booked for the first week, the second week we will stay on board and enjoy the ship..

[VaCruzers]

While I cannot say that I didn't like HMC, I think RCL's Coco Cay is so much nicer. At HMC it seemed like there was one long beach area where everyone went. It was very crowded & there was only one ship in port. The sand was nice, but no different than Coco Cay. The BBQ lunch for both lines was comparable, but Holland had shorter hours of service. On CocoCay, there were at least 3 separate ( & I think more) beach areas as well as much more shade for those who wanted it. It seemed much less crowded. Since I am not one who would make use of a clam shell or a cabana, those are unimportant to me, but it could be a factor for some.

[cheshire999]

I can honestly say that I wasn't overly impressed with Half Moon Cay and that's probably because we have beautiful beaches here in Florida. We don't have water as blue as Half Moon Cay and that is a wonderful thing there. I will say however that my absolute favorite excursion was on Half Moon Cay and that was the horseback riding in the water!!!! I would go back again and again just to do that.

[Bill S]

At the outset, we are NOT beach people. So, while HMC is a nice beach setting, it was not our cup of tea---we did go ashore and were just in agony with the sun, heat and humidity. We returned to the Maasdam after about 30 minutes and enjoyed watching the activities from our shady verandah and close-by air conditioned cabin.

 

So, different strokes for different folks! We went on the cruise, mainly for to see St. Thomas again, where we had a belated honeymoon about 30 years previous to the cruise!

Had we been beach folks, we probably would have enjoyed HMC a lot. :)