Great Stirrup Cay is a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Line and located in the Bahamas. The island is exclusive to cruisers traveling on NCL ships in the Caribbean, and it offers plenty to do — from kayaking to snorkeling, zip lining to simply hanging out with a drink on the beach.
Here’s everything you can do and what to expect if you plan on cruising on an itinerary that travels to Great Stirrup Cay in the near future.
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What to Know About Great Stirrup Cay
While exploring a new-to-you cruise port has its charms, I do think that there’s just something special about visiting a cruise line-exclusive destination.
All of the activities are coordinated by the cruise line, so there’s no risking it with third-party excursion providers. Everything is designed so you can have as much fun as possible. In some cases, you can enjoy on-shore activities without even paying extra.
As for Great Stirrup Cay, this 268-acre locale in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line in the 1970s. Originally, the island was a pirate’s hideaway, then a U.S. military post, and there’s even a historic lighthouse on the island, dating to the 1860s.
New Pier Redner at Great Stirrup Cay (Credit: Norwegian Cruise Line)
When Norwegian Cruise Line eventually developed the island, it was the first time that a cruise line had ever taken over an island and used it exclusively for its guests.
Over the years, Norwegian Cruise Line has made various refurbishments and enhancements to the island, such as a $1 million upgrade in the 1990s, and further additions in the 2010s.
Most recently, the cruise line said it would be building a new pier on the island, which would help negate the need for tendering upon arrival at the island.
As of early 2025, the two-ship pier is expected to be open by late 2025, which will allow NCL to double the number of guests on the island at one time, starting in 2026. That could mean that as many as 700,000 cruisers visit the island each year.
Beaches
Beach on Great Stirrup Cay (Photo Credit: Wynn Imaging)
There are three main beaches on the private island, giving you access to the crystal clear waters: Infinity Beach, Lighthouse Beach and Cabana Beach.
Infinity Beach and Lighthouse Beach both offer convenient locations close to other amenities such as bars, restaurants, the historic lighthouse and zip lining. The latter can accommodate hundreds of cruisers and, thus, can get a little bit crowded.
Meanwhile, the Cabana Beach, while on the small side, still offers a food truck and then cabanas for rent.
There are two types of cabanas you can rent: premium and classic cabanas. Premium cabanas are larger, suitable for up to eight people and come with furnishings such as sofas and water toys like floating mats, as well as bottled water. Classic cabanas are slightly smaller, suitable for six people, but with similar amenities.
Premium cabana rentals are $714 for an all-day rental. Classic cabana rentals are $659 for an all-day rental.
In addition to cabanas, you can also rent clam shells, which are exactly what they sound like: clam shell-shaped coverings that sit on the beach and provide shade without the unwieldiness of a beach umbrella. Clam shell rentals start at $50 for an all-day rental.
Dining and Bars
Dining at Great Stirrup Cay (Photo Credit: Asif Islam)
You’ll be able to dine as much as you like on Great Stirrup Cay, as all of the dining is included in your cruise fare. Additionally, if you have a drinks package on your cruise ship, you’ll be able to use it on Great Stirrup Cay as well.
If you do not have a drinks package, your drink purchases will simply be charged to your account via your cruise card.)
Food options include Abaco Taco, for a handful of taco options, and Jumbey Beach Grill, which is a buffet with barbecue entrees and side dishes. There’s also a food truck on Cabana Beach, with sandwiches.
While past cruisers’ reviews of the build your own taco options aren’t that great, many say that the buffet’s barbecue is quite tasty.
That said, your overall dining options are a little limited, so if you have special dietary requirements or are particularly picky, you may want to eat before you leave the ship or after you get back to the ship.
As for bars, there are four to choose from, scattered across the island: Patron Bar, Betram’s Bar, Bacardi Bar and Lighthouse Beach Bar.
Activities
Passengers Enjoying Activities at Great Stirrup Cay (Photo Credit: Victor Maschek)
You’ll find an array of activities on Great Stirrup Cay. However, before you begin planning your day, keep in mind that some are complimentary and you can just show up ahead of time and enjoy them, while others do require an extra fee and must be booked like any on-shore excursion at any port.
There’s a snorkel center on the island where you can rent equipment for snorkeling excursions. Snorkeling equipment runs about $15 for kids and $30 for adults.
Once you’ve rented your equipment, you can enjoy heading out to snorkeling spots like an underwater sculpture garden, where you can check out the coral reefs and swim among the marine life like stingrays and starfish.
Read Also: 10 Reasons Not to Stay on the Cruise Ship When in Port
If you’d prefer an excursion that keeps you above the water, you can sign up for a waverunner tour (from $175). Other excursions include kayaking (from $59) and stand up paddle boarding (from $43) trips, or a guided trip to a nearby island where you can swim with pigs (from $175).
