Review of Half Moon Cay (cabana video & pics etc)

Hi all. My family and I booked a cruise on Carnival Fascination about 6 weeks ago so I’d been lurking on the boards ever since. I found the info on here invaluable especially the info on Half Moon Cay, particularly info on renting a cabana. I figured I would post my review and hopefully it will help others out too. Please pardon me if I ramble on, I happen to be very longwinded;)

For background info it was myself, my husband (both in our early 30’s), our 19 month old baby, my mother and my two little sisters (14 and 10yo). We sailed out of Jacksonville and arrived on HMC on April 19th 2010. I had been very nervous b/c there had been a lot of reports on CC that Fascination had missed HMC quite a few times. And after reading the boards and finding out about cabanas I was even more nervous that I wouldn’t be lucky enough to reserve one. Everything worked out and we made it to HMC and were able to rent a cabana (#10) and had a GREAT time on what must be one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen!!! We ended up taking a tender over around 1045am and left on the 2nd to last tender back to the ship around 515pm or so.

Video of Cabana #10

Booking the Cabana: We got on the ship around 1pm (I believe boarding started at 12 but I honestly do not remember). As soon as we were on I walked right over to the Excursions desk (no line at all) and asked if there were any cabanas left. The woman smiled and said “yes”. I asked her if I could choose the one I wanted and she again said “yes”. She had a clip board and showed me which were still left (the clipboard lists them by number), so far only about 5 or 6 cabanas had been booked. I was looking for one that would be a little quieter and further down the beach so I chose #10. The total cost of the Cabana came to $225. I was asked to choose what kind of soda we wanted (it came with 8 cans). Also was asked for our shoe size (cabana also comes with four sets of snorkeling equipment). So booking it was quite simple.

Getting to Cabana once on HMC: As soon as we got off the tender we walked over to the Excursions desk. It was only about a 1minute walk, if that. I showed the woman my excursion ticket and asked if we needed to walk to the Cabana or if someone would take us. She said they had a vehicle that drops people off so we walked right over (10 second walk away from excursion desk) and they had a huge open air type of truck that took us over, there was another couple on the truck as well. It led us through the back paved road and dropped us right off behind out cabana.

What is included in Cabana: The cabana came with 4 sets of snorkeling equipment (each set included flippers mask and blow up vest), a misting fan, 4 beach towels, an air conditioner, a small refrigerator, 3 blue floating mats for the water (I think it was supposed to have 4 but ours only had 3), 2 cushioned and very comfortable lounge chairs, an outside shower, a small table with four wicker chairs, a large cooler filled with ice, 4 bottles of water, 8 cans of soda, an ashtray. It also had a nice spread of snacks which included a tray of sliced fruit (watermelon, pineapple, cantelope and honeydew melon), a tray of veggies, 8 oranges, a bag of Tostitos, guacamole, salsa, veggie dip and sour cream. The back of the cabana is also lined with a huge countertop which has a ton of closed storage space where you can store your stuff and feel a bit more secure if you are in the water or step away from the cabana (it does not lock but at least your stuff would be out of sight). The fridge is also under this counter. I’ve read it asked here before and, no, they did not come around and replenish our snacks but it was enough for us to snack on throughout the day. There was also a hammock in between our cabana and the one next to ours that I believe is free for anyone to use however we did not see anyone using it throughout the day.

Choosing which Cabana: 1-5 are grouped together (about 15-20 feet between each one), then there is a pretty large stretch where they have some rows of beach chairs and then all the beach floats/tube/equipment rental is set up. Then immediately next to that start #6-9. Then there is about a 25ft gap and then you #10-15. In between #9 and 10 is a bathroom but it is up a little hill and a ways back from the cabanas (you can get a feel for bathroom location in the video). My spacing amounts are just guestimations. I’m assuming there is another bathroom closer down the beach which the majority of people use but I didn’t notice b/c I wasn’t really looking. We did not see or notice really any traffic to or from the bathroom up behind us as our section of the beach was pretty quiet and I’m guessing most people used the other facilities closer to all the action.

