Hey, y'all! We are less than three months out from our next cruise and I couldn't be more excited. Ashley and I are heading out on a 5-day cruise to The Bahamas. We will be leaving out of our home port of Jacksonville and sailing to Nassau and Half Moon Cay, both of which are islands in The Bahamas. This will be the shortest cruise I've ever taken, so it'll be interesting to see how it compares to a 7-day cruise.
In honor of our upcoming 5-day trip, I thought I'd share with you 5 facts about Half Moon Cay.
1. Half Moon Cay is also known as Little San Salvador Island. It is one of 700 islands that make up The Bahamas. This private island is located about 100 miles southeast of Nassau.
2. Holland America Line purchased the island in 1996 for just $6 million USD. Since then, they have developed about 50 acres of the 2,400-acre island. The company has plans for leaving the rest of the island natural and undeveloped.
3. HMC is one of Carnival's tender ports. This means that the water surrounding the island is too shallow for the ship to dock. In order to access the island, you'll have to take a water taxi from ship to shore. Guests staying in suites, as well as Platinum and Diamond cruisers and those that have purchased the Faster to the Fun pass, will have priority on the tenders.
4. The island has several water toys available for rent including catamarans, sailboats, sailboards, kayaks, paddle boards, etc. You can also rent a clamshell, cabana or beach villa. All of these can be charged to your Sail & Sign card. I strongly suggest booking cabanas and beach villas in advance.
5. Since this is a private island, you can enjoy a buffet for free just like you could on the ship! This is a huge perk! Otherwise, you'd either have to pay out of pocket or hop on a tender back to the ship to grab a bite to eat. You can use your Sail & Sign card to purchase alcoholic beverages, just like you would onboard.
I am so super pumped about visiting Half Moon Cay this January. It'll be so nice to get away! If you'll be cruising on the same itinerary, be sure to check out A Beginners Guide to Nassau and 7 Things for Cruisers to do within Walking Distance in Nassau.
