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Clam Shell Rental on Great Stirrup Cay???


msmoger
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I have read that you can rent Clam Shells on the ship in advance of your port day at Great Stirrup Cay. I have a few questions.

 

Where on the ship can this be done?

 

Is it true you get priority tendering?

 

Can you get a refund if it's a rainy day?

 

Finally, is it obvious once you get there where to go to claim the shell?

 

Thanks for any information.

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I would also like to know, what is the rental price?

 

You rent them at the shore excursion desk.

 

I think you get priority tender tickets with the clam shell rental. but I'm not sure. We had a suite so we had them anyway.

 

I think there were signs directing where to go when you got off the tender. I remember, it was a bit confusing because we didn't see the signs right away but if you go in the direction of the Hippo Slide there will be crew members who will take your ticket and help you find a clamshell.

 

If, for some reason, they skip the stop at GSC due to rough seas or bad weather you'd get a refund.

 

I think the cost was about $30 but that was a couple of years ago.

Edited by emcelh
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You rent them at the shore excursion desk.

 

I think you get priority tender tickets with the clam shell rental. but I'm not sure. We had a suite so we had them anyway.

 

I think there were signs directing where to go when you got off the tender. I remember, it was a bit confusing because we didn't see the signs right away but if you go in the direction of the Hippo Slide there will be crew members who will take your ticket and help you find a clamshell.

 

If, for some reason, they skip the stop at GSC due to rough seas or bad weather you'd get a refund.

 

I think the cost was about $30 but that was a couple of years ago.

 

Thanks so much. This is a huge help.

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All I can say is don't do it!!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

 

 

They are unbelievably hot, like a sauna....

 

 

The area is also very cramped and you have a view of nothing.

 

True, they can be hot. Some have a mesh window in the back which helps with air circulation and those are the ones you want. Also, if you get there late and end up in the back row you won't have a view of anything.

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True, they can be hot. Some have a mesh window in the back which helps with air circulation and those are the ones you want. Also, if you get there late and end up in the back row you won't have a view of anything.

 

We had a mesh one and it was still horrible, we were also the second tender of the day and all the first row was taken already, no view either.

 

They are stacked in a corner next to the slide.

 

 

Honestly this is horribly done by NCL, they should be placed along the water. I dont mind walking further if I am going to get a prime spot. After all I am paying $30 extra for that thing.

 

We ended up dishing the shell and finding shade under one of the 5 palm trees of the island...

 

I wish they offered umbrellas, next time I am bringing my own.

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We had a mesh one and it was still horrible, we were also the second tender of the day and all the first row was taken already, no view either.

 

They are stacked in a corner next to the slide.

 

 

Honestly this is horribly done by NCL, they should be placed along the water. I dont mind walking further if I am going to get a prime spot. After all I am paying $30 extra for that thing.

 

We ended up dishing the shell and finding shade under one of the 5 palm trees of the island...

 

I wish they offered umbrellas, next time I am bringing my own.

 

We really liked the clamshell. We decided not to purchase the shell in advance just in case the weather for the day was bad. We were one of the first groups off the tender and were able to decide which area we prefered to sit. We stayed away from the first "beach" with all the toys, slides, etc. and went further down to the 2nd beach area where an attendant was still setting up the shells. He has a clipboard where you can rent the shell right there on the beach, so no reason to worry about pre-booking. He set everything up as we requested and this worked out fine.

 

We chose a shell under a palm tree with a good view - no other chairs in front of us. However, people being people the view did become obstructive - that can happen anywhere. With this extra shading from the tree and the early start to the day, it was not too hot.

 

DH cannot sit in the sun so the clamshell was a great option for us - even with other couples around us we felt private under our shell. There is shade up from the beach in the trees, but lots of families will scope this out for young children - we prefered the privacy of the shell.

 

So my suggestion is to get an early tender ticket, walk down to the second set of clamshells, pick out your spot, and pay when you get there. The upgrades to the island now makes it one of my favorite stops on the cruise.

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Clamshells are $29.99 and are available at the Shore Excursion Desk. You can rent ahead of time, make a reservation on the ship or get one when you get to Great Stirrup Cay. There they are available at the Shore Excursion Building. You will see it with all of the floats etc. Have never needed one but I love the sun so understand that some want shade. That said, they are very heavy and cannot be moved. I don't like the" whole lined up next to someone else kind of thing." Would rather have my beach chair down by the water.

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All I can say is don't do it!!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

 

 

They are unbelievably hot, like a sauna....

 

 

The area is also very cramped and you have a view of nothing.

 

I agree with this.

