Our Splendid Splendor cruise (with pics) 8/13/13 Part 2

We continue on with our day at Half Moon Cay.

Looking down the beach at cabana’s 1 thru 4…..

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Patti has arrived at our cabana…..

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We have had this particular cabana once before. We always rent a cabana when we visit HMC. It is up to each individual, family, or group to decide if renting a cabana, villa, or oasis is the right thing for them. Please don’t insist on telling me they are a waste of money, as you try to “borrow” my floats and snorkel gear, and use my shower, and I won’t call you frugal!!! Lol!!

Here are the details for those who don’t already know. A regular cabana as pictured above is $229.95, and includes the following for up to four people: floats, snorkel gear, snacks, soft drinks, water, a private shower, a fan with a mister on the deck, two cushioned loungers, four cushioned chairs, and a round picnic type table. They are air-conditioned, but open in the front, but I remember when they used to have a curtain that could be closed. Purchasing a cabana also gives you priority tendering to the island,(so they say!!). You choose your cabana # and beverages when you first board the ship. (remember that from day 1?)They tell you that if you have more than four people you can pay extra to include them, but don’t do it, as they never check, and the snacks and beverages provided can easily sustain more than four people. And how often will everybody be snorkeling or using the floats at the same time? Even when meeting in the lounge, no one checked our excursion tickets, so anyone could have joined the line down to the first tender.

The two story villas are $499.95, and are initially set up for eight persons, but can hold up to twenty. Again, paying extra charges for more than eight persons are probably not necessary. In addition to the snacks and beverages mentioned above (but for eight people), extra amenities with the villa’s include a hot tub, and private bathroom.

The cabana snacks…..

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Now I have some issues with the above!! First, what happened to the sliced pineapple and melons that they used to give? Also, I’m not seeing the veggie platter that used to be included. Thirdly, with the amount of dips that they give you, you will run out of dip before you have consumed a quarter of that huge bag of chips that they give you!! Cutbacks yes, deal breaker, no.

Cabana beverages (8 sodas, 2 large bottles of water)……

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Truer words were never spoken!!!.....

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My favorite part is the view….

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To be continued…..
 
Here's another view of our cabana....

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The nearby Captain Morgan's Rock Bottom Bar.....

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This is where most of the activity was centered. There was a DJ, dancing, fun, and games. This was the loudest and most crowded section of the beach, so if you wanted peace and quiet, you needed to be down near cabana 8 or higher!!

Looks like the Carnival Splendor is loading another tender to send over....

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These are Villa's A, B, & C......

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Looking further down the beach to cabana #7 and beyond....

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Looking back down the beach towards the entrance.....

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To be continued.....
 
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:sunny::sunny::sunny:



Love those cabanas. Jeff, I remember being with you on the Pride and we booked a cabana. We had 9 of us in it. They are worth the money.We sure had a great time. thanks for bringing back memories.
 
Oh, Jeff, I am totally enjoying your review....wish we could have been with you. :clap:

Evie, we really had a great time, didn't we??!!?? :biggrin:
 
:sunny::sunny::sunny:



Love those cabanas. Jeff, I remember being with you on the Pride and we booked a cabana. We had 9 of us in it. They are worth the money.We sure had a great time. thanks for bringing back memories.

Oh, Jeff, I am totally enjoying your review....wish we could have been with you. :clap:

Evie, we really had a great time, didn't we??!!?? :biggrin:

That was a cruise to remember!!!! :biggrin:
 
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Here’s another view of Captain Morgan’s before the party got started….

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We spent some time in the refreshing water just floating around and having a “few” beers…..

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It wasn’t long before some of our roll call friends joined us, and an informal roll call meeting developed!! We met this way several times during the course of the day, consumed a bit of alcohol, and had a great time!! I won’t identify anyone, but if you are following along, and I know some of you are, please feel free to chime in!!!

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To be continued…
 
School is in session!!.......

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About this time, Ryan had made his way over to the island and he was hungry, so Patti went with him to the BBQ lunch, and they were nice enough to bring me back a plate with a couple of burgers and some potato salad. It was nice to cool off in the air conditioning, eat lunch, and have a few more beers.

After lunch, Patti and Ryan decided to rent a sunfish and go for a little sail….

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Once back, Ryan went to join in the fun and games going on by Captain Morgan’s, and came back to the cabana with a couple of prizes, including a ship on a stick!!....

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To be continued….
 
Here are a few more shots taken from our cabana. The first one is looking towards the Villas……

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This next one is looking in the opposite direction towards the oasis….

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We still had enough time to take one more dip before it was time to go. Here’s a shot of our cabana taken from out in the water….

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Couple of shots of Ryan and Patti enjoying the water….

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Dad and Ryan…..

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To be continued….
 
Here are a few more shots taken from our cabana. The first one is looking towards the Villas.....

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This next one is looking in the opposite direction towards the oasis....

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We still had enough time to take one more dip before it was time to go. Here's a shot of our cabana taken from out in the water....

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Couple of shots of Ryan and Patti enjoying the water....

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Dad and Ryan.....

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To be continued....
 
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Ryan and Mom……

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Ryan’s looking for some more fish…..

