The original inhabitants of the Caribbean islands were the Arawak Indians who lived the peaceful existence of farmers until the Carib Indians arrived in the early 15th century. The Caribs, who hailed from South America, were cannibals! They provided two new words to the white man's language, Caribbean and Buccaneer. The first one is obvious, but the second needs some explaining. The Caribs sliced and smoked their meat over open fires with grills called boucans. When the freebooters and privateers saw this, they copied the idea and thus became known as Buccaneers.

Half Moon Cay is a private uninhabited island in the Bahamas owned by Holland America. The workers are brought in each day from Eleuthera Island when one of their ships makes a call.