Reports on Half Moon Cay

[kryos]

:( Oh well......I doubt I will get to see it then either......

So, do you think that will be an extra day at sea?:D ......that will be good too....

I think even without Half Moon Cay, Lois ... you're gonna have a wonderful cruise! I hear tell from one of the waiters last night that there are only about 1,200 passengers scheduled to be onboard the sailing of 9/11! That makes for a great cruise.

 

I feel so bad about Half Moon Cay, though ... and feel blessed that I was one of the last group privileged to visit there before the damage. I had a wonderful day there drinking (and, yes, getting smashed on) Banana Daquaries (sp?), attending an interdenominational service at that beautiful Bahamian church, and parasailing over the ocean. I hope one day to be able to do it again ... and to share it with all of you.

 

Blue skies and have a great cruise!

 

--rita

[sail7seas]

Kryos....reports are that the damage is minimal, very thankfully. That beautiful slice of Paradise remains intact.

[kryos]

Kryos....reports are that the damage is minimal, very thankfully. That beautiful slice of Paradise remains intact.

I spoke to someone in the photo shop today who said there was substantial damage, but nothing that can't be fixed. She said, however, that it will take about a month before HAL can start cruising there again. But she did say they were going to fix the damage.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Nautical Wheeler]

Bummer. I'm going to arrive at HMC on November 1, 3 hours after the Zuiderdam arrives.

 

Edited to say: Not really that bummed as long as we get there. We don't arrive until 11, Zuiderdam leaves at 4. Could probably spend time on the ship, have lunch there and head there early afternoon. Zuiderdam crowd will probably be thinning out.

Orcrone,

We will be on the Oosterdam which will be at HMC 11/1 along with the Maasdam.

The Zuiderdam will be there 10/31. The O arrives at 8 am and the Maasdam at 11 am. ;):) This information came from my HAL cruise book.

[NJsharon]

Soooo happy the reports say that there is minimal damage.

 

HMC truly is a beautiful island & my favorite 'port of call'.

 

When I was at HMC it was crowded at the beginning of the beach (by the water rental shop), but if you walk down just a little way (roughly where the BBQ hut is) then it wasn't so crowded. Then if you wanted to walk all the way down the beach you would have an 'uncrowded' (or in my view from that picture posted - desolate) beach. So something to please everyone. :)

 

I love HMC!!

 

~Sharon~

[sail7seas]

I spoke to someone in the photo shop today who said there was substantial damage, but nothing that can't be fixed. She said, however, that it will take about a month before HAL can start cruising there again. But she did say they were going to fix the damage.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

 

I have had e-mails from several friends from Seattle Office who have assured me the damage is minimal. There is only a little beach erosion and there was some of the type of damage to foliage one would expect.

 

The plan is that Zuiderdam will miss this week's call to HMC but subsequent scheduled visits should go as planned. (Of course, there is always the 'conditions permitting' caveat.)

[sail7seas]

Sorry, meant to add that there is certainly 'incentive' for any and all cleanup/repairs to be accomplished rapidly if for no other reason than they have planned the three day Westerdam cruise all about going to HMC for the day.....with Mr. Kruse. :)

[Toad]

Thanks to all! For sure it sounds as if all will be abck to normal by the beginning of February!

[kryos]

I have had e-mails from several friends from Seattle Office who have assured me the damage is minimal. There is only a little beach erosion and there was some of the type of damage to foliage one would expect.

 

The plan is that Zuiderdam will miss this week's call to HMC but subsequent scheduled visits should go as planned. (Of course, there is always the 'conditions permitting' caveat.)

I certainly hope your information is more reliable. It pains me to think of so much as one bush to have been blown down on that beautiful island.

 

I don't know what it is ... but there is something special about that place. True, it can be crowded ... especially with two ships there at the same time. When I sailed there last March, we had the Rotterdam there along with another ship. However, the other ship wasn't staying past around 2:00 or so. We were staying longer. It was heavenly.

 

This time I honestly can't remember if there was a second ship there with us. But I did notice that it was very crowded there. However, I just went off and did my own things ... and the crowds didn't bother, nor interfere with my pleasure in the slightest.

 

Hopefully HMC will get back on HAL's itinerary ASAP.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[jazzsea]

I will check with Ship Services tomorrow to see what the damage was and when the Island will be up and part of the itineraries again.

[sail7seas]

I received the e-mails from two EXTREMELY RELIABLE sources who, quite frankly, are more in the know than Ship Services often is. How many times have we gotten three different responses from three different people in Ship's Services?? :) Not to mention the fact, they are (at varying times) told exactly what is to be told to the public. These folks do not work in Ship's Services :) :)

[Toad]

Too bad Half Moon Cay didn't have it's own website and web cam!

