Which Cabana is best on Half Moon Cay?

[scottlyn]

Which Cabana is the best (and why you prefer it) please! :) We are going to be there in October and want to know which one we should try to get. We would love pictures as well. :p

[twinkletoes4445]

We picked the turquoise one because it was near the stairs and close to the restrooms and the BBQ area (although we had a butler and didn't have the BBQ) There was only one ship that day, so the beach was not crowded. If there are more than one ship visiting the island the day you are there, I'd consider getting one on down the beach.

 

Here's Bruce's pics of HMC...

 

http://www.brobertson.org/HMC-webgallery/

[haligonian37]

My last trip to HMC, my friends and I had the blue cabana, which is next door to the turqouise, and in a great location as twinkletoes said, easy access to the bbq, washrooms, etc. If you'd like a little more privacy, I'd head further down the beach. Here's a link to the best cabana map I've found so far: http://static.flickr.com/108/296583013_6fa96f5e51_o.jpg

All you need to do is click on it to magnify the image.

 

The link in my signature below are pics from that cruise. About 3/4 of the way down (there's a lot of 'em) there are views from our cabana and down the beach but none of the interior of it, as I used a disposable waterproof camera to take pics of the it from the water and beach. Hope you enjoy whichever cabana you chose!

[advocado]

I agree with Haligonian. I used the same link to select a cabana and took note of the comments I read on the "private islands" thread. I selected the Yellow. It is down the beach aways from most of the crowd, but not so far that you would feel isolated. Also, it's on a little rise so if someone does plant themselves in front of you, you can see over them with no obstructed view.

[scottlyn]

Thank you all very much. This is very confusing, and you have been a lot of help.

 

My only choices are terracotta, red, taupe (can't find this on the map), blue, gray, and peach.

 

From your comments, peach looks like the best.

 

We are the only ship at dock on this day, and we are a mid-small ship: Holland Zuiderdam.

 

If you have any further reccommendations....I am listening and appreciate your words of wisdom :)

[twinkletoes4445]

I believe the taupe is the first cabana. If I am correct, I'd probably opt for one of the others. I've read that there is usually a lot of people around this cabana. But with one ship, the beach won't be packed.

 

However, any cabana is a good cabana. :)

 

I also came across Ziggy's HMC phots (on webshots-scroll down-she has three pages of cabanas and HMC). I'm not exactly sure of the oder of the cabanas, but this might help you decide which one will work best for you.

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/ziggy638

[MercedMike]

We had the taupe cabana a while back and it is reallly nice. Here are some pictures of it, and the pink one we had on a previous trip.

 

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/cabana.html

 

The taupe cabana is right in front of the massage pavilion, just a short walk up the path to the rest rooms, and not much further to the dining pavilion. Since some of us are mobility limited, it was excellent for us.

 

The beach is definitely the most crowded there, but there are not swarms of people around. Two or three times we had people sort of "wander" in but again not a big problem.

 

The pink one is further down the beach, and definitely a lot less crowded.

 

It is a trade off ... the further down the beach, the more privacy you have, but it can be a LONG walk to the restrooms!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[cruznon]

We had the turquoise and loved the location. I would have like to have gone further down the beach for a bit more privacy BUT my DH wouldn't have like the extra distance from BBQ, restrooms or other activities. If no mobility problems, the cabanas further down the beach do have fewer people around them, which I think is better.

Cabanas are really great!

[Welove2cruise2]

Wow! This was a very interesting thread, with great photos! I can't wait til we cruise on a HAL ship to HMC!! What a beautiful place!

[advocado]

We picked the turquoise one because it was near the stairs and close to the restrooms and the BBQ area (although we had a butler and didn't have the BBQ) There was only one ship that day, so the beach was not crowded. If there are more than one ship visiting the island the day you are there, I'd consider getting one on down the beach.

 

Here's Bruce's pics of HMC...

 

http://www.brobertson.org/HMC-webgallery/

Twinkletoes -- (I love your handle!) I started a thread on the butler service based on this post of yours. Can you give us your impressions of the butler service? There's only two of us, but the whole idea of a cruise is pampering. Was it worth it for you? The food, drinks, attention? Any other comments would be appreciated. Thanks...

[Marie321]

My DH and I were in HMC in the Taupe cabana with butler service last January. I was waitlisted on taupe and several others. Taupe is the only one that came open, so it was our only choice. We LOVED our day! We had a butler and a helper. The food was awesome! Several people tried to cut through our cabana as there is a sidewalk that runs right beside it. The butlers intercepted all and politely told people that it was a private area. That actually made us feel like royalty! I loved having the butlers there to watch our things while we swam and snorkled. We did aqua trax the last run of the day. The butlers took all our things back to the ship for us. It was totally worth it. We felt very pampered. We plan on doing it again this year, but this year we were able to snag the turquoise cabana.:D

[bepsf]

The best Cabana on HMC is the Grand Palm Cabana...

