I vividly remember my first visit to a cruise line’s private island, and the sybaritic pleasure of sipping a cocktail in a hammock as the waves gently lapped at the beach. For many passengers, the best part of a Caribbean itinerary is the day spent on a private island, where you can be as languid or as active as you please.
When a ship docks at a private island, guests first come ashore to stake their claim on a spot in the sun or the shade; many will then set off to explore the island at their leisure. Of course it’s the cruise line’s job to feed you, and they certainly deliver – usually with a barbeque (and they’ll sell you a cold beer to wash it all down with). And while it’s true that every private island offers more or less the same setting (white-sand beaches and an azure-blue ocean), each offers its own brand of fun.
Castaway Cay (Disney Cruise Line)
Disney hit a home run with Castaway Cay, their private Bahamian island, because of its sheer abundance of activities and its spectacular scenery. The island boasts separate beaches for families, teens, and adults (the teen and adult beaches are further afield than the family beaches; as a result, they’re usually less populated). Alongside the teen beach you’ll find Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure, where (for a fee) you and your family can feed stingrays and swim with them in an enclosed lagoon.
Half Moon Cay (Holland America Line)
Half Moon Cay, my pick for the most pristine private island, is located less than 100 miles southeast of Nassau. A tram runs between the landing dock and the island’s main restaurant, and there are numerous paved pathways for both baby strollers and wheelchairs. There are three watersports centers on the island that rent snorkel gear, aqua bikes, windsurfing boards, kayaks, and beach floats. Half Moon Lagoon features an aqua park for the kids boasting large, stationary water toys (shaped like sea creatures) and a pirate-ship waterslide that sprays water from its cannons. Shore excursions, ranging from horseback riding and deep-sea fishing to glass-bottom boat tours and guided kayak outings, are also available.
Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian Cruise Line)
Norwegian is in the midst of a $20 million makeover of their 250-acre Bahamian paradise, adding beachside cabanas, expanded dining facilities, a stingray experience, and new shore excursions (including kayak tours via man-made rivers within the island) to existing offerings. Current facilities include catamarans and rafts, and guests can circle the island via kayak or sailboat. Take a hike along one of the island’s nature trails and locate the lighthouse, play a game of volleyball, or search out one of the palm-shaded hammocks and relax. Massages, courtesy of your ship’s spa staff, are available beachside (at a cost of $1 per minute). Your ship’s calypso band, on the other hand, will come ashore to help you refine your limbo technique for free.
Princess Cays (Princess Cruises)
40 acres in total and located on the southern tip of the Bahamian island of Eleuthera, Princess Cays boasts more than a mile-and-a-half of unspoiled beach. Watersports abound (sailboats, catamarans, paddle wheelers, kayaks, and snorkeling equipment are all available for rental), and thrilling banana-boat rides are also on offer. Guests seeking a gentler pace will find floating mattresses for rent as well as plenty of free hammocks situated beneath groves of palm trees. Princess Cays also features a supervised play area for children (“Pelican’s Perch”).
CocoCay & Labadee (Royal Caribbean International)
Royal Caribbean boasts two private beach stops: CocoCay (located in the Bahamas) and Labadee (located in Haiti).
CocoCay has tons of watersports for guests to enjoy including snorkeling, kayaking, and parasailing. Caylanas Aqua Park, meanwhile, is the place to be for kids on CocoCay. This “floating playground” (the largest aqua park in the Bahamas) features in-water trampolines, oversized sand castles, and plenty of inflatable apparatus to climb, jump, and walk on.
There are tons of options at Labadee as well, including watersports rentals (similar to CocoCay) and shore excursions (a guided kayak tour through the Bay of Labadee, amidst mountains which cascade to the sea, is a highlight). On one side of Labadee’s beach you’ll find the Dragon’s Breath Flight Line, a 2,600-foot zip line that stretches across the ocean and affords magnificent views of Labadee’s mountains, the sea, and your cruise ship. Labadee is also home to an extensive aqua park and the SeaTrek waterslide (40 feet high and “the world’s largest inflatable waterslide,” according to Royal Caribbean).
By Anne Campbell
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