Eyeing a cruise for next fall...tell me about HMC....

[MamaParrotHead]

I'm trying to work up a skeleton budget. I know HMC is CCL owned...what is there to do, what's included and what costs $$$? Is there a shaded area on the beach? How is the snorkeling off the beach?

 

Thanks.

[pmcue]

No much snorkling here, but it is a beautiful beach. If you want to splurge a bit, get a cabana for some privacy.

[cb at sea]

It's a beach day...the ship provides a BBQ lunch, and, just like on the ship, alcohol and soda are extra and will be charged to your shipboard account. You can be as active or lazy as you like! There are several "beach areas" (the 1st one will be the most crowded) and there's shade if you move back from the water a bit!

You may come and go as you like---you don't have to spend the entire day there, if you don't want to!

[cruz.n.carebear]

It is heaven on earth!

 

But besides that, the only cost that I incurred were to rent a $9 float and a couple drinks, which were the same cost as on board. We were content to stay in the sun, but there were plenty of chairs in the shade if that is what you prefer. LOVE that place and can't wait to go back!

[grandmato4]

We LOVED HMC ! Plenty of lounge chairs that can be moved to shaded areas especially a bit further down the beach than the general crowd gathers. Some fish to be seen snorkling from the beach but too sandy to be very good snorkling. There is a snorkling excursion our SIL went on and he saw quite a few beautiful fish but said one did need to be a good swimmer to do this excursion. We went parasailing and LOVED it. If you wish to pamper yourselves the cabanna's are well worth the price. They were $249 for the day but not sure if they've gone up a bit or not. I was hesitant to spend the money but we loved our green cabanna and would do it again in a heartbeat. Snorkling equipment, floating mats, soda, fresh fruit, chips, salsa, really comfy lounge chairs, table and chairs, overhead fan, and misting fan, outside shower, beach towels included in the cabana. Price is for up to 4 people. There's trails to walk all over the island on your own which are nice, lunch is descent. We walked down to get our lunch and brought it back to our cabana to eat. There is a bar you can go to or the bar waiters from the ship are walking the beach taking orders and bring your drinks back to you. You can spend nothing or just purchase the same amount of drinks you would if you were to stay in the ship. It is a private island so the only excursions you can book are through Carnival. They are listed on their website. Some I remember are the snokling, parasailing, horseback riding, walking tour, glass bottom boat, but there are more. Enjoy your day there, just remember your sunscreen !:)

[LynneL]

I'm trying to work up a skeleton budget. I know HMC is CCL owned...what is there to do, what's included and what costs $$$? Is there a shaded area on the beach? How is the snorkeling off the beach?

 

Thanks.

 

OK, I'm going with what I think are the key words here...."skeleton budget." Forget the cabana...at $225. (if booking thru Carnival, $250. on Holland I believe), that's a beefy skeleton to me - lol.

 

We originally booked a cabana, it rained in the early a.m. so tours were cancelled & option given to cancel cabanas, which we did. When I arrived on the island I wondered if I made a big mistake but as the day went on I wasn't really sorry. My kids said they wouldn't have stayed in it anyway. Maybe if the day was hotter but it was bearable.

 

So, here's my thoughts on a low-cost day at HMC....packed bottled waters, some sodas & a small soft sided cooler from home. Put in water/soda fridge in cabin. For day at beach I filled a zip lock bag (brought from home) with ice, put it in the cooler bag with some beverages. Besides the cost factor, just nice to have cold waters readily available right under your beach chair. Beach chairs were free. We picked ones that were right by the bar area so we enjoyed the music (we wouldn't have heard it further down the beach in most of the cabanas so that's why we enjoyed that spot). Alchoholic bev were around $5.75 each for a standard vodka & 7 type drink - surprisingly cheap. I only had one & the rest was from my little cooler. If you got the ones in the monkey coconut shells I think they were $15. plus grat. My kids got those, I passed on that. Lunch is included as is the iced tea & lemonade. We rented 2 clamshells @ $17. each & abandoned them quickly since hot a blazes in there. Other people took them over later in the day, which we didn't care at all. It keeps the sun off you but too stuffy for me. They're dark blue so seem to absorb the sun & could have used a small mesh venting area on sides for air circulation...but didn't have that. A friend from work just went to HMC & said they set their chairs up behind someone's clamshells & it provided good shade without being baked in them.

 

When I got hot, I went into the water. Beautiful!!!!! Sand has the texture of flour & doesn't get hot. I did walk down the beach to see what my cabana would have looked like if I had kept it (#11 - it was nice). There were hammocks by the cabanas & I saw some in the shade & unused. You do not need to rent a cabana to use the hammocks by them. Later in the day people who rented the round tubes for the day abandoned them in the water & other people used them. I also walked around a little, there are misting booths to cool down, but I didn't go too far because it did get hot later in the day. I was sorry I didn't explore more in the a.m. They have a path that you can walk that would take you by the stingray area. All in all it was my favorite port & cost me almost nothing. As someone else said, USE SUNSCREEN, and don't forget chapstick with sunscreen in it. I got so burnt on my bottom lip that I looked like someone punched me in the mouth then next day! It was sore for days no matter how much chapstick I put on later (a little after the fact - lol). Never had that experience before but live & learn!

[TnMDougherty]

clam shells are a good cheap investment. You can prop the back up to let the air circulate and they won't be so hot. there are also a few showers around with cool fresh water. I would bring a cooler of bottled water or sodas. I didn't buy anything while I was there and I didn't go hungry or thirsty. The buffet lunch is very good and plentiful. My favorite was the jerk chicken and the brownies. You can eat there, or take back with you to your chairs. It's a wonderful place for swimming and relaxing.