half moon caye ?

[lv2snorkel]

Is there a beach party - bbq - something on that order. Do you need to book the beach or is it open? Any and and infor muchly appreciated. Katie

[boundingmaynard]

I have not been yet, but from what I have read the ship caters lunch on shore, I don't know if they do a cook out or not. Everything on the island is provided by Carnival since they own it.

There are plenty of activities available, and every post I've read says it is a great time.

[newt98]

Is there a beach party - bbq - something on that order. Do you need to book the beach or is it open? Any and and infor muchly appreciated. Katie

 

they have food on shore, it's off the beach at a food serving area. jerk chicken, hot doge, hanburgers, salads, desserts, it's pretty good. the tenders from the ship take everyone to the beach area. it gets extremely packed. we got a cabana and it was completely worth it. with the beach area so crowded, it was nice to have our own space. it has a freshwater shower, comfy loungers, table and chairs, air conditioning. i have pics of it on my link below, it's in the half moon cay folder.

[halpinsg]

Snorkelover

 

The cay is basically one long beach with a bunch of stuff to do. My only suggestion would be to work at getting off the ship early, so you can get some chairs under some shade. You may not think it will help you in the morning, but by the early afternoon you will want it. I was there with a family reunion so we didn't pull the chair hog deal, we actually used them. If you are not going to use the chairs, don't save them.

 

The snorkeling isn't great there though. If you want to do any, that is another reason to get out early. With so many people on the beach, the water get's pretty "dusty" after a while. Overall, it is just about the best stretch of beach I have ever been on.

 

Sean

 

Have a great time.

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

I would also suggest renting a cabana. My Fun Bunch Group rented two and were glad we did once the sun really started to beat down on the beach. I loved the beach and the bbq.

[bruce-r]

Is there a beach party - bbq - something on that order.

Yep, grilled chicken, burgers and such.

 

Do you need to book the beach or is it open?

The beach is open. There are free chairs, clam-shells for rent for shade, and 15 cabanas for that extra special day on the beach.

 

Any and and infor muchly appreciated. Katie

 

How about some photos instead:

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

[eh2zed]

I have not been yet, but from what I have read the ship caters lunch on shore, I don't know if they do a cook out or not. Everything on the island is provided by Carnival since they own it.

There are plenty of activities available, and every post I've read says it is a great time.

HMC is not owned by Carnival Cruise Line but rather by Holland America. HAL gets first dibs on HMC and Carnival gets to go if there is no HAL ship in. Both cruise lines are owned by Carnival Corp. which also owns Costa, Cunard, Princess and some others.

[cccole]

We were there in February and rented a cabana that was the third to last on the beach. I loved being at the less crowded end of the beach. It did look pretty crowded at the end of beach near the pier, but you just have to walk further down the beach and you almost have it to yourself.

 

We did the aqua trax excursion and it was fun, the water is beautiful. We did not snorkel but were told that the snorkeling around the rocks by the pier is o.k. The cabana comes with drinks, snacks, and fruit so we did not take time out to go to the bar-b-que, we just had breakfast before leaving the ship and had a snack when we reboarded.

 

It's a great beach day.

 

Cherie

[Typhoon1]

Reserve a cabana, you wont regret it.

[NCTribeFan]

Well, you might not want to spend the hundreds of dollars.

 

We've been perfectly happy with just renting a clamshell to get a little shade.

 

I couldn't really justify spending >$200 for two people. If there were several, I could see it. I just didn't think it was necessary.

 

I do love it there. That's why I booked two cruises this year. I just can't wait to go on Fascination in December and return to HMC.

[cruise-4-ever]

Well, you might not want to spend the hundreds of dollars.

 

We've been perfectly happy with just renting a clamshell to get a little shade.

 

I couldn't really justify spending >$200 for two people. If there were several, I could see it. I just didn't think it was necessary.

 

I do love it there. That's why I booked two cruises this year. I just can't wait to go on Fascination in December and return to HMC.

 

Is the price of the cabana $100 or $200 for the day and is there a picture of the clamshell?

[Hawaii697]

We were there in February and rented a cabana that was the third to last on the beach. I loved being at the less crowded end of the beach. It did look pretty crowded at the end of beach near the pier, but you just have to walk further down the beach and you almost have it to yourself.

