Great Stirrup Cay for non-swimmer

[babs135]

Love cruising but can't swim and am actually quite frightened of water! With that in mind what is there to do at GSC for me, or would I be better off staying on the ship - Breakaway.

 

Thanks in advance

[HighVoltage#9]

Love cruising but can't swim and am actually quite frightened of water! With that in mind what is there to do at GSC for me, or would I be better off staying on the ship - Breakaway.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Drink !!!

[ARI421]

Gsc is sooo beautiful! Grab a book and read on the beach or put your toes in the water it's crystal clear!

[babs135]

Drink !!!

 

Why isn't there a Like button?

[lisakoivu]

Oh, i don't swim either, but please jump off the ship with a book and find a nice shady spot and enjoy the Caribbean!!!

[MeHeartCruising]

I also never went in the water at GSC. It's really a nice place, assuming you are interested/able to walk around. I explored it from end-to-end (at least the areas you're permitted to in). There are some beautiful photo opportunities. You can find a place to sit and read or just people watch. There's a little shopping. There's food and drink of course. It's worth getting off the ship for at least a little while. I think I spent about 4 hours ashore before heading back to the ship to sit by the pool.

[ShannonSC2]

Love cruising but can't swim and am actually quite frightened of water! With that in mind what is there to do at GSC for me, or would I be better off staying on the ship - Breakaway.

 

Thanks in advance

 

I would get off the ship, walk around the sandy beaches, maybe put your toes in the water, find a good palm tree to lay under with a good shade and order as many drinks as possible. Also enjoy the grill and the games.

 

I always find the water to be cold so I don't get in the water.

 

At least you aren't somewhere in the cold! :)

 

Have fun!

[Keith1010]

Just walk around and lounge around and enjoy.

 

Keith

[Pitzel]

If you are afraid of the waves, head over to the lagoon to dip your toes in the water. It is absolutely calm and crystal clear.

[tisher01]

Take the tour bus around the island and it will bring you to a small little inlet where you can dip your feet in the water with no worries. Worth getting of the ship.

 

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[babs135]

Thanks everyone for your encouraging replies. I'm still trying to sell this to DH and may well come back with lots of questions as I think about it.

 

In the meantime two more questions: Am I right in assuming that the food and drink will be free and secondly the trip we are looking at is over the New Year so what is the temperature likely to be?

[tisher01]

I can't speak to the weather, but in regards to the food, it depends what restaurant you eat at and what you drink. There are normally lots of complimentary restaurants that you don't pay for, but there are also some restaurants that are not free. If you drink alcohol I don't think any of it is complimentary. We have always chosen for buy the beverage package.

 

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[cb at sea]

There is NO NEED to get into the water! And, if you decide to, it's ankle deep at shore's edge! It's a lovely day...but you don't have to go swimming!!!

[ennazus]

secondly the trip we are looking at is over the New Year so what is the temperature likely to be?

 

weather averages:

Dec: https://weatherspark.com/averages/32704/12/Nassau-New-Providence-Island-Bahamas-The-Bahamas

 

January https://weatherspark.com/averages/32704/1/Nassau-New-Providence-Island-Bahamas-The-Bahamas

 

looks like highs about 78F and lows of 66F

[babs135]

weather averages:

Dec: https://weatherspark.com/averages/32704/12/Nassau-New-Providence-Island-Bahamas-The-Bahamas

 

January https://weatherspark.com/averages/32704/1/Nassau-New-Providence-Island-Bahamas-The-Bahamas

 

looks like highs about 78F and lows of 66F

 

Definitely warmer than in the UK :D

[pathubia]

Thanks everyone for your encouraging replies. I'm still trying to sell this to DH and may well come back with lots of questions as I think about it.

 

In the meantime two more questions: Am I right in assuming that the food and drink will be free and secondly the trip we are looking at is over the New Year so what is the temperature likely to be?

 

The drinks and food at GSC are covered under the beverage package. There are some vendors that you can purchase souvenirs from.

 

We took an eco-boat tour and we rode jet skis the day we were there. The eco tour was pretty cool and the jet skiing was great....There wasn't a "no-wake" zone.

[kingoftheicedragons]

We just booked the Epic for next January, and it stops at Great Stirrup Cay...it'll be our first time at a private island.

