Tag: Half Moon Cay

February Ports of Call – Western Caribbean

Fort Lauderdale – You may be wondering why I am including Fort Lauderdale as a port of call since it is an embarkation/disembarkation port. When you are on a B2B, the embarkation port becomes a port of call for all those people who are staying on for the next cruise. You are called an in-transit guest. Just as disembarking guests received paperwork explaining how to get off the ship smoothly, in-transit guests receive paperwork on the procedures they need to complete.

In addition to the two options as described in the photo, Holland America does offer excursions in Fort Lauderdale for those guests who will be returning to the ship. Our Canadian friends opted to take a HAL airboat tour of the Everglades. We had already done that tour, so we chose to stay on board. If you signed up for a tour, you will get a different set of instructions from the one above.

We had a light breakfast in the Lido and then proceeded to the World Stage a little before 9:00. There were a lot of people who had also decided just to stay on the ship. We had to wait there until all disembarking passengers had gotten off the ship. They kept announcing over the intercom for 4 guests who hadn’t left yet (give it up people, your vacation is over).

Finally, we were escorted as a group to the port terminal and met with Customs officials. The facial recognition system was only working sporadically so some of us had to meet face-to-face with the officials. (At least it wasn’t as chaotic as the April embarkation snafu – if you don’t know what I’m talking about go to the Caribbean link of this blog and find Embarkations).

Once we had all met with Customs, we were escorted back on the ship and were free to go about our business. We were back on board by 10:00. We had pizza for lunch and then went to read on the covered balcony because it started to rain and hard. I felt bad for those new embarking guests who were caught out in it.

Later on, we had to deal with another issue -attending the safety drill. Our in-transit paperwork (on the back page) said that we would not have to participate in that afternoon’s safety/lifeboat drill. We only had to watch the video in our room. The Cruise Director kept coming on the intercom urging the new passengers to go check-in at their life boats. I was taking a shower, and Chuck was napping when all of a sudden she announced (and not kindly) that all passengers including the in-transit guests MUST do the safety drill or we would be interfering with the operation of the ship by preventing sail-away.

I jumped out of the shower with my head full of shampoo, almost slipped on the floor, barely toweled off, and threw on clothes. Chuck was mad about being woken up and thought I had misread the instructions. Nope. I showed him our paperwork. We both went down to our lifeboat and checked-in. We were not the only in-transit guests fussing at the poor crew at the lifeboat.

Once we were done, Chuck went down to Guest Services to show them the paperwork and have them explain why we were just now hearing of this change to procedure. I went back to the room and sent a message through the Holland America app expressing the same sentiments. We both got apologies from Guest Services, but the Cruise Director just came back on the intercom and said “Disregard the last announcement. In-transit guests are exempt from the safety drill.” We thought she could have at least said “Oops, my bad. I received incorrect instructions. So sorry for the inconvenience” Nope. Nada.

Poor communication drives me crazy.

Half Moon Cay – Yes, we returned to the private island on this leg of the cruise. We were sharing the island again with the Rotterdam but this time we were first so there was plenty of loungers to choose. As I mentioned, the island is a tender port for now. However, Carnival Corporation is building a dock at the other end of the island to allow their Carnival mega-ships to be able to port there. They are also doing some other construction on various parts of the island. I hope they don’t put so much on it that it finally loses its laid-back appeal.

Our Canadian friends and Chuck decided to snorkel again. But I was not going to be fooled twice. I knew the water hadn’t warmed up in a couple of days, so I was going to spend it either on a lounger or strolling up and down the beach.

Our friends and Chuck went on in the water, and I was talking to a person on the next lounger when – Surprise! Dark clouds rolled in quickly and the rain started coming down so hard it stung and it didn’t look like it was going to blow away any time soon. Light, pleasant rain I don’t mind if I am on the beach, but this rain was too much. We joined the long line at the tender area and at least we weren’t being pelted since that area was covered. We had to wait quite a while to get on a tender as they had suspended going back and forth because the waves were too high. What a mess.

I was glad to finally get back on board, dry off, and get some food at the Lido.

