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All Things HALF MOON CAY !

trock

By trock,
in Private Islands

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Typhoon1

Typhoon1

Posted
Posted
Does anyone know if there is a towel hut or something to check out beach towels when we get to the island, or do we need to bring them from the ship? What about if you rent a cabana, are there towels included there?

 

Thanks.

 

The cabanas are equipped with several large beach towels, so there is no need to bring any from the ship.

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shashi1

shashi1

Posted
Posted

Hi.I have a question.

 

If on the off chance hal and carnival are docked on the same day. Hal is able to prebook and on carnival we have to wait. do they hold a certain amount for carnival guests or is it possible that they may already be gone before we board...thx

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Hockey Addict

Hockey Addict

Posted
Posted
interesting thread... and I now know anything and everything regarding cabanas ;)

 

 

I'm curious whether anyone did the parasailing and/or waverunners? How was it?

 

We did the wave runners last year. Carnival's site says......

 

On this excursion you will:

  • Take a short tram ride and arrive at the safety briefing area and have time to get acquainted with your personal sit-on watercraft.
  • Have your guide lead you, single file, along the picturesque shoreline of the island.
  • Navigate around the natural reef formations, inlets, islands and sand pits before stopping for a cool drink.
  • Learn about the history of the island and the Arawak Indians, the first settlers to the area.
  • Finally test your watercraft skills as you maneuver around a buoyed course.

But this is what we did.....

 

We jumped on the jet ski's and followed our guide through the lagoon. He took us out to the edge to the ocean. Then he told us to have fun.... but stay where he could see us and don't go ANYWHERE near the ship. It was a lot of fun doing what we want to do... just goof off. We were the last group of the day. There are 6 people in each group plus the guide. I don't know if this is the norm but we were all younger and I think he got a hint from us that we wanted to "play". On the way back we zig zagged in a follow the leader type thing. We didn't learn about the history or the island or the Arawak Indians.... or stop for a cool drink.

 

We had a blast!

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  • 2 weeks later...
bguppies

bguppies

Posted
Posted
How wheelchair-friendly is HMC? Are any of the cabanas accessible?

 

I have read that Cabana #1 is.... (It has a paved sidewalk to the back of the cabana from the paved walkways.)

 

I don't think any of the others are though.

 

I can let you know after we hopefully get a cabana there on Monday! :D

 

Bill

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crossman2k

crossman2k

Posted
Posted (edited)
this picture pretty much illustrates 2 of my questions about hmc...

 

first - i see the little buoy / rope 'barrier' thingy in the water... are you not allowed to swim out past that? it really doesn't look to be terribly far out, and i assume the water's pretty shallow, even at the buoy line...

 

what if i wanted to out further, or swim in a non-buoyed area? is that allowed - and thereby that little line just kinda a guideline - maybe for kids? :confused:

 

next - i like to walk on the beach... long walks on the beach... is there a similar 'barrier' on the beach, restricting access at a certain point? or if, for instance, i wanted to walk all the way down the 'crescent' - say, to the far left / top part of this picture, is that allowed? :)

 

lastly... i haven't seen a single sand castle in any of the pics of HMC i've ever seen... is that because the sand's too fine to work for this... or just because there are no sand castle type equipment (buckets, shovels) on the island? i'm all grown up, but i still love making a mean sand castle every now and then :D

 

I'll try to answer your questions:

 

First - The barrier you see in the picture is the side barrier that connect to the shore. The actual barrier goes pretty far out to about 150 feet. The depth of the water is about 12 feet at the end of the barrier. You can also swim past the the side part of the barrier but that is where the aquatic center is so there is alot of boating and sailing activity going on. Cabanas 7 -15 are also past this point. The beach also continues about two miles until it reaches a point. I noticed many people walking the beach and that is also where they horseback ride.

 

Second - The sand is okay but not the best for making sandcastles. Bring your own shovels and containers to build. They have a sandcastle contest just after lunch. Read the Capers. It normally happens in front of the beach bar but if you let them know you want to participate they will go to your area and judge your castle.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

Edited by crossman2k
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K&RCurt

K&RCurt

Posted
Posted
Hi.I have a question.

 

If on the off chance hal and carnival are docked on the same day. Hal is able to prebook and on carnival we have to wait. do they hold a certain amount for carnival guests or is it possible that they may already be gone before we board...thx

 

It is my understanding that HAL and Carnival ships will not be scheduled at HMC on the same day. HMC is owned by HAL. While both HAL and Carnival Cruise Lines are both owned by Carnival Corporation, they are seperate entities. HAL leases the island to CCL when it does not have any ships scheduled there - mostly during the months that HAL has no ships in the Caribbean.

 

I don't know why CCL does not permit cruisers to book cabanas, clamshells etc ahead of time. We will be on HMC on a HAL cruise in October and have already reserved an "Aquatrax" excursion and a clamshell.

 

In any case, it's is one of the most beutiful spots I have ever been!

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Caliterp07

Caliterp07

Posted
Posted

I'm coming to HMC next month through HAL. I see several Carnival people saying they did a jet ski excursion, but that's not offered on HAL's website. (Just "aquatrax", but that's not the same thing, is it?)

 

Will we be able to rent jet skis from the beach? I've never done it before, but I think it looks fun!

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topspot

topspot

Posted
Posted

If you are sailing on HAL, you need to keep checking the excursions on their web site on when they become available. They are first come first served, but sell out quickly. Someone on the HAL board may be able to tell you how far in advance the excursions are available on line.

 

If you are sailing Carnival, it is my understanding that you have to wait until you board to try to get one.

 

Have fun, you will love Half Moon Cay.

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K&RCurt

K&RCurt

Posted
Posted
I'm coming to HMC next month through HAL. I see several Carnival people saying they did a jet ski excursion, but that's not offered on HAL's website. (Just "aquatrax", but that's not the same thing, is it?)

 

Will we be able to rent jet skis from the beach? I've never done it before, but I think it looks fun!

 

 

"Aquatrax" = Jet Ski!:cool:

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sallyb

sallyb

Posted
Posted
This board is amazing,only just joined to day and thought I would find this is the Bahama place.But that aside the information is great.Half Moon Cay looks incredible.But it sounds like if I am not a platinum cruiser I dont have a chance at a cabana.Is that true?

I know there were non platinum cruisers on our Pride cruise that got a cabana, and they had a higher boarding number than us, we had #4. I guess it just depends on how many people want them that day.

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