Cruise Lines Private Islands – Paradise or Pretend?

I read an article recently about private islands, specifically those only accessible by cruise ship and I found myself thinking about the worth or merit of such places in the context of ‘travel’.

While you may think private island hideaways are only the playgrounds of Russian oligarchs, multi-billionaire businessmen and royalty, there are such places accessible to mere mortals like ourselves for the price of a 7 night Caribbean cruise holiday.

A few examples…..

Great Stirrup Cay – the Bahamas

Visited by 9,000 cruisers a week in peak season, Great Stirrup Cay,  the white-sand-fringed 250-acre island owned by Norwegian Cruise Line  offers among other attractions private waterfront cabanas, a children’s play area, a floating aqua park, places to eat and drink and a beach barbecue site.

Half Moon Cay (Little San Salvador Island) in the Bahamas

This two-mile-long almost-a-horseshoe loop of powdery sand owned by Holland America Line  is one of the least developed islands owned by cruise lines. The long beach fringes a sheltered lagoon and along with the usual cabanas and water toys there is a fully-equipped Club HAL children’s playground and aqua park.

Labadee in Haiti

Owned by Royal Caribbean Labadee, on Haiti’s north coast. You can keep cool in the Arawak water park, zip across the aquamarine sea on an adrenaline-pumping 2,600 ft-long flight line, hurtle through tropical foliage on the Dragon’s Splash waterslide, ride the Dragon’s Tail Coaster (alpine slide-cum-airborne go-kart), go snorkelling off Dragon’s Beach or sign up for an excursion to a paradisaical sandbar.

CocoCay in the Bahamas

Cococay is Royal Caribbean’s second private island. Paid-for activities include an eco-tour of the Berry Islands to see giant starfish, conch and land crabs. You can scuba dive, snorkel or ride the glass-bottomed boat or pack the children off to the water park.

Princess Cays (Eleuthera) in The Bahamas

Forty acres of the Bahamian island of Eleuthera is the private domain of Princess Cruises, in beach terms that’s half a mile of white-sand shoreline located on the island’s southern tip. There’s a dedicated sailboat and watersports beach, a swimming and snorkelling area off Little Bay and you can also sign up for surf or and deep-sea fishing and a Dune Buggy Adventure along the scenic back roads to a pink-sand beach.

Arguably one of the primary reasons for travel is to immerse yourself in local cultures, experience the differences far flung places have to offer and sample something a little different from the comfort zones and bubbles we usually exist in.

I suppose it depends on your reasons for going on holiday but somehow places like these seem well…false. To spend a day exclusively surrounded by only your fellow holiday makers seems a little strange to me as these are exactly the people you would have partly gone on holiday in the first place to take a break from!

You end up travelling half way around the world to spend time in what is basically a purpose built theme park, with little or no ties culturally (or financially for that matter) to the very country you are visiting.

Having said that, essentially that’s exactly what Las Vegas and Dubai are – theme parks and playgrounds, just on a much larger scale to Alton Towers or Chessington World of Adventures – and I love Dubai.

Invariably the majority of tourist attractions around the world cater for visitors wherever they are, and I suppose by nature that means bringing some level of comfort and familiarity, which of course we all expect and demand.

I guess I wouldn’t want to go anywhere  which was more of an endurance contest than a holiday either – all in the name of ‘travel’.

I’d love to know what you think. Are purpose built places like these your idea of a great holiday destination or are you only happy knee deep in mud and covered in leeches trekking the rain forests of Borneo?

Bye for now.