A Day In Great Stirrup Cay

Author: Randy

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Norwegian Cruise Line has a private island in the Bahamas called Great Stirrup Cay (GSC). As a matter of fact, it is a stones throw from Royal Caribbean’s Coco Cay. The downside to GSC (like Coco Cay) is that you will have to tender to the island. Each of the three tenders accommodate 450 passengers, allowing them to move a significant amount of people all at once. However, in moving that many people, embarking and disembarking can be an ordeal; we waited about 20 minutes to embark all of the passengers and more than 20 minutes to disembark upon return to the ship.

Great Stirrup Cay

Great Stirrup Cay is is a small island with limited amenities; although the compact nature does add to the ease of getting around. They will tell you to go to deck 5 to embark the tender, but you will want to take the elevator down to deck 4 instead (even if you have to ride up, then down again). If you have young kids or are traveling with anyone who has trouble getting around in your party, don’t count on getting any assistance from the crew. Despite several people falling or almost falling, the only people to lift a finger to help were other passengers. Unfortunately, this was a common occurrence with this Norwegian Jewel Crew.

Once onboard, it was a short (less than 10 minute) trip to the island. If you want to get a beach chair, you’ll have to be on one of the first tenders out and be one of the first to disembark the tender. They beach the tender and unload from the front, so just look for the ramp. The beach area to the right is small, but great for families. The larger beach to the left is more expansive and is good for floating, snorkeling and swimming. If you do choose the smaller beach, be aware that it closely borders the tender area, so there is a wave impact each time the tender arrives and departs.

The entire public area is pretty exposed, so you’ll want plenty of sunscreen and a hat. Restrooms and outdoor showers are centrally located. Hammocks are sparse and will be taken shortly after the first passengers arrive. There is a giant hippo slide ($4.99 one time or $20.99 for the entire day) which seemed to attract lots of kids and an activities area that hosted many family activities throughout the day (tug of war, water relay, volleyball, scavenger hunt, etc). We couldn’t wait to get into the water and that is where we spent most of the 4 hours that we were there.

From Noon until 2PM, they also served a BBQ buffet on the island. Again, it was conveniently located behind the small beach area and there were picnic tables for seating. There were not many covered areas, so again, you’ll likely be baking in the sun, so eat quickly. There was a good variety – pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs and all of the typical sides (including fruit). No charge drinks were limited to coffee and water. There was a charge for ice cream and desserts were limited to various non-frosted cakes.

At 1PM, Nick Live Beachside got rolling. It was pretty funny to watch the teams get pie in the face and then get slimmed at the end. Its a good thing that we weren’t playing because we definitely would have lost – the questions were totally geared toward older kids. That was the extent of the Nickelodeon activities on the island – no characters anywhere to be seen.

Floats are an additional $12.99/day – a party float (just a big round air filled float is $26.99/day. You can also rent 2 beach chairs and a clamshell canopy (for shade) for a cool $29.99. Parasailing ($84.99), kayaking ($39.99), snorkeling ($29.99) and an eco tour ($39.99) round out the offerings.

Overall, the kids enjoyed the water, but Great Stirrup Cay cannot compare to other cruise lines private islands. This is a rustic beach experience that you’ll share with 2800 of your closest friends, so be prepared.

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.