Ochos Rio, Jamaica – The only time we have ever been on the island of Jamaica was when we stayed at an all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay many, many years ago. While there, we were able to climb Dunn’s River Falls (so much fun), shop at the Straw Market, enjoy the beach, snorkel, kayak, and try to windsurf (major failure). For today, we talked about the Jamaican bobsled excursion or the river float excursion. Finally, Chuck decided he was going to walk into town, but I decided I was just going to stay on the ship and enjoy the pool.

However, the rain and humidity upended both plans and we found ourselves on our covered balcony again reading and people-watching. Not a bad way to spend the day.

Double Rainbow on Jamaica day

Grand Cayman – So today, we had a HAL snorkel excursion, and we were joined by our friends.

REEF n’ RAYS SNORKELING

About the Excursion – A sandbar inhabited by curious, graceful stingrays awaits you just a short boat transfer away across placid, turquoise waters in the company of a smiling crew.

You’ll set out by coach, headed to a private dock in Snug Harbour. A professional crew welcomes you onto a spacious boat for a transfer across North Sound.

At the world-famous Stingray Sandbar, enter the water to interact with graceful southern stingrays. The experienced crew will feed the rays and allow you to touch them. You’ll learn about the southern Atlantic stingray, including its anatomy, habitat and lifecycle.

Make the most of a snorkel stop at one of Grand Cayman’s beautiful coral reefs. Expect to see beautiful corals and prolific marine life, including a wide array of tropical fish such as angelfish, parrotfish, sergeant majors, lobster and maybe even a turtle.

At the end of your adventure, you’ll transfer back to the pier in town.

Notes: Guests with all snorkel experience levels are welcome. Wear your swimsuit under your clothing; bring a towel, reef-safe/biodegradable sunscreen, light clothing to act as a full cover-up for further protection from the sun, and a hat. Swim at your own risk. Minimum age is 8 years; maximum age is 70 years.

We had to meet in the World Stage at 7:00 a.m. (yes, 7:00 in the morning – ugh). When our group was called, we all made our way to the tender area and climbed into the lifeboat (ugh again). Thankfully, it was just a 10-minute ride to the Cayman dock.

From the HAL dock, we had to board a bus that would take us to the tour boat dock. Then, the boat ride to the sandbar was 30 minutes. It was overcast and I thought I heard thunder in the distance. When we got to the sandbar, we were just one of many, many other tour boats. We also saw some large stingrays floating around.

We had actually done this excursion a long time ago, but our friends had not. I had told them how much fun it was just to stand in the shallow sandbar water and let the stingrays float right by you. They might even touch you. You might even get lucky enough to feed one. Well, not this time.

This time, we had to stand in a large circle, and the tour operator had grabbed one of the stingrays and was taking it around and letting people pet it and feed it. Of course, the other tour person was out there taking photos. We fed it and then just got back on the boat without a photo. I noticed that the other tour operators were doing the same thing with their groups. I just wondered when the process changed. I was not a fan.

Once everyone was back on the boat, we rode for about another 5 to 10 minutes and were allowed to jump in and swim near the reef. The reef was very nice and there were lots of different fish. We had about 35 minutes to snorkel and Chuck and I used all of the allotted time. We were the last two people to get back on the boat.

Going back to the pier, the crew cranked up the music, and we had fun dancing and singing all the way.

At the boat pier, we got back on the bus for the ride to the HAL pier. However, the driver did not drop us off at the spot where we were picked up. He dropped us off at the South Terminal. We realized it when we didn’t see the HAL ship in the distance. We asked a port official and he said that HAL was at the North Terminal. We had to walk a block up the street to get to it and then stand in the line to wait for a tender.

The tender ride back to the ship was bouncier than the ride over. The wind and waves had picked up. It was a challenge to get from the tender back onto the ship. The crew on the tender basically grabbed me by the arms, lifted, and passed me over to the waiting crew on the ship like a sack of potatoes. Oh well, whatever works. I was ready for some lunch.

