Taking the Kids™
To a Cruise Line's Private Island
One at a time, the three 13-year-olds floated up the blue sky over the ocean, harnessed to a parachute and tethered by a rope to the speeding boat. Gulp.
I stayed in the boat and took pictures of their ear-to-ear smiles. We were in the Bahamas on Half Moon Cay, the private island owned by Holland America Line and reserved for its cruise ship passengers.
Princess, Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian cruise lines also operate private islands that prove to be the high point for many Caribbean cruisers, especially families. They like the chance to play on the beach – without the hassle of finding one on their own – and to schedule activities they've never before tried like parasailing. Southwest Airlines offers cruise deals on southwest.com.
These islands really are like a private club or resort. Meals are included while drinks, souvenirs, and activities can be conveniently billed to shipboard accounts so there's no need to carry any cash. Another plus: a full schedule of complimentary kids' programs run by energetic counselors make it easy for the adults in the group to grab a little time for themselves.
It's no wonder that the cruise lines continue to upgrade and improve these island facilities and activities, which include elaborate beach barbecues, calypso music, and a full schedule of activities. (Yoga, anyone?) Holland America recently pumped more than $25 million into Half Moon Cay, according to cruise line officials.
There was certainly plenty to do – a beach massage, horseback riding in the ocean, snorkeling, kayaking, basketball, nature walks, glass-bottomed boat tours, and jet-ski tours. Kids take note: More (and bigger) water slides are on the way.
Disney touts separate teen and adult beaches, as well as a terrific water-play structure anchored in the water on its family beach. And, of course, there's the chance to take a beach picture with Mickey at Castaway Cay.
Norwegian cruisers play sand volleyball or jog on Great Stirrup Cay, while Royal Caribbean has two private enclaves – Labadee, a peninsula on the north coast of Hispaniola, and Coco Cay, an island in the Bahamas. Kids give a thumbs-up to the water trampolines. Princess Cays has a replica galleon for the children in its supervised play area, "Pelican Perch."
My trio of teens was enthralled the minute we stepped onto the island - the two-mile beach, clear water, an outdoor restaurant where they didn't have to pay for their burgers, the banana boat rides and, not incidentally, the freedom they wouldn't have had on a public beach. Because the island was patrolled by ship security and I knew they couldn't get lost, I allowed them to cruise the beach at will.
But for the most part, the girls, like many of the other passengers, were content to laze on the beach chairs in the sand and play in the water. Families tossed footballs, built elaborate sand sculptures, and gorged on an island barbecue. This being a cruise-line island, there were nine bars where the girls could order any frothy non-alcoholic concoction they liked, while older passengers looked out over the ocean, indulging in pina coladas, margaritas, and mai tais.
At 3 p.m., tired, sunburned cruisers lined up for the last tenders back to the ship. We were among the last to return.
See advice for kids going on a cruise.
Don't forget, you can book your cruise on southwest.com and find cruise specials in our Special Offers section!
By: Eileen Ogintz