[Debi_D]

Great Idea Toad - I think that would put everyone's mind to rest;)

 

Deb

[jollycruiser]

The revised schedule for the 9/18 Zuiderdam sailing has HMC as thier final stop. This is very good news indeed. Hoping Jeanne has no influence on the schedule. Also noted that the Cayman Island stop is out and Costa Maya is substituted. Wonder how long before the Caymans are back in business?

[divinggirl]

We visited HMC this summer and had a good time. However, I agree with posters here that beach was crowded. Only ship in port was the Zuiderdam.

 

I think you were on the same sailing I was (8/21)?? Anyway, I do agree that everyone was smushed together. They insisted that you put the clamshells up immediately to identify it's been taken, so if you wanted any sun you had to pull your chair down and out from under the clamshell. The problem with this is that the next row of chairs is literally right at your feet, so you can't. I initially dealt with this by keeping my pink reciept very visible and leaving the clammshell down, but then figured what the hell and moved the chairs in front of me down a bit.

 

What I don't understand is why they pile all the chairs up on top of each other when there's hundreds of yards of beach with no chairs at all, down by the cabanas. I know pax pay alot for the cabanas but that does not justify stacking the rest of us up on top of each other.

 

Natasha, you were there next to me so you know what I mean about the chairs, do you agree??

 

Nikki

[HeatherInFlorida]

Has everyone seen this update on the HAL website?

 

Click here: Holland America Line Inc. - Breaking News

[taszmom]

Are there just beach chairs for use for anyone? I don't need a clamshell, just would like a chair..do they charge for using chairs?

[doone]

Yes, there are chairs for everyone to use free of charge.

 

Looks like the Zuiderdam will call on Half Moon Cay on the next voyage.

[sail7seas]

The lounge chairs are there for everyone's use. Pick one you like and sit yourself down. :)

 

There is nothing to stop anyone from dragging a chair down the beach to whatever spot they like best. No one cares if you wish to sit in an area that is 'less congested'.

[taszmom]

Great! Thanks...if you see 2 adults and a 5 yr old dragging chairs down to a quiet area of beach..that'll be us! sail7seas....I think we may end up sitting next to ya (Not too close...need some breathing room. LOL!) as we'll be on the same sailing!

[divinggirl]

The lounge chairs are there for everyone's use. Pick one you like and sit yourself down. :)

 

There is nothing to stop anyone from dragging a chair down the beach to whatever spot they like best. No one cares if you wish to sit in an area that is 'less congested'.

True, but I would think that if they wanted it all spread out, they would make it so. I'm guessing it makes beach cleanup, etc. more tedious when the whole beach is used, and they'd like to keep all the trash in one general area. I wish youi could pick the clamshells up and take them somewhere else...:rolleyes:

 

My favorite thing to do was to lay in the water on my back and float. The water there seems to have a very high salt content, making it easier to float!

 

Nikki

[sail7seas]

Great! Thanks...if you see 2 adults and a 5 yr old dragging chairs down to a quiet area of beach..that'll be us! sail7seas....I think we may end up sitting next to ya (Not too close...need some breathing room. LOL!) as we'll be on the same sailing!

 

 

Taszmom.....I hope you do sit down next to us. I'd be happy to meet you and your family. (I'll look for a mom and dad with a 5 year old......boy or girl?? ) We'll be the ones who keep checking to see if the ribs are ready and lunch is on. That is the only place we eat ribs and we love them there!!! In a swimsuit; sitting at a picnic bench.....I can hardly wait.

 

(I cannot imagine it possible the picnic benches and the 'roof coverings' could possibly have survived a hurricane. But doesn't seem it would be a big deal to load up a bunch more tables and deliver them to the island. I'll be sad to find the bouginvallia destroyed. It was just starting to get really full and loaded with blossoms.)

[sail7seas]

Yes, Nikki......I'm sure you're right. If the chairs are closely grouped, the cleanup is easier after we all leave.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Looks like we all are going to have to wait until after poeple get off the ship on September 25 to find out what the island really looks like.

 

[HeatherInFlorida]

I just got off the phone with the Shore Excursions Desk who now handles the bookings for the cabanas. She assured me that there was very little damage to the cabanas (we have the turquoise one reserved for 11/13:) ).

 

She said everything is being all spiffied up as we speak and it will be "just like new". My feeling is that if those little shacks made it through, hopefully the rest of the island did well, too, and Sail's info (as usual) is the best info:D .

 

Now if Jeanne will just keep her distance as she has been directed to do.