Cozumel, Mexico – I think every Western Caribbean itinerary for every cruise line includes Cozumel. I have lost count of how many times we have been here. Our excursions have included a day-stay at an all-inclusive resort, snorkeling, island tours, and shopping. However, I think our most memorable excursion was the one where we took a class on how to properly snorkel. We had tried on our own several times and either kept sucking in sea water or our masks leaked, etc. We were on a Carnival cruise, and they offered an excursion called “beginner’s snorkeling class.” We signed up. It was us and a bunch of 6-year-olds. Hah!

I didn’t care. The instructor was excellent and we have been snorkeling successfully ever since then.

Cozumel is also famous for “pier runners.” You can search YouTube for those poor souls who spent too much time in Senor Frogs or maybe just didn’t set their watch correctly. Whatever the problem, you will see them running wildly down the pier (and it is long) waving their arms over their head, while people on the ship are yelling “run Forrest run!” and other catcalls. The really sad ones are the ones who get to the end of the pier and no ship is waiting for them. When the ship has to leave, it has to leave.

Today, there were six ships in port. I have seen more. We were sandwiched between the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and the Norwegian Escape. We were close enough that we could wave and shout to the people who happened to be on their balconies too.

We stayed on the ship and spent our last remaining on-board credit money on a couple’s massage at the Spa. I was concerned that the atmosphere would be ruined by the masseuses trying to upsell some products, but they did not. It was a very nice, relaxing experience.

Up Next – The April Cruise Ports of Call

February Ports of Call – Eastern Caribbean

As I mentioned earlier, we had been to all of the ports in the Caribbean before. When this happens, we may elect to just stay on the ship.

The pros to staying on the ship when most people are heading to the port – sleeping late because you don’t have to be up for an excursion, a leisurely breakfast in the main dining room, uncrowded pools and hot tubs, faster bar service, spa appointments easier to get, more seats in the Lido, and shorter lines at the restaurants.

The negatives – the shops and casino are not open while in port, ship activities are limited, the crew drills might happen so you have to put up with the loud announcements and very loud alarms (but I am glad they do them since we will depend on them in case of a real emergency), and you miss the experience of exploring the port.

Grand Turk – I can highly recommend snorkeling, a tour of the island, walking down the beach to Jack’s Shack, or just relaxing/swimming/snorkeling or shopping at the beach/pool area right next to the ship. We’ve had fun doing all of those activities in Grand Turk.

We were going to get off the ship and just snorkel in the area next to the ship, but it was so windy that the water looked too murky and choppy for snorkeling. Instead, we stayed on the ship and had the pool almost to ourselves. Later that afternoon, we participated in some general knowledge trivia. We weren’t winners but we weren’t terrible.

People getting on catamaran for a snorkeling excursion

San Juan – We have taken the Old San Juan city tour including the two forts. We did it on Segways but there are other methods too. We also hiked in the tropical rainforest – El Yunque. And, we have enjoyed strong coffee and quesitos near the port. We have never been to the beaches there. Today, we spent most of the day poolside.

Google photo of Puerto Rican quesitos
Sailing by one of the forts in Old San Juan

St. Thomas – I can recommend snorkeling, an island tour, and shopping in St. Thomas. If you do an island tour, be sure you take something for car sickness if you are prone to it because the climb up and down the mountains are very twisty and the local drivers go pretty fast.

We were going to do an excursion here – a HAL boat ride over to St. Johns and snorkeling there. But the excursion got cancelled. This cancellation was probably the 3rd time that we have signed up for this particular excursion only to have it cancelled for one reason or another. Instead, Chuck slept in and I went to the gym (my one and only time 😒). The rest of the day was spent poolside.

Leaving St. Thomas

Half Moon Cay (HMC) – This Cay is Carnival Corporations’ private island in the Bahamas. It was once owned solely by Holland America but became Carnival’s when the Corporation took over Holland America. It is currently a tender port which means that the ship anchors away from the island and smaller boats shuttle people from the boat to the island and back. I think the beach is one of the softest and prettiest I have ever seen (Grand Cayman 7-mile beach being one of the other ones).

