The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Day on an island beach a welcome perk
Day on an island beach a welcome perk on many cruises for winter-weary
Private islands have become a staple for many cruise lines sailing in the Caribbean.
Private islands have become a staple for many cruise lines sailing in the Caribbean.
They help passengers get into the slowed-down pace of cruising, and in many cases the private island is the first port stop. Some cruise lines visit their island at both the beginning and the end of the cruise.
For Holland America’s cruises, many of which depart from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that island is Half Moon Cay, a white sand expanse in the Bahamas where everything from horseback rides in the surf to private cabanas and beach massages is the promise for passengers. It’s just 269 miles from Fort Lauderdale, so it is an ideal first stop after an overnight at sea.
During my late-December cruise aboard the Zuiderdam, eight cruise ships were in the port of Fort Lauderdale taking on and disembarking passengers. The port is just 10 minutes by taxi from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Port security requires an ID for everyone entering and leaving, and taxi drivers are guided to the the mammoth ships by electronic signs overhead. I didn’t catch the names of all the ships, but several from Holland America regularly use Fort Lauderdale as a port. I was booked on a 10day Panama Canal cruise.
The ship’s late-afternoon castoff was festive, with everyone gathering on the top deck for drinks and snacks as the ship left Fort Lauderdale behind. By then I’d mastered port and starboard, could find my stateroom at the back (aft) of the ship and knew how to find the dining room and a few of the bars.
Our island day on Half Moon Cay was scheduled after our first overnight at sea, and, judging by the number of ships in port, I feared it would be a mob scene.
But that was not the case as Half Moon Cay came into view early the next morning, embraced by the Windex-blue waters characteristic of much of the Bahamas. Its sister, the larger, 2,100-passenger Eurodam, also was anchored off shore, and both ships were taking passengers ashore by tender. The orange tenders, which also double as lifeboats, were augmented by other boats that stay on the island. Between them, the two ships carry about 4,000 passengers.
But most passengers had signed up for various shore excursions during the 8:30 a.m.-to-3 p.m. island visit so everyone wasn’t on the half moon shaped beach at the same time. Those wishing romantic solitude had only to wander about 10 minutes down the beach past the last water sports pavilion.
Holland America renamed the 2,400-acre unpopulated Little San Salvador Island when it purchased it for $6 million in 1997. In the 20 years since then, the cruise line has invested another $15 million in amenities, which include private air-conditioned cabanas and beach pavilions ideal for groups of four to eight and available for rent by the day.
Rental of snorkel gear, catamarans, kayaks and floating foam mattresses are among the things available from the three island watersports centers.
EXC Tours, located onboard the ship, arranges shore adventures such as horseback riding ($99), jet skis ($89), bikes ($29) and kayaks ($39) in advance.
Passengers can wade among stingrays, get their hair braided or shop in a Bahamian straw market. Sightseeing and boat excursions also can be arranged.
A barbecue lunch, prepared by the ship’s kitchen staff, is served ashore at midday for eating at tables under shady pavilions or at the beach bar. All meals are included aboard a cruise, although several other options costing extra also are available by reservation. Two other dining venues, including the Lobster Shack, were available on Half Moon Cay for extra charge.
The cruise had nine more days to go, and I was on a budget, so I didn’t sign up for island activities, choosing instead to throw my towel on a beach chair and people watch. Passengers on the Zuiderdam mixed with those from the Eurodam, and I didn’t know anyone yet, so I struck up a few conversations. It seemed very few children had come ashore, even though there’s a waterplay park for them on the island.
Unlike Disney ships, which take passengers to its Castaway Cay, Holland America ships don’t have many amenities for young children.
I tucked into my barbecue lunch in the shade of the beach bar, where I got my insulated water bottle filled and ordered a Kalik beer, one of the Bahamian brands fondly recalled from another visit. Bartenders throughout the cruise seemed happy to help me stay hydrated and avoid the $3.50 charge for a liter of water, which was delivered to my stateroom every day.
On Half Moon Cay, sandy trails that thread among the sea grapes lead to an island church, a massage pavilion and several beach bars. Signs along the paths reveal information about the Bahamas, such as its lack of income taxes and the official exchange rate. I learned from one the Bahamas has 329,000 people living on 26 inhabited islands covering 5,382 square miles of land.
U.S. dollars are accepted everywhere, but the Zuiderdam and its island are a cashless society. The room key doubles as a charge card for drinks and everything else.
A central plaza surrounded by shops has a signpost with arrows pointing back to the ship and the distances to Puerto Rico and Miami, as well as the North Pole.