Cabana cost at Half Moon Cay

[twinkletoes4445]

Marcia,

 

I went back and looked at all my photos and here are the hammocks that I was able to see (see the list below). There might be more hammocks that aren't in my pictures, but here are the ones I could see (and count). Later tonight I'll go through my Webshots pics and the others I have that I didn't post, and if there's a better view of the hammocks, I'll put those pics on my Webshots album. :)

 

The white table cloths were for the butler package. It did look classy and was a lot of run. The cabanas that didn't have the butler package had a small round blue table cloth. After walking through the buffet area and taking pictures, I thought the food they offered at the BBQ looked great! Either way you go...butler or no butler, you'll still have a great time on HMC. Enjoy! :)

 

I counted a total of 12-13 hammocks.

 

1. Taupe

2. Blue

3. Turquoise

4. Orange (one hammock between the orange and sky blue cabana. It looks closer to the orange)

5. Sky Blue

6. Purple

7. Peach (one hammock between the peach & pink-closer to peach)

8. Pink (one-maybe two between the pink & eggshell-closer to pink)

9. Eggshell (one hammock on each side of the eggshell-both close to eggshell)

10. Green (3 hammocks centered between the green & gray cabanas)

11. Gray (one hammock -on the yellow side, but close to the gray)

12. Yellow (3 hammocks centered between the yellow and terracotta)

13. Terracotta

14. Red

15. Violet

[cmh1919]

Going to HMC on Carnival in July and would love to get a cabana. I do like to lay out and get some sun. I read earlier in the post that #3 was shaded and if you wanted sun you would have to get a chair by the water.

 

Does anyone know if they are all shaded or if you can lay out on the front deck of the cabana and have full sun?

 

Thanks!

[grandmato4]

Going to HMC on Carnival in July and would love to get a cabana. I do like to lay out and get some sun. I read earlier in the post that #3 was shaded and if you wanted sun you would have to get a chair by the water.

 

Does anyone know if they are all shaded or if you can lay out on the front deck of the cabana and have full sun?

 

Thanks!

 

No problem with laying out in front of most of the cabana's to get plenty of sun. We had #10 in October and that's exactly what I did.

[twinkletoes4445]

Going to HMC on Carnival in July and would love to get a cabana. I do like to lay out and get some sun. I read earlier in the post that #3 was shaded and if you wanted sun you would have to get a chair by the water.

 

Does anyone know if they are all shaded or if you can lay out on the front deck of the cabana and have full sun?

 

Thanks!

 

We've been in #3 (turquoise) twice, and it's shaded. Some have full sun, but I am not sure which ones.

[peppymom98]

If you're unlucky and can't get to book a cabana, do you think my fellow cruisers would mind if I snuck into theirs get some cool air?

 

Is there anyplace on the island to escape the sun and heat? I cant just stay out in blazing sun for a long time.

[grandmato4]

If you're unlucky and can't get to book a cabana, do you think my fellow cruisers would mind if I snuck into theirs get some cool air?

 

Is there anyplace on the island to escape the sun and heat? I cant just stay out in blazing sun for a long time.

 

Lots of places to escape the sun and heat. Just pull your lounge chair up to the tree line and relax on your lounge chair under a tree for a while.

[themarm]

Going to HMC on Carnival in July and would love to get a cabana. I do like to lay out and get some sun. I read earlier in the post that #3 was shaded and if you wanted sun you would have to get a chair by the water.

 

Does anyone know if they are all shaded or if you can lay out on the front deck of the cabana and have full sun?

 

Thanks!

 

me too. we are on destiny - the 13th. you? a cabana is a MUST. i am thinking that so long as the rental is the first order of business on the boat, then all will work out well.

 

if there is only one left, and you are on my ship, i will arm wrestle you for it! :p

[NYGirl1002]

Well after reading this thread and enjoying Twinkletoes' pictures I am now going to rent a cabana at HMC.

