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Captain Greybeard YOUR EXPERT GUIDE TO CRUISE SHIPS AND CRUISE HOLIDAYS


Our inimitable cruising insider, arch blogger John Honeywell, aka Captain Greybeard, provides some more sage maritime insight


Island Dreams


Half Moon Cay W


ho doesn’t dream of having their own private island, with silky sand washed by warm waves


and an attentive staff looking after every need, from a massage to a Margarita? Short of winning a EuroMillions roll-


over jackpot – or marrying into Richard Branson’s family – it is never going to hap- pen, though. However, it IS possible to experience the delights of a private resort in the Carib- bean or the Bahamas by choosing the right cruise, as several lines have their own properties offering all the delights of the pool deck, but with real sand. Choose the right one and you can ride on horseback through the surf; watch the children run off their energy in a water park; paddle in the shallows and snorkel among fish; work up a sweat playing beach volleyball; or just lie back under the shade of a palm tree. No need to take


cash; for most things you just need to flash your cruise card.


My recent visit to Labadee while cruis-


ing on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas took my current tally to four. Here’s a potted guide to each of them. Catalina Island lies a mile-and-a-half off the south-east corner of the Dominican Republic and is probably the least-devel- oped of the resorts listed here. Passengers go ashore by tender and a large, covered barbecue area sits behind the pier. There’s a palm-thatched beach bar and a small market area for local traders, but the most distinctive feature is the row of brightly- coloured beachside bungalows that look like they have been copied from the pages of a child’s drawing book and coloured in with crayons. The further you walk along the beach, the quieter it gets and I have heard rumours the far end is popular for topless sunbathing. I always sunbathe topless, by the way, but I’m now beginning


to get complaints from people left in the shadows. I have visited with P&O’s Ven- tura and on Saga Pearl II, and the island is a regular port of call for Seabourn.


to accommodate the Disney Dream and Fantasy. Anyone familiar with Disney’s theme parks will feel right at home – every leaf and blade of grass in the 55 acres which have been developed is carefully manicured and, as well as all the usual at- tractions, there are plenty of opportunities for kids to get their pictures taken with a favourite Disney character. Adult activities include bike riding and parasailing, while props from a now-dismantled 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride from Orlando add interest to the snorkelling area. Labadee (not actually an island, but


C occupying a peninsula off the north coast of


Be sure to read the Captain’s regular Blog online at http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/captain-greybeard/ and don’t forget the World of Cruising blog, http://timespentatsea.blogspot.com.


30 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2012


astaway Cay is Disney Cruise Line’s resort island in the Bahamas, with its pier recently extended


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