Three HAL ships at HMC on 11/10/06

[clueless2]

I will be on the 11/04 Zuiderdam and I just discovered we are scheduled to be at Half Moon Cay with two other HAL ships on 11/10..

Has anyone ever been there with 3 ships before?? I noticed only one other day (in 2007 some time) that had 3 ships there.

How crowded will it be with that many people?? Too crowded to enjoy the beach and the water?

The ships arrive at 7am, 8am and 11am.

[RuthC]

There was a discussion of this within the last couple of days on another thread. The possibility is that the itinerary of one of the ship's scheduled has changed, so that there are now two ships scheduled to be there.

As far as I've ever read on this board there has never been three HAL ships there at the same time. People post that one ship is like being in Heaven. Two of the smaller ships is very nice; two ships when one is a Vista is getting crowded.
The consensus is that three ships means it's time to stay aboard and call it a sea day.

Good luck.

[clueless2]

Thanks. I'll look for the other post.

I checked HALs site and all 3 ships are still listed as being there on 11/10

[clueless2]

Thanks. I'll look for the other post.

I checked HALs site and all 3 ships are still listed as being there on 11/10

[debjo]

For clueless2...
We haven't yet been to HMC (going in October '06), but knew when I saw that we'd be sharing that slice of paradise with another HAL ship, I was glad we had booked a cabana on the far end of the beach. I think that if you haven't been to HMC and don't have a memory of being the "only" ship there, it might not be as bad. I know that if I fall in love with HMC, as everyone seems to, I am probably going to have to book another HAL cruise that goes to HMC and plan for a cruise date with only one ship on their private island. Look at it this way...would you rather be sharing HMC with another ship or two and be able to tender over to the island for a day in paradise -or- would you like getting there and find that the waves are too choppy so the tender boats can't safely get you onto the island? (Me...I'd opt for the "many" ship choice!)

Debjo

[kryos]

I will be on the 11/04 Zuiderdam and I just discovered we are scheduled to be at Half Moon Cay with two other HAL ships on 11/10..

Especially if at least one of those ships is a Vista ... there is no way that island can handle three ships worth of passengers. The place would be an absolute mob scene. Believe me, one of those ships will have their itinerary adjusted to allow for a visit to Half Moon Cay on another day. They just swap around some port calls to allow for that. I can't imagine HAL would allow three ships on the island on the same day ... even though they are arriving at different times.

The worst I had it was one time when there were two ships there, including the Zuiderdam (Vista). I think the other ship arrived much earlier than us and were departing by 2:00 or 3:00. We stayed until 5:00 or 6:00. Believe me, it was crowded that day too ... but not unbearably so. Three ships, though, would be impossible.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[ODECCIT]

I will be on the 11/04 Zuiderdam and I just discovered we are scheduled to be at Half Moon Cay with two other HAL ships on 11/10..

Has anyone ever been there with 3 ships before?? I noticed only one other day (in 2007 some time) that had 3 ships there.

How crowded will it be with that many people?? Too crowded to enjoy the beach and the water?

The ships arrive at 7am, 8am and 11am.


There will be 3 ships on Dec 2nd as well. :eek:

[gizmo]

I guess it was only a matter of time before Hal put 3 ships in HMC.

Pack'um in like sardines ! Who cares what the pax think ? :( Hal will make money from the cabanas, and everything else they charge for on the island. The almighty dollar rules.

Kyros,
It will look like Wildwood NJ on the 4th of July. :rolleyes:

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been to HMC when 2 ships were there. One time we got there about 1 -2 hours after the other ship. All we could see was a wall of people on the beach. That time we decided to stay on the ship.

But 3 ships???

What is HAL thinking???

[drdaddy]

And this is only HAL ships. Imagine if and when CArnival ships start paying visits as was the word a few months ago.

We will be there on the 12th of Nov. with the Volendam, by ourselves. Might be a little TOO quiet!

[PAHORNER]

I have been there when there were two Vista ships, that is a lot of folks. We had our chairs taken, when we were gone for a few minutes. Our books, glasses, ect, sat nicely in the sand. The BBQ lunch was packed, so eat early or late. Hey, a bad day at HMC is a good day all the same. Enjoy!

