Rare LMaxwell Posted July 25, 2022 #1 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) Will have both Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk on our itinerary. Both are basically chill out and relax beach days so will probably only use one and stay onboard the other. Do you have a preference for one over the other? Grand Turk has a pier; HMC is tender, correct? HMC is an extension of the cruise line; is there lunch served there (Island BBQ?) Our port time is 11am-5pm at HMC and 7am - 4pm for GT. Is the dock at Grand Turk a Carnival Corp owned facility and an extension of the ship? It's been a few years since I have been to GT and it all sort of blends together. Advice/opinions? Edited July 25, 2022 by LMaxwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveOKC Posted July 25, 2022 #2 Share Posted July 25, 2022 In your case I would opt for GT. I like the earlier time on the beach and then pop back onboard for lunch. The lunch on HMC is just so-so IMO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisyloo Posted July 25, 2022 #3 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I would vote to go ashore on HMC. We love it there. They do a bbq lunch that is good. They have the big shoreside tenders there so it goes faster than if you had to use the ships tenders. The beach is gorgeous and very clean. Grand Turk is nice too, but in our opinion not nearly as nice as HMC. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicd1969 Posted July 25, 2022 #4 Share Posted July 25, 2022 There is a pretty reasonable drinks package at HMC. I think it's around $30 so worth it if you get more than 3 drinks during your time there. That may be the tiebreaker lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendswithdave Posted July 25, 2022 #5 Share Posted July 25, 2022 We've enjoyed HMC much more than Grand Turk in past visits. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted July 25, 2022 #6 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I would visit Half Moon Cay and spend part of the day at my favorite bar in the Caribbean: I Could Stay Here Forever! If the lunch buffet served is not to your liking, you could return to the ship for a late lunch. Or, depending on the time, return to the ship and then return to Half Moon Cay. Grand Turk is a good port stop. But, once/twice there, is there a reason to make another visit? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted July 25, 2022 #7 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I am not a beach person but I did like HMC. It is a quiet beach even with two ships in port. The tenders are a pain and if there is more than one ship there go early instead of later. The lines can be long late in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted July 25, 2022 #8 Share Posted July 25, 2022 3 minutes ago, Mary229 said: The lines can be long late in the day. Returning to the ship, this is particularly true. HAL has made welcome improvements in recent years in providing covered shelters for people to line-up while they wait for a tender. So much better than standing out in the open Sun or rain. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiting2retire Posted July 25, 2022 #9 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Easy one for me. I love tenders (crazy, I know) and I love the water/beach in Half Moon Cay. Also nice to have a free light lunch onshore if desired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted July 25, 2022 #10 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Another thought. The weather may dictate your final plan and you may have to stay onboard. Ummm, that just makes decisions harder🤷♀️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kangforpres Posted July 25, 2022 #11 Share Posted July 25, 2022 After going on many Beach Break Shore Ex's in Mexico and the Caribbean I've decided staying onboard and using the sea view pool, and the Lido or Dive in for food is a better option. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 0106 Posted July 25, 2022 #12 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I did an excellent independent snorkeling tour in Grand Turk. Was not interested in anything Half Moon Cay had to offer. Although the HMC beach is beautiful, we were not interested in lying in the sun. Was not impressed by the lunch buffet at HMC. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare albingirl Posted July 26, 2022 #13 Share Posted July 26, 2022 This is so easy for me. I wouldn't miss either. It's such a treat to go ashore and get in the water, and I do love the barbeque at HMC. I once talked with a HAL employee about visiting ports and he said he would never miss a port; it's just such a privilege for the staff to get off the ship for an hour here and there. That certainly puts things into perspective for me. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted July 26, 2022 #14 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Hmc is the nicer beach. I’m not a fan of tenders so grand Turk is just easier. