Half Moon Cay excursions

[designgirl]

It seems that a majority of the talk about Half Moon Cay has to do with the cabanas, and now that I have read aprox. 937 pages about those, I was wondering if any of the other excursions were worth getting?

Historic Nature Walk

Island Bike Tour

Stingray Adventure

Eco Lagoon Tour

Combo, Eco Bike & Hike

Glass Bottom Boat

Tropical Kayak Adventure

Half Moon Cay Snorkel by Boat

Parasailing

Horseback Riding by Land & Sea

Deep Sea Fishing

 

 

I would love to hear about your experiences on any of these.

 

Erica

[jlk806]

We did Horseback riding by land and sea last July. I did it because 2 of the girls I was cruising with were dying to. Im not very fond of horses. It was fun though, though for the land ride (which is 1st) I got an old horse who kept feeling like he was stumbling in the sand. LOL. And the guide was practically next to me for the whole ride bc there was a young girl maybe 10 behind me and my old horse kept "fighting" with the guides horse. LOL. Then we went back stripped down to bathing suits and reboarded (different horses) for the water part which was awesome, the horses "ran" in the water and it felt like a jetski. We got some good pictures too, for the water part half the group does it then the other half so we found people in the other group to take pictures with our camera and then we did for them. If booking this do the earliest one in the day, you get off the boat on the tender quicker if you have an early excursion and then you have lots of time to enjoy the beach afterwards.

[Typhoon1]

I guess cabanas seem to be where all the action is. Those that have them, and those that wish they did.

[Armedaneian]

I guess cabanas seem to be where all the action is. Those that have them, and those that wish they did.

 

After seeing you repeat this same sentiment 100's of times, I feel obligated to present an entirely different opinion: a day at the beach shouldn't involve air conditioners, roofs, or ceiling fans! The real beauty of HMC doesn't even begin until you pass the Horse Stables. Until then, it's more like a theme park than a beach!

 

You have every right to voice your opinion, but the way you express it belittles those who don't agree. You like to say "any cabana is better than no cabana at all", but that's only your opinion. If you were some sort of beach expert, maybe I could forgive your arrogance, but you're from Wisconsin! I say, "if your day at the beach necessitates a cabana, maybe you shouldn't go to the beach". To me, using a cabana is an awful lot like staying indoors. If you want shade and air conditioning, your cabin offers plenty... maybe you should just stay on the ship. :cool:

[dot73]

I have done the horseback riding and parasailing and highly recommend both. The parasailing operation was very well organized and I felt very safe doing it. The horseback riding was also fun. Unlike the poor horses on some of the islands, the horses on HMC look like they are very well taken care of. The ride in the water was fabulous.

[Typhoon1]

After seeing you repeat this same sentiment 100's of times, I feel obligated to present an entirely different opinion: a day at the beach shouldn't involve air conditioners, roofs, or ceiling fans! The real beauty of HMC doesn't even begin until you pass the Horse Stables. Until then, it's more like a theme park than a beach!

 

You have every right to voice your opinion, but the way you express it belittles those who don't agree. You like to say "any cabana is better than no cabana at all", but that's only your opinion. If you were some sort of beach expert, maybe I could forgive your arrogance, but you're from Wisconsin! I say, "if your day at the beach necessitates a cabana, maybe you shouldn't go to the beach". To me, using a cabana is an awful lot like staying indoors. If you want shade and air conditioning, your cabin offers plenty... maybe you should just stay on the ship. :cool:

 

I must not be the only one that thinks that way. Most of the HMC posts revolve around people securing cabanas.

 

Consider yourself among the minority. Glad to see your taking time out of your busy day to read my posts. You can quote me very well.

[jlk806]

After seeing you repeat this same sentiment 100's of times, I feel obligated to present an entirely different opinion: a day at the beach shouldn't involve air conditioners, roofs, or ceiling fans! The real beauty of HMC doesn't even begin until you pass the Horse Stables. Until then, it's more like a theme park than a beach!

 

You have every right to voice your opinion, but the way you express it belittles those who don't agree. You like to say "any cabana is better than no cabana at all", but that's only your opinion. If you were some sort of beach expert, maybe I could forgive your arrogance, but you're from Wisconsin! I say, "if your day at the beach necessitates a cabana, maybe you shouldn't go to the beach". To me, using a cabana is an awful lot like staying indoors. If you want shade and air conditioning, your cabin offers plenty... maybe you should just stay on the ship. :cool:

 

i agree - im from NY and hate the cold so every second in the sun and warmth I treasure, as do my cruising buddies. Why on earth would we be at this beautiful beach and want to sit in a small room???

[Armedaneian]

Why on earth would we be at this beautiful beach and want to sit in a small room???

 

I'm not sure, but I guess we're the minority... apparently everyone else wants to stay indoors while at the beach. ;)

[rosapink]

I'm not sure, but I guess we're the minority... apparently everyone else wants to stay indoors while at the beach. ;)

 

We have never been to a private island so have no idea what to expect. I relish the idea of being on a beach with fine sand and clear water. But what is there? Are there beach chairs? Is there food? Do you pay for it? Is there shade,rest rooms? How do you get off the ship and is it a long walk past all these cabanas before you get to a quiet bit of beach? Is it difficult for someone with mobility problems? Thank you for any help/advice.:cool:

[JimFrank]

There are definitely more than enough beach chairs, and the crystal clear calm water is great. I've heard alot of negative things about the glass bottom boat ride, and as far as food goes, carnival had it set up buffet style (not that unsimilar to what's on the ship).