[diboja]

Could I please obtain the link to the ship schedule for Half Moon Cay....

It is obviously on the HAL site but I can't find it..

Thanks you.

[Grumpy1]

Most of us use http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/ to find out where ships will be on any given date and what other ships will be in port with them. The information is fairly accurate, but it is not an "official" site of any sort, so you may find an error once in awhile.

[LetsGoAgain]

There will be 3 ships on Dec 2nd as well. :eek:
There are only 2 on Dec 2 now, as our Westerdam Nov 26 to Dec 3 itin. was reversed and we are at HMC on Nov. 27 instead of Dec 2. We were not impressed either when we initially saw that there was supposed to be 3 of us there on Dec 2. Glad they reversed our itinerary!

[Candy]

We're also on Zuidy 11/4... if we're first to arrive, we'll go ashore. If not, DISCOUNT SPA TREATMENTS!

How do they split up the cabanas among 5,000 passengers?


Candy the ZuiderPrincess

[RedmondCruiser]

Tooooo many people. The Zuiderdam, Maasdam and the Amsterdam - all on one day ?? Staying on the ship may be the best option.

Other than wall to wall people think of the traffic jam getting on and off tenders or the lines at the food pavillion.

[sail7seas]

Groan........ :( Three ships at HMC is awful. Don't even dream of going ashore. It'll be a nightmare IMO

[lougee1043]

How do they split up the cabanas among 5,000 passengers?


there are only 2 ways to split the cabanas -- allow an equal number to each ship OR first come first serve----really hal doesnt care who is in or not in a cabana as long as they all get rented

like most people we have been lucky when we were there-- we were the only ship

[gizmo]

Here's a thought.

With all the changing of itineraries lately, maybe one of the ships will have a change, leaving just 2 at HMC.

[Pudgesmom]

How sad!

Two ships is one too many!

This is a good way for HAL to earn more money. Going to HMC is a little bit like attending a theme park (albeit more beautiful.) HAL owns all the concessions there, and gains all the income from on-shore purchases. No tourist dollars lost to restaurants, private tour guides, taxis, bars, shops, etc.

After our last, very unpleasant, experience at HMC with two ships there, we decided not to cruise on any HAL intinerary that includes a stop at HMC with more than one ship. Three? Get real! The beach will be wall-to-wall people, the food service will be a disaster, and even with the new tendering options, there will be LOOONNG waits to go ashore.

No thank you!

Beth

[Bases5]

We are there on the 17 of Nov and there is a Carinval ship there that day. So it seems Carinval is using the island.

[Candy]

We are there on the 17 of Nov and there is a Carinval ship there that day. So it seems Carinval is using the island. Hmmmmmm... I thought Carnival only used HMC on days when HAL doesn't, like when HAL abandons the Carib for Alaska in the summer.

Candy the ZuiderPrincess

[Krazy Kruizers]

ALSO HMMMM

I was under the impression that Carnival ships were not to be scheduled to stop at HMC when HAL is there!!!

Guess those rules have changed.

[gizmo]

Cruise cal shows only the Zuiderdam on Nov 17.

Bases5,
Where did you find the info on the Carnival ship ? Which ship ?

[Bases5]

BRAINFART, My Bad, Silly Me
I'm sorry for my mistake, You are right, We are the only ship in port that day. I was thinking of Grand Turk, Elation is in port with us not at HMC.
For me it was a new Island and a Carnival ship was there and I was thinking how crowded it would be there. Then I read the post and wa la.
I'm sorry

[diboja]

Most of us use http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/ to find out where ships will be on any given date and what other ships will be in port with them.


Thanks Grumpy - much appreciated!!

[gizmo]

Bases5,

Easy mistake to make. ;) No big deal.

Hope you enjoy HMC since it looks like your ship is the only one there. :)

[momK]

Thanks for that link. I see that our 12/2 cruise on Prinsendam will be lonely at HMC -- it's the only ship scheduled there for 12/11. (sigh) :)

[bs_kc]

I am the webmaster at CruiseCal.com
I should be getting some new data from HAL and Carnival by the end of the week. You might check again after Friday or so...

Brian

[kryos]

ALSO HMMMM

I was under the impression that Carnival ships were not to be scheduled to stop at HMC when HAL is there!!!

