Holland America's private Bahamas: Half Moon Cay

Piña Coladas at 10am? Yes, I'm guilty. In a commemorative super-sized sippy thermos no less. Welcome to Half Moon Cay (pronounced 'key'). Our first stop on our Holland America Western Caribbean tour. Located in the Bahamas, this island belongs exclusively

to HAL and only welcomes its on-board guests. If sun, sand, seclusion and serene are your thing then this is where you want to be. Boasting more facilities, services and activities than any other cruise line's private island this mini piece of paradise welcomes you with 2 solid miles of powdered sand beach and a day filled with relaxation and warmth.

Our morning here began with our drinks underneath the bar hut as we enjoyed the warm breeze and watched the other passengers file in. The crew who runs the ship also runs the shops here that are located at the entry point of the

island. Amazing prices; I picked up a beautiful fuschia and white shell bracelet for $2 dollars, and all day long the shops offered draws and giveaways. The majority of our amazing day was spent under a clamshell on the beach. Clamshells are like semi-circular shade huts that lay close to the ground. These must be reserved through and they go fast, so if you're planning on visiting be sure to snatch one up.

The beach itself is gorgeous with creamy white sand, and ample swimming and water activities. Nothing beats lying on the beach with a drink in your hand, watching the parasailers on a warm sunny day with a panoramic view of the majestic Nieuw Amsterdam in the background. Wow.

Lunch was also provided by the HAL staff and was filled with much more than any one person could possibly eat in one sitting, including an abundant array of salads, barbecued meat and fish, corn on the cob, and plenty of desserts including ice cream and brownies.

Behind the beach nestled amongst the colourful vegetation you'll find the pirates bar. Newly built and modeled to resemble a pirates ship, this beauty is sprinkled with the essence of Captain Morgan himself. This is a great place to grab some nachos and a beer and just relax and enjoy the live entertainment.

Our time here seemed to slip by quickly but this was singularly the most relaxing leg of our trip. HAL has done a terrific job building up this private island to include all the needed amenities but still maintaining the feeling of exclusiveness and escape. This one is a treasure.

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Cruise countdown: 15 more days!

We're on the countdown! I can't believe it. I've been doing a LOT of prep work in the past couple weeks. Here's where I'm at...

Flights
Flights are booked. We'll be traveling West Jet, and it's my first time traveling this airline. Our flights will put us in Ft. Lauderdale the night before the cruise, although our flights are late at night, they're free - so not really complaining much there. :)

Hotel
Our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale was pre-arranged for us at a discounted rate (yay). It'll be a Starwood Westin hotel. I've stayed in Westin hotels before and they are just amazing! I'm sure this one won't disappoint either.

Train
We'll be taking the train to get to the airport. It's a 3-hour car ride, and our return flight hits a different connection city. So we'll be coming home via train as well. Opting to not take the connection on our return flight back to Toronto. We'll save about 5 hours doing it this way.

Registration
We registered today for the cruise - the MOST exciting part!!! We have a balcony suite, which I'm totally psyched about, and mom is too. This is my first ever cruise, so I'm excited to have a balcony.

Itinerary
We also received our cruise itinerary, which includes a couple private cocktail parties with our group, and all our dining reservations and shore excursion lunches. For ports of call, we'll be visiting Half Moon Cay, Grand Turks, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman. Right now we're looking at visiting the Mayan Ruins in Mexico which I'd really like to see. We'll likely know more after this weekend.

...I *still* need to pick up US money. I've been lazy doing that, but every day I plan to go to the exchange office it's been raining and so I've been putting it off. I'll need to do that next week though. I've also been stocking up on sunscreen and all the travel items I'll need to take with me. I cannot believe how close our trip is - eek!!! 15 more days!!!

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Holland America Cruise

Sooo, it seems like another trip is on the horizon, and this one is actually coming BEFORE the Florida/Disney trip. Let me explain.

The other day, travel agent mom emails me and says something like "if you only have to pay your airfare, can you go on a free cruise". WHAT? It didn't take me long to respond, likely longer to click the 'reply' button. Are you kidding?!? So it looks like I'll be going on my first cruise ever, next month with Holland America. It's to celebrate some of the top travel agents within the organization her agency is a part of. And I'm the free-traveling companion! Woohoo!

The cruise will be a 7-day Western Caribbean, on the MS Nieuw Amsterdam, one of the largest ships (if not the largest) that HA has! And the ship isn't even a year old, having being brought to life last June in Venice. It's beautiful! Our ports of call include Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman. I've been to Turks & Caicos before, but given the chance I'd always go again. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. But I've never been on a cruise, and so this will be a year of 'first's'! Right now I'm struggling through a packing list...stay tuned!

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