Half Moon Cay (pronounced key) is a private island owned by Holland America and used exclusively for their guests, as well as those sailing on Carnival Cruise Line.
Half Moon Cay is located in the southern part of the Bahamas chain of islands, about 100 miles south of Nassau. If you are sailing to the Caribbean there is a good chance this will be one of your ports of call along the way.
The island is considered by many to be the most beautiful of the cruise line private islands. Holland America has truly tried to keep the paradise as natural and untouched as possible, with only 45 out of 2,500 acres developed. Cradling the pristine blue waters are nine miles of beaches for you to explore. It is an absolutely gorgeous place to spend a day.
The average temperature on Half Moon Cay is in the mid 80’s. Of course, in the winter there are times when a cold front will come through and drop the temperature a little lower. But because this island is 100 miles south of Nassau the waters tend to be a little bit warmer during the winter months.
Half Moon Cay, like most other private islands, is a tender port. The ship will not dock directly at the island. You will have to take a smaller tender boat to the pier. This is a process the cruise lines try to move along as quickly as possible to reduce wait times.
There is so much to do on this private island, which is refreshing. Really the possibilities are endless and you definitely won’t have time to do it all.
- For the more active passenger
you can enjoy windsurfing, horseback riding, kayaks, aqua cycles, jet-ski, and a wonderful fitness trail with exercise stations along the way. You can also rent a catamaran or sunfish sailboat. They have volleyball and basketball courts. You can scuba dive or snorkel. If you have any fisherman traveling with you they can deep sea fish.
- If you like to relax a little bit more
then you can enjoy a beach-side massage, float on a mat in the beautiful waters, or take a leisurely stroll on the beach.
With all those activities to choose from you can definitely work up an appetite! There is a buffet pavilion that serves an awesome barbeque lunch (for free!), put together by your onboard crew. Leave room for the ice cream shop, it will be a great way to end your lunch.
Now of course, there is also a bar serving a variety of refreshing concoctions. A brand new island oasis was opened recently, Captain Morgan On The Rocks Island Bar. Captain Henry Morgan’s real life privateer adventures are the inspiration behind this nautical themed bar. Read all about it here!
The best part of all is that the island completely private, you only have to share this paradise with the other smart ones who decided to take a Caribbean cruise.
I truly hope you enjoy this port of call. A whole lot of fun and sun to be had!
Originally Posted 2/25/2011
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