 

We don't have little children with us..it's just me my husband and my special needs daughter.

 

Here's my question..how many bathrooms are there? Which cabanas would be closer to them?

 

Also, is there any place to keep your personal belongings when you are swimming or do we need to get a water wallet and take our stuff in the water with us?

 

Thanks

[twinkletoes4445]

Well after reading this thread and enjoying Twinkletoes' pictures I am now going to rent a cabana at HMC.

 

We don't have little children with us..it's just me my husband and my special needs daughter.

 

Here's my question..how many bathrooms are there? Which cabanas would be closer to them?

 

Also, is there any place to keep your personal belongings when you are swimming or do we need to get a water wallet and take our stuff in the water with us?

 

Thanks

 

Thanks! :)

 

As for bathrooms, I think there are four bathrooms. There's one near the chapel, one near the food pavilion, one behind the eggshell cabana, and one next to the stingray area. The map they gave us (and I scanned it and posted it on my Webshots page) is old. It's not got all of the cabanas listed, nor is the new bathroom that's near the #9 cabana.

 

Here's the map. It will give you an idea where things are even though some things are missing. If you click the "full size" icon on the top right, the picture will be a lot bigger (most of your computer screen).

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2406705090104783828jPzKMr

 

If you're in #1 Taupe, #2 Blue, #3 Turquoise & #4 Orange would put you near the food pavilion and a restroom.

 

If you're in # 8 Pink, #9 Eggshell, #10 Green or #11 Gray, you're going to be close to a restroom.

 

If you have a cabana, there are cabinets, but they don't lock (at least not that I've seen). There are lockers that you can rent, and those are on the back of the building of the Watersports #1 building. Or you could take a water wallet with you.

 

Enjoy your cabana! :)

[NYGirl1002]

I have to say Twinkletoes you are the best :) You have so much information and are willing to share. I've enjoyed your posts and pictures. I now have a good idea what I want to do. Thank you so much.

 

I think I'm going to go for the higher numbered ones. As long as it's near a bathroom. My husband and I are 60.. LOL

[twinkletoes4445]

I have to say Twinkletoes you are the best :) You have so much information and are willing to share. I've enjoyed your posts and pictures. I now have a good idea what I want to do. Thank you so much.

 

I think I'm going to go for the higher numbered ones. As long as it's near a bathroom. My husband and I are 60.. LOL

 

I'm glad I was able to help you. :) I share as much info as I can because posters here have given me so much help when I asked my questions. On one thread I mentioned we are going to cruise Alaska next and I had no clue how to even go about planning that cruise and several posters jumped in and posted all sorts of information which really helped me. Hubby just goes along...so I do all the planning. I am one of those types that I really like to have as much info on a place as I can (prior to going).

 

For us (we're in our mid-50's) being near a bathroom and having a cabana with shade topped our list. So I understand exactly what you're talking about. :)

 

In this picture, I am standing at the top of the ramp that leads to the bathroom near the #9 cabana. The restroom is just to my right.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2403579770104783828qBGuDI

[bguppies]

 

Great picture.

Explains alot.....

[NYGirl1002]

That's a perfect picture. I like seeing it from that point of view. We always see pictures of the front of the cabanas.

 

We went to Alaska on HAL last September. If you have any questions I may be able to help you.

[twinkletoes4445]

 

Great picture.

Explains alot.....

 

I actually took that picture for folks that wanted to know what type of beach access was available. There are different types, from sand to wood...to ramps or stairs, and some people have mobility issues and it would make a different for them. This picture also gives you an idea of how far away the restrooms are (since I was standing right next to the restroom), and that again is something some people want to know (me, for instance). And since NYGirl asked about the restrooms, I posted that picture so she'd have an idea how close it is to the Eggshell cabana. So I think it does explain a lot. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

That's a perfect picture. I like seeing it from that point of view. We always see pictures of the front of the cabanas.

