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Great Stirrup Cay Private Cabanas

bdaddyiii

By bdaddyiii,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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bdaddyiii

bdaddyiii

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Thanks for the info everyone. I will be there in a little of 25 days. I plan on taking lots of photos and posting them to give everyone an update on the construction. I guess that means clam shell for me although a beach umbrella is not a bad idea if they will allow you to take them to the island on the tender.

 

A bad day at sea is better than a good day at work. :cool:

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rzdj96

rzdj96

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Volleyball, ping pong, straw market, BBQ, music/band, parasailing, kayak, jet skis,.....and much more. :)

 

Margaret: We were there Wednesday. Bought a clamshell. The excusrion desk told to go to the dive shack upon arrival at GSC. They sent us away (as they don't do that anymore but the tickets say they do). By the time we got to the clamshells, they were full of "wanna be's" taking them up. The NCL crew hadn't a clue how to tell anyone to leave. The only clamshells left were in the back rows where you couldn't even see the beach. We were on the first tender off the ship too. Extremely dysfunctional operation. We cancelled! There's plenty of areas that are tree shaded and with hammocks for free. There wasn't any jet ski's or kyaking and a long line for parasailing. The straw market had basicaly the same stuff at each vendor. The BBQ was the only thing that showed any coordinatation. The ribs were fantastic. As for the clamshells, save your money ($29 a couple)!

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lgfromdg

lgfromdg

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When I went to GSC in April, I also found the clamshell rental to be very disorganized. We were on the first tender and I was one of the first people to make it to the clamshells, but couldn't figure out the process. So we just claimed a clamshell and waited for someone to come over and charge us for it.

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Partyatsea

Partyatsea

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Can't speak for the Jewel but on the Sky in early Sept. you could reserve a clamshell at the shore excursion desk and the area was very well monitored by the Sky staff. They had 2 excursion guys seating you when you came in and showed your shore excursion ticket and asking people to leave who did not.

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emcelh

emcelh

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Margaret: We were there Wednesday. Bought a clamshell. The excusrion desk told to go to the dive shack upon arrival at GSC. They sent us away (as they don't do that anymore but the tickets say they do). By the time we got to the clamshells, they were full of "wanna be's" taking them up. The NCL crew hadn't a clue how to tell anyone to leave. The only clamshells left were in the back rows where you couldn't even see the beach. We were on the first tender off the ship too. Extremely dysfunctional operation. We cancelled! There's plenty of areas that are tree shaded and with hammocks for free. There wasn't any jet ski's or kyaking and a long line for parasailing. The straw market had basicaly the same stuff at each vendor. The BBQ was the only thing that showed any coordinatation. The ribs were fantastic. As for the clamshells, save your money ($29 a couple)!

 

I have to agree about the clamshell process. It was confusing. We were also on the first tender on Wednesday and it was not clear at all where to go. By the time we found the area, the first row of clamshells was full, but there was a crew member there who took our ticket and fastened it to the clamshell we picked. That part worked well enough. It was just not knowing where to go when we got off the tender.

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rzdj96

rzdj96

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Anyone have a picture of a clamshell?

 

And no smartie pants pics please. I mean the canvas shade ones!:cool:

 

Here's what they look like. I'm unsure if the slide was working properly as there was only a few kids observed on it later in the day. As you can see, the clamshells are "stacked" back and only the front few you can see the beach with.

100_0919_resized.jpg.14ff9d24d7bb1d2296bf1766051784cb.jpg

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david_sobe

david_sobe

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Thanks for the update on this.

I was wondering how this process worked because once the tenders get to the island, everyone tries to score the best chair near the water. The rental process seems not to be organized.

You really get to see humankind on these big beach days. Last time someone lost their raft and accused us of taking it. Once the lifeguard pointed out their raft was removed from the water, they would not even apologize. Others have posted here how people stole their raft too. Now reading this, they are going after the clamshells too.

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doberlady

doberlady

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Maybe they need to add more chairs. It's hard to believe they do not. It's bad enough having to snag a chair by the pool. Hate the tought of having to get on that first tender and sprinting to a chair. We are not hogs either. We are 5 people and usually take 2-3 chairs and the kids don't really sit.

