This was our second time to Half Moon Cay. The other time we were there was in July 2022 and it was so hot! I had wanted to visit the corral where the horses and the donkey are, but it was too hot during our first visit to trek over there. This time the temperature was much more bearable, and I was determined to visit the horses and the donkey.
They offer a breakfast in one of the main dining rooms on Port Days. We’ve done it before, and it’s good, but we prefer the Lido Marketplace buffet because it’s also good and it’s convenient for us. We enjoy the views from up there overlooking either the port or the ocean. Each view is nice.
After breakfast at the Lido Marketplace buffet, we waited patiently until it we could tender to the island. They start handing out tickets to the island earlier in the morning for people who want to get tendered over sooner, but we decided to just wait for them to stop calling out the numbers. We were at the island maybe by 11 am, which gave us plenty of time to do what we wanted to do on the island.
Map of Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas) located near the straw market on Half Moon Cay
First we checked out the straw market on the island – you can’t miss it because you are led to it after you get off the tender boat. Then we snorkeled.
The best place to snorkel on the island (or more like just off the island because you can’t snorkel on sand! Hee hee), at least without a shore excursion, is an area to the far left if you are on the sand facing the lagoon. If you ask an employee, they’ll let you know where to go to find the most fish. There was a school of fish that kept following my husband wherever he swam. It was so cute. I kept thinking of that song from Peter Pan where they keep singing, “We’re following the leader, the leader, the leader. We’re following the leader …”
Our walk to the Horse Corral on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)Getting closer to the Horse Corral on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas). Watch out for horse poop if you walk in this area of the beachNot fish that we saw while snorkeling at Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)
After snorkeling we took the tram to as far as the tram driver is supposed to take us, which isn’t very far. Then we walked along the shallow water area on the beach to the horse corral area. You have to watch out for horse poop when you walk in the sand as you get close to the corral area.
Horses at the corral on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)Horses at the corral on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)Horse at the corral on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)
One of the employees brought one of the horses over to us so that we could see him and he let us pet him. Then another horse wandered over to us. The donkey was in the distance hanging out with some horses.
We were getting hungry so we walked to the buffet area. The last time we had lunch on the island the chicken was not great. This time the jerk chicken was pretty good. The rice and peas and the side salads were good too. My husband said his hamburger “was just OK – it wasn’t a Guy’s burger.” The desserts were OK. We got there just as the buffet was about to close, so we couldn’t get seconds of anything we liked. But that was fine because it’s not like there wasn’t going to be plenty of food to eat when we got back on the ship.
Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas and sides for lunch from the buffet on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)Jerk Chicken and a Hamburger for lunch from the buffet on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)Dessert from the buffet on Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas)
We headed back to the ship and my husband exercised while I wandered around the upper decks and took some photos.
Elephant Towel Animal in our Inside Stateroom on the Carnival VeneziaView of Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas) from the Carnival VeneziaA zoomed in photo of Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas) from the Carnival VeneziaA view of Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas) from the Carnival Venezia we were sailing away.View of Half Moon Cay in the distance (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas) and the Water Slides on the Carnival Venezia as we were sailing away.View of Half Moon Cay in the distance (Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas) and the Water Slides on the Carnival Venezia as we were sailing away.The Water Slides on the Carnival Venezia View of decks 10 (Lido Deck) and 11 midship with the magradome (sliding roof) open on the Carnival VeneziaView of decks 10 (Lido Deck) and 11 midship with the magradome (sliding roof) open on the Carnival VeneziaView of deck 10 (Lido Deck) aft Burano Pool and Spas on the Carnival Venezia
There was some rain in the distance that made for a dramatic looking sunset! I love sunsets. I love sunrises too, but I’m usually not outside when the sun rises so I don’t get to see those often.
View of dramatic sunset from the Carnival Venezia View of dramatic sunset from the Carnival Venezia
We cleaned up for dinner then walked up to the the Serenity Deck, which is an Adult’s only area on deck 15 forward. This Serenity Deck is lovely. I not only really like the way it looks, but also the way it’s laid out with various seating areas that each have a somewhat private feel to them despite being in a public area.
I’ll show more photos later on of the Serenity deck during the day, but below are photos of what it looks like at night time.
Serenity Deck at night on the Carnival VeneziaSerenity Deck at night on the Carnival VeneziaSerenity Deck at night on the Carnival VeneziaSerenity Deck at night on the Carnival VeneziaSerenity Deck at night on the Carnival VeneziaSerenity Deck at night on the Carnival VeneziaElevator and Stairs area for the Serenity Deck on the Carnival Venezia
If you’ve cruised before, you know that some people place things on the exterior side of their cabin door. My favorite this cruise was the one in the photo below.
