Half Moon Cay is a slice of heaven just floating in the Caribbean. Half Moon Cay is one of the 700 islands that make up the archipelago of the Bahamas. Less than 100 miles from Nassau, it’s a tropical paradise for those cruising with Holland America Line.
Our first taste of the Bahamas was on our Holland America Line Eastern Caribbean cruise. Here’s a sneak peek of what a day on Half Moon Cay Bahamas looks like.
Half Moon Cay Bahamas
We didn’t want to leave Half Moon Cay, but before we knew it, the MS Eurodam was waiting for us to board the ship so we could cruise to our next destination.
Holland America purchased the island in 1996 for a steal for only $6 million and has since invested $15 million to create the private island paradise for passengers on the line’s Caribbean and Panama Canal sailings.
Carnival ships sometimes visit as well, as Holland America is part of the Carnival Corp. The island wasn’t always called Half Moon Cay, for most of its existence, the island was known as Little San Salvador Island.
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When we first pulled in, we immediately noticed the 2.5-mile-long beach, white sand just waiting for our footprints. Half Moon Cay is 2,400 acres in size, but only 50 acres have been developed.
The remaining acres include a 700-acre lagoon, a Wild Bird Preserve, and a wildlife sanctuary. Half Moon Cay is basically a deserted island except for 10-20 Holland American workers that live on the island year-round. There are locals from the nearby islands that come to sell art, crafts, and souvenirs when the ships come in.
Our cruise ship anchored offshore, and we had to take a double-decker tender into Half Moon Cay Pier marina, which took 10 minutes from our ship to shore. From the pier, another 1-minute walk to the welcome center, which is complete with an information booth, bathroom, a bar, Bahamian straw market, ice cream shop, post office, first aid station, island shop, and tram stop.
We made our way to the information booth as we had a jet-ski adventure planned! There are tons of excursions, from horseback riding on the beach, lagoon tours, glass-bottom boat tours, kayaking, snorkeling, bicycling, hiking, or just relaxing on the white sand beach.
We started our morning with an hour jet-ski adventure, we strapped on life jackets and took off into the open ocean. We had an amazing time getting speed and even some air as we flew through the waves. I managed to stay on my jet-ski the entire time, unlike our last time jet-skiing in Langkawi!
After an action-packed morning, it was time for some relaxation on Half Moon Cay’s famous white sand beach. Half Moon Cay is known for the number of private cabanas available for rent during the day on the island.
There are 15 cabanas available that come with refrigerators, air conditioning, table & chairs, deck chairs, and a misting shower on a private terrace. We opted to rent a sunshade on the beach, as we spent most of our day walking the beach and playing in the gorgeous turquoise waters.
Before we knew our time in the Bahamas was over it was time to tender back to our cruise ship. Half Moon Cay was our favorite stop on our Eastern Caribbean cruise and a place we hope to get back to.
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Make Sure To Pin Me For Later! Half Moon Cay is Waiting
*We were guests of Holland American Line but as always opinions are our own*
