I remember a few years back, Disney Cruises was just coming on the market and they were pushing the fact that they had their own private island. At the time, I not only had never been on a cruise ship but had never been to a Caribbean resort. I thought, “A private island? That’s amazing!” It turns out, Castaway Cay was a relative newcomer to the world of cruise line private islands and beaches.
Still, today these private properties, leased and not really owned, by major cruise lines can still be shrowded in mystery. Most have had name changes since being leased out. One, Princess Cays, may be falsely promoted as a private island when, in reality, it is a private beach at the tip of one of the largest islands in the Bahamas. On another, the cruise line has at times been wary about telling the whole truth about the location of the private beach.
There are currently six private islands or beaches that are main port calls for major cruise lines in the Caribbean. Other than Royal Caribbean’s Labadee location, all are located in the Bahamas. This is understandable, especially when you fly over the Bahamas. This is a small country in population but fairly large when you see all the islands, islets and cays the Bahamas encompasses.
Labadee, Haiti – Royal Caribbean
Located on the north coast of Haiti, not far from the border with the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispanola, Labadee has been a subject of some controversy. There were times when customers of Royal Caribbean were not told that Labadee was actually located in Haiti. On itineraries, the private beach was labeled as Labadee, Hispanola.
After the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti and, more specifically, the capital city of Port au Prince, Royal Caribbean considered halting port calls at Labadee. Disease and crime were a concern that was mostly unfounded. The private beach is a good distance from the affected area and is securely fenced and guarded.
RCI turned the disaster into an opportunity by donating $1 million to relief efforts and using their cruise ships to transport relief supplies to the impoverished nation. As a result, the use of Labadee as a cruise port did not miss a beat. As it stands, Royal Caribbean pays Haiti $6 per every passenger arriving at the port. Royal Caribbean has leased the private beach since 1986.
Half Moon Cay – Holland America Line
Holland American has owned this tiny island 160 miles southeast of Nassua, Bahamas since December, 1996. Previously, Half Moon Cay was owned by Norwegian Cruise Line and known as Little San Salvador Island.
Half Moon Cay is also used by Carnival Cruise Lines. Holland America is now a subsidiary of Carnival. The island is 2,400 acres in total area. There is no dock and guests are tendered via small boat from the cruise ships that are anchored further out at sea.
Princess Cays – Princess Cruises
Not a private island. There is the elusion by Princess that Princess Cays is a seperate island but it is not. Princess Cays is located at the extreme southern tip of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Eleuthera is a long, thin ribbon in the Atlantic Ocean that is 180 km long and around just 1.5 km wide at most points.
The location is, however, privately owned by Princess. About 80 km east of Nassau, this is another location without a dock and guests are tendered to shore while the ships anchor nearby. The temperatures are quite moderate with a steady high of between 24 and 29 Celcius or 75 and 85 Fahrenheit.
The image above is the Ruby Princess anchored off Princess Cays with a tender passing in front. The image was taken from the shores of Princess Cays.
Castaway Cay – Disney Cruise Line
Part of the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas, Castaway Cay was known as Gorda Cay prior to 1997. In that year, the Walt Disney Company leased the island for 99 years. Castaway Cay is located east of Freeport and Grand Bahama Island.
Only 55 acres of the 1,000 acre island is in use. However, extensive work has been done by Disney since leasing the island. Dredging was undertaken and there is now a docking area deep enough and wide enough to handle all four ships of the Disney Cruise Line fleet.
Great Stirrup Cay – Norwegian Cruise Line
In a rarity, this small island actually retains its original name. Great Stirrup Cay is located in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas and has been owned by Norwegian Cruise Line since 1977. This island has some non-tourism history.
Previously, it was used by the U.S. Military and there are still some ruins present. Right next door is Little Stirrup Cay. The island is also used by MSC Cruises, a mostly European cruise line that has just entered the Caribbean market with one ship based year round.
Coco Cay – Royal Caribbean
Previously known as Little Stirrup Cay, Royal Caribbean assumed the lease on this tiny island when they bought out Admiral Cruises in 1988. Admiral Cruises was formed in 1986 with the merger of three small cruise lines: Eastern Cruises, Western Cruises and Sundancer Cruises.
Coco Cay is located around 90 km north of Nassau in the Berry Islands. The island is very small at around 1,000 metres by less than 200 metres. In other words, the island is about the same size, or even smaller, that many big city outdoor sports complexes. The island is also used by Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises, subsidiaries of RCI. As can be expected, there is no dock for cruise ships and guests are tendered to shore.
