Stirrup Cay question

[purplecow15]

We’re booked on the Sky for a March sailing. We’ve never been to Great Stirup  Cay Bahamas. As I check the itinerary a few excursions have been listed. Several are for renting villas there. My question is since we are only there for the day why would we need to rent a villa?

[FlGoodShips]

You don't need to. Enough loungers on beach. Also you can find a lounger in shade. We just wander around, and eat at free buffet on the island. Its nice.

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, purplecow15 said:

We’re booked on the Sky for a March sailing. We’ve never been to Great Stirup  Cay Bahamas. As I check the itinerary a few excursions have been listed. Several are for renting villas there. My question is since we are only there for the day why would we need to rent a villa?

You don't need one.  I think they tend to get rented by groups or large families who want a "base" for the day.  Google Cabanas great stirrup cay and I'll bet you can get some videos of what they are all about.

We just grab a pair of loungers and relax.

[Peachypooh]

What everyone said so far is true. We do get a small cabana because we travel with family and need a home base. Between the shore ex credit and my sapphire status it is somewhat affordable. If it was just my husband and me we wouldn't go to the expense.

[saltsandknit]

We rented a villa on our cruise last September it was very discounted and worth the cost. The villas are air conditioned and have a bathroom and shower, as well as a TV and movies to watch. You get to use the lagoon and have a private bar and buffet. The downside is that it is very far from everything else and even though there are carts to take you to other places it wasn't always convenient. Depending on how you want to spend your time it really is nice but not necessary.

[Beer Belly]

Wife and I had an Ocean Villa, had attendants that would run for beverages, great buffet nearby, private bathroom and shower, air conditioning, shared the Cove with maybe 6 others. Downside for us.....was too quiet, could hear music and all the action on the main beach, sounded like a great party we missed. 

Edited July 16, 2022 by Beer Belly

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 hours ago, saltsandknit said:

as well as a TV and movies to watch

This is where you lose me.  Why on God's green earth would anybody on Great Stirrup Cay spend even a minute watching the TV?

[complawyer]

as far as i'm concerned, if great stirrup caye is one of the ports, i'm staying on the ship and enjoying the lack of other people. i have often commented that sharing a beach with 2-3000 of my closest friends is not something i want to, unless i can share a few beers with chiefmate (lol)

[raitch]

The regular cabanas are open platforms with a fan, a couch, etc so you have your own little shaded “room” to use as home base.
 

The Silver Cove villas include A/C, a private bathroom, a porch with loungers and your own attendant/waiter to bring drinks, a quiet beach, access to a fancier buffet (I guess, I didn’t see the regular buffet but this one wasn’t so fancy).  
 

If you want to have beach time but also need to cool off and have privacy they’re great.  They’re WAY overpriced.  We first got one in Dec 2021 when it was vastly discounted, and now we’ve booked another for our Aug 2022 trip but this time it was full price and ouch.

[spanishguy1970]

10 hours ago, complawyer said:

as far as i'm concerned, if great stirrup caye is one of the ports, i'm staying on the ship and enjoying the lack of other people. i have often commented that sharing a beach with 2-3000 of my closest friends is not something i want to, unless i can share a few beers with chiefmate (lol)

the only time we went there i tried to get off the ship but they were so disorganized that it was 10 am and people were still trying to grab a tender, we were supposed to be back on the ship by 4:30,  I removed myself from that line and went to the spa instead. :-), we enjoyed our day on the ship with hardly any people for at least 3 -4 hours LOL.....

[complawyer]

that's what im talking about.  it's nice to see at least once, but after that, meh.

 

i also had a thought. since gsc is ncl's private beach, shouldnt passengers get a reduction in port charges? do they pay to have to dock in their own port. same with harvest caye

 

just saying!

[happytotravel]

14 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

This is where you lose me.  Why on God's green earth would anybody on Great Stirrup Cay spend even a minute watching the TV?

My thoughts exactly!  Folks should enjoy the beach and the fun of it.  They can watch TV or movies when they get home.  This is a cruise!!!!!

Take care,

happytotravel

[saltsandknit]

18 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

This is where you lose me.  Why on God's green earth would anybody on Great Stirrup Cay spend even a minute watching the TV?

we didn't but if you had small children I could see the appeal.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, saltsandknit said:

we didn't but if you had small children I could see the appeal.

 

I guess it would depend upon the parent.  If I had a child who was feeling ill, then sure, park him/her in front of the TV while I frolic on the beach.  If the kids are feeling fine, then they had better get their behinds out on the beach and learn how to have fun without a screen in front of them.