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jtdlmc

jtdlmc

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Maybe they need to add more chairs. It's hard to believe they do not. It's bad enough having to snag a chair by the pool. Hate the tought of having to get on that first tender and sprinting to a chair. We are not hogs either. We are 5 people and usually take 2-3 chairs and the kids don't really sit.

 

The island is currently under construction and I read where they have opened another large section of beach. Hopefully this means they have increased the number of chairs available as well. You would think they would be sure to have enough to accommodate the capacity of the ships that go there.

 

I'm really hoping the cabanas will be reservable online, such as Carnival has recently changed to. It would be one less thing to worry about when boarding the ship - the last thing I want to do is run to the tour desk to try and book one of the few cabanas that will be availabe! Anyone privvy to any info regarding the cabanas, such as how many they are planning to build or rental fee?

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jtdlmc

jtdlmc

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I don't know about NCL, but Disney charges $499 per day.

 

Hey Rzdj...Any pics of the cabanas on Great Stirrup Cay? Did they look like they would be finished soon? I hope to rent one in October 2011.

 

Lets hope they are more in line with Carnival's price of $219! I would sit under a tree for shade before paying $500- lol :eek:

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jtdlmc

jtdlmc

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I have never seen one but according to Carnival it is $219.95 per person:eek: So a family of 4 would be $870.80. Although, they do sound nice with misters, air conditioning, snacks and soft drinks.

 

http://www.carnival.com/activities/excursion/420026

 

Carnival's rate is per cabana not per person (it's in the fine print on the booking page)

 

"Price listed is per cabana, (not per person) and good for up to 4 persons, therefore only one person needs to book."

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Frick_&_Frack

Frick_&_Frack

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I have never seen one but according to Carnival it is $219.95 per person:eek: So a family of 4 would be $870.80. Although, they do sound nice with misters, air conditioning, snacks and soft drinks.

 

http://www.carnival.com/activities/excursion/420026

 

We get them all the time on Carnival, HAL and Princess and it is $220 FOR THE FIRST FOUR OCCUPANTS. Additional above 4 persons is a smaller surcharge. It is NOT per person. I know a lot of people just don't report/advise if they will have more than 4 in the cabana. To each their own.

 

They include 2 cans of soda per person (even if only 2 ppl - you still get 8 cans) plus you get 2 of the 1 1/2 litre bottles of water. Plus floatie mats and snorkel gear for all occupants. Plus, fruit platters (apples, organges, plus watermelon and stuff like that), crudites with dip, nachoes with guac, salsa, and sour cream as well.

 

While, it's a bit pricey for just 2 people - it works out since it has a ceiling fan and A/C unit (not "cold" but certainly it makes a hot beach day comfy).

 

I'm hoping NCL's will be like this. It's the only way my DH can be on the beach due to health issues - it would be AWESOME for us!

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darrengs

darrengs

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We get them all the time on Carnival, HAL and Princess and it is $220 FOR THE FIRST FOUR OCCUPANTS. Additional above 4 persons is a smaller surcharge. It is NOT per person. I know a lot of people just don't report/advise if they will have more than 4 in the cabana. To each their own.

 

They include 2 cans of soda per person (even if only 2 ppl - you still get 8 cans) plus you get 2 of the 1 1/2 litre bottles of water. Plus floatie mats and snorkel gear for all occupants. Plus, fruit platters (apples, organges, plus watermelon and stuff like that), crudites with dip, nachoes with guac, salsa, and sour cream as well.

 

While, it's a bit pricey for just 2 people - it works out since it has a ceiling fan and A/C unit (not "cold" but certainly it makes a hot beach day comfy).

 

I'm hoping NCL's will be like this. It's the only way my DH can be on the beach due to health issues - it would be AWESOME for us!

 

That is much better, I would definitely consider one at that price.

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Frick_&_Frack

Frick_&_Frack

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Darren -

 

On CCL, HAL & Princess, for their island, you have the cabana for the entire day with priority tendering to the island. So, it's not bad even for two people (think $110 per person) including all the sodas and stuff you would normally have to rent (snorkel gear/mats). We spend around 6 hours or so over at the island usually so, for us, it's cheaper than most excursions (and MUCH more relaxing).

 

If NCL does theirs similarly, then you are just steps from the water too (plus, the CCL/HAL cabanas have a fresh water shower on their "deck" - so it's nice to rinse off each time you've been in the water).

 

Let's hope NCL will be doing the same/similar thing. :)

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