By Steve Griswold, Sandals & Beaches Chairman’s Royal Club Platinum Elite advisor at Pixie Vacations. Published October 24, 2026.
- Holland America’s new Beach Club at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay opened to its first guests the week of October 19, 2026.
- The day pass is $125 per person plus a 20% service charge — $150 all-in, or $300 for a couple.
- Included: priority tender, private beach with day beds, waiter service, open bar, an exclusive lunch, snorkel gear, chilled towels and sunscreen.
- The main beach, loungers and the island barbecue lunch stay free, on more than two dozen Caribbean itineraries from October 2026 through April 2027.
What just opened at Half Moon Cay?
If you have a Holland America Caribbean cruise booked for this winter, your beach day in the Bahamas just got a paid upgrade option. The new Beach Club at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay took its first guests this week — Holland America’s own site now lists it as open, and Seatrade Cruise News and Cruise Industry News reported the first ship visits on October 22 and 23 — and the Half Moon Cay Beach Club price is $125 per person, plus a 20% service charge. Do the math before you tap “add”: that’s $150 a person and $300 for the two of you, on top of a fare that already includes the island.
Holland America announced the club on September 22, 2026 as the opener of a year-long run-up to the island’s 30th anniversary in 2027. Booking opened in early October through Holland America. It lands on more than two dozen Caribbean itineraries between October 2026 and April 2027, with six ships — Eurodam, Zuiderdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Volendam — sailing from Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and nearly every one of those itineraries calls at Half Moon Cay.
What does the Half Moon Cay Beach Club pass include?
Honest part first: Half Moon Cay was already one of the best free beach days in cruising. The crescent beach, the loungers and the island barbecue lunch come with your fare, and they still do. So the question isn’t “is the Beach Club nice” — it’s “what am I getting for $300 a couple that I wasn’t getting for $0.”
| What you get | Free beach day | Beach Club ($125 + 20%) |
|---|---|---|
| Getting ashore | Regular tender queue | Priority tender both ways, plus a shuttle from the tender to the club |
| Where you sit | Loungers on the main beach, first come | Private beach with lounge seating and day beds |
| Drinks | Pay as you go at the bars | Open bar — alcoholic and non-alcoholic |
| Lunch | Island barbecue (free) or the Lobster Shack (extra) | Exclusive club lunch: jerk chicken, spiced tiger shrimp, sushi, a tostones bar, desserts |
| Service | Help yourself | Dedicated club staff and waiter service, chilled towels, sunscreen |
| Extras | Rentals cost extra | Snorkel gear and beach toys included; priority access to the four new pickleball courts |
How does it compare to the other private-island upgrades?
Every cruise line is building the same thing: a paid, roped-off slice of an island it already owns. Royal Caribbean’s Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau was selling its adult open-bar day pass from $169.99 when bookings opened (seen July 1, 2025 for a December 26, 2025 sailing, and Royal prices dynamically, so holiday weeks run higher). Norwegian’s new Great Tides waterpark on Great Stirrup Cay charges separately for admission. And Virgin Voyages’ Beach Club at Bimini is the outlier — the pool, DJ and beach are included in the fare.
| Line / island | Paid upgrade | Price seen |
|---|---|---|
| Holland America, Half Moon Cay | Beach Club day pass | $125 + 20% service = $150 per person (October 24, 2026) |
| Royal Caribbean, Paradise Island (Nassau) | Open bar & dining day pass, 21+ | From $169.99 per person (opening price, July 1, 2025) |
| Norwegian, Great Stirrup Cay | Great Tides waterpark admission | Separate per-person pass, priced by sailing |
| Virgin Voyages, Bimini | Beach Club access | Included in the fare |
The money hack: who should actually buy this
I hate wasting money, and I’d rather you spend $300 on something you’ll remember. Here’s how I’d call it for a client. On a Half Moon Cay day the thing that eats your morning is the tender — the ship anchors offshore, and on a full sailing the queue to get ashore can cost you the best hour of the day. If you’re the couple who wants to be on the sand at 9 a.m. with a drink in hand and never move, the Beach Club is built for you, and $150 each is a fair price for that version of the day. If you’re a family of four, that’s $600 before anyone has bought a souvenir, and the kids would rather be on the free beach anyway. Skip it, and put the money toward a cabana or the Lobster Shack lunch instead.
Worth knowing: the other island upgrades — the new food pavilion with an island-style barbecue menu, renovated bars, more daybeds, canopy loungers for two and the four pickleball courts — are for everyone, pass or no pass. Only the club itself is gated.
What this means if you’re booking
- Already sailing Holland America this winter? Book the Beach Club before you sail if you want it — it’s a new product on a small island, so don’t count on buying it on the day, especially on the December 18–31 holiday sailings.
- Choosing a line for a Bahamas beach day? Price the add-ons for your actual party: Half Moon Cay’s club is $150 a head, Royal’s Nassau club started at $169.99, Virgin’s Bimini club is $0. A “cheaper” fare can flip once you add the island.
- Not sure it’s worth it? Don’t buy it. The free beach at Half Moon Cay is the same beach — that’s the whole point of the island.
Want us to price the cruise with and without the extras?
Planning with Pixie Vacations is free — no fees — and we price every sailing with the add-ons your family will actually use. Call 678-815-1584 or send your dates and we’ll run it.
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