 

We went to Alaska on HAL last September. If you have any questions I may be able to help you.

 

Glad the picture helped you. I figured it would give you an idea of just how close it is to the Eggshell cabana, so when you go to select your cabana, you'd know how far you have to walk. :)

 

I have lots of pictures from the front of the cabanas, and I posted many of them on Webshots. I took a lot of pictures from the front of the cabanas, but the vast majority of the cabanas were used by our group from CC and when I took the pictures they were in or around the cabanas, so I didn't want to post those pictures online. At one point on our Roll Call thread the names of the posters and their cabana numbers were posted, so I decided not to post them for their privacy. I am not sure they would care, but I told several that I was taking them for my own album, and I wanted to stay true to my word and not post those pictures. I tried to get pictures when no one was in the cabanas, but it just didn't work out this time. When we were walking around I tried to remember to take pictures of things that people are always asking about (restrooms, ramps, etc.).

 

Did you enjoy your Alaskan cruise? I was taken aback by the amount of planning that seems to be involved with an Alaskan cruise. I think we're going to do a 7-day cruise that leaves from Alaska that ends in Vancouver. We're going to do a land tour prior to this although we're not exactly sure how long...maybe 4 days. We met a lovely couple on our CC Roll Call and we're going to try and do this cruise with them.

 

We want to do Denali for 2 days and a couple of days somewhere else. I know we want to do dog sledding, but we don't want to have to ride a helicopter to get to the sledding. I looked at the excursion list for the ports in that area and it's mind-boggling just how many there are! How did you ever decide what to do?

 

We have to do the land portion first because we tend to be seasick for a few days after we cruise. I'd appreciate any tips on things to see or things to avoid. I'd like to do as much as possible since I doubt we'll do Alaska again or if we do, it will be down the road quite a bit.

[NYGirl1002]

I'll tell you this much it was very costly. But, it was our first cruise and somewhere we always wanted to go to. I booked it as a surprise for my husband's and daughter's birthday which is the same day.

 

Since I didnt want to get passports I booked the cruise from Seattle. Of course we wanted to see the iceburg so we did the Hubbard Glacier. I booked the excursions online. I too wanted the dog sled but I knew it was dependent on the weather and it turned out to be very foggy that day so it was cancelled. We did the dog sled with the dog pulling the golf cart which I hated. I felt sorry for the dogs and they were so sweaty and filthy. I can't believe they enjoy doing that.

 

We did a lot of whale watching and saw plenty of them. Our cruise went to Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. In Sitka I booked private tours. My husband went salmon fishing and my daughter and I went out on a private boat to see whales and wildlife.

 

I have to tell you our favorite excursion was the deadliest catch boat in ketchikan. The men are so knowledgeable and interesting.

 

Your trip sounds even better than mine. I would have loved to see Denali and spend a little more time in Alaska on land. What ship are you planning on going on?

[Bananas27]

On our last cruise that went to a private island (I think it was to Princess's private island), we had about 6 people who said, "We're leaving if you'd like to use our cabana". Apparently, some people get there early and only stay an hour or two. If you like to sleep in and go over after the rush, you can probably get a cabana for free.

[Koshlong]

On our last cruise that went to a private island (I think it was to Princess's private island), we had about 6 people who said, "We're leaving if you'd like to use our cabana". Apparently, some people get there early and only stay an hour or two. If you like to sleep in and go over after the rush, you can probably get a cabana for free.

 

 

I think terminology is confusing here. :) On HAL & Carnival, a cabana is the equivalent of a Princess bungalow......a clamshell is the equivalent of a Princess cabana. There are only 15 cabanas on Half Moon Key, but a whole lot of clamshells. It's possible to snare a free clamshell when people leave; it's unlikely to get a cabana.

[Typhoon1]

No one on HMC is going to spend $249.00, stay an hour, then decide to leave and offer the cabana to someone else. Those cabanas aren't usually vacated until an hour prior to departure time.

