Great Stirrup Cay – The Bahamas
Located in the relatively remote Berry Islands of The Bahamas you’ll find a couple private islands leased by two cruise lines. Great Stirrup Cay is the largest of the Private Cruise Line Islands in the area as Royal Caribbean’s CoCo Cay nearby is smaller. Great Stirrup Cay is a place where if you want to party you can with the bars that are there or you can go to a quiet corner of the island to enjoy nature, beautiful water and white sand. Its a less developed island compared to CoCo Cay that is more like a small theme park but has some nice attractions and some great food. We have visited this island several times over the years and have been lucky as this is a tender port (no dock you ride on a small boat to the island). We really enjoy visiting Great Stirrup Cay on our Norwegian Cruise Line trips!
Island Information
Great Stirrup Cay is located in the sparsely populated Berry Islands District in The Bahamas. The Berry Islands are around 50 miles North of Nassau and around 140 miles to Miami. The population of the Berry Islands is less than one thousand people and most live on Great Harbour Cay. Great Stirrup Cay is the oldest Private Cruise Island having been one since the mid 1970s. The island actually has a long history that includes being a pirate’s hideout and a US Military Outpost. You can see Royal Caribbean’s CoCo Cay a short distance from Great Stirrup Cay. Being in The Bahamas its generally warm but the water can be fairly cool in the winter time. During the summer as what should be expected it can be VERY hot on the island so be prepared to hydrate and try to stay cool. As would be expected the only way to get to the Island is to go on a Norwegian branded cruise line. This island is the only tender boat private island I have been to. As of this writing in 2024 there are plans to add a dock. Stops at the island sometimes are canceled due to bad weather.
Costs on the Island
Nearly all the costs on the island aside from some optional activities are included in the price of your cruise. That is done with your cruise card and not with Cash. Alcoholic beverages are of course available as either part of your beverage package if you purchased one or you can buy them with your card as well. There is a gift shop on the island that takes your cruise card as well. The only cash that would be needed is if you want to buy any souvenirs from the locals of the Berry Islands in the Straw Market on the island. The other costs will be if you want to go on a shore excursion such as a snorkel or a traditional Bahamian “swimming with the pigs” that will cost extra. There are also many cabanas that you can rent but it will cost you over a few hundred dollars. There are also much larger villas for rent in a private area that I have never visited. They also have a spa on the island if you want to pay for a massage or something else. They also have a zip line that starts at the large lighthouse on the island that costs extra. There are plenty of different food and bar options on the island.
Amenities on the Island
While Great Stirrup Cay is a bit less developed than CoCo Cay it still has plenty to offer for NCL cruisers. They have a couple very long beaches that have more free lounge chairs than any other private cruise island. Umbrellas cost a few dollars but you can find some shaded areas under palm trees that are near but not at the water. Here there are many snorkeling areas just off the beach. This includes an artificial reef where they are growing coral. I have seen many different fish and sting rays while snorkeling off the beach. The island offers multiple different shore excursions as well. We have taken a guided snorkel tour where we saw even more fish and life and we have taken The Bahamian Swimming with the Pigs tour where we feed the swimming pigs in the clear water. Our most recent visit we just relaxed on the island and took no excursions. We saw many people using the zip lines on our visits. On the island there is a small straw market where locals of the Berry Islands sell Bahamian crafts and souvenirs. There are plenty of great food options on the island. You can visit the large buffet but we usually go to one of the specialty food trucks on the island. One serves things like Ceviche, Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches and a not to be missed Coconut Fudge Bar desert. There is also a new BBQ station you can go to that wasn’t there in the past. There is also a Taco Bar. There is a large beachside bar called the Bacardi Bar. There is a putting green and plenty of water sports. If you need a wheel chair they have special beach wheel chairs available. Much of the island is still natural and you cannot visit it but there are plenty of areas you can visit.
What we thought about the Island
We really enjoy Great Stirrup Cay. It is more of an island to relax on and do some great snorkeling. On the last cruise there were two ships anchored and we still found at the end of the beach relatively low number of people and a perfect snorkeling. I probably snorkeled about a mile and was by myself. Its a fairly long island so to go to the furthest beach is a somewhat long walk but not too bad. This is the only private cruise island that has tender boats to get to the island (that I have been to at least). It does make getting to the island a little more difficult as if you are not a top tier NCL Latitudes Member or have an excursion you have to get tender tickets to go ashore. You have to go the day before somewhere on the ship to get your tickets. You then wait for your number to be called to go. We are a higher tier with NCL so we were able to get on a tender whenever we wanted on our last visit. The tender boat operations does make it more likely for a port cancelation due to bad weather or high seas/winds. It doesn’t mean that having a dock will eliminate all risk of a canceled port as I have been places where visiting a port was delayed due to strong winds. The unique food is one of the best parts about the island. Having more than a typical buffet getting the BBQ, Tacos or great deserts is a different touch than some islands. The cabanas look really nice with great views but they are much more expensive to rent than MSC where I rented a cabana. The villas look to be very luxurious from what I’ve seen online but are far beyond my price range. This was the first private cruise island I visited, and it is a good one to try out!
If you are Interested in this trip:
Contact Donna Miller and she can help you book your dream trip today including NCL Cruises. Her travel planning services are completely free if you book with her. She can sometimes get special deals for travel. Contact her at donnamiller.etfamilytravel@gmail.com to book today!
