private island?

[Guest]

Hi all!

We just returned from a Disney cruise -- huge disappointment :-(

I would like to book another cruise on a different line (and I'm sure it will be much more reasonably priced) and something we are definitely looking for is a cruise line that has a private island as one of its ports.

Can anyone suggest one?

Thank you!

Kris

[FrankiRN]

Royal Caribbean has Labadee as it's private island and it's a relaxing day with a small water park and beaches with wave runners, etc. Should also be better priced than Disney and still kid friendly. In fact RCCL has the top rated kid's program on the seas. I always figured Disney would, so when I read that I was impressed. My Goddaughters love it.

[DaCruzNut]

Other than Carnival, most of the cruise lines have their own private island(s).

Princess has "Princess Cays;" NCL has Little Stirrup Cay; Royal Caribbean has CoCo Cay (Big Stirrup Cay): etc; They're all very similar, and patterned after one another.

The nicest "private island," isn't really private at all. Blue Lagoon Island, a 20-minute tender ride from Nassau, has always been my favorite. Although 'crowding,' and overuse have hurt a bit, it's stil my personal choice.

[FrankiRN]

would you please not put advertisements in your posts? It's very distracting and has nothing to do with the topic of cruising.

[DaCruzNut]

FrankiRN-

Sorry. That was a "glitch." I was trying to post a photo of CoCo Cay, for you. Apparently, "Club Phot" caught it and changed it to an advertisement...

Anyway, there are photos of CoCo cay at:

http://a2.cpimg.com/image/C0/8A/30510272-9c5c-02000155-.jpg

and

[url=http://a3.cpimg.com/image/C1/8A/30510273-c4f4-02000155-.jpg]http://a3.cpimg.com/image/C1/8A/30510273-c4f4-02000155-.jpg

and one of Princess Cays at

http://a9.cpimg.com/image/D5/93/30510549-0bb1-02000155-.jpg,

if you want to check them out.

Meanwhile, the "ad" is gone.

[Lisa63]

Kris, one thing to keep in mind is that unlike Castaway Cay, other private islands are reachable by tender only. In other words, the ship does not dock as the Disney ships do. For this reason, weather and sea conditions may keep passengers from getting to the private island. While this doesn't happen very often, it's something to keep in mind if the private island experience is very important.

I agree with Jeff on Blue Lagoon Island, also called Salt Cay. Check the various cruise line Web sites as some offer shore excursions there from Nassau.

[Dan]

When you say "just returned", how recently was "just"? If you were missing a private island, and you sailed in the last month, it's because of the hurricanes. None of the cruise line islands have re-opened yet after Frances, so far as I've heard. Disney does have a private island, but it was damaged like the rest. One of the hazards of late summer/early fall sailings.