From my observations if you are looking to be in the thick of the action with lots of people in front of your cabana but also closers to things (bar, kids play equipment, ability to hear the music from the bar etc) then I would choose Cabanas 1-5. When I walked up the beach to this part I felt that it was too crowded for my taste but some might like that.

Here is a pic looking from #5 up the beach towards #1 and you can see quite a bit of people are sitting right in front of the cabanas:

If you want a sort of in the middle feel #6-9 would be good for you. As mentioned before, there is a pretty big gap between 1-5 and 6-9.

Here is a pic at 9 looking up to #6. The flag at the end of pic are from the rental equipment.

If you want a more secluded quiet feel I’d choose numbers 10-15. While there were lounge chairs in the vicinity of the cabana (probably 20-25) there were only 2 sets of people who came down in front of ours so it was very quiet and really gave the feel that you were in your own little paradise.

Here are 11-15 from standing in front of #10

If you look at pics of the entire beachfront you might think the Cabanas cover the whole thing but in reality they are not really that far apart and probably only go from beginning to about first half of the island. The rest of the beach does not have cabanas so even if you choose the last cabana #15 you are really not that far away. Don’t get me wrong you are far away enough from the crowds and noise but I write this to say that you will not have to troop more than about a 15minutes walk from the last Cabana #15 if you want to check out the music or bar but then want to retreat to your own little space on the beach. I should add that the Fascination I believe has about a little over 2000 passengers (not sure exactly) so I’m guessing if you were on a boat that has larger capacity it would be more crowded etc.

Eating Lunch on Half Moon Cay: For those who rent the cabana you get the spread of food as mentioned above. Everyone on the island also gets the lunch whether you rent a cabana or not. I believe it’s brought right over from the ship to the island and then cooked right there. It was BBQ food. We walked over to the food area which was only about a 7 or 8 minute walk, got our plates and then headed back to eat in the cabana. I’m not sure what they serve as far as drinks go but I’m guessing it’s the same as on the ship, probably water, lemonade, iced tea etc. Here’s a pic of the menu which looks to be bolted on the walls so I’m assuming the menu stays the same for each ship that comes in.

The lunch is serves in a big open air mess hall type place with a roof. It looks crowded but they have it set up into 4 sections al serving the same food so it was very quick to get our lunch. They served it from 1130-2pm. Here’s a pic:

Outside of the mess hall area are several picnic tables under covered area so that you can eat in the shade, when we walked over for lunch around 1pm there were tons of empty tables so finding a seat didn’t seem to be a problem.

Some of the plants/flowers by the food hall

Kids play area: As I stated we had our toddler son and also my two little sisters so we headed over to the play area for a bit. It was only about a 10-15 minute walk up the beach. There was a woodedn boat for the kids to climb on, a big water sprinkler coming out of the ocean, 3 of those big yellow circular water trampolines (actually 1 of them was gray and I think that one may have been exclusively for those in the private oasis), and then there were two small water slides. The water slides did not go into the ocean water they were set back about 15 feet from the shore. The slides are def geared toward younger kids but my husband and I went down a few times with my son (more like 20 lol) and it was fun for us too!

That building is the Private Oasis Cabana. You can see the water trampolines in front.

Hopefully this info was at least a little helpful. We really had a great time at the beach, the water was gorgeous (very cold at first but not unbearable…we’re from up north so we’re used to colder ocean water anyway). The island definitely felt like a little slice of paradise especially down further on the beach. If I went again I would definitely try and get a cabana. I thought it was definitely worth the money. For our situation with having a toddler and wanting to spend the whole day at the beach without having to go back and forth to the ship the cabana was perfect for us. I noticed that by the end of the day the last people to leave seemed to be mostly those who were in a cabana. For us it made being out in the sun more bearable. If you can’t book a cabana it would still be great, kind of like going to Bora Bora and getting an ocean front room vs an over water bungalo…you’re still in paradise but one makes it just a little bit sweeter;)

Here are a few more pics:

Looking down the beach

Back of #10-15

View from behind #9 and 10

Looking down the beach from in front of #10

Looking up the beach

My son sitting on the deck trying on the flippers

View of ship from cabana deck as it was getting closer to leave

Walking back to tender on road behind cabanas (a truck picked us up)

Yup this about sums it up!