I’m not a huge fan of tender ports because you have to wait for an available tender, the lines to get on and off the tenders can be long, and stepping on/off the tenders can be tricky if the waves make the tenders bob up and down too much. The tender boats can be small too, especially if they have to use the ship’s life boats. HMC has its own double-decker tenders which are pretty large so they can cram a lot of people on each one (which they do).

If I know there are going to be tender ports (the itinerary will show you which ports are tender before you book a cruise), and I really want to see the port, I will either take a HAL excursion (they have priority on tenders) or I won’t plan anything and just go to the port when the rush has died down. I have heard too many stories of people missing their independent scheduled tours because the tender process took too long.

Today, we and our Canadian friends decided to take our snorkel gear and go to the island to snorkel in the beach area. We were sharing the island with another HAL ship – the Rotterdam – which got to the island first. I was concerned that we would have a hard time finding loungers because of the crowds. We did have to walk farther down the beach than planned, but we did eventually find loungers.

We donned our snorkel gear and entered the water. Crap – the water was much colder than I expected. Our Canadian friends thought nothing of it. Eventually we made it out deep enough to snorkel. I was surprised at the number of fish there were, but I was not surprised that the variety of fish was minimal.

We stayed on the island until 1:00. We didn’t participate in the free Bar-B-Que island lunch (but it did smell great). We ate a late lunch at the ship’s Dive-In burger place. The afternoon was spent by the pool.

Selfie on HMC (ship and tender in the background)

HMC was the last port before we returned to Fort Lauderdale to start the second half of this B2B cruise.

Next up – The ports of the February cruise – Western Caribbean

Half Moon Cay

Monday, February 3, 2025

When you have a HAL cruise in the Caribbean, you are more than likely going to stop at least once at Carnival Corporation’s Private Island – Half Moon Cay (HMC). It is usually the first port or the last port of the voyage. On this cruise, it is the first port.

We haven’t gone ashore to HMC in quite a few years. We decided to go today and walk the nature trails that we remembered from past visits. We assumed that the trail would go the length of the island which we had never walked before.

After enjoying a large coffee for Chuck and a large vanilla latte for me from the Grand Dutch Cafe, we went to the main dining room for breakfast.

We both decided to order the Express Breakfast – two eggs, choice of meat, and either French Toast or Pancakes. I ordered the one with a pancake. I should have researched my choice before I ordered. It was not one pancake but 3 pancakes – 3 big pancakes on a separate plate from the eggs and bacon. I don’t like to waste food, so I was mortified at the amount. I did the best I could with them.

Once back in the cabin, I got a bag of laundry ready to send out.

Then we went to the stairway that led to the tendering area. Since we are long-time HAL cruisers, we were allowed to go to the tender boat without a ticket. We only had to show our keycard to Security. Otherwise, we would have gone to the BB King Lounge to get a ticket and wait for the number to be called for boarding.

HMC uses a large two-deck open air boat to ferry people from the ship to the island. Much nicer than having to ride in the lifeboats which we have done numerous times at other tender ports.

Carnival Corporation is building a pier at the other end of the island. It will allow larger Carnival ships to come at the island. Tendering 6000 people is just not really feasible. The tentative opening date is early 2026. From what I could see, there were some pylons in the water, a lot of dirt/sand piled up on the island, and some cranes and machinery that did not seem to be in use. I think an opening date of early 2026 is an ambitious goal.

Once we arrived at the island, most people headed directly to the beach which I think is the nicest one I have ever seen. I looked for the signage directing people to the nature trail but could not find it. We headed off on the only path we saw. We soon found the resident chickens.

Chicks in hot pursuit of Mom

The path took us past the volleyball area and the basketball court directly to the food pavilion where they were setting up for the bar-b-que lunch. I was baffled as I knew we had walked a nice trail at other times.

We decided to head back to the ship and on the way, I did see the nature trail sign pointing back toward the pavilion. We turned around and went back past the pavilion and finally saw a small directional sign that said nature trail. I was happy to finally find it.

