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 lies the private island Half Moon Cay, a tropical paradise for those cruising with Holland America Line. Our first taste of the Bahamas was with on our Holland America Line Eastern Caribbean cruise, which included a day at Half Moon Cay.
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.
I enjoy cruises that include a stop at a private Island. I love going to the beach and doing a little snorkeling. I have been to many of them over the years. The first being Royal Caribbean's Private island in Haiti called Labadee. It was soon after it opened and at that time there was very little there except some lounge chairs by the beach. Later this year I will be taking a Norwegian Cruise which will be making a stop at their newest Private Island off the coast of Belize called Harvest Caye.
Here's Cruiseable's look at 8 of the cruise lines' private islands.
Most of the mainstream cruise lines have or soon will have private islands in the Bahamas or the Caribbean.
Holland America/Carnival - Half Moon Cay and Amber Cove
Disney Cruise Line- Castaway Cay
Princess Cruises- Princess Cays
Royal Caribbean- Labadee and CoCo Cay
MSC Cruises- Ocean Cay (opening late 2017)
Norwegian Cruise Line - Great Stirrup Cay and opening late this year, Harvest Caye