There are multiple zip lines on the island (including the Seahawk zip line and Osprey traverse zip line), as well as ropes courses. To ride on the zip lines, you must be at least eight years old and you do have to weigh less than 250 pounds.
Depending on the zip line you choose, you could soar above nearly 3,000 feet of open air! There’s also a zip line that hangs from the replica lighthouse. One-hour zip line and ropes course experiences start at $87.
For a bit of retail therapy, take a trip to the island’s marketplace, where you can buy souvenirs and a few necessities, in case you forgot beachwear. There’s also a good selection of Bahamian crafts and local products.
If you want to shop a bit, bring some cash (dollars are good), as the locals selling at the marketplace will not accept credit cards.
Silver Cove
Silver Cove Villa Beach
Just like so many cruise ships now have special VIP areas where only suite guests are admitted and which usually offer private restaurants, sun decks and more, so does Great Stirrup Cay have a similar VIP area on the island: Silver Cove.
Silver Cove is only open to those who rent a private villa on the island. In addition to housing the villas, this portion of the island also features several beautiful outdoor spots to sunbathe or lounge, an infinity pool, a spa, two private beaches (Silver Cove Lagoon and Villa Beach), an upscale Silver Cove buffet and bar, and a separate bar.
Do note, that you don’t have to book a Silver Cove villa in order to use the spa. You can book a spa appointment without booking a villa, but that’s the only part of Silver Cove that you can access without that villa rental.
Worth Reading: Norwegian Cruise Line Haven – What You Need to Know
That doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy a great day at the Silver Cove spa, though; after your treatment, check out the spa’s hot tubs’ stellar views of the ocean.
As for the villas themselves, you have a few different choices here. The largest option is a two-bedroom family villa that can accommodate up to 16 cruisers.
In addition to the two bedrooms, there are also two bathrooms, living and dining spaces, large outdoor living spaces, complimentary on-demand movies on the villa TV and in-villa food service.
The smallest villa option is the Ocean Villa, which can accommodate only six cruisers. While there aren’t any bedrooms in the villa (though, why would you need bedrooms anyway, when you’re only on the island for a day?), there is a living and dining space, and full private restroom.
Villa rentals range in cost, but start at around $650.
Good news, though — even if you didn’t book a Haven suite on your Norwegian Cruise Line ship, you can still get access to Silver Cove. Just because you’re not a so-called VIP on the ship doesn’t mean that you can’t be a VIP on land.
Tips for Visiting Great Stirrup Cay
Beach and Lighthouse on Great Stirrup Cay (Photo Credit: Nazar Skladanyi)
There are a few things you’ll want to remember when visiting Great Stirrup Cay, for the best experience possible, which I can let you know about:
For one, keep in mind that until the new two-ship pier is finished, you’ll need to tender to the private island. That means you’ll need to get to the tender ship, wait in line and then travel to the island on the small tender boats. Then, you’ll need to get back to the ship on the tender boats, which can also include a wait.
To avoid long wait times for the tender boats, you’ll want to both leave to get to the island early in the morning (or extra-late in the evening) and then plan to head back to the ship at least an hour or two before the ship’s departure time.
You’ll also want to get off the ship as early as possible, in order to snag a good spot on the beach, if you plan to spend most of your day beach-bumming.
I know, I know — getting up early is the last thing you want to do when you’re on a cruise ship, on vacation. However, believe me when I say that it’s well worth it to get that prime beach real estate.
Then, if you want to travel to Great Stirrup Cay, you’ll need to be sure that you book a cruise on one of the ships and itineraries that stop there.
Great Stirrup Cay (Photo Credit: Victor Maschek)
Currently, ships that travel to Great Stirrup Cay include Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Viva.
If you’ve decided that you want to enjoy any of the paid excursions or activities while on the island, make sure to stop by the excursion desk on the cruise ship ahead of your arrival, to book those activities.
When I go into port, I like to bring along a small backpack or tote bag packed with any need-to-have items, like sunscreen, water bottles, swim shoes, etc., depending on what I plan on doing while in that port.
This is still a good idea when you go to Great Stirrup Cay — but you’ll also want to keep in mind that, unlike as is the case on some cruise ship private islands, there are no lockers here.
Read Also: What Are All the Cruise Line Private Islands and Destinations?
That means if you’re taking an excursion and want to put your bag or some valuables away while you’re zip lining or scuba diving, you’re out of luck.
Lastly, there’s no WiFi on Great Stirrup Cay, so don’t expect to be able to immediately upload all of your selfies to your favorite social media platform.
You’ll need either an international data plan in order to have service, or you’ll simply need to wait until you’re back on the ship (if you have one of the ship’s WiFi packages) to access any online content.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
