Help me decide on a ship and tell me about,,,,,

[Ladder55]

half moon cay...? ccl's private island right?

my ships of choice so far are: Liberty, Pride, Miracle, Dream, which ship do you prefer? (besides the dream of course)pride and miracle are in the same class, can you tell me some differences between the "classes?"

Looking at booking a southern or eastern cruise on Carnival

Having a hard time deciding on which ship

Is the stop at half moon cay really worth it, what activities do they offer ? and what are the fee's?

some itineraries include half moon and some do not so I am trying to decide if we skip the cay island if we will really be missing much.

Is it basically a free beach day?

thanks

Lad

[TheVegasMan]

We went to Half Moon Cay on HAL in 2006. I thought it was a waste of time. Yes, the beach is nice, but so is EVERY OTHER beach in the Caribbean. The snorkeling there sucked, sandy bottom with some uninhabited man made reef structures. There is a Straw market with some small shops. They serve BBQ lunch there. We had booked some kayak tour that was cancelled.

[TheVegasMan]

I would not book a cruise to specifically go there. If it was included on one of our cruises I may decide to stay on the ship that day.

[Babyblue0221]

I just went to Half Moon Cay this December and it was amazing!!! It is basically a free beach day unless you want to horseback ride or do other shore excursion activities. Most of the crew gets off the ship and works on the island for the day. They cook a bar-b-que on the island for lunch. It was a great port, and I would go back in a heartbeat! Oh and the beach itself is gorgeous!

[Ladder55]

is it their own private island?im asking because im wondering how crowded it could get, how many ships usually tender in any given day at the same time

was the bbQ included?

[roadshow69]

Do you have to puchase an excursion to get the BBQ lunch?

[ellbelle]

Holland America also uses HMC. I have heard of more than one ship there at a time. You may be able to do search on port times. Sorry, I can't remember the website.

 

We rented a cabana last March on a HAL cruise. It was nice to have our own lounges, floats, misters, refrigerator snacks. Vegasman is correct though that the snorkeling is not good especially off the beach. I have read that it is better in the area they have actually designated to snorkeling.

 

It certainly is worth it to get off the ship, even to walk around a bit, have lunch, put your feet in the water. Of course, this is my opinion. We live on the west coast, so clear warm water is appreciated!

 

Cheryl

[Ladder55]

it sounds like the cay isnt that great, thanx for some feeback

[Princessbride3]

I think that it depends on what you are wanting for your stops.. if you want shopping etc then cays is prob not the place for you. However, it has been one of my fav ports going there on liberty last summer... my dd LOVED it and i thought it was beautiful and a very relaxing day.

I brought a floaty and just relaxed in the water, we had a bbq lunch that carnival provided and went back later in the afternoon.. it was a beautiful day for us.

 

I have been on liberty, glory and i believe elation (cant remember the mexican rivierra trip)

I loved the glory and liberty.. am looking at pride and going back to hmc..

[TheVegasMan]

is it their own private island?im asking because im wondering how crowded it could get, how many ships usually tender in any given day at the same time

was the bbQ included?

It's owned by the Carnival Corporation and used by only Carnival and HAL. I looked at a few months and never saw more than two ships on any one day according to this schedule. The BBQ is included.

 

Do you have to puchase an excursion to get the BBQ lunch?

No need to purchase an excursion to get the BBQ lunch.

[cuyahoga11]

is it their own private island?im asking because im wondering how crowded it could get, how many ships usually tender in any given day at the same time

was the bbQ included?

 

 

Hal and Carnival are the only 2 that go there, I think in April when I am going we are going to be there alone. BBQ is included at no charge. You use your ship card to buy drinks, just like on the ship.

[Essiesmom]

Half Moon Cay was HALs private island, acquired by Carnival when theybought HAL. Another name for it is Little Stirrup Cay. Half Moon was Henry Hudson's ship, which appears on HALs logo. There are never more than two ships there at one time, and they never mix HAL and Carnival visits. The sand is so clean, and you don't have to watch where you walk in bare feet. In and out of the water. Think of it as a great beach day where you don't have to pack a lunch or pay inflated prices from local vendors. EM