 

I want to enjoy as much of that island as I can before I have to head back to reality.

[NYGirl1002]

There is no way I would not spend the day at the cabana after spending $250.00 for it.

[twinkletoes4445]

NYGirl1002,

 

What a wonderful gift for your hubby and daughter! I'd love to get a "surprise" cruise. :)

 

It is a pricey cruise, that's for sure. We don't know exactly what we're doing or when we're going since we're not doing this cruise until 2011, but looking at the 2010 itinerary, we like the 11-day southbound cruise. We would spend a day in Anchorage and 2 days in Denali, and then leave from Seward.

 

Here's the itinerary of the cruise we like (it's on the Statendam or the Veendam)...but I don't know if this will be available in 2011 or not...

 

Seward

College Fjord

Glacier Bay National PArk

Skagway

Juneau

Ketchikan

Inside Passage

Vancouver

 

You've given me something to think about with the dogs. I was thinking more of a regular sled vs. a golf cart. And I agree, I can't imagine the dogs enjoyed that much, so we'll have to give this a little more thought.

 

Whale and wildlife watching is something I know we want to do. I wished we would have seen the whales in the Caribbean, but so far, we've never been that lucky. On the deadliest catch excursion was that on a small boat? How much motion was there on this boat? Is this something you booked through HAL or on your own? If you booked this online, would you mind giving me their website so I can keep it with all my other Alaska information. :)

 

One of the big obstacles I have is convincing hubby to go on one of the small HAL ships. We don't like the big ships, but he's been real happy with the vista class ship (as have I). The reason we want to do the land part in addition to the cruise is because I doubt we'll get back to Alaska in the near future. There are just so many places we'd like to visit, so I would like to see as much as possible when we're in Alaska for this reason.

 

Thanks for your help! :)

[NYGirl1002]

Yours sounds like the trip of a lifetime! I hope I can get back to Alaska once again to see all I missed.

 

The thing about the sled dogs is that it's contingent on the weather and I think more times than not it's foggy and rainy in Juneau. The dogs with the golf carts I think was called the mush or something like that and it was in Juneau.

 

We booked all of our excursions except one through HAL. In Sitka I booked Davey Lupin and the Esther G on the recommendation of one of the posters on the HAL CC boards. It was a 6 person boat and I cannot tell you how awestruck my daughter and I were. We actually saw whales jumping out of the water!! It was one of the most wonderful things I've ever seen in my life.

 

The deadliest catch tour was booked through HAL. It was in Ketchikan right at the pier. You get off the ship and go to the right and they are right there. It was not a small boat, in fact it was one of the crab boats from the first season. They took out a portion on the top deck and put seats.

 

I got most of my info from the website but I guess you need to be booked in order to see it all.

[twinkletoes4445]

We're really looking forward to our trip. I would imagine there are going to be things we'll miss, so I do hope one day that we are able to go back and see those things. :) The couple we met on our last HAL cruise (that we're going to try and cruise with on the Alaskan cruise) plas on doing a few days on a cruise, then land, then cruise again. I think he told me it was 20 or maybe 25 days total! It sounds like fun, but there's no way I'd get hubby out of his office that long...and the cost of that is way beyond what we're going to be able to spend. When I saw the costs of the land package, then add in airline costs, food, excursions, and the cruise...yikes....it's going to be a pretty pricey vacation.

 

Thanks for all the info on the dog sleds. I keep track of all these things so when it's time to actually plan our excursions (and trip) I can refer back to the tips that everyone has so graciously offered me. I'll make a note of "mush" being part of the golf cart sledding and make sure I avoid that one when we head to Alaska.

 

I was telling hubby about the deadliest catch excursion at lunch today and he said that sounded interesting. I've been looking through the HAL excursions for Alaska, but there are a lot of excursions to sort through.

 

Thanks again for all your help. :)