 

We got one last August and it was very hot that day. My DH doesn't do sun, my DD and I were in the water and when I went to see hubby, he looked so miserable. He must have sweat out a gallon of water in the half hour he sat there.

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We tried a clam shell the last time we were at GSC. We ordered it onboard and had our choice of them when we arrived. It didn't seem like that many people had ordered them that day. It was great for shade but the light breeze kept knocking it over. That got really annoying.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

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We've rented the clam shells a couple of times. One trick we picked up on to help with the oven effect. Lift the back of the shell off the ground, even a few inches helps. But, a foot off the ground made all the difference in the world. It allows air to flow though the shell. I used a small cooler to keep the back of the shell up. But I saw others just make a little hill with beach sand. You would be surprised how much it helps ;)

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We've rented the clam shells a couple of times. One trick we picked up on to help with the oven effect. Lift the back of the shell off the ground, even a few inches helps. But, a foot off the ground made all the difference in the world. It allows air to flow though the shell. I used a small cooler to keep the back of the shell up. But I saw others just make a little hill with beach sand. You would be surprised how much it helps ;)

 

Great info to know - one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments...see all the good info you get on CC:D

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All I can say is don't do it!!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

 

 

They are unbelievably hot, like a sauna....

 

 

The area is also very cramped and you have a view of nothing.

 

YES! I completely agree. We rented one last year and would not do so again. We stacked our belongings on the chairs in ours but not one of the 5 of us actually sat in it.

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Is there another option for guaranteed shade on GSC, other than the clamshell? On Princess Cays, we rented a bungalow - pricey, but it guaranteed shade. I can't tolerate the sun for long periods so this worked for me.

 

Does NCL have anything similar?

 

Last year we packed a sunblocking beach umbrella and it worked really well. It was really easy to spot the bright red umbrella against all those blue chairs and clamshells.

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Is there another option for guaranteed shade on GSC, other than the clamshell? On Princess Cays, we rented a bungalow - pricey, but it guaranteed shade. I can't tolerate the sun for long periods so this worked for me.

 

Does NCL have anything similar?

 

Yes, Norwegian has cabanas for rent, they accommodate up to six (?) people and come with a food/bar set up. When the hippo slide was working it also had wristbands for the slide. You might want to do a search for cabana rental on this forum.

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You rent them at the shore excursion desk.

 

I think you get priority tender tickets with the clam shell rental. but I'm not sure. We had a suite so we had them anyway.

 

I think there were signs directing where to go when you got off the tender. I remember, it was a bit confusing because we didn't see the signs right away but if you go in the direction of the Hippo Slide there will be crew members who will take your ticket and help you find a clamshell.

 

If, for some reason, they skip the stop at GSC due to rough seas or bad weather you'd get a refund.

 

I think the cost was about $30 but that was a couple of years ago.

 

The price is $29.99 When you get off the tender, head toward the straw market.

 

PAST the straw market, you'll see the clamshells. The attendants are usually sitting in one of them, with a clipboard.

 

To get one in advance, just go to the Shore Excursions desk.

 

We had one last week. It was great. It had no mesh.

 

 

HOWEVER.... THE HIPPO SLIDE DOESN"T EXIST ANYMORE.

 

So all the directions that they're near the hippo slide don't help.

 

The Hippo Slide blew away during Sandy (or the previous hurricane) and hasn't been found.

 

 

Stephen

 

.

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Is there another option for guaranteed shade on GSC, other than the clamshell? On Princess Cays, we rented a bungalow - pricey, but it guaranteed shade. I can't tolerate the sun for long periods so this worked for me.

 

Does NCL have anything similar?

 

The Cabanas are $299 for up to 8 people and you can add two additional people for 39 each. There are only 8 reviews on NCL's website and they are all excellent. Also the cabanas have their own little beach so your away from the main crowd.

 

This is the description from NCLs website:

 

Your private cabana comes with everything you need to enjoy your stay on the Cay. Start your day with priority tender tickets, making it easy to get ashore. Bottled water and fruit await your arrival. Once you have settled in, enjoy the sea on a complimentary floating mat, plus a $50 credit towards food and beverages while on the Cay. Note: You may have the use of the Cabana for the entire day. Price listed is per cabana (not per person); therefore only one person needs to reserve the cabana. Cabana rental is good for up to 8 guests with the ability to add up to 2 additional guests, for $39 per person. Cabana rental includes up to 4 complimentary floating mats.

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  • 5 years later...

There are clamshells on the beach farther along in front of the cabanas also. It is less crowded there but the beach is rocky. I also found them to be hot, but, better than direct sun on my face for hours. Without the clamshell I would have had to return to the ship earlier.

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