Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

After nine days across the Atlantic Ocean enjoying various activities, lectures, and shows, we finally arrived at Half Moon Cay! It used to be known as Little San Salvador and is a private island reserved for the exclusive use of Carnival, who owns Holland America. No one lives on the island, so staff from a nearby island and the ship are busy providing for the guests.

Up fairly early we decided to enjoy a coffee at the Dutch Cafe onboard. This is a tender port, so the ship drops anchors and the tenders shuttle folks to land. The water is the stunning blues and greens listed on the travel brochures!

Though the past week was impressively smooth on the ship, it felt great to be on land once again. We enjoyed a short walk before our excursion we booked due to the cancelled Azores port. It was a very warm morning (late 20s), and slightly overcast, with a few rain drops. The skies quickly cleared into sun and fluffy little clouds.

We met up with our new friends, and M was lucky enough to be able to join our earlier 10am group. Jet Skis! Combining 30mph, with fresh air and perfect weather is a great recipe for fun! We darted through the lagoon and out along the beach. We guessed they were speed governed as they did go faster then 32 mph. We diligently followed the guide in single file formation around the various buoys and shallow waters in the lagoon. The jet skis were a hoot, but definitely not as responsive as a motorcycle though they float much better than one! The freedom of no helmet was liberating.

We headed to the beach to enjoy a swim in the shallow clear water of the Caribbean: the sand was amazing, so fine and flour-like. D decided to head back to the ship with M&T, and we went to the BBQ pit for lunch. They setup a delicious spread, and not easy considering they had to pack most of it over from the vessel. The "all aboard" time was 2:30pm, so we headed back to the ferry after lunch to avoid the passenger rush.

That evening our meal in the dining room was noticeably louder than previous nights. Located on deck 2, above the two propellers, this evening's 18knt speed to get to Fort Lauderdale wasn't the quiet hum of the transatlantic 16knts 🙃Read more