 

We did the aqua trax excursion and it was fun, the water is beautiful. We did not snorkel but were told that the snorkeling around the rocks by the pier is o.k. The cabana comes with drinks, snacks, and fruit so we did not take time out to go to the bar-b-que, we just had breakfast before leaving the ship and had a snack when we reboarded.

 

It's a great beach day.

 

Cherie

 

Cherie, thanks for the post. Can you tell me how much the cabana's cost? I have about 20 people in my group and it would be a great place to cool of (not all at one time of course), but just something to have. Would this be doable? Thanks!

 

ETA: Uh, oh, I just read the the post prior to mine. $200 for two people. Whew, that's a lot. I guess my question regarding 20 people just went out the window!

[cccole]

Hi, it was actually $240 for the four of us. And.....we had many friends stop by during the day. I do not recommend paying any extra person charges!!!!! In fact, we left for the aqua traxx excursion and asked some friends to enjoy the cabana while we were gone. We did not use all of the sodas, water, and snacks provided because they were removed about 1:00 p.m. With your group my suggestion is to get one of the cabanas towards the end of the beach, put some lounge chairs in front, and enjoy the day. You will have a great day. There were at least 20 people who enjoyed our cabana, including some crew members. The charge for the cabana is just one charge that includes snacks, sodas, and water for 4 people. We brought our own wine and alcoholic beverages. You can always send a couple people down to the lunch area to bring food back. The beach at HMC is just wonderful and you will have a great time. Cherie

[ocbrody]

The greatest stretch of beach I have ever set foot on:

 

Cabana #11 near the end of the beach - Well worth the $240

 

Another picture looking from the cabana down towards the more crowded area:

[powoct95]

Wow Thanks for the great pics! I'll be there in 3 weeks and can't wait. Exactly how far are you talking when you say go toward the end of the beach? Are there chairs all along the beach or only near the area where all the people are? Also, how far is the buffet from where you were?

[NCTribeFan]

The buffet is actually down the beach a way from the tender area.

 

I don't have the page bookmarked, but HAL's site has a map of HMC which shows a good chunk of the island.

[nodumblond]

The buffet is actually down the beach a way from the tender area.

 

I don't have the page bookmarked, but HAL's site has a map of HMC which shows a good chunk of the island.

 

 

Will this do?

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-destinations/HalfMoonCay_Map.pdf

[bruce-r]

Will this do?

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-destinations/HalfMoonCay_Map.pdf

 

You've lived up to your board name. Thanks for providing the link.

[bmwmom2002]

Do they have drink service on HMC? Bars set up? DOD? haha

[bankonus]

Do they have drink service on HMC? Bars set up? DOD? haha

 

 

Yes they do. They will also have people walking around selling drinks. What service!!

[bmwmom2002]

SWEET! Thanks!

[Crus4US]

Great info. Quick question, how do you rent a clamshell? When you first board the ship?

Thanks.

[NCTribeFan]

On Carnival, you have to do it on shore, which is a pain in the rear. Don't know about HAL.

 

I now know to walk down to "water sports center #2" to avoid the crowd nearest the tender pier. Of course, if you want to be in that area where the band is and all the activity, then you can stand in line at #1.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-destinations/HalfMoonCay_Map.pdf

 

I much prefer further down the beach. Close to the buffet, away from the crowd (although there will be plenty of people on the beach and loungers can be hard to come by if you aren't off the ship early.)

 

I love it there so much!

[vpoopsy]

We were on HAL, Dec 2006 and this was the best stop of the whole cruise. They had to drag us kicking and screaming back to the boat. We didn't have a cabana or a clamshell and the weather was beautiful. I've heard some folks say that the clamshells get stuffy. Cabana's look nice if you want to spend the extra money for shade and a fan. The buffet was great and there are places to sit in the shade while you ate. I would even suggest going on a walk. The grounds are gorgeous. Kudo's to HAL for making it so nice.

[NCTribeFan]

DD just informed me that she may graduate in December after all.

 

And she wants to walk - in December 13th - the day our Fascination cruise sails.

 

I told her I was NOT going to cancel my cruise that I booked solely to return to HMC! Dont' know why she's upset with me! ;)