What can I say about Half Moon Cay. Even as private islands go, it's in a league of its own. My favourite stop of the cruise for sure! 

For those who have not been to Half Moon Cay: here's a quick list of what makes it so great....

- beach sand that is almost impossibly soft, like baby powder
- water that is as clear as a sparkling clean bathtub, and just about as warm
- warm, gentle weather 
- a killer lunch buffet (no extra charge)
- lots and lots of things to do if you're not into sitting on the beach
- a stunning natural environment

For those of you who have booked a cruise that includes a stop to Half Moon Cay, you are in for a treat. 

Just remember it's a tendered stop (no pier for the ship to dock at) so plan accordingly. And make sure to get there as early as possible! The hours will go by way too fast and I guarantee you won't want to leave.....

Half Moon Cay

Roatan is an island off the coast of Honduras. There are numerous beaches and bays on Roatan but our ship stopped at Mahogany Bay, which is a facility that has been purpose-built to receive cruise ships. It's similar in this respect to Grand Turk or Costa Maya.....but superior to either of these places. 

Mahogany Bay has a nice, new pier for ships to dock at so there is no need to fuss around with tenders. Just get off the ship and walk to the beach. 

When you first get off the ship and pier, you'll be in an area with restaurants (including a Fat Tuesday!) and shops. From there, you can either walk to the beach or take the "magical sky chairs". 

It's actually faster to walk (about 10 minutes) than to take the chairs and the chairs cost a fair buck (12 for adults, 7 for kids) so you can decide accordingly. If you have trouble walking then the chairs are a great option. They're also fun to ride "just because" but you definitely don't need to use them if you don't feel like spending the money.

Once at the beach it's a really nice day. There are lots and lots of beach chairs. Clamshells and beach stuff (snorkelling gear, etc) are readily available for rent. There are lockers available if you want to make sure some valuable stuff doesn't get "borrowed". 

The beach is very nice - soft, well groomed sand. The water is also great - warm, clear and a nice soft sand bottom. If you have kids they will love this.

Right on the beach, you'll find washroom facilities are plentiful as are restaurants and bars. 

If you want to take shore excursions to other parts of the island, they are numerous but we didn't take any and can't comment on this.

Roatan

Costa Maya is a small Mexican town that is developing itself as a port of call for cruise ships. 

Like Roatan or Grand Turk, there is pier for the ship to dock at (so you don't need to mess around with tenders, just walk off the ship) that leads to an area purpose-built for cruise passengers, which then leads to the town beyond.

I perceive Costa Maya as still being in its infancy of development. The basics are there (shops, restaurants) but I think they have a ways to go before they equal a place like Roatan. 

The shops do have a plentiful amount of souvenir type merchandise. You can get t-shirts, hats, silver jewelry and similar trinkets for very reasonable prices. So it's a good place to shop for this type of stuff that you're taking home with you as little keepsakes or for gifts. It also has two tequila stores so you can stock up here. :) 

Costa Maya has a "beach area" where you can sit on a beach chair, get some sun, and you kids can make sand castles. But, you can't actually swim in the ocean here (unlike Grand Turk or Roatan). There is a pool which is free for cruise ship passengers to use and which kids will like. 

Beyond that, many shore excursions and tours leave from Costa Maya. We were booked to go on an excursion to some Mayan ruins but had to cancel due to illness. If you feel adventurous you can also rent vehicles (dune buggies or Jeeps) from the locals. 

If you need to stop at a "normal" store for some reason, there are pharmacies and other such stores beyond the cruise facility in the town proper. I took a walk through it and it seemed nice enough. Beware, though, the locals are very aggressive in trying to sell you whatever they think you might need!

I would certainly not book a cruise specifically to go to Costa Maya but it is a nice enough little stop.

Costa Maya

This was our second time visiting Grand Cayman, a lovely island which is still under British colonial rule. 

Grand Cayman is another tendered stop (no pier for the ship to dock at) so there is a bit of time involved getting from ship to shore and back again. Make sure to build this time into your plans if you have to be somewhere for shore excursion. 

There's lots to do in Georgetown (Grand Cayman). If you don't want to do a shore excursion it's very easy to get around town, either on foot or by taxi. The locals all speak English (you can't live or work there if you don't) and it's very safe. There are many shops to choose from within easy walking distance of the docks, if shopping is what you're after.

We did the Stingray City shore excursion in Grand Cayman. This involves taking a short ride on a tour boat out to a sandbar where stingrays naturally congregate. This is an easy, fun and very popular shore excursion where you get into the water with the rays (the water is very shallow, even younger kids can take part in this activity). The rays are plentiful and swim right among the throngs of people. It's a great experience and I highly recommend it. 

If you have kids, don't miss the Turtle Farm (unrelated to the Stingray Adventure). Our kids on a previous cruise LOVED the turtle farm and it's very inexpensive as a bonus. 

One thing to note about shore excursions in Grand Cayman - nothing happens fast on this island. Be prepared for some standing around and waiting at the docks before your group makes its way to whatever bus you're taking to get to your excursion. It can get hot standing and waiting there so bring a bottle of water. 

Bring some cash along too, it's handy for tipping drivers and tour operators and also for buying nice cold popsicles for hot, tired kids. :) 

There are plenty of ATM's and banks within an easy walk, you'll recognize lots of American and Canadian banks so your debit card is more useful here than most places.

Room was small, but the layout was very good. There were 3 closets, more than enough for the possessions of 2 people. 

The queen sized bed was comfortable but the pillows were not. 

The room's air conditioner was underpowered and did not cool the room properly. If I could make one change to the ship this would be it. 

The bathroom was a simple setup, featuring a shower only (no tub). It was sparkling clean and everything worked properly. There was plenty of water pressure and hot water in the shower.

The room only had one electrical plug - a pain in the butt for charging up iPads, laptops, phones. Bring a small power bar along and it will solve this problem.

Finally, our specific room (10043), though classified as an Inside, was at the very end of the corridor and so had a window looking out onto the deck. It was kind of nice to have this bit of sunlight coming into the room.

If the quality of the food on this ship isn't good enough for you, then I would say don't bother booking a cruise at all because I don't think it gets any better than this....Dining:

On our previous cruise on the Eurodam (sister ship to the Nieuw Amsterdam) the quality and variety of the food was mediocre at best.....

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