We really should have just gone back to the ship. The lush blooming plants that I remembered were now just scrub bushes. There were no informational signs that described the plants and the island history. Most importantly, there was no shade on the path.

Flowering bushes few and far between

I just have to assume that the storms over the years decimated the vegetation and have not been replaced. I guess they are just concentrating their efforts on the beach area which is not surprising since the beach is definitely the destination for most, if not all, of the passengers.

After taking a photo of the ship from the island, we did head back to the tender area and were soon back on the ship.

Still full from breakfast, we skipped lunch and went to the Sea View area for some pool time. I ordered one of their mocktails – Ginger Mango Splash. I think it is my new favorite poolside drink. I love mango and the ginger gave it a kick. We spent a relaxing afternoon in the sun and pool.

The afternoon passed quickly, and it was soon time to get ready for our dinner reservation at the Italian specialty restaurant – Canaletto. I looked at the special of the day – Espanole of Fresh Fish. I had to look up what “Espanole” meant – just a way of cooking. The fresh fish of the day was mahi mahi which I like, so I ordered it. If it had been grouper, I would have passed. Chuck ordered osso bucco. They gave him an extra-large portion.

Shrimp appetizer
Mahi Mahi
Veal sage meatballs
osso bucco
gelato (rum raisin, chocolate, pistachio)
espresso

Next, Chuck went to the Casino, and I went to the Game of Love Show. There were 3 couples competing. Each couple were married 50+ years. Lots of arguing about the answers given – “No dear, you are not remembering it correctly.” They all got a prize.

We went to the 9:00 show of the comedian Rory Gardiner. He talked a lot about raising kids. Since his audience mainly consisted of people who had kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids – he struggled with his routine. Maybe he’ll find his footing at the next show in a few days.

Chuck went back to the Casino to play cards and hope that his name would be called for the drawings. I went to listen to the last set of the Rolling Stone Lounge band. I got a cookie from the Grand Dutch Cafe and took it back to the room for later. It was not as good as the ones from the Lido. Think I will stick with their Dutch apple pie.

Looks better than it tastes

Tomorrow – Sea Day #1

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Thursday, October 24, 2024

The announcement about the tenders started promptly at 7:00 a.m. Everyone was requested to get a tender ticket. If you a suite guest, Club Orange member, or a 4 or 5 star Mariner, you picked up a ticket at the Rolling Stone Lounge. All others were to pick up their ticket in the Billboard on Board area. If you weren’t going to the island, you just go about your business. I went to get coffee.

Tender coming to the ship for its first load of passengers

Half Moon Cay is a beautiful private island owned by Carnival Corporation, and we have been there several times. Currently, you have to take a tender from the ship to the island.

However, they are building a pier on the island which, according to reports, will be finished in late 2025. One woman, actually looking at the posts sticking out of the water, argued with Chuck that no pier would ever be allowed on the island. Okay – then tell it to the heavy equipment operators that are already over there.

Carnival knows that it is easier to offload 5000-6000 people by pier than by tender boats. The faster you get your guests to the island that you own – the more money you will make. Duh

Google photo of the pier construction

After our Lido breakfast, we walked a mile around the Promenade. Then we went to enjoy the Sea View pool and hot tubs while most people were on the island.

We ate a light lunch in the Lido and then relaxed on the balcony until it was time to get ready for the evening.

The Casino opened almost immediately after the all-aboard time of 2:30 and it was busy by the time we got there at 5:00. We played slots until it was time for our Pinnacle Grill dinner.

The menu for the Pinnacle Grill has changed. They have removed some items and have started a section that reflects cuisine of the region the ship is currently sailing. We each chose items from both the regular menu and the new Caribbean section.

For appetizers, Chuck and I both had the shrimp and crab cakes from the new section and shared the candied bacon that is still part of the regular menu. Our mains both came from the new section. He chose the pork chops, and I chose the yellow-tail snapper. We each chose the Creme Brulee off the regular menu. The Pinnacle Grill has also stopped giving candy for dessert but instead gave us three macarons. We took those back to the stateroom.

