If you have sailed to Half Moon Cay with Carnival Cruise Line before, your experience in 2026 and beyond will be a lot different.
Carnival Corporation has built a 1,005-foot pier on the north side of the island. Carnival guests no longer tender ashore.
You dock, you walk off, and you are on the beach. That one change opens the destination to Excel-class ships for the first time, expands the number of Carnival ships that can call here to 22, and reduces the risk of delays and cancellations associated with tender operations.
The island also has a new name. It is officially called RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, and the rebranding comes with a major expansion of the north side, which Carnival guests will primarily use.
The project is part of an investment of more than $80 million in the pier and landside development.
I visited Relax Away on opening day and walked the entire property.
Here’s what you need to know before you going.
What is RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay?
Half Moon Cay is a privately owned island about 100 miles southeast of Nassau. Holland America Line purchased it in 1996, Carnival Corporation has operated it since, and it opened to guests in December 1997.
The island covers 2,400 acres, less than 3% of which has been developed. The rest is protected wildlife habitat. It is part of Carnival’s Paradise Collection alongside Celebration Key and Isla Tropicale.
The north side is brand new
The north side is where Carnival guests spend their day. It has six tram stops running the length of the beach, two food halls, multiple bars, beach rentals, cabanas, daybeds, gift shops, and restrooms at nearly every stop. Here is how the tram stops break down:
Stop 1: Arrival Plaza/Coconut — Guest Services, Shore Excursions desk, gift shop, artisan market
Stop 2: Mango — Orchid Beach Grill and Bar, daybeds, beach rentals
Stop 3: Lime — Lil’ Tiki Bar, cabanas, gift shop, beach rentals
Stop 4: Pineapple — Stay Awhile Beach Bar, cabanas, daybeds, beach rentals
Stop 5: Guava — Hibiscus Beach Grill and Bar, daybeds, gift shop, beach rentals, first aid station
Stop 6: Avocado — Luna Tide Beach Bar, cabanas, daybeds, beach rentals
You can also walk the Papaya Pathway, a paved scenic route running from the Arrival Plaza to the Avocado stop.
Walk times between stops range from 5 to 15 minutes. I walked the entire route in about an hour. Bring water or at least stop for some along the way. It gets hot in the Bahamas (especially in the summer!).
The tram operates like a hop-on, hop-off system. Pay attention to the stop signage or listen to the driver, or you will end up further down the beach than you planned.
What is included and what costs extra
Beach chairs and umbrellas are complimentary, with more than 4,600 umbrellas and over 9,000 chairs spread across the island. Bring your beach towel from the ship. They are not provided ashore.
Lunch is included at both the Orchid Beach Grill and the Hibiscus Beach Grill.
The open-air buffet covers the basics well: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken breast, veggie burgers, BBQ chicken with a chargrilled smoky barbecue glaze, slow-roasted pulled pork on citrus-garlic mojo buns, braised bean stew, rice and peas, mac and cheese, french fries, a coastal salad bar, a nacho bar with pulled pork and chili con carne, and island desserts including chocolate brownies, apple crumble, and mixed fruit salad.
It is a step above what most private island buffets offer, both in the number of choices and in the variety beyond the usual burgers and hot dogs.
Like Celebration Key, the Cheers beverage package does not work at Relax Away (at the time of publishing).
Basic non-alcoholic beverages like lemonade, tea, and water are available at the two food pavilions at no charge. Everything else goes on your shipboard account.
Your onboard WiFi package does work at RelaxAway if you are sailing Carnival, which is worth knowing if you want to stay connected or post while you are there.
I tested the WiFi signal at every tram stop and was able to check email and post to social media throughout the north side of the island.
Lockers cost $11.99 per day and are located near the restrooms and welcome center. They are best suited for small bags and wet/dry bags.
I tried putting my Swiss Army backpack inside one, and it did not fit. If you are carrying a larger backpack or beach bag, plan to keep it with you and store it under your chair to keep it out of direct sunlight.
Beach wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first-come basis. Scooters are allowed but make sure you are charged up as there are no charging stations on the island. Accessible trams run on a regular schedule.
What the island actually feels like
The architecture uses natural wood, stone, and neutral tones throughout. The tram stops are understated. The umbrellas have thick stripes and scalloped edges. The lounge chairs are white. The bars have elegant fonts and subdued colors. Nothing is loud or manufactured-feeling.
There is no waterpark, no pool, and no adult-only section. That is intentional, and it shows.
What is there is a 2.5-mile white-sand beach and water that is genuinely the color you see in the photos. The buildout feels designed not to interrupt the natural surroundings, and it succeeds.
RelaxAway feels noticeably different from the newer private destinations built around pools, slides, and large-scale attractions.
The beach remains the main event here.
Shore excursions and rentals
Tours include horseback riding in the water, a stingray adventure, snorkeling by boat, a tropical kayak adventure, an eco lagoon tour, an island bike tour, a historic nature walk, an Aqua Trax watercraft adventure, and an Island Tram Calypso Tour if you want a guided version of the tram route.
Rentals include single and double kayaks, paddleboards, a Hobie catamaran sailboat, waterbikes for two, floating mats, snorkel gear, an inner tube, and the Big Dipper noodle.
Clamshell sunshade rentals, luxury daybeds, and cabanas are also available. Reserve cabanas in advance through Carnival’s Cruise Planner or the HUB app. If availability remains, rental kiosks on the island can help on the day of.
Holland America guests
Because Holland America Line continues to use the south side of the island, the experience is somewhat different depending on which cruise line you are sailing.
Holland America guests arrive by water shuttle to the south side of the island (the non-dock side).
Amenities there include the Island Market Grill, the Lobster Shack, a new beach club with waiter service and priority tendering, the On the Rocks Bar, and the I Wish I Could Stay Here Forever Bar.
Holland America’s WiFi and drink packages do not work on the island (currently) but some sailings offer an island-exclusive drink package for purchase.
We were told guests can walk between the north and south sides of the island, but the tram does not travel between the two areas.
For now, ship cards only work on the side designated for each cruise line, though the two point-of-sale systems are being integrated so guests can eventually use their keycards at venues across the island.
Note: Double-check with the cruise line, as this could change at any time.
Final thoughts
RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay is not trying to compete with Celebration Key. If you want waterslides, a pool, and swim-up bars, Celebration Key offers that experience.
RelaxAway is built around something much simpler: spending the day on one of the best beaches in the Bahamas.
Docking instead of tendering saves time and makes getting ashore much easier, while the tram system makes the length of the island manageable. But the beach is still the reason to come here.
If RelaxAway is on your itinerary, I would not stay onboard for a sea day.
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald summed up the best strategy: “Get off the ship after breakfast, especially when multiple ships are visiting. The beach fills up as the morning goes on, and the best spots will be claimed early.”
Watch the RelaxAway Half May Cay tour video put on by Eat, Sleep, Cruise YouTube Channel.