 

Someone mentioned that there are "restaurants" to go to on the island, some of which are complimentary and others that aren't? Is this true? I was under the assumption that a BBQ was set up for lunch...so do we actually have options for what we want to eat when on GSC?

[khaide612]

GSC has buffets set up. I was just there and don't recall any paid dining on GSC. I think the poster was talking about the ship and not the island.

 

Also to OP take the tram around to the lagoon - no waves and smooth sand.

[cruisemainiac]

There used to be a path to the small lighthouse on the other side of the island. With all the changes I'm not sure if it's still accessible. Plan on 20 minutes each way and don't forget water. Even if you don't drink it you'll look really smart that you even thought of it. Have fun.

[mking8288]

Make a left turn after getting off the tender pier at GSC, the mini trams will shuttle you over to the lagoon on the "far" side of the island - it has bathrooms, buffet & beverage station, lots of loungers - but you really want to get a "clam shell" (all day rental fee of $30 - space for 2 people) - in this pic, see the blue shell set up among the last row of lounger. There's a life guard on duty, just in case.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/IMG20150325_0948%281024x768%29.jpg

 

The view from "inside" our clam shell over the loungers - bring a set of headphones, relax & listen to music, and enjoy the day at GSC - waves & sea conditions do sometimes made it impossible to safely tender passengers to shore for the day. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/IMG20150325_1436%20%281024x768%29.jpg

 

With the midday sun, sands can get hot - bring & wear a pair of beach sandels. It's nice to stroll along the shallow water - just don't go too far in as the slope is rather steep and drop off over one's shoulder rather quickly ...

[babs135]

Make a left turn after getting off the tender pier at GSC, the mini trams will shuttle you over to the lagoon on the "far" side of the island - it has bathrooms, buffet & beverage station, lots of loungers - but you really want to get a "clam shell" (all day rental fee of $30 - space for 2 people) - in this pic, see the blue shell set up among the last row of lounger. There's a life guard on duty, just in case.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/IMG20150325_0948%281024x768%29.jpg

 

The view from "inside" our clam shell over the loungers - bring a set of headphones, relax & listen to music, and enjoy the day at GSC - waves & sea conditions do sometimes made it impossible to safely tender passengers to shore for the day. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/IMG20150325_1436%20%281024x768%29.jpg

 

With the midday sun, sands can get hot - bring & wear a pair of beach sandels. It's nice to stroll along the shallow water - just don't go too far in as the slope is rather steep and drop off over one's shoulder rather quickly ...

 

Loved the view from the inside of the shell :D

 

Reading other posts, people mention cabañas. Are these like huts and what would we find in it? I sound absolutely clueless, which I am so apologies for any stupid questions

[OceanDreaming2]

We don't swim either, but found GSC very, very nice. Just be sure you use plenty of sunscreen! We were more than slightly toasty by mid-afternoon. And we had a cabana.

[mking8288]

Loved the view from the inside of the shell :D

Reading other posts, people mention cabañas. Are these like huts and what would we find in it? I sound absolutely clueless, which I am so apologies for any stupid questions

 

GSC has small & large cabanas, for 4 and 8+ respectively, extra charges apply if you are over the "quota" - see this YT video taken by someone else

 

They are further back, behind the rows of clam shells, with the loungers in front so as to NOT block the view of lifeguard(s) on duty ... for life safety reasons. Rental prices are for the entire day, subject to change, please check MyNCL under your sailing for availability & prices, etc. (the bigger ones supposingly are often fully reserved)

 

For the "hotter" months in the tropics, they provide excellent shades & sun protection, a shower area to rinse off, refrigerator to keep beverages icy cold, comes with an allowance for upgraded food & beverages (??) - but there's always free drinking water, ice tea, simple buffet/BBQ style beach food available nearby set up NCL, all part of included fares (just don't expect or look for BBQ ribs, pork chops, etc. as that was available many, many moons ago ... discontinued thanks to cost saving measures)

 

With just 2 of you, the clamshell will do just fine - rent another one if there's 4 of you - far cheaper than the $200+ (or is it $300) per cabanas (small ones)

 

Be sure to pack and/or pickup suntan lotions and bug sprays as you will need both on GSC. Happy cruising & good luck tendering at GSC, as mother nature dictate whether conditions and seas are calm enough for boats to dock and transfer pax off/back to the ship.