*My personal guess on why they might not sell out immediately (or perhaps they do and I was just lucky) is that on Carnival you can’t book ahead of time and when you browse their website looking for HMC excursions it lists the cabana rental as $199 per person. Perhaps a lot of people are confused thinking that each person has to pay that much when in reality $225 is for the total cost of the cabana rental. I did notice, however, that when we arrived in our room the newsletter that had info on different excursions available did list the pricing more clearly so I’m guessing that any cabanas that are left over after the people who know the real scoop have already booked are probably then booked by those realizing it’s much cheaper than they initially thought. Maybe it’s Carnivals way of giving more people a shot at getting one rather than having tons of people bum rush the desk as soon as they board the ship, I don’t know. Just a thought.

*Also this is strictly my personal opinion and some may not agree but I think that even if you have a few more people than 4 (the price is $225 for up to 4 people) I would not even bother mentioning it. Honestly the woman who booked the excursion did not ask how many people there were and when we got to the excursion desk on HMC to hitch the ride to cabana they did not ask how many people were in our cabana. The only difference I believe would be how much food they provide on the snack trays, soda, and snorkeling equipment. I found that at no time were all of us even in the cabana, the snack tray was plenty especially considering you also get lunch on the island (all-you-can eat just like on lido deck), and between the water mats, snorkeling equip and just being out and about on the beach there was plenty to do and no need for us all to be using the same things at once. Again, just my personal opinion. If you do have a really big group I’d definitely rent more than one but for a few over the 4 I’d stick with just one.

Excellent info.

I don't "do" the cabana thing, as I normally just sail with DD and we just rent a clamshell (down near cabanas 8 & 9; close to the restroom and also the buffet, but away from all the noise and action).

Great pics! Can't wait to return to HMC (in one more month!) for the 4th time. I'm going solo this time and will have that clamshell all to myself. :D

Where is the resturant area? Closer to any cabanas? You said you got there at 10: 45? Were you the first ones to be tendered? I wasn't going to book one- just get clamshells but your descriptions were the best I think I've seen and are making me think!! Thanks for the info.

Excellent descriptions and the video is most helpful for those that have never been to HMC. Thanks for sharing.

Where is the resturant area? Closer to any cabanas? You said you got there at 10: 45? Were you the first ones to be tendered? I wasn't going to book one- just get clamshells but your descriptions were the best I think I've seen and are making me think!! Thanks for the info.

The first tenders start after eight. We are normally on the island by 8:30 after taking the first tender.

The Food Pavilion is located closest to cabanas 1-5, and yes, there is another restroom in that area also.

The first tenders start after eight. We are normally on the island by 8:30 after taking the first tender.

 

The Food Pavilion is located closest to cabanas 1-5, and yes, there is another restroom in that area also.

Thanks everyone! we can't wait to go back to HMC. I told my husband that when we are able to do another cruise I want one with HMC on the itinerary!

We ended up getting there at about 1045 only b/c we wanted to let the baby wake up on his own time (he tends to get grumpy if we wake him up before he does on his own). But like Typhoon mentioned the tenders started going over sometime right after 8.

As for the clamshells down by us, even with getting there at around 1045 all of the ones down by the end cabanas were still available. In fact, no one came and used the ones by us at all.

Thanks everyone! we can't wait to go back to HMC. I told my husband that when we are able to do another cruise I want one with HMC on the itinerary!

 

We ended up getting there at about 1045 only b/c we wanted to let the baby wake up on his own time (he tends to get grumpy if we wake him up before he does on his own). But like Typhoon mentioned the tenders started going over sometime right after 8.

 

As for the clamshells down by us, even with getting there at around 1045 all of the ones down by the end cabanas were still available. In fact, no one came and used the ones by us at all.

Thanks for the wonderful review! We love HMC, but have not gotten a cabana there yet. We plan to next month since we'll have the whole family along and will be nice to have a home base.

You mention the truck that will take you up and back...good for my dad who has leg issues. How do you let them know when you want to go back?