Guess those rules have changed.
I don't think so. I believe Carnival only has use of the island when HAL is not there ... like during the summer months when HAL does not sail the Caribbean. HAL would have an awfully difficult time sharing that island with Carnival since most HMC days have two HAL ships on the island. Add a Carnival ship to the mix, and you've got an awful lot of people trying to use a limited amount of space that day. The only way I can see the island being shared by more ships would be if HAL or Carnival undertook a major development project to expand the amount of space used by the cruise lines on the island. Then, yeah ... they could up their capacity whereby three or four ships could easily be enjoying port stops on the island at the same time. But, the way things are now ... no way.

HMC is an island best enjoyed by no more than two ships on the same day. Depending upon the size of the ships, even two can be too many. So, I doubt you'll be seeing Carnival join the mix ... not the way things are now. Carnival will use it most likely only when HAL has vacated it while not sailing the Caribbean during the summer months. And ... I have no problem with that. Why should the island go unused for so many months when other ships can be using it and helping to pay for its upkeep?

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Jen & Rich 2006]

I contacted Holland America by phone and email and was told the same answer yes all 3 ships will be at Half Moon on the same day on November 10th.

We have reserved a cabana, but are thinking of canceling it, doesnt seem like it will be much fun if you have 4546 people on the beach. :(

[KAKcruiser]

I'm sorry. I still don't believe there will be 3 ships at HMC at one time. I always get different answers from HAL reps.

[Mlascheid]

Please, anyone correct me if I'm wrong, but my brochure(sp?) states that the Nov. 4th sailing will be doing the itinerary in the reverse order making HMC our first port of call on Nov. 5th(8am-5pm) followed by St. Thomas(8am-6pm), Tortola(7am-2pm), Turks & Caicos(noon-6pm). We are also on that sailing and hope that there will not be 3 ships in that day. I am looking at the Caribbean & Mexico brochure Oct.2006-Dec 2007 page 31. Sorry if I'm wrong!!!!!!

[bs_kc]

Please, anyone correct me if I'm wrong, but my brochure(sp?) states that the Nov. 4th sailing will be doing the itinerary in the reverse order making HMC our first port of call on Nov. 5th(8am-5pm) followed by St. Thomas(8am-6pm), Tortola(7am-2pm), Turks & Caicos(noon-6pm). We are also on that sailing and hope that there will not be 3 ships in that day. I am looking at the Caribbean & Mexico brochure Oct.2006-Dec 2007 page 31. Sorry if I'm wrong!!!!!!

You are correct! I just received my update from HAL and Zuiderdam will be there earlier in the week. Only 2 HAL ships that day...

Brian

[Mlascheid]

Gooood....I'd hate to make a statement like that and then be wrong. Two ships are a little better than three, but one would be GREAT. Now then, how many ships are to be in HMC on Nov. 5th along with the Zuiderdam? Maybe we'll be all alone???? We can only hope! At least it's down to 2 on Nov. 10th.

[bs_kc]

Gooood....I'd hate to make a statement like that and then be wrong. Two ships are a little better than three, but one would be GREAT. Now then, how many ships are to be in HMC on Nov. 5th along with the Zuiderdam? Maybe we'll be all alone???? We can only hope! At least it's down to 2 on Nov. 10th.


You're it.... so far!

[clueless2]

Please, anyone correct me if I'm wrong, but my brochure(sp?) states that the Nov. 4th sailing will be doing the itinerary in the reverse order making HMC our first port of call on Nov. 5th(8am-5pm) followed by St. Thomas(8am-6pm), Tortola(7am-2pm), Turks & Caicos(noon-6pm). We are also on that sailing and hope that there will not be 3 ships in that day. I am looking at the Caribbean & Mexico brochure Oct.2006-Dec 2007 page 31. Sorry if I'm wrong!!!!!!
That's great news!! Is the brochure on-line or paper? If on-line could you provide a link? Thanks for the info.

[Mlascheid]

Clueless2.....