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkletoes -- (I love your handle!) I started a thread on the butler service based on this post of yours. Can you give us your impressions of the butler service? There's only two of us, but the whole idea of a cruise is pampering. Was it worth it for you? The food, drinks, attention? Any other comments would be appreciated. Thanks...

 

My daughter's nickname was "Twinkletoes" when she was a little girl (she was always running on her tippy toes). :)

 

We did love the butler, and for us, it was worth it. We were celebrating my 50th birthday. I declared this past year..."The Year of Me." And it was a GOOD year. lol

 

It was just fun being pampered. We loved the food, and the service. It's a nice treat and I think you'll enjoy it. But I also think that just having the cabana is a wonderful treat (and the BBQ looked great).

 

One thing that was nice for us, was that the butlers do watch over things. Since there are only two of you, you could feel free to go off on a walk, or explore, and not worry about lugging your things with you. They will hang around and keep an eye on your items you've brought off the ship.

 

Initially, I thought about not having the butler because I'd read that the cabana guys would bring the BBQ lunch to the cabana. At some point, HAL stopped the cabana guys from doing this. I'd also read about spotty service when it came to ordering drinks. Sometimes the cabana boys were around to do this, and other times, they were no where to be found.

 

So with the butler, we didn't have to worry about a thing. It was really fun because in our "real" world, we don't have a Yadi to serve our meals, or fix our drinks.

 

If your budget allows, it's a fun splurge. I asked hubby if he'd do the butler service again should we visit HMC...and he said...absolutely. It was amazing. And I agree with him...I'd do it in a nanosecond.

 

You're going to love the yellow cabana. :)

[IheartHAL]

I agree with Haligonian. I used the same link to select a cabana and took note of the comments I read on the "private islands" thread. I selected the Yellow. It is down the beach aways from most of the crowd, but not so far that you would feel isolated. Also, it's on a little rise so if someone does plant themselves in front of you, you can see over them with no obstructed view.

 

I've had the yellow cabana as well, and was so glad I did. It is far enough down the beach that you don't feel like you are sharing with the masses (and isn't that what a "private" island is all about?) At the time I was there, the only cabana further was the terracotta. I think there are even more now. I'd book the yellow again in a heartbeat!:) :)

[robomom]

So, which color cabana IS the last one on the beach? Thanks!

[advocado]

I've had the yellow cabana as well, and was so glad I did. It is far enough down the beach that you don't feel like you are sharing with the masses (and isn't that what a "private" island is all about?) At the time I was there, the only cabana further was the terracotta. I think there are even more now. I'd book the yellow again in a heartbeat!:) :)

Thanks for your comments. It's nice to know that my choice of the yellow cabana is the right one!

[advocado]

My daughter's nickname was "Twinkletoes" when she was a little girl (she was always running on her tippy toes). :)

 

We did love the butler, and for us, it was worth it. We were celebrating my 50th birthday. I declared this past year..."The Year of Me." And it was a GOOD year. lol

 

It was just fun being pampered. We loved the food, and the service. It's a nice treat and I think you'll enjoy it. But I also think that just having the cabana is a wonderful treat (and the BBQ looked great).

 

One thing that was nice for us, was that the butlers do watch over things. Since there are only two of you, you could feel free to go off on a walk, or explore, and not worry about lugging your things with you. They will hang around and keep an eye on your items you've brought off the ship.

 

Initially, I thought about not having the butler because I'd read that the cabana guys would bring the BBQ lunch to the cabana. At some point, HAL stopped the cabana guys from doing this. I'd also read about spotty service when it came to ordering drinks. Sometimes the cabana boys were around to do this, and other times, they were no where to be found.

 

So with the butler, we didn't have to worry about a thing. It was really fun because in our "real" world, we don't have a Yadi to serve our meals, or fix our drinks.

 

If your budget allows, it's a fun splurge. I asked hubby if he'd do the butler service again should we visit HMC...and he said...absolutely. It was amazing. And I agree with him...I'd do it in a nanosecond.

 

You're going to love the yellow cabana. :)

Thanks for your great reply and info. I'm definately getting the butler. I hadn't given any thought to the issue of wandering off and your point about the butler keeping an eye on things is a nice bonus.

[MercedMike]

So, which color cabana IS the last one on the beach? Thanks!