When we were there on Destiny in 2008, it took forever to get on a tender...did you have any issues with that? I think people who have a cabana get to get on the first tender, but we may not feel like being ready that early:o

Thanks LillyLight! This information was awesome (love that video) - I hope to book a cabana in July. Half Moon Cay looks absolutely beautiful.

Thanks for the great review and pictures of HMC. We will be there in just over three weeks.

What side of the cabana's is the resturant? On one end of them or between them?

The resturant is behind- inland- from Cabana's 1-5. It is not on the beach.

Superb post Lilylight! We stayed in #8 last time, and DW is requiring our next Caribbean cruise to be a B2B that stops at HMC twice. I guess I will have to comply!

1I wasn't going to book one- just get clamshells but your descriptions were the best I think I've seen and are making me think!! Thanks for the info.

Chloe, you're considering a cabana? You must be rich. Remember the bashing you gave me some months ago about people that can afford cabanas?

Thanks for the wonderful review! We love HMC, but have not gotten a cabana there yet. We plan to next month since we'll have the whole family along and will be nice to have a home base.

You mention the truck that will take you up and back...good for my dad who has leg issues. How do you let them know when you want to go back?

When we were there on Destiny in 2008, it took forever to get on a tender...did you have any issues with that? I think people who have a cabana get to get on the first tender, but we may not feel like being ready that early:o

On the way to the cabana the woman at the desk led us right over to the truck. I forgot to ask if they picked up on a schedule so when we were ready to leave we just walked up to the little paved road up behind the cabana and had every intention of just walking back. After walking for maybe 2 minutes a truck happened to be passing by and picked us up. The probably run on a schedule but I'm not sure, you could ask at the desk when you get there.

As for the tender we had no issues with waiting at all. We ate breakfast on the ship and headed down stairs and there was already a tender loading and maybe 3 or 4 groups ahead of us walking forward to get on. I was surprised b/c I figured there would be a line but I guess b/c tenders were going back and forth all day it wasn't an issue. You could always have someone in your group watch from the deck and see when one is making it's way back and then head down maybe that would help? When I booked the cabana the woman mentioned that the tenders would start going over a little after 8 but she didnt mention anything about priority boarding for those with cabanas. I have read that here though but I knew I didnt want to go over that early so I didnt inquire.

Thanks LillyLight! This information was awesome (love that video) - I hope to book a cabana in July. Half Moon Cay looks absolutely beautiful.

Thanks, my husband was making fun of me for recording the video, he doesn't do the whole message board thing, lol.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this. It answered alot of questions I had for our upcoming visit to Half Moon Cay. Can't wait!!!:)

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this. It answered alot of questions I had for our upcoming visit to Half Moon Cay. Can't wait!!!:)

You're welcome. Have a great trip! Half Moon Cay is beautiful, you will not be disappointed.

Best review I've seen! Can't wait to get there in August~

just a quick question for anyone that has been to HMC....

we don't have an excursion booked but would like to be on the island fairly early. What time would be a good time to try to leave the boat. I've read horror stories of very long lines and some people not getting on the island until 1:30PM....how do we avoid this?

and 1 more question: is there shade or do we need to rent a clam shell. We will have our 6 and 3 yo daughters and don't want them in the direct sun all day.

thanks for you help in advance

Lililight...What a great review....Thanks for the photos and video.... We'll be there in a few days so your review came just in time.

I've read that there is little or no shade, and since my DH and I can't sit in the sun like we see others do, I wasn't sure if we were even going to getting off the ship. From your video and photos, I see that it won't be a problem. We might even consider renting a cabana, (thanks to your review) although I'm not sure if I want to spend the $299 that Holland America is charging.

just a quick question for anyone that has been to HMC....

we don't have an excursion booked but would like to be on the island fairly early. What time would be a good time to try to leave the boat.

thanks for you help in advance

Get up early that day, have breakfast in the Lido.

The first tender will leave in the 8:00-8:20 range. If you are on the first tender, you'll be on the island by 8:30.

If your sailing Carnival, they will be using tender tickets, be sure to get an early number.

thanks Typhoon for the tips....we will be sure to do that!