Though we were stuffed, we made it to the Rolling Stone Lounge for a set and then to the World Stage to see Flip Shultz’s second show. I thought his material was better for this one. Still PG13.

After the show was over, I called it a night and Chuck went to play some cards.

Photos from previous visits of HMC:

Tomorrow: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Didn’t really feel like getting dressed up for the main dining room. Instead, we ate in Lido as they were featuring their NY strip steak. I’m not doing well this trip with food photos, but the steaks were very good.

Played some slots and blackjack and then went to the main stage show Alans in Cahoots. We both thought it was a very good magic and mentalist show.

Afterwards the day had caught up with us and we called it a night.

Didn’t have a great night. Our lotion dispenser in the bathroom sprung a leak and dripped lotion all over one of the hand towels that was on the sink. Was a slippery surprise when I picked the towel up to dry my hands. Glad it hadn’t dripped on the floor as that would have caused a nasty fall.

In addition to that issue, Chuck knocked over both of his water cans during the night off of his bed side table. The carpet was damp. I understand not selling plastic water bottles anymore but I don’t understand why the drink package includes the water in cans but not the water in the aluminum bottles.

At 7:00, I went to the Crow’s Nest to get coffee which is what I typically do in the mornings on HAL ships. When I got there, I was surprised they weren’t open. I then looked at my information and discovered that the Dutch Café opened at 6:30 and was serving coffee. The Crow’s Nest would not open until 8:00.

The Dutch Cafe is only available on the three Pinnacle Class ships, so it was an honest mistake, but I should have checked my information instead of assuming I knew what I was doing.

We chose to eat breakfast in the main dining room and was seated at a table for 2 by a window. I like to eat here on a sea day or a port day if we have no plans. But if we have an excursion, we order room service or grab something in the Lido.

We are at Half Moon Cay today and the large tender boats started at 7:00. Slightly overcast day. HMC has a beautiful beach and we’ve been over there several times for snorkeling, parasailing (they don’t offer it anymore), and just sunning on the beach but we’ve opted to just enjoy the ship today while most people are over there. The island can get quite crowded when there is more than one Carnival Corporation ship here but today, we are the only one.

The day went by quickly. We walked a mile around ship on the outside Promenade deck. We spent a couple of hours at the pool and then a late lunch in Lido.

After lunch, we relaxed in the shade of our balcony until time to get ready for the evening.

Travel Trivia

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Carnival Corporation’s private island)

Located in the Bahamas approximately 100 miles southeast of Nassau.

The 2400-acre island official name is Little San Salvador.

It was purchased by Holland America (Carnival’s subsidiary line) in 1996 for $6 million. It was acquired by Carnival Corporation when the Corporation purchased the Holland American line.

It features a 2-mile-long stretch of a white sandy beach curved outwards on each end forming a half moon shape, hence its name.

It is a wild bird preserve designated by the Bahamian National Trust

*Travel trivia provided by Wikipedia

Southern Caribbean: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Saturday, December 11, 2021

I love Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (9:00 – 2:30), Carnival Corporation’s private island. It is a beautiful, white powdery sand beach. There are a lot of excursions you can do – horseback riding in the surf, glass bottom boat ride, cabana rentals, swimming with stingrays, and snorkeling to name a few. But, having said all that, we opted not to get off the ship today. Why, you ask?

Today is the last day before disembarking the ship tomorrow. Since we are not staying on like a lot of people are for the next 10-day cruise, we have packing to do and I don’t like to pack sandy, wet clothes or snorkel gear. If I want to just get some sun, I can do that out by the ship’s pool. I really prefer going to HMC on the first day after a Ft. Lauderdale embarkation.

Pictures from previous visits to Half Moon Cay –

We slept late and had breakfast in the Lido. Again, the lines were reasonable and there were a lot of food choices. Really like the fresh pineapple. The only fruit that I have not liked is the honeydew melon. I didn’t think it had much taste, but I am not crazy about it even when it is sweeter.

We played some slots for quite a while and then I cashed out my “bank” – the amount of money I had left on my room key. For an 11-day cruise, I only lost $100. I felt pretty good about my casino gambling.

