Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay may be the most well-known cruise line private island, but it wasn’t the first.
Norwegian Cruise Line pioneered the cruise line private island after purchasing Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas in 1977. It wasn’t until the 1990s that other cruise lines got into the private island game, extending the onboard experience to their own exclusive beach destinations.
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Although Norwegian was the first cruise line to offer passengers the opportunity to escape to a private oasis, it hasn’t been as quick as other cruise lines to build out its destination with amenities and attractions.
While Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay features the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean, a beach club, a water park, and other attractions, Norwegian’s Great Stirrup Cay has retained more of a natural vibe with amenities and water sports activities centered around relaxation on its pristine beaches.
A passenger-favorite destination, Great Stirrup Cay wows cruisers with its natural beauty, but experiencing the island’s charms isn’t always a breeze for passengers. That’s something the cruise line has set out to change, however.
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Great Stirrup Cay is getting a pivotal new pier and other major enhancements.
Image source: Norwegian Cruise Line
Great Stirrup Cay transformation underway
Norwegian Cruise Line and its passengers have long struggled with one major barrier to accessing Great Stirrup Cay. The island lacks a pier for cruise ships to dock, making it necessary for the cruise line to shuttle passengers to the island via tender boats.
This has made access to the island somewhat unreliable for Norwegian since rough seas that tend to come along frequently make tendering unsafe, often forcing cruise ships to skip planned calls to the destination.
Missing out on the passenger-favorite island has been a major disappointment for many Norwegian cruise passengers over the years, but that’s finally about to change. Construction of a new $150 million cruise ship pier is underway on the island and it’s expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.
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The new pier will accommodate two large cruise ships simultaneously, improving access to the island for all three of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ cruise brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
With the new pier on the way, Norwegian has big plans to increase calls to the destination and offer passengers more to enjoy during their visits to the island too. Along with the pier, the cruise line is investing in new amenities and enhancements that will further elevate the passenger experience at Great Stirrup Cay.
Great Stirrup Cay to get huge pool, splash pad, and more
Not only is Norwegian set to make the transition from ship to shore smoother for passengers, it’s bringing more of the onboard experience to Great Stirrup Cay and expanding the ways that passengers can enjoy their time at the idyllic vacation destination.
The new pier is just the start of a full island transformation that will include a 28,000-sq.-ft. heated pool with two swim-up bars, a family splash pad, poolside cabanas, and more. Several onboard premium concepts featured on Norwegian Cruise Line ships will also come to the island, including the adults-only Vibe Beach Club and Horizon Park, a recreation and lawn games area.
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In addition to eliminating the need for passengers to wait in line for tender boats to get to and from the island, Great Stirrup Cay’s improvements will support seamless exploration with a new island-wide tram system. The upgrades will also bring a new welcome center to elevate the island arrival experience for visitors.
Great Stirrup Cay’s enhancements will debut in late 2025 alongside the new pier with even more investments expected to come in the future as the cruise line brings more passengers to the island than ever before. Norwegian expects to welcome more than one million passengers to Great Stirrup Cay in 2026, up from about 400,000 in 2024.
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