I have a paper brochure, but on HAL website you can access e-brochures. I'm not very computer savvy, so not sure how to put a link into these boards. If you go to HAL website and click on Cruise Vacation E-brochures, then click on Caribbean/Mexico 2007, then go to page 31 you'll see the itinerary for Zuiderdam. It is hard to read, but there is a little square beside the Nov. 4 sailing that denotes "Nov. 4 sailing visits ports in reverse order, port times vary as follows: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 8:00am-5:00pm; St. Thomas,USVI 8:00am-6:00pm; Road Town, Tortola 7:00am-2:00pm; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos noon-6:00pm". Not sure when the sea days would be, but maybe Monday and Friday???? At this point Zuiderdam is the only ship at HMC on Sunday Nov. 5th. Sounds good to me!!!!!

[clueless2]

Clueless2.....

I have a paper brochure, but on HAL website you can access e-brochures. I'm not very computer savvy, so not sure how to put a link into these boards. If you go to HAL website and click on Cruise Vacation E-brochures, then click on Caribbean/Mexico 2007, then go to page 31 you'll see the itinerary for Zuiderdam. It is hard to read, but there is a little square beside the Nov. 4 sailing that denotes "Nov. 4 sailing visits ports in reverse order, port times vary as follows: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 8:00am-5:00pm; St. Thomas,USVI 8:00am-6:00pm; Road Town, Tortola 7:00am-2:00pm; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos noon-6:00pm". Not sure when the sea days would be, but maybe Monday and Friday???? At this point Zuiderdam is the only ship at HMC on Sunday Nov. 5th. Sounds good to me!!!!!

Sounds good to me too!!!! I had looked at that e-brochure but didn't notice the "little square". Sea-days of Monday and Friday would seem logical since that would be the "reverse order" .

Thanks!!

[kryos]

I contacted Holland America by phone and email and was told the same answer yes all 3 ships will be at Half Moon on the same day on November 10th.

We have reserved a cabana, but are thinking of canceling it, doesnt seem like it will be much fun if you have 4546 people on the beach. :(
I would hold off cancelling the cabana if you really wanted it. I can't imagine HAL will actually go through with having three ships there at the same time. Often, they will change one ship's itinerary in order to prevent that from happening. HMC simply cannot accommodate three ships on the same day ... especially when one of them is a Vista.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Green4me]

Jen and Rich, keep the cabana, that is your only hope for sanity if in fact you have three or even two ships. Spring for the extra personal service buttler package and chill.

smooth sailing :)

[clueless2]

You are correct! I just received my update from HAL and Zuiderdam will be there earlier in the week. Only 2 HAL ships that day...

Brian
The cruisecal website still shows all three ships being on HMC on 11/10 and when I go to HAL's website the page where you book excursions still shows the Zuiderdam schedule with the ship being on HMC on 11/10. However they won't let you book any excursions for St Thomas and Tortola - only HMC and Grand Turk. Interesting. Oh well I guess we'll wait and see what happens.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Carnival ships are already at HMC ... just so far not at the same time as HAL ships.

Bskc, I love your cruise calendar site ... don't know how you manage to keep that up to date. I just sent you a small correction for the Prinsendam for 12/5. You have her both at HMC and San Juan that day, but she's at San Juan. Keep up your great work there ... it's fantastic!:)

MomK, come join our Roll Call for the 12/2 Prinsendam cruise! Love to have you. And shhhhh! Don't tell anyone we're alone at HMC that day. It's a closely guarded secret.

Hope they never do put 3 ships there at once. We were there on the Oosterdam with the Volendam (I think) and it was one ship too many. Three would be a nightmare. The ideal is just one.

[clueless2]

Thank you for contacting the Holland America shore excursion department. Here is your itinerary:

0 SAT FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, USA Depart 17:00
1 SUN Half Moon Cay, Bahamas Arr:8:00 Dep:17:00
2 MON At Sea
3 TUE St. Thomas, USVI Arr:8:00 Dep:18:00
4 WED Road Town, Tortola, BVI Arr:7:00 Dep:14:00
5 THU Grand Turk,Turks & Caicos Arr:noon Dep:18:00
6 FRI At Sea
7 SAT FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, USA Arr: 7:00

I think that would make us the only ship on HMC on Sunday (as of now).

[Mlascheid]

Great news for us Zuiderdam passengers! It would be nice to have the island all to ourselves.