Good Morning from Half Moon Cay!
Today we are checking off a huge bucket list item and finalizing our cruise private island destinations with a stop at Half Moon Cay. Half Moon Cay is a Carnival Corp. private island and is visited by Carnival, Princess & Holland America ships. We are really excited to see what Half Moon is like.
Tender Boat – Half Moon is a tender port which means the boat does not dock at the port. Instead you board a smaller tender boat from the ship and you are taken over to the island via the tender (tender boats, which are now called water shuttles, are complimentary if you were wondering).
Tendering on Sunrise is a very interesting procedure. Instead of just getting in a massive line, you pick up a tender number depending on when you want to leave. The numbers were on a big board on Deck 4. Numbers are then called over the ship speakers and when your number is called, you proceed to the tender deck. I thought this was a great way to avoid a massive line, which ultimately ends with angry guests. If you were wondering, shore excursion guests have priority over regular tender tickets. They take shore excursion guests over to the island first.
For us, we got to experience another perk of Faster to the Fun (full review coming soon). We had priority tendering between the hours of 9-10am. This was awesome because we didn’t need to get a ticket or wait for our number to be called. We were able to have a leisurely breakfast and then head for our check in area. Loved that. Our group boarded the tender boat first. Super easy. There was only one drawback of loading first. We had to wait until the rest of the boat was full and this was waiting on the water, with full sun beaming down. We waited on the tender for about 40 minutes before we pulled away. But thanks to Faster to the Fun, you are guaranteed a seat so definitely worth the wait (just make sure you have your sunscreen on before you board).
Half Moon Cay – first, like I mentioned at the beginning, we have been to every other cruise private destination (except the new MSC Ocean Cay). So with that being said Half Moon had some very big shoes to fill.
So what did we think about Half Moon? It was OK.
All About the Good: the biggest standout was the AMAZING water. It was the bluest and clearest ocean water that we have seen on a cruise ship. It was the prettiest ocean we have seen and rivaled the ocean we experienced in Turks & Caicos. If you are looking for the cleanest and prettiest water in the Caribbean, add Half Moon Cay to your list.
The Not So Good: Remember how I was saying it was the prettiest ocean we have ever seen…it was also the most crowded ocean we have ever seen. It felt like everyone was in the ocean. Looking a bit like South Beach on spring break. And I think everyone was in the ocean because the actual beach space was very limited. The beach was exactly 3 lay down loungers deep. And every inch was covered in bodies. We got out to the beach around 10am and 85% of the chairs were occupied. If you want a chair, get out early.
Facilities – the facilities on Half Moon were reminiscent of private islands 10 years ago (think CocoCay pre-refurb). Everything was very primitive and didn’t seem to be up to the standards that you find on other private islands today.
Purchased Packages – we were surprised to see that the drink package and internet package were not available on the island. Not having internet wasn’t really that bad (disconnecting is great) but the drink package was interesting to see not accepted. And I am not talking about just alcohol, but soft drinks and water as well. This was disappointing because it was very hot and we really would have liked to hydrate a little more. There are complimentary drink stations (water, lemonade and tea) near the BBQ dining area but we did not see anything near the beach or populated areas. And the drink stations are pretty hidden amongst the mangroves.
Tendering Back – (this was not a surprise. Our Faster to the Fun documentation stated how the tender exit would work) I’m not going to sugar coat this…tendering sucks! It’s not bad, it’s just a long process. And it was a long process to get back to the ship. Not surprising, I just really hate tendering.
Overall Thoughts on Half Moon: Half Moon is a beautiful ocean location. If you love swimming in the ocean, this is the place for you. I would imagine there isn’t a lot of fish life, because there wasn’t any coral that we could see, but the ocean is beautiful. The island itself is very limited. The food options are slim and getting a drink of water requires a treasure map.
Back to the ship: Our night ended with a fantastic meal at Cucina del Capitano. Yes, we ate here last night but we loved it so much, we had to come back. And the meal did not disappoint. For $30 total, you can’t beat a fantastic Italian meal. And the crew are some of the most fanstistic people so just that is worth the upcharge. After dinner we had a great nightcap at the Alchemy Bar. I would probably say the Alchemy Bar is our favorite drink location. Long gone are the days of drinking to get blasted. Nope, we love a well made, tasty drink and the Alchemy Bar is the place to be for that. The mixologists are top-notch and will make you anything based on a flavor and liquor type. After all the social media posts and vlogging necessities, the Alchemy Bar is the perfect place for Sean and I to reconnect as a couple. We get to talk, laugh and enjoy each other’s company ♥️.
Day 2 Overall Thoughts: I am so happy and grateful that we had the chance to visit Half Moon Cay. Was it our favorite private destination? No. But it does have absolutely breathtaking water and is a great place to getaway for the weekend. We are loving our time on the Carnival Sunrise so far. This is a fun ship through and through. Tomorrow is ship tour day and I cannot wait to explore every inch (we have only seen about 50% so far). Thanks so much for following along.
A special thanks to our Your Perfect Getaway by Brittany Watson. If you are looking for someone to help plan your next vacation, Brittany is a great resource to help you out!
Day 3 Up Next….
