Norwegian Cruise Line has announced plans to significantly expand facilities on its private island Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Travel Gossip Editor Linsey McNeill went to take a look.
One of the highlights of cruises to the Caribbean are days spent on private islands, including NCL’s Great Stirrup Cay (GSC), where guests can lie on a sandy beach, eat authentic Caribbean food from numerous restaurants or food trucks (all included in the cruise fare), ride a zipline, book a massage, or shell out for access to its exclusive beach club, Silver Cove (pictured below, inset).
Now, some 50 years after buying the island, NCL has announced a significant expansion of the facilities, including a vast, heated outdoor swimming pool with a swim-up bar and a kids’ splash zone.
At the other side of the island, in part of the area currently occupied by Silver Cove, there will be an adult-only Vibe Beach Club, which is already a very popular feature on NCL ships. It will offer 16 villas and 200 day-beds, which will be available to book on a first-come, first-served basis.
Another new addition to GSC is Horizon Park, a family-friendly area with lawn-style games such as crazy golf, which recently debuted on Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Breakaway. This will sit between the pier and Silver Cove, close to the main restaurants.
A new relaxation area will provide hammocks, in addition to Tiki-inspired amenities and experiences yet to be revealed.
One of the main developments, however, is the installation of a pier, which will allow two of the New Era ships currently planned for NCL, each with more than 5,000 cabins, to dock at the island at the same time.
Currently, NCL ships have to drop anchor at sea and transfer guests to the island by water shuttle. It takes only a few minutes, but in choppy weather, the water shuttles can’t operate, which means that only 72% of NCL scheduled cruises manage to stop at GSC. Last November, 75% of cruises missed calls at the island because of the weather.
The new pier will be ready to take one ship from 15 November 2025, and it will be able to take two from 22 November.
Of course, enabling two ships carrying 8,300 passengers each to dock simultaneously does beg the question: Is there enough space on the 250-acre island for more than 16,000 visitors? However, NCL is confident it won’t feel overcrowded once the new facilities are completed.
Trams running every three to four minutes will ferry up to 104 passengers at time between the pier and the rest of the island.
NCL isn’t the only cruise line with a private Caribbean island, although GSC was one of the first to open.
Right next to GSC is an island owned by Royal Caribbean, Perfect Day at CocoCay, which was previously called Little Stirrup Cay. Half the size of GSC, it is nevertheless developed with shops, restaurants and activities.
Much bigger is Holland America Line’s 2,400-acre Half Moon Cay, in the Bahamas, which is being rebranded Relaxaway, Half Moon Cay. A new pier is being added to the north of the island to accommodate sister line Carnival’s Excel class ships. Other developments on the island include new lunch venues and bars in the north, and a new beach club in the south.
Disney owns the 1,000-acre Castaway Cay, which is used exclusively by its five cruise ships.
Norwegian and sister lines Oceania and Regent Seven Seas have access to Harvest Caye, run in a partnership between NCLH and the Belize Government, for cruises to the Western Caribbean.
Some cruise lines have created private destinations on larger Caribbean islands. Royal Caribbean has Labadee, a 260-acre beach resort in Haiti, Virgin Voyages has a private beach club in the Bahamas, called Bimini, Princess Cruises has Princess Cays on the southern tip of the island of Eleuthera, and Carnival Cruise Line will open a private destination on Grand Bahama, called Celebration Key in July.
