Great Stirrup Cay cabana

First timer going to book a small cabana.....how does the selection work? Is it random? Done at guest services? Can you email ahead of time? Also, are there any preferences as to which one you pick...pros or cons? Thank you!

Does anyone have either pictures or videos of the small & large cabanas on Great Stirrup Cay?

Does anyone have either pictures or videos of the small & large cabanas on Great Stirrup Cay?

Here is a picture of the small cabana.

Does anyone have either pictures or videos of the small & large cabanas on Great Stirrup Cay?

And here is the large cabana

Menu for the cabana. I don't know how hold this is, prices & selections may have changed. You can use your $50 credit towards the menu.

Thank you very much

Thanks for posting the pictures of the large/small cabanas. Does anyone know where the exact location of each is? I am wondering if the larger cabanas are closer to the beach or if the distance is the same.

Can you use your UBP on the island or do you have to pay for drinks on GSC?

Can you use your UBP on the island or do you have to pay for drinks on GSC?

The UBP works on GSC the same way as it does aboard the ship. No need to pay for drinks (within the usual UBP limits).

Thanks for posting the pictures of the large/small cabanas. Does anyone know where the exact location of each is? I am wondering if the larger cabanas are closer to the beach or if the distance is the same.

I got this off of NCL's Facebook page. Hope it helps.

Looking at picures of the large cabana, it looks like there's a table with 4 chairs and 2 loungers. is that correct? that doesn't seem like enough if they rent the cabana for 8 people and you have the ability to pay for 2 exta. We have a large group going and I'm concerned there won't be enough seating. I know the whole group won't be in there all the time but there could be times when everyone is.

thanks

Hi, we were in a large cabana in December 2014. There was a table, 4 chairs and 4 lounges. So you have seating for 8. There is a hammock in the back along with cold water shower. The large cabana is on a platform and you can sit on the edge of the platform. You also get several water floats. There is electricity with a fan over the table and a refrigerator.

thanks for the info. I couldn't see the other 2 loungers in the pics. I think we'll be fine then.

Hi, we were in a large cabana in December 2014. There was a table, 4 chairs and 4 lounges. So you have seating for 8. There is a hammock in the back along with cold water shower. The large cabana is on a platform and you can sit on the edge of the platform. You also get several water floats. There is electricity with a fan over the table and a refrigerator.

Are there attendants fro the cabanas? Will they bring drinks and such regularly?

I got this off of NCL's Facebook page. Hope it helps.

 

Thanks for the information. It was very helpful.

we booked an ncl cruise for January 2016, but I don't see cabanas on the ncl website yet. How early can you reserve? They wouldn't all be taken already, would they? Any info on reservations from those who have done it?

We are on the Getaway 2/7/16 and I just booked a large Cabana today.

We are on the Getaway 2/7/16 and I just booked a large Cabana today.

How? Via NCL excursion site?

We are on the Getaway 2/21/2106 and I was looking at the prices for the small cabanas and was a little surprised to see the cost was $399. Even with the Shore Excursion credit of $75, $324 seems like a lot to spend for it.

When I was looking at the first NCL excursion page, the price for the small cabana was listed as "Prices from $199".

I know the cabana it totally worth it, but I guess I'm still suffering from sticker shock!:eek:

My husband & I are sailing on Breakaway over Thanksgiving week, 2015, and I'd love to share a cabana & its cost with another couple. My question is, for a small cabana, is there sand directly in front of it? I am a beach bum and prefer sand while my husband prefers a lounge & shade.

We are on the Getaway 2/21/2106 and I was looking at the prices for the small cabanas and was a little surprised to see the cost was $399. Even with the Shore Excursion credit of $75, $324 seems like a lot to spend for it.

 

When I was looking at the first NCL excursion page, the price for the small cabana was listed as "Prices from $199".

 

I know the cabana it totally worth it, but I guess I'm still suffering from sticker shock!:eek:

I agree, the cost is definitely a factor for considering whether to get a cabana. The values of the cabanas are that they provide a lot of comfort (shade, waiter service), privacy, and proximity to the less crowded beach areas. Their immense popularity and demand make it easy for NCL to justify the high prices.

My wife and I enjoyed our cabana very much, but I was fortunate; we got our small cabana at the lower end of the price range: $249 on the Sky, during the last week of December. If the offered price were $399, I would have had to think long and hard whether or not to book one.

As the previous poster (Luke Saint Joe) has mentioned, it's a good idea to "make friends" with one or two other couples on board, and see if they'd be interested in using the cabana and sharing the cost with you.

My husband & I are sailing on Breakaway over Thanksgiving week, 2015, and I'd love to share a cabana & its cost with another couple. My question is, for a small cabana, is there sand directly in front of it? I am a beach bum and prefer sand while my husband prefers a lounge & shade.

No, there is no sand directly in front of the small cabanas. But you'd be so close to the beach that it shouldn't matter. Here are some photos to help illustrate.

This is small cabana #21:

This is another view of the cabana, showing the small grassy area in front:

This view is from the front of the cabana, looking to the right (in the direction of the main beach and the tender-boat dock). The path in front is for people walking and for motorized carts that transport food and other supplies. You can see the lounge chairs, the beach, and then the water:

This view is from the front of the cabana, looking out directly toward the beach. It shows how close you are to the loungers and the beach, so you could easily go there whenever you want to be in the sand and sun:

This view from the front of the cabana looks toward the left. Proceeding in this direction brings you to a couple of small beach areas, and then the lagoon:

Finally, the lagoon, which is a relatively short walk from the cabana area:

I stumbled across this thread from another post. Thanks to those who have posted pictures and answered questions. We are sailing with our friends in November on the Sky and are wanting to get a cabana. This was perfect to convince them!! :) My husband and I have cruised, while this will be their first. Is there a way to know which is "best"....closest to something, best location, best views. Thanks so much!

I stumbled across this thread from another post. Thanks to those who have posted pictures and answered questions. We are sailing with our friends in November on the Sky and are wanting to get a cabana. This was perfect to convince them!! :) My husband and I have cruised, while this will be their first. Is there a way to know which is "best"....closest to something, best location, best views. Thanks so much!

There are 14 small cabanas, numbered 11 through 23, in a row, with #11 being the first cabana you encounter as you walk (or ride a tram) from the tender boat dock. I think the views from all the cabanas are similar, but that is of course my unqualified opinion since I really only experienced the view from #21. It just seemed like the all views would be similarly very nice.

As far as location, most people would obviously say it's better to be closer to the restrooms and the food area, which would be the lower-numbered cabanas starting with #11. However, even being at the further end (#21), I didn't feel it was a long walk to the nearest restroom area or to the food area. But if anyone in your party has mobility issues, they might feel differently.

A couple of notes:

Although there are a secondary food area and a secondary bar (which are nearer to the cabanas than the primary food and bar areas), these secondary areas are not open when the Sky visits GSC. Apparently they're only open when the larger ships visit. I'm not 100% sure whether this is ALWAYS the case for the Sky, but reports from CC posters seem to confirm it.

If you book your cabana online, it does not allow you to select a specific cabana number. The numbers are probably assigned in sequential order as the reservations are received. And I'd recommend that you do reserve your cabana online as soon as you are able to (rather than waiting onboard), because you always run the risk of them selling out.

Still several months away, but have a great time on your cruise and GSC!

Thank you so much RoobyDoo!!! Such great information you provided me with :) I can totally understand why NCL wouldn't have all eateries open with their smaller ships visiting.