Half Moon Cay - Cabana Shore Excursion
Whenever my mom and I cruise, we try and make an effort to take a cruise that has a stop at Half Moon Cay. Unfortunately this does not always work within our time frame or plans. However, when we do get the opportunity to go to Half Moon Cay, we ALWAYS rent a small cabana. The cabana rental is by far the one excursion we will always do and that we feel is worth every penny. Below is Carnival's description of the cabana rentals:
Enjoy the ultimate in luxury during your stay on Half Moon Cay with the use of your own private cabana. Your cabana will be outfitted with a refrigerator, ceiling fan, air conditioner, table and chairs inside, as well as deck chairs and misting shower on the private terrace. You will be provided snacks and an assortment of soft drinks and bottled water to quench your thirst.
NOTE: Specific cabana number or location requests will not be accepted via email or phone. All specific cabana requests may only be made onboard the ship on embarkation day at the Shore Excursion Desk, and will be taken on a first come, first served basis. You will need to book your cabana online, and then once onboard visit the Shore Excursion Staff to advise of your preferences and/or requests (ie, sodas, snorkeling equipment sizes, etc).
Price listed is per cabana, (not per person) and good for up to 4 persons, therefore only one person needs to book. For groups with more than 4 guests, an 'extra person surcharge' for the Cabana rental must be purchased for guests 5 & 6 (a maximum of 6 guests per cabana). Housekeeping will begin cleaning 1.5 hours before departure.
Please note, this excursion’s Duration is “At Your Leisure”, i.e. no set duration (not 1 hour as listed above).
Below is my experience, review and pictures of the cabana rentals at Half Moon Cay:
Booking: The booking process is easy but limited. There are only 15 cabanas available for rental on the island. On Carnival's smallest ships, there is room for approximately 2,000+ people. With only 15 cabanas, they can go quickly. On the Carnival website, it will typically tell you how many are remaining during the booking process. When we are planning a cruise to Half Moon Cay, we typically book our cruise in October for January. I check daily until the cabana rental is available for booking, and I book it immediately.
Pricing: The current price for the cabana rental is $229. We have always paid $199 in the past. I am not sure if prices have just increased or if we booked it at a discounted rate. This covers amenities for up to four people. It is good to note that even if you only have 2 people in your group, you still get the same amounts of items and it costs the same price. With that said, only one person needs to book this in your group. It is not like other shore excursions that everyone is required to book. Also, you are not "required" to pay for more than 4 people. You will just not get any more amenities to cover any additional people. We have never had more than 4, so I am not sure the surcharge.
Cabana Choices: Like I stated before, there are 15 cabanas. Cabana 1 is located closest to the tenders. Cabana 15 is the farthest away. Which cabana you pick is solely a personal choice. We always pick Cabana 12. It is far enough away that we are not overwhelmed with people surrounding us, but close enough to the restrooms and food that we can easily walk to them when needed. Below is a map of the 15 cabanas and their surroundings to help you make a better decision for your group. Something else to consider is that there is a tram available to take you to your cabanas, but it is not always readily available to take you back to the tenders.
Cabana Requests: You will notice that there is not a way to book your specific cabana or any requests via the Carnival website, email, or phone system. This has to be done onboard through the Shore Excursion desk. As soon as you board the ship, one person in your party needs to go wait in line at the Shore Excursion desk if you have a preference on the cabana you are given. The desk usually opens at 11:30 am based on my past encounters. Both times I had priority embarkation and was the first person in line. By the time the desk opened, there were at least 10 people behind me. That does not mean all 10 of those people were picking out their cabanas, but the line does build quickly. At this time, you will pick out your cabana, pick out your soda preference, and give them your shoe sizes for snorkel equipment. Again, if you are ok with any cabana location, it may not be of urgency for you to get in line.
Amenities: First off, the cabana itself is partially enclosed. It has three walls and is open in the front. There is an air conditioning unit in one of the windows along with a ceiling fan. This helps a lot if you are there on a really hot day. A misting fan is also available but we have never used it. The cabana has a counter area with three cabinets below. In one of those cabinets is a refrigerator. You will also receive a cooler full of ice along with cups. You also have your own trash can. The cabinet space is useful to store any of your personal belongings, but there is not a lock on any of the doors. The cabana also has some form of a table and usually 4 chairs. There is also two large lounge chairs on the deck of the cabana. The other perks include an outdoor shower, snorkel equipment, and floating mats. Lastly, you will receive snacks and drinks for 4 people. In our experience we have received the following: 8 can sodas, 2 1-liter bottles of water, tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, random veggies, blue cheese dipping sauce, and random fruits.
Experience: Once onboard and have the cabana settled, you have little to worry about. The day before Half Moon Cay, check the Carnival Capers for official arrival and tender times. Based on my last trip, we were able to receive priority tender tickets for this particular excursion. We went to the "Main Show Lounge" and received our priority ticket number. When our number was called, we went down the stairwell to board the tender. We were literally the first tender over. This is not a requirement but a benefit. You can board the tender at any time. Once on the island, you first need to check in at the welcome center. This basically lets them know you are there so they can go ahead and deliver the drinks and food. From here you have two options. One, you can walk to your cabana. If you have a lower numbered cabana, this may make more sense. Two, you can wait on the tram to transport you to you cabana. It will deliver you within about 20 feet or so of your cabana. Once you are at your cabana, relax and have fun! There is bar staff that comes by every now and then to take any drink orders that you may need. There is also some cabana staff that comes by to check on you once or twice throughout the day. They start cleaning things up about an hour or so before the last tender. We are usually starting to pack up anyhow so that we can visit the shops.
More Pictures: Below are more pictures from our experiences at the cabanas.
Trip in January 2012
Trip in December 2013
**NOTE: Carnival is not the only cruise line to utilize Half Moon Cay. Currently Holland America cruises there as well. If you use my method of cruise planning, you can view this information on Vacations To Go. My review is based on my experience with Carnival.
