private island

[czexrus]

Does Carnival have a "private island?"

[CruizeLuvr]

Yes, Half Moon Cay.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Does Carnival have a "private island?"

 

They share Holland Americas private island in the Bahamas. Half Moon Cay.

 

Both lines are owned by Carnival Corporation.:)

 

Bill

[reno3]

Private Island thread with Half Moon Cay

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=406

[jennmaybe]

Yes, Half Moon Cay.

My absolute favorite island so far!! That may change after my cruise this year though!

[nbsjcruiser]

Would any one happen to know if you can reserve a clam shell early or do you have to wait until you get on the ship? Do they have very many to rent?

[golfadj]

Strangely after about 15 cruises on carnival will be going there for first time in october.

 

They seem to be making greater use of it lately.

[bmwmom2002]

Almost the best part of our cruise from Jacksonville. Its gorgeous there!

[blindrid]

Try Carnival's website first: http://www.carnival.com/Port_Of_Call.aspx?portCode=HMC

[BlueJacketsFan1]

Carnival Cruise line no, Carnival Corp. yes, Half Moon Cay is owned by Holland America. Carnival Cruise line is able to sent a few ship to there. Or at least that is what I have read on the internet.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Carnival Cruise line no, Carnival Corp. yes, Half Moon Cay is owned by Holland America. Carnival Cruise line is able to sent a few ship to there. Or at least that is what I have read on the internet.

 

OK thanks for clearing that up.:)

 

Bill

[Karlyn8]

Would any one happen to know if you can reserve a clam shell early or do you have to wait until you get on the ship? Do they have very many to rent?

 

 

I was on the Pride June 20th sailing that stopped at Half Moon Cay. There were about 100 clam shells on the beach beyond the last Cabana (#15) that were not used. Every once in a while a Carnival employee would come past and grab a few and take them to the more populated part of the beach. There seemed to be plenty for everyone that wanted them.

 

We got a cabana and it was really nice. There was cut up fruit, bottles of water, cans of pop, snorkeling gear, raft floats, Carnival beach towels, Tortilla Chips and 4 dips. Also in the cabana were a floor revolving fan, ceiling fan, air conditioner, fridge, and 2 wicker chaise lounges. It was a wonderful place to spend the day when not in the water.:p

 

We got the last of the cabanas available. As soon as we got on the ship I headed for the excursion desk and waited in line for about 20 minutes. It was 12:30 when it was my turn at the desk.

[Mark]

Do you dock at Half Moon Cay or do you use tenders???

[1midsun]

Half Moon Cay is a tendered port.

[nbsjcruiser]

I was on the Pride June 20th sailing that stopped at Half Moon Cay. There were about 100 clam shells on the beach beyond the last Cabana (#15) that were not used. Every once in a while a Carnival employee would come past and grab a few and take them to the more populated part of the beach. There seemed to be plenty for everyone that wanted them.

 

We got a cabana and it was really nice. There was cut up fruit, bottles of water, cans of pop, snorkeling gear, raft floats, Carnival beach towels, Tortilla Chips and 4 dips. Also in the cabana were a floor revolving fan, ceiling fan, air conditioner, fridge, and 2 wicker chaise lounges. It was a wonderful place to spend the day when not in the water.:p

 

We got the last of the cabanas available. As soon as we got on the ship I headed for the excursion desk and waited in line for about 20 minutes. It was 12:30 when it was my turn at the desk.

Thank you for your reply. This will be our first time there so I was not sure what to do.

[sillysister]

Can you please explain the difference between the clam shell and cabana? I'm confused. We're leaving out of Charleston this Saturay and Half-Moon Cay is one of our stops. From what I'm reading the only way to go to this private beach is to rent one of these things. Any help would be appreciated. Can you share with other people? How many chairs are there?

 

Thanks!

[jessemon]

Can you please explain the difference between the clam shell and cabana? I'm confused. We're leaving out of Charleston this Saturay and Half-Moon Cay is one of our stops. From what I'm reading the only way to go to this private beach is to rent one of these things. Any help would be appreciated. Can you share with other people? How many chairs are there?

 

Thanks!

The clam shell is a canvas thing they open over a chaise lounge.

A cabana is a wooden structure with a fridge, shower (outdoor), deck. AC and so on. A cabana is $220.....For up to 4 people....

Have done the cabana thing once with a large group. We rented 7 of them....It was great....

[S.S.Oceanlover]

here is a picture of the cabana and the clamshell.

 

Had the cabana and been there and didn't rent either one. Had fun either way.

 

 

 

Bill

[sillysister]

so we can go to the beach without renting these things?

 

Thanks for info.

[SueG]

so we can go to the beach without renting these things?

 

Thanks for info.

 

Yes

[czexrus]

We will be on the Legend and i thought i read somewhere that at one of the ports you can a short trip to the Private Island? Maybe im thinking of a different island?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

so we can go to the beach without renting these things?

 

Thanks for info.

 

If you look closely at the clamshells you can see that the clamshell is covering 2 lounge chairs. This just keeps the sun off of you. There are plenty of lounge chairs with no clamshells that you can use for free.

 

You can spend the day at HMC and not spend a dime if you wish.:)

 

Bill

[KandCsailing]

so we can go to the beach without renting these things?

Yes, there are lots of no charge loungers all along the beach, starting from the water play area near the tenders, to the "I wish I could stay here forever" Bar (where they do some games and dances) to the further less crowded end of the beach. The buffet food service area is away from the beach, just down some trails. The island isn't that big but there is also a free shuttle (kinda like a hay ride with benches) that can take you to different areas. We only used that to go back to the tenders in the afternoon after my SIL had a flip-flop blowout.

[blindrid]

Thank you for your reply. This will be our first time there so I was not sure what to do.

 

Take it as a beach day. Grab a chaise, lay in the sun, have a drink, get wet, start process over.

 

Have fun.

[mkam2821]

The day at HMC can be your most enjoyable one. Beautiful water, a great beach, a fabulous view of the ship, nice music, reasonable food...what more could someone who is looking to relax in the Caribbean want? And the add on extra shore excursions (sting rays, horseback riding, etc) are nicer and cost far less than those on the regular islands because the income from the cost is not shared with anyone. When on vacation I hate to rush and we tend to eat later than most folks. As a result, the last 2 times we were at HMC (we've been there at least 5 times) was that the food ran low at the barbecue. What the heck, there's always something to eat back on the ship!!