Little San Salvador, Bahamas Private Island Owned by Carnival Cruise Lines May 24-25, 2006

Sailboat | Voyages | Log

A ghost island haunted by past cruise ships Deserted beach and empty beach chairs Waiting for cruise ship arrivals An entire Bahamian village was fabricated Empty courtyard waiting for guests Typical lunch aboard Full Circle Gourmet salad with celery/peanut butter garnish It was a ghost island, haunted by the past passengers of the many cruise ships anchored in its harbor. Little San Salvador is a private island owned by the Carnival Cruise Lines. Sail boats are allowed to anchor in bay since it "enhances the charm" for the guests on shore, but, if a ship is anchored, sailboat passengers are not allowed on shore. There were no ships anchored the day we were there so we swam ashore and walked among the deserted facilities. The beach was lined with thousands of beach chairs and cabanas marked private, waiting for some cruise ship passenger to pay the hundred dollars plus to rent it for the day. The cabanas were open to the sea but had fans and air conditioners to radiate cool air on the over heated guests as they gazed upon the beach and watched the ordinary folk cook in the sun. But today there were no cruise ships, there were no guests in the cabanas, only Full Circle and one other boat resting for the night before they began the next leg of their journeys north. As we walked further down the beach, we discovered that the Carnival company had built an entire Bahamian village, complete with chapel for spontaneous marriages or maybe even planned marriages. It was a Disney experience, a Bahamian village without roosters, poverty, or reality. Maybe this is the future of international travel in a world of war, chaos, and poverty. It is not so different from the artificial neighborhoods created by gated communities. More and more, people feel the need to shield themselves, to protect themselves from the nastiness of life, a bit like a castle with a deep moat around it. I prefer rubbing up against the darker side of life, not too close, but enough to smell it and capture a bit of its flavor. Previous | Next