After the slot play, I got in some sun before having lunch in the Lido. But I could not put off the inevitable – time to pack up. If we didn’t know we had to pack up, the room stewards left a hint on the bed.

Once we decided what we would be wearing home tomorrow, I was able to divide all the stuff between the two bags that would be checked and the two smaller ones and the backpacks that we will carry on the plane. I watched “Young Frankenstein” with Gene Wilder while I packed. I hadn’t seen that movie in a long time. Still hilarious.

While I was packing, Chuck came to tell me that the Casino was hosting a mini-slot tournament and that anyone who had earned 100 points this morning playing slots was eligible to play in the tournament. Eligible players had until 8:00 to try their luck in the tournament. He checked our cards, and we were both eligible. He had already played, and he was in the “No 1” position. They are only going to award money to the top three. I stopped packing and went down to try my luck. I didn’t make the Top 10. Oh well. Keeping our fingers crossed that Chuck stays in first place.

We had a farewell drink at the Half Moon Cay bar. We really liked the two bartenders. We will mention them by name in the post-cruise survey. We’ve been reminded quite a lot today to please complete the survey when we receive it.

Tonight, Chuck had the beef short ribs. I had the wiener schnitzel. The piece of meat was huge. For most of the meals the portion sizes have been fine but tonight, it was just too much. I’ll remember not to order it again. We hate to waste food.

By the time dinner was over, it was almost 8:00 so we made our way back to the Casino. Chuck’s name was still first on the leaderboard. At 8:05, they called his name as the official tournament winner! Great way to end the cruise!

We attended the 9:00 set of the Rolling Stone Rock band. I have really enjoyed this venue. I wish all the ships had it. Decided to call it a night after the session. Have to put the two big bags outside the door before midnight. We’ll pick them up in the terminal tomorrow.

No towel animal tonight.

Tomorrow – Disembarkation and Travel Home

Travel Trivia*

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Located in the Bahamas approximately 100 miles southeast of Nassau.

The 2400-acre island official name is Little San Salvador.

The Cay was purchased by Holland America (Carnival’s subsidiary line) in 1996 for $6 million.

It features a 2-mile-long stretch of a white sandy beach curved outwards on each end forming a half moon shape, hence its name.

It is a wild bird preserve designated by the Bahamian National Trust

*Trivia provided by Wikipedia and Holland America literature

PC – Day 4 – Half Moon Cay

Monday, November 5, 2018 – Half Moon Cay

Woke up at 6:00 and walked out to Deck 10 for the first look at a beautiful sunrise. Sun was peaking out behind the clouds and turning them a gorgeous peach and pink. The sky was shades of purple and blue. Not sure my picture can really do it justice.

Today is our tender port at Half Moon Cay, the private island owned by Carnival Corporation. It was first bought by Holland America in 1996 for $6 million dollars. When Carnival Corporation bought Holland America, they also bought the rights to the island. Carnival ships use the island too but only if a HAL ship is not using it. It has one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The only other beach that I can think of that rivals it is 7 Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. The sand is like fine sugar and the beach is well maintained. The water is that beautiful turquoise color.

The island’s true name is Little San Salvador Island and it is one of 700 islands that make up the archipelago of the Bahamas. It is located approximately 100 miles southeast of Nassau and it covers 2,400 acres. Only 50 acres has been developed as Carnival wants to keep the habitat intact as it is a significant nesting area for waterfowl. They only employ a few full-time residents to watch over the buildings and take care of the horses. Everyone else who works there comes by boat every day. Would be an interesting commute.

We have done a couple of excursions here – parasailing and taken a catamaran out to some coral for snorkeling. We decided for today that we would just snorkel off the beach in the designated snorkeling area.

I went for a latte at the coffee bar at 6:30 but Chuck was still asleep. He woke up when room service delivered our breakfast at 7:30. They have a limited breakfast menu but others say you can write-in request items but we have not tried it. I had Special K and some fruit. Chuck had the omelet. Some more coffee and we were ready to go.