Cute crocheted item hanging on a stateroom door on the Carnival VeneziaMenu from the Carnival Hub App showing the appetizers available in the Main Dining Rooms for dinner on night four of our ten night cruise on the Carnival VeneziaMenu from the Carnival Hub App showing the entrees available in the Main Dining Rooms for dinner on night four of our ten night cruise on the Carnival VeneziaMenu from the Carnival Hub App showing the desserts available in the Main Dining Rooms for dinner on night four of our ten night cruise on the Carnival Venezia
We noticed that the Marketplace buffet was offering plenty of items that appealed to us, so we opted to go to the buffet for dinner rather than the main dining room.
Menu showing some of the items available at the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival VeneziaSome of the items available at the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival VeneziaSome of the items available at the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival VeneziaSome of the items available at the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival VeneziaSome of the items available at the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival VeneziaMinestrone alla Napoletana at the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival Venezia
My husband was happy with the New York Strip Roast as well as the other items he had, and I was happy with what I had, especially the Fried Mozzarella with Marinara dipping sauce – I went back for more of the Fried mozzarella. The Minestrone alla Napoletana was tasty and very comforting.The Spezzatino de Manzo, which is Chuck Pot Roast with creamy polenta, was also yummy.
My husband enjoying his New York Strip Roast from the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival VeneziaIt doesn’t look like much, but I sampled, then got seconds of what I liked. The Fried mozzarella with Marinara Sauce was very good! (From the Lido Marketplace dinner buffet on the Carnival Venezia)
The Sweet Spot desserts were good, especially the chocolate mousse-like dessert that I failed to get the name of in the photo.
Desserts at Sweet Spot at the Lido Marketplace on the Carnival Venezia Desserts at Sweet Spot at the Lido Marketplace on the Carnival Venezia Desserts at Sweet Spot at the Lido Marketplace on the Carnival Venezia (The Chocolate Mousse like dessert on the left was really good!)
We played some Bacci Ball on deck 11, then walked around the upper decks outside. It was a nice evening. I love the way cruise ships look at night the way they are lit up.
Lido Deck (deck 10) on the Carnival Venezia (The Toppings Bar for Tomodoro is on the left)Lido Deck (deck 10) on the Carnival Venezia (Guy’s Burger Joint is on the right). There is a toppings bar for Guy’s Burger Joint, but it’s not in the photoDining tables and chairs on the Lido Deck (deck 10) on the Carnival VeneziaDining tables and chairs on deck 11 on the Carnival VeneziaBacci Ball, Foosball, Table Tennis and a very large Chinese Checkers in the distance on deck 11 on Carnival VeneziaSeating and Walkway on deck 11 on Carnival VeneziaDeck 12 partially overlooking decks 10 and 11 on the Carnival Venezia with the magradome (sliding roof) openDeck 12 overlooking decks 10 and 11 on the Carnival Venezia with the magradome (sliding roof) openDeck 12 partially overlooking decks 10 and 11 on the Carnival Venezia with the magradome (sliding roof) open. (The glass circle allows more light to shine into decks 10 and 11)Part of the miniature golf course on deck 12 on the Carnival Venezia, with the arcade (The Warehouse) to the right and part of the ropes course above.Part of the miniature golf course on deck 12 on the Carnival Venezia, with the arcade (The Warehouse) to the right and part of the ropes course above.Overlooking deck 10 aft (Burano Pool and Spas) and deck 11 aft from deck 12 on the Carnival VeneziaPart of the jogging track and some of the exercise equipment on deck 12 of the Carnival Venezia
We went to Rococo for a cocktail. They have a 48 oz pitcher for $36, so we decided to get a pitcher of Sicilian Iced Tea. My first sip made me question my choice because I’m not a fan of bitter, and it has Cynar in it which is bitter. But after a couple more sips it grew on me and I really liked that cocktail. It’s not overly bitter, but be warned if you don’t like bitter. You might want to try it by ordering a single glass of it rather than order a pitcher of it if you’re curious but not sure about it. We each ended up ordering glasses of it a couple more times during our cruise.
Part of the drink menu for Rococo on the Carnival VeneziaPart of the drink menu for Rococo on the Carnival Venezia
They also offer frozen drinks at Rococo which I’ll talk more about later in this cruise story. You can see the drinks menu above. They also sell popcorn at Rococo for the Dive-In movies on the large LED screen.
The decor at Rococo is interesting in a good way. As you can see in the photos below, they have words written across the “paintings.’ They’re all funny.
Funny artwork on the walls of Rococo on the Carnival Venezia on the Lido Deck (deck 10)Funny artwork on the walls of Rococo on the Carnival Venezia on the Lido Deck (deck 10)Rococo Bar on the Carnival Venezia on the Lido Deck (deck 10)Rococo Bar on the Carnival Venezia on the Lido Deck (deck 10)
