HAL’s private island, Half Moon Cay is a beach paradise that can get crowded near the tender dock but always has footprint free sand at the far end of the beach. We prefer to skip the beach picnic and take a mid-day break from the sun by having lunch in the main dining room, returning to the beach for an afternoon swim. The first passenger tender leaves about an hour after anchoring, because the early tenders are taken up by crew transporting food and beach gear. Avoid the last return tender if you can, because stragglers can delay it, and you make have to wait for a while.