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The Splendor and tender full of passengers heading back to the ship….

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Now I’m going to give you the best piece of advice one could give you in regards to tendering back to the ship and avoiding long lines. If you are hell bent in getting back to the ship early than you must board a tender no later than two hours before the last scheduled tender. After that the lines will form, growing longer and longer as time goes on. We always stay to the end and have NEVER waited in line for a tender.

About a half hour before the last scheduled tender, we plop ourselves down at the Rumrunner Bar which is the closest to the tenders, (remember at the beginning of the day when I told you this bar would come into play?), and we sit and relax with a few drinks while we watch those poor, now extremely grumpy people, trudge along in line waiting to board a tender. We wait and take the very last tender back to the ship with the crew. The bar stays open to the very last moment, so when the crew leaves the bar, we just follow them onto the last tender, usually with one last drink in our hands!! Can’t be any easier!! So, in review, do you want to wait in a line like this?

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Or do you want to wait for a tender like I do?

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Class dismissed!! Our tender awaits!!!

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To be continued….
 
What a wonderful day you all had! :sunny: :dance: Good memories...thanks again for sharing them with us.
 
Fantastic review Jeff.!!! One of the best I have ever read. Waiting for the rest. Also, thanks for all the "tips" that you have given. I'm sure that they will be helpful to other cruisers.

Bill
 
Jeff, your review/pictorial has been SPLENDID! Now I am hell bent on booking a cruise that goes to HMC as I've never been there. Question though...do you know if they tender mobility scooters over to the island and is there hard-packed pathways around the island and to the cabanas? My scooter is extremely lightweight and it could be carried a short distance if needed....
 
Jeff, your review/pictorial has been SPLENDID! Now I am hell bent on booking a cruise that goes to HMC as I've never been there. Question though...do you know if they tender mobility scooters over to the island and is there hard-packed pathways around the island and to the cabanas? My scooter is extremely lightweight and it could be carried a short distance if needed....

Thanks for following along Denise. I hope to finish the HMC segment today, and perhaps start on our day in Nassau.

To tell you the truth, I can't recall seeing a mobility scooter on HMC, but that doesn't mean they can't go there. I can't see why they couldn't tender one over. Though you board on the top level and debark on the lower level, there is a ramp from the top to the bottom levels. There are hard paths on the island, (brick pavers and concrete sidewalks), but they don't extend to the cabanas or villas. You would have to negotiate a 50 to 100 ft. walk on sand from the paths to the cabanas / villas. Note the third picture in post #71 of our cabana from the water. You could get your scooter near to the top of the stairs, but you would have to hoof it from there. Most cabanas don't have stairs leading down to them, rather they have a slight sandy hill leading down. Hope that explains that clearly.
 
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Hi again everybody!!! Time to finish up our HMC day, then perhaps get started with our day in Nassau.

Well, now we are on the last tender and waiting for the crew to finish loading the stuff they have to bring back to the ship….

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A few shots taken from the tender as we head back….

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We are approaching the Carnival Splendor….

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To be continued…..
 
Thanks for the explanation Jeff. With my little Travelscoot I think it would work and can handle some chairs and walking in sand. Just might have to try this someday! I think I would like to do a family cruise on the Pride that stops in HMC if they have that.....going to check LOL.
 
Once back on board, we headed to our balcony for sail away.....

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Here are a couple of final parting shots, as we sailed away from paradise. Can't wait to visit here yet again!!

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The sun is beginning to set on an amazing day....

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We decided to skip dinner in the MDR tonight. Ryan went off to hang with his Club O2 friends, and Patti and I headed down to the casino for a while. I won a little bit, but I'm still down for the cruise. Patti asked me to join her at tonight's Pick your Prize bingo session. I was a little bit hesitant to go with her, since she had won three times already with me not there, so I didn't want to jinx her. Now, the winner of this game could either pick a 7 day cruise for 2, or take $750 in cash. If there were multiple winners there would be a tiebreaker. The game began, and they ask that when you are one number away from winning, you are to stand up. Sure enough, it wasn't long before Patti was standing up, so Graham, one of the entertainers who had seen Patti win three times already, jokingly asked her to please sit down. However, on the next number called, three people yelled "Bingo", but Patti wasn't one of them. The three winners decided to split the cash instead of having a tiebreaker, so there were three happy people with $250 apiece!!

Afterwards, we decided to head to the Deli for some late night sandwiches before they closed at 11pm. A couple of grilled ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches sure hit the spot. I went to the Seaside Theater to watch the Miami / Houston pre-season football game for a while, and Patti went to check emails, but again, the internet service was non-existent. The internet manager again assured Patti that we would be credited back for the minutes we had tried to use. We'll see. Tonight, Quest was being held in the El Morocco Lounge. This is strictly an adults only event, that if you are offend easily, you should stay away from. Enough said, GREAT fun!!
Back to the cabin, and of course another towel animal awaited us.....

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There was also a letter from the Captain, explaining why we were going to arrive in Nassau a lot earlier than planned. I'll let you read it. Goodnight!!

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Coming up next, Our day in Nassau!!
 
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