We got on the tender and it left about 9:15. Short ride to the island and we found two nice loungers in the shade. The water was calm but chilly. Took some getting used to. We swam out towards the rope and where we assumed the coral was. There was both artificial areas for the fish and some coral. Unfortunately, the coral was dead. Too much exposure to humans. The water was fairly shallow in a lot of places and the sun was out the whole time so visibility was very good and we were able to see quite a few small fish and occasionally a larger one.

Most of the fish were not scared of humans and didn’t really swim away. However, there were some fish that I called Waldo because they darted in and out of the rocks to stay hidden. They occasionally popped up in my pictures. Weird looking fish. Reddish but their eyes seemed to be ringed with big black circles.

We snorkeled for about an hour and then sat on the loungers to dry off. Just as we were exiting the water, one of the ship’s photographers stopped us for a picture. I can’t wait to see it. Chuck was squinting into the sun and I could feel my hair sticking straight up for the salt water. I know we will not be buying this picture. We sat next to a couple from Arkansas who we soon found out were also on the 10th deck but on the opposite hallway. Coincidental. We watched some of the resident chickens walking under the lounge chairs looking for dropped crumbs. They really love to hang out at the pavilion at lunch.

We have eaten the Bar B Que lunch on the island before but decided to go back to the ship for lunch this time. We had had enough snorkeling for the day. We got on the next available tender but it didn’t get far until it turned around and came back to the island. I thought maybe someone on the island had a medical emergency.

One of their motors had frozen up and they thought it best for us to get off the tender and on to another one just in case this one completely conked out before reaching the ship. We gathered up our bags and trooped over to the other tender. We watched as one of the workers put on a dive mask and prepared to take a look at the motors. Would not want that job. We were back on the ship about 12:30.

Left our swimsuits on and went up to the Lido buffet. One side of the Lido is still shut down. I thought it might be because many of the servers as well as the passengers were over at the island. However there was a sign that said maintenance in progress and I heard someone talking about a leak. I meant to check at dinner time to see if both sides were open but I forgot.

We enjoyed sitting in the hot tub for a while. After getting dried off, decided to go ahead and get cleaned up for the rest of the afternoon/evening. I wanted to go to one of the Microsoft workshops on organizing photos with Windows 10 and it started at 5:00.

We were ready by 4:00 so played a little blackjack (my no luck streak continues) and then Chuck switched to three card prime (a variation of three card poker) and I went to the workshop. After it was over, I decided to implement what I had learned.

I went to the room and retrieved my laptop and the two cameras. Went to the Crows Nest for a Tai Chi Latte and worked on importing my photos to the laptop and editing them. I ended up deleting several of the underwater photos that just did not turn out well.

Chuck came to get me about 7:00 and we went to the main dining room for dinner. Sat at a large table of 10. I don’t mind that size table but you just have to realize you are not going to be able to hold a conversation with the ones at the other end. There were 2 couples from Kansas traveling together and 2 couples from Florida (not traveling together). I thought one of the Florida couples seemed familiar like we may have been on a previous cruise with them but who knows?

I had the mango, cucumber, and goat cheese salad and the sole. Chuck had the crab cakes and the halibut. We skipped dessert. The dinner was very good.

We got out in time to catch the first set of the BB King band. We only danced to one song. The previous night at the 10:45 set, they played a lot of danceable music. This set, it was a lot of blues and jazz songs. However, the crowd watching was a very enthusiastic audience. After the set was over, we went to the main stage to watch the comedian. He had some funny moments but overall was so-so.

I decided to call it a night but Chuck stayed for some more 3 card poker. When I got to the room I found that the laundry was back (yay) but there was also a notice that we would be moving the clocks forward an hour (boo) tonight. Glad tomorrow is a sea day. It will also be the first of two Gala nights. Tonight’s towel animal is a stingray.

The weather forecast calls for sunny skies in the morning but the possibility of rain in the afternoon (typical Caribbean). The captain announced that at approximately 6:00 tomorrow morning we would be near the coastline of Cuba. I am probably going to miss that view.

 

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Sunrise first morning

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Friendly Fish

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Where’s Waldo?

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Love this Beach