8th December 2024

We were awake by 6 am and enjoying breakfast just half an hour later, following a brief visit to Guest Services to query a deduction on our account. At such an early hour, the restaurant was almost deserted, allowing us to choose our food quickly and without queuing. As we ate, we watched the Windward Islands drift past the window, a wonderfully tranquil start to the day.

By 8:30 am, we were already queuing for Tender tickets to take us ashore at Half Moon Cay, also known as Little San Salvador Island. This is one of roughly 700 islands that make up the Bahamian archipelago. Holland America Line purchased the island in December 1996 for US$6 million and has since developed only 50 of its 2,400 acres, with the aim of preserving the island’s natural habitat for local wildlife.

We were fortunate to be on the first Tender of the day and, within twelve minutes, found ourselves standing on the dock of the island’s picturesque little harbour. The ship lay just a few hundred metres from the pristine white coral shoreline, framed by crystal-clear waters that shimmered with vibrant shades of blue stretching from the horizon to the beach. Overhead, wisps of white cloud drifted across a striking azure sky, while a gentle, cooling breeze completed a scene worthy of a picture postcard.

The island is uninhabited, with only temporary staff on hand to cater for visiting cruise passengers. A wide variety of activities is available, including watersports, boat trips, swimming, snorkelling, horse riding, or simply soaking up the sun. Facilities on the island include a charming little chapel for weddings, an ice cream parlour, a bar, a food pavilion, restrooms, and the Straw Market, where visitors can browse for souvenirs, local crafts, and beachwear.

We hadn’t pre-booked any activities, choosing instead to explore the island on foot. Our wanderings began with a browse around the small gift shops arranged around a square near the entrance. While other guests queued for their pre-arranged excursions, we set off along a paved path that traced the shoreline visible from the Tender. At first, the beach was lined with sunbeds and interspersed with bars and private huts, known as cabanas, that blended effortlessly into the surrounding tropical foliage. As we continued, the sunbeds became fewer, as did the number of our less adventurous fellow passengers. Before long, we left the path altogether and began paddling along the water’s edge, heading towards the area where the horse riding was due to take place.

The sand was as fine, soft, and white as flour, stunningly beautiful, yet just as difficult to walk on as coarser varieties. Childhood memories came flooding back as the warm waves gently tugged at my toes, tempting me to wade in further. Although I had packed swimming trunks and a towel, I couldn’t quite summon the enthusiasm to change.

We paused at a bench shaded by a pine tree, watching as a staff member attempted to sweep the fallen needles from the sand. Nearby, the horse riders arrived in a lorry, donned their helmets, received their instructions, mounted their horses, and practised in a ring before setting off into the island’s interior. While Sue enjoyed the cool of the shade, I paddled further along the beach, eventually reaching a fence marking the boundary of a new port development, scheduled for completion in 2027.

On our return, we retraced our steps, stopping often to take photographs or rest beneath the trees. We came across the horse riders again, now walking in a single file along the water’s edge. It was clear that both horses and riders would have preferred to venture deeper into the sea, and perhaps they did, once out of sight.

As we reached the BBQ dining area, it had just opened for lunch. The ship’s crew efficiently served a generous spread of food, and we soon found a table, joined at our feet by a few clucking chickens, eagerly awaiting and receiving titbits. We ended the meal with refreshing lemonade and some rather delicious ice cream.

After lunch, we revisited the shops we’d seen earlier before attempting to explore the opposite side of the island. However, access was restricted, presumably because that area housed accommodation for the temporary workers, which seemed a reasonable limitation.

We caught the next Tender back to the ship. After a coffee, Sue chose to watch the afternoon film, Fly Me to the Moon, in the main theatre, while I enjoyed a peaceful afternoon in our cabin. The ship departed the Cay at 4:30 pm and set course for Grand Turk, though it would take a full day at sea to arrive.

At dinner, we were seated with couples from Canada and Louisiana. Later, we watched a comedian perform in the theatre. He was a Navajo Indian now living in Los Angeles. While his style of humour resonated well with the audience, many of his jokes left us Brits slightly bewildered.

9th December 2024

Today is a sea day. We had breakfast at 7:30 am, followed by a game of shuffleboard on the sunny side of Deck 10. After completing nine ends, we were thoroughly frazzled and headed indoors for some cooling drinks before making our way to the theatre for a presentation about the upcoming ports of call. Although we’d already planned our excursions, it was still interesting to hear about the other options available.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a few more drinks before wandering through the Lido, where a briskly attended sale of T-shirts and assorted items was underway. It made for lively people-watching, so we paused to take it all in for a while.

We had lunch around 1 pm in the busy buffet restaurant on Deck 9, but the queues at each station were frustratingly long. Staff were required to interpret and serve each individual request, which significantly slowed everything down. The salad bar queue was so lengthy that I gave up and joined the shortest available line, eventually settling for fried chicken and chips. Sue, more determined, stuck with the salad queue, and by the time she returned, I’d already finished both my main course and dessert.

It’s a system far from ideal. While it was understandably introduced during the COVID pandemic, none of the other ships we’ve travelled on since have continued with it, and mealtimes elsewhere are far less chaotic. The Americans are far too polite and seem to tolerate such inefficiency without complaint. Were the passenger base predominantly European, there would no doubt be a chorus of vociferous objections.

After lunch, Sue went to watch Four Christmases in the theatre, while I spent time updating previous blog entries, adding dates, adjusting photos, and refining the titles to better reflect their content. We met up again at 4:30 pm in one of the bars for a ‘Question and Answer’ session about tomorrow’s visit to Grand Turk.

The evening’s dress code was ‘Dressy’. Our dining companions tonight hailed from South Carolina and Chicago. Unfortunately, the waiter service was exceptionally slow, and one couple had to leave before dessert in order to catch the theatre show on time. Not wishing to sacrifice our own dessert (nor its associated calories), we decided to stay and instead attend the later 9 pm performance.

To pass the time, we enjoyed a light-hearted game show in one of the bars, followed by a superb performance from a talented blues band.

The theatre production that evening was by the highly professional ensemble, Billy Dawson, Wyatt King, Lysenko & Company, delivering a stylish tribute to Hollywood, Broadway and Beyond. It was a thoroughly impressive performance, enhanced by sophisticated video effects and excellent lighting.