A private island in the Caribbean. Dreamy. You think about being like Robinson Crusoe, alone and blissful, at first, anyway. But we weren’t alone, not by a long shot…we were there with over a thousand other cruise ship passengers. It is big enough that it never felt crowded. Half Moon Cay is a small slip of land that Holland American Cruise Lines bought 20 years ago as a private island destination on its cruises. So, the beach lounge chairs, hammocks, chairs, walkways, even the Beach Barbecue, are all free. But it IS a cruise line, so they charge for private cabanas, water sports, alcoholic drinks, and fishing/snorkeling excursions. But it felt like paradise. We laid in a hammock together for a while, just watching the sky and ocean and people. And the buildings all felt like a walk through Disneyland. The old shipwreck is manufactured, of course, as is Captain Morgan’s On the Rocks Island Bar. Walking through the sand felt like walking through flour, very dense and light, all at the same time. It is a gorgeous beach. In the last picture it is hard to see much anything, but our cruise ship was being followed by a pod of dolphins later that day. They were leaping and diving and just looked so happy to be showing off for us! It was a perfect ending to a truly perfect day on a private island.
