Great Stirrup Cay

[NYHartChapp]

Hi All,

 

Any recent NCL cruisers have info on current state of Great Stirrup Cay?

 

Thanks.

[shoreguy]

Last week was the first visit in months. There is a thread with details

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=156829

[MA 2 VA]

It appears that they are back there today. I see an island and beautiful weather. Let's hope it stays that way for the 4/10 cruise:)

 

[lorn63vt]

Hi Ma 2 Va, I will be on the April 10 cruise also. Come join our roll call if you want to.

[Beeper16]

I was on the Dawn the week of 3/20-3/27. That was the first cruise after dry dock. The private island was open...clean and beautiful. Some of the beach is gone due to the storms so it is a bit more crowded. The vendor area and the shack that gives out equipment were not affected. The pier that the tenders docked at are gone though...so they just beached the tenders in order tp dischage and pick-up passengers. The area that NCL used for kitchen preparation and also the pavillions for eating were all usable.

I was told some of the far side of the island had more erosion and there were "craters" in some areas. My advice would be to stay away from those areas. The barbeque lunch on the island was delicious..hot dogs..hambugers...chickesn..salads...etc.

Have a great time at Great Stirrup Cay!

One thing...get tender tickets early. You can get a ticket at the excursion desk that morning around 8am. You will need to get off the ship early if you want an umbrella and spot on the sand that's not too far away. We were number 277,278 and we had a great spot.

Jane

[smeyer418]

They beached the tenders before the storm. There never was a dock...

[vacationgogo]

Beeper16,

 

Thanks for the tip about the tender tickets. There are 13 people (3 families, 5 rooms) in our group. How to they distribute the tender tickets? Do all of us need to be there to get them? One person per room? One person per family? Help!

[vacationgogo]

Sorry, just thought of another question. If we get the tender tickets at 8:00, do we get directly on line to wait or do we have time to grab a quick breakfast and come back in time ? Also, if there isn't time for breakfast on board, are there breakfast foods available on GSC? Thanks again.

[shirleygr]

Can you get tender tickets for GSC from your concierge? I've read conflicting reports on this. We are in a mini-suite and I plan on taking advantage of the concierge services. Thanks!

[morningglorymish]

Beeper16,

 

Thanks for the tip about the tender tickets. There are 13 people (3 families, 5 rooms) in our group. How to they distribute the tender tickets? Do all of us need to be there to get them? One person per room? One person per family? Help!

 

Good question.

 

Important! They told us everyone had to be there with their key cards shown, but they were going so fast it didn't seem like they noticed the cards. Don't take any chances.

 

Get breakfast early or to go or in your room.Get on that first tender and get a good lounge .

Or get your tender tickets and run and get food . Some fruit muffins etc. Wait you may not be able to take food off in GSC. Most ports you are not allowed to take food off. Hopefully someone else remembers.No breakfast on the island that I saw. Great lunch. Good reggae band.

[Jett456]

Yes, I'd like to know about the tender tickets as well. Once I have a ticket do I have to wait in line or can you hear your number being called. I read somewhere on the boards that it takes an hour to get on the tender but if I have a number why do I have to wait in line? I am confused :)

[SalveGirl2006]

You will have time to go to the Garden Cafe and have a breakfast once you get your tender tickets. I would say it took a good hour before they actually started to get people on the tender. They announce it over the PA so you will be able to hear the announcement.

[tommy2811]

how about seat saving??

 

example,you have three seats and deside to go snorkeling,will you loose the seats?

[ontheopenseas]

Any info on parasailing? My children are signed up for parasailing. The confirimation said 8:00. Do they actually go at 8:00. Will my husband and I be able to go over with them and watch them? I would not like them going off on their own. About how long does it last? Did they do the parasailing on the last stop at GSC? Any input from anyone with experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

[SalveGirl2006]

I don't think you will lose your seats. We left ours to go into the water, to go to the straw market, to get lunch, etc. There was never a problem.

[morningglorymish]

We left our cameras and everything at the lounges all day and never lost our seats.

Parasailing I know nothing.

Salvegirl knows more, she is a repeat Dawn cruiser.

[vacationgogo]

thanks for the responses. I didn't realize I had so many questions until I started reading the posts on the boards. The more I learn, the more questions I seem to have! lol

[gtaylor]

They're a bit dated now, but I have pictures posted from our visits to Great Stirrup Cay aboard the Norway.

 

 

Sorry about the low resolution (and the Tripod ads), but if you want to take a look, the pictures are there.

[bstrauss3]

They beached the tenders before the storm. There never was a dock...

 

Well there are the remains of some kind of pier in the sand below the new pier. They were very careful to walk us around the broken concrete.

 

-----Burton

[Miamibound]

I posted a lot of info on GSC on the threat entitled GSC raft question. We were on the Dawn cruise that returned April 3. Check out that thread for more info.

[wonderwoman451]

We were at GSC last May..no dock. Sorry. I did see someone's pictures from a recent sailing there. The island is a disaster. :( The hurricanes really did alot of damage to that place. It was my favorite port of call on the Dawn. What a shame. :(

[Miamibound]

I posted a lot of info on GSC on the threat entitled GSC raft question. We just returned from the Dawn on April 3 and this was our second time on her. It also was our second time to GSC. Though the island has suffered a lot of damage from the hurricanes, I saw many recent improvements which have been made. They have been building a beautiful retaining wall with a walkway near the water. The remains of an old dock? or some other structure is roped off near the water. There are some concrete remains, but I don't recall a dock being there 1 1/2 years ago. As I said, the work appears to be ongoing. Perhaps I see the glass as half full all the time, but I feel the island is actually improved from our last visit in many areas. Some things will take time, the vegetation needs to grow again, etc. But it is still our favorite stop and I wouldn't want to have missed it for the world! Read the info on the GSC raft question thread and I'll be glad to answer any questions. As far as the photos of the recent stop that someone saw - all I can say is that photos only focus on specific areas. You need to look at the island as a whole. NCL seems to have done a lot of work trying to get ready ASAP.