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LMaxwell Posted July 26, 2022 Author #15 Share Posted July 26, 2022 3 hours ago, vicd1969 said: There is a pretty reasonable drinks package at HMC. I think it's around $30 so worth it if you get more than 3 drinks during your time there. That may be the tiebreaker lol. What is the HMC drinks pack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LMaxwell Posted July 26, 2022 Author #16 Share Posted July 26, 2022 3 hours ago, Mary229 said: Another thought. The weather may dictate your final plan and you may have to stay onboard. Ummm, that just makes decisions harder🤷♀️ Always a possibility when taking a cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LMaxwell Posted July 26, 2022 Author #17 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Does anyone have a link to photos/review of HMC? I am wondering with the late arrival (11am) if they will even have lunch on the island and what it consists of. Is the buffet on the ship open on the HMC day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFNavigator Posted July 26, 2022 #18 Share Posted July 26, 2022 2 hours ago, LMaxwell said: What is the HMC drinks pack? The HMC drink package is basically a 1-day copy of the Signature Beverage Package. All drinks $11 and under, 15 drink limit. The HMC package is only usable on the island. The onboard beverage packages do not apply on the island. Cost is currently $29.44, including gratuity. All adults over 21 years old booked in the same cabin must also purchase the same package. The price might initially sound steep for only being on island for 4-5 hours max but you would hit that price point with just a couple of fruity alcoholic drinks and a couple sodas or waters. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare zgscl Posted July 26, 2022 #19 Share Posted July 26, 2022 IMO HMC is a perfect beach day. While it is a tender port, they have very large ferry boats/tenders at HMC and do not use the life boats. This means they can get people back and forth quickly and there is not much of a wait to go ashore. Additionally they set up a very nice (and free) lunch BBQ on the island. Also as it is their private island there is no one there trying to sell you a tour or goods when you get off. They do have a couple stores selling goods and you can do a tour if you want. Very nice beach which is easy to walk to from the tender area. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Chris Posted July 26, 2022 #20 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Half Moon Cay also now has a lobster shack where you can pay extra for a grilled lobster lunch with rice & beans. (Caribbean spiny lobster, not a Maine lobster.) It was about $20 when we were there in December. Not the best I’ve ever had in the Caribbean, but OK as a change of pace from the free buffet. I, too, like that it is a clean, pretty beach with nobody pestering you to buy stuff like jewelry - we usually walk way down and find a shady spot for a couple of loungers. Waiters stroll by often, so you can sign for a beer or other drinks to be charged to your room account. The big tenders are much easier to board and depart from versus the typical small tender experience, and it’s a quick process. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LMaxwell Posted July 26, 2022 Author #21 Share Posted July 26, 2022 7 hours ago, AFNavigator said: The HMC drink package is basically a 1-day copy of the Signature Beverage Package. All drinks $11 and under, 15 drink limit. The HMC package is only usable on the island. The onboard beverage packages do not apply on the island. Cost is currently $29.44, including gratuity. All adults over 21 years old booked in the same cabin must also purchase the same package. The price might initially sound steep for only being on island for 4-5 hours max but you would hit that price point with just a couple of fruity alcoholic drinks and a couple sodas or waters. Thanks for sharing the info. I don't think we would get $60 worth for us, but that's a nice option. It's too bad they don't allow only 1 to be bought, or a 5-10 drink card. It's just overkill for us on the island where we might have a cold beer with lunch. But it's a unique offer compared to other lines . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ANGELCAT Posted July 26, 2022 #22 Share Posted July 26, 2022 11 hours ago, LMaxwell said: Does anyone have a link to photos/review of HMC? I am wondering with the late arrival (11am) if they will even have lunch on the island and what it consists of. Is the buffet on the ship open on the HMC day? For photos of the island, see Roger Jett website. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveOKC Posted July 26, 2022 #23 Share Posted July 26, 2022 11 hours ago, LMaxwell said: Does anyone have a link to photos/review of HMC? I am wondering with the late arrival (11am) if they will even have lunch on the island and what it consists of. Is the buffet on the ship open on the HMC day? Ship buffet will be open on HMC day. We dine there after an early visit to the island as we do not care much for the HMC lunch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nymich Posted July 26, 2022 #24 Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) We were at HMC last November and the beach was eroded terribly. It was one narrow beach! Hopefully they are paying for the necessary sand replacement. We were also at Perfect Day in October and Great Stirrup this past January and both beaches blew HMC away. I don't like to say this as I prefer HAL but those are the facts. Edited July 26, 2022 by Nymich 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare albingirl Posted July 26, 2022 #25 Share Posted July 26, 2022 1 minute ago, Nymich said: We were at HMC last November and the beach was eroded terribly. It was one narrow beach! Hopefully they are paying for the necessary sand replacement. We were also at Perfect Day in October and Great Stirrup this past January and both beaches blew HMC away. I don't like to say this as I prefer HAL but them are the facts. Funny, I didn't notice it dramatically in February this year. We've been to NCL's private beach this year and didn't like it at all. Each to his/her own. Maybe I just prefer HAL overall. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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