Well it's Day 2 of our cruise and we arrive at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. While it is a tender port, the size of the tenders are huge and can accommodate a couple of hundred passengers at one go. Half Moon Cay is a cruise line owned island that is shared with both Holland and Carnival and over the years has evolved into a total-tourist "Gilligan’s Island".

The pictures that I’ve attached cannot adequately capture the beauty of the color of the water. I don’t believe that there is a name in the English language for the color of blues that you see as you sit on the beach staring into the “half moon” bay. The sand here is the most perfect sand I’ve seen at any island. It’s like creamy talc that is soft and free of stones and debris and leaves a complete coating on your feet.

There are lots of things to do here, from sea-doo rentals, horseback rentals along the beach and snorkeling with the rays. They prepared a great BBQ lunch for everyone on the island.

The next couple of days are sea days on the Westerdam as we have some 950 nautical miles to cover before we reach Cartagena, Columbia. It’s planned for a short 6-hour stay there, but we look forward to touring the old city.