 

LOL -- it seems that they keep proliferating!

 

Last time we were there, we counted 15 cabanas but they seem to be building more. I think HAL has found a gold mine here. Eventually the last cabana on the beach will be a two days walk away!

 

>:-)

[doorcountydi]

I've only booked the green cabana... for four of us, it made $en$e to book one, not so much for two people. But it sure was great. A quick walk up the sand to the road to catch the tram, but within just a few minutes of the FOOOOOD.

 

Pretty far away from my usual snorkeling haunt out by the reef, but great to just float out in the water, too.

 

Photo attached of my sister, my officemate and her sister. This was last December.

[robomom]

LOL -- it seems that they keep proliferating!

 

Last time we were there, we counted 15 cabanas but they seem to be building more. I think HAL has found a gold mine here. Eventually the last cabana on the beach will be a two days walk away!

 

>:-)

...down to the Red cabana? Based on the map listed here (somebody put one in this thread) it looks like the "last" cabana was the "Mauve" one. However, when I went to the HAL site to book this "excursion" I didn't find a booking option for "Mauve." I settled on the red one, instead. How far can the tram take you toward these cabanas?

 

Oh, and how far out is the reef?

[MercedMike]

...down to the Red cabana? Based on the map listed here (somebody put one in this thread) it looks like the "last" cabana was the "Mauve" one. However, when I went to the HAL site to book this "excursion" I didn't find a booking option for "Mauve." I settled on the red one, instead. How far can the tram take you toward these cabanas?

 

Well, our experience, both times we have been there, is that the promised "tram" is non-existent. The first time we were told that the tram is only used for shore excursion passengers going to the lagoon or horseback riding. The second time, they tried to give us the same story, but I held my 93 y o aunt's arm and waved my cane at them and they finally agreed to let us ride it, as long as we waited for all the people on the horseback excursion to arrive. After quite a wait, the driver got all bent out of shape at being told to stop by our cabana, but eventually reluctantly did it. We had to walk back to the tender dock at the end of the day as we could find no one to get a tram for us.

 

So my suggestion that unless you are as crusty and demanding as I am prepared to be, you do not believe their promised "tram" service.

[twinkletoes4445]

Thanks for your great reply and info. I'm definately getting the butler. I hadn't given any thought to the issue of wandering off and your point about the butler keeping an eye on things is a nice bonus.

 

It was a nice bonus having them around to watch things. Have a great time! :)

[twinkletoes4445]

So my suggestion that unless you are as crusty and demanding as I am prepared to be, you do not believe their promised "tram" service.

 

We had no problem catching the tram to the cabana, but we had to wait for one when we wanted to return to the tender area. I seem to remember our butler either called someone from a phone, or maybe he had a walkie-talkie with him. Had we not had a butler, we probably would not have been quite as lucky.

[Nic's Mom and Pop]

...down to the Red cabana? Based on the map listed here (somebody put one in this thread) it looks like the "last" cabana was the "Mauve" one. However, when I went to the HAL site to book this "excursion" I didn't find a booking option for "Mauve." I settled on the red one, instead. How far can the tram take you toward these cabanas?

 

Oh, and how far out is the reef?

 

The mauve cabana's official name is Violet. This is currently the farthest down the beach. It is a small hike but worth it if you want to be away from the crowds. We have booked the Violet cabana for our November 24th sailing on the Zuiderdam. It is the only one reserved so far for this cruise. Surprising as there is usually a wait list.

[TMJplus1]

We were on the Zuiderdam in April and booked the Sky Blue (a.k.a. Light Blue) cabana, which is the very last in the first group of 5 cabanas, and 2 cabanas down from the coveted Turquoise Cabana. We liked it a lot - it was close to the restrooms and, being the last cabana in the first group, was fairly private. The only time we ever left the cabana was to go swimming or go to the restroom. Otherwise, our fantastic "cabana boys" took care of our every need - they brought us a huge lunch, got our drinks, etc.

 

I have pics of every cabana and honestly you can't really go wrong - yes some are closer to the bathroom but the ones farther away have more privacy. The only one I might shy away from is taupe just because it is right at the end of the main pathway and seemed to have a lot of people walking past it. Again, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things - but something to consider nonetheless.

 

We went back and forth as to whether to spend the $ on a cabana and, thanks to the feedback on this board, we went ahead and did it and have no regrets - just wonderful memories. I'm hoping that next time I can afford to get the private butler!

 

Here are some pics of the Sky Blue Cabana, the view of the beach and the ship, and the HUGE amount of food they brought us for lunch!