 

We did the snorkel by boat, and I definitely recommend it. It's pretty cool to be able to see all the way to the bottom no matter how deep the water is. There were three different reefs to explore.. definitely enough room for the 30 of us that were in the water at the same time. The coral wasn't that colorful, most of it looked dead, but it was still really fun.

 

The ship has tenders that bring you through a channel and out onto a dock. Then you walk through their main little market area and there are little paths from there to the beach. The cabanas are actually further down the beach from where the tender lets you off, and the quitest bit of beach (at least when we were there), was accessible by actually not going really far down the beach once you got off the ship. Since there's a big ship shaped bar further down, most people were down there. so I guess mobility issues might actually work in your favor and get you a more secluded area.

[dperki1]

I'm not sure, but I guess we're the minority... apparently everyone else wants to stay indoors while at the beach. ;)

 

I got the cabana not because I thought it would be "indoors" at the beach but because my mother has respiratory problems and I thought it would be a nice break from the heat and a table to sit at should she have the need. Not everyone has great health and it is nice to have the option to enjoy both the indoor and the beach at the same time.

 

I myself will be going for the horseback ride and hoping that will be a lot of fun :)

[Typhoon1]

I got the cabana not because I thought it would be "indoors" at the beach but because my mother has respiratory problems and I thought it would be a nice break from the heat and a table to sit at should she have the need. Not everyone has great health and it is nice to have the option to enjoy both the indoor and the beach at the same time.

 

A wise investment if you are traveling with elderly or very young children. It gives them a place to be out of the heat and humidity.

[GradUT]

My daughter did the Stingray Adventure and really enjoyed it. Based on the number of people in her "adventure" (the first of the day) and the number of people we saw doing the adventure later in the day, I'd highly recommend doing the first excursion of the day. It's going to be a much better experience with fewer people. Also, while knowing how to snorkel is not required, she felt that her ability to snorkel made for a much better experience.

 

If you don't want to do this excursion, you can still walk over to the stingray area and watch this excursion. You can hear what the guide has to say about the stingrays and you can see the participants feed the stingrays. I did this after lunch and it was pretty interesting!

[Leadft]

I'm not sure, but I guess we're the minority... apparently everyone else wants to stay indoors while at the beach. ;)

 

I'm totally with you! Down with cabanas!!

[prophet0621]

Last summer my girlfriend and I did the stingray excursion, total time for travel and excursion was only about an hour and a half. After that we rented some snorkel gear and spent the rest of the day in the water off to the side and mostly alone.

 

I don't know about the water clarity on normal days, we had a storm coming in that day and the water was hazy but still had a good time snorkeling. Plenty of chairs where we were, most of the people seemed to stay at the party further down the beach. We weren't very excited about this port, it's not for everyone and seemed far more limited in options of things to do if you didn't like sitting in the sun or hanging out with the crowd down the beach. To some this is their favorite port for those reasons. I'm glad I went and it was a nice experience but no urges to ever go back.

[prophet0621]

I'm not sure, but I guess we're the minority... apparently everyone else wants to stay indoors while at the beach. ;)

 

I looked at cabanas last year before our cruise because there didn't seem to be much to do on this island that interested me and my girlfriend but I couldn't justify the price or need. I can see the appeal of cabanas to get out of the sun, not everyone likes sand or to bake in the sun but still wants the island atmosphere and scenic views. Another bonus that I can see is the solitude and not having to deal with crowds.

 

We rented snorkel gear and kept to our selves in the water, when rain started rolling in most of the people left the beach, kids left the water and we had that whole area almost to ourselves, it was almost paradise.

[Typhoon1]

I'm totally with you! Down with cabanas!!

 

Very simple solution. Spend your vacation dollars on something else. Different strokes for different folks.

[CruiserBruce]

Very simple solution. Spend your vacation dollars on something else. Different strokes for different folks.

 

Amen! ;):D

[Typhoon1]

Amen! ;):D

 

Knew I could count on you, Bruce.

[GradUT]

We rented snorkel gear and kept to our selves in the water, when rain started rolling in most of the people left the beach, kids left the water and we had that whole area almost to ourselves, it was almost paradise.

 

Yeah, when we went to HMC it was a cloudy day with periods of light rain, but my daughter and I still decided to go so she could do the stingray excursion and we could both snorkel. (We figured we were going to be wet anyway, so a little light rain didn't matter.) We loved it because there were no crowds and we had the snorkel area pretty much to ourselves. We also didn't have to worry about finding shade to keep from "frying". I would almost hate to go back on a sunny day!

[Typhoon1]

Yeah, when we went to HMC it was a cloudy day with periods of light rain, but my daughter and I still decided to go so she could do the stingray excursion and we could both snorkel. (We figured we were going to be wet anyway, so a little light rain didn't matter.) We loved it because there were no crowds and we had the snorkel area pretty much to ourselves. We also didn't have to worry about finding shade to keep from "frying". I would almost hate to go back on a sunny day!

 

It's not unusual for it to be cloudy and cool in the morning. By late morning, the sun usually breaks out and it is a beautiful day.

[chosbor2]

We loved half moon cay and never once did we think about a cabana. The beach is wonderful and the water is clear and wonderful.

 

We did the snorkel by boat tour and loved it. There were 3 life guards in the water that feed the fish and are there is offer assistance if needed. There are also 3 reefs that you can spread out over, although most people seemed to stay to the one closest to the boat, you are allowed to swim to the other 2 as well, not very far. We had an excellent time in the water swimming with the fish, and you have great views of the ship as well. Highly recommend!