Great Stirrup Cay questions

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

What do we need to budget for on the island? I see the excursions that are offered but what else is there that we may spend money on (besides alcohol) and what are the approximate prices? We will have 4 teens/tweens with us. Will their soda cards work on the island?

 

Also, is there a 5k offered? If not, is there any sort of path that could be used to get a run in?

[Pitzel]

There is a small "straw market" on GSC that only accepts cash.

 

Excursions can be pre-booked online or via the excursion desk on the ship. If there are openings, you may also be able to book once you arrive to the island. Payment will be made with your keycard and charged to your room account (unless you pre-pay online before sailing).

 

I believe that you can also rent snorkel gear, but I am unsure of the prices.

 

Clamshells can be rented for the day, if you desire some additional shade. We found that there is plenty of naturally occurring shade if you look beyond the main beach.

 

Buffet food is free on GSC. Drinks can be charged to your keycard (soda packages and UBP do work on GSC, so no additional charges there if you have the packages).

 

There is no 5k offered, but there is a dirt road where the tram runs and there are some hiking trails that run through the island, away from the beaches and the crowds.

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Great, thanks!

 

A couple more questions that the kids are asking - are there floats and bikes available to rent?

[simplyerica]

You'll need to bring your own towel. We laid our towels out on some lounge chairs in the morning and then went on our kayaking excursion. When we came back, somebody had moved our towels and taken our spot :( We didn't realize how big of an issue this was until we found out there were no extra towels on the island.

 

The island is bigger than it seems at first. My advice if you have teens with you is to not be afraid of walking a bit further. There's a main area right near the ship that has the biggest location for food. However, if you keep walking down you'll find another food station and a bar with a really nice alcove to hang out near.

 

They have tubes and floaters that you can rent (for a pretty penny of course) and they have activities throughout the day.

 

GSC is awesome :)

[dolittle]

There is a good run to Blue Lagoon and also a hiking trail.

[Pitzel]

Great, thanks!

 

 

 

A couple more questions that the kids are asking - are there floats and bikes available to rent?

 

 

Floats, yes. Bikes, no.

[Mistizoom]

You'll need to bring your own towel. We laid our towels out on some lounge chairs in the morning and then went on our kayaking excursion. When we came back, somebody had moved our towels and taken our spot :( We didn't realize how big of an issue this was until we found out there were no extra towels on the island.

 

The island is bigger than it seems at first. My advice if you have teens with you is to not be afraid of walking a bit further. There's a main area right near the ship that has the biggest location for food. However, if you keep walking down you'll find another food station and a bar with a really nice alcove to hang out near.

 

They have tubes and floaters that you can rent (for a pretty penny of course) and they have activities throughout the day.

 

GSC is awesome :)

 

Do you know if you rent a clamshell would those chairs be considered "mine" for the day so I wouldn't have to worry about someone moving my stuff if I was away from the chairs? Might be worth the $30 just for that.

[Medtech2]

Do you know if you rent a clamshell would those chairs be considered "mine" for the day so I wouldn't have to worry about someone moving my stuff if I was away from the chairs? Might be worth the $30 just for that.

Yes, the clamshell is yours for the day. You can reserve in advance on board at the excursion desk. You will receive an excursion ticket the night before which also acts as your priority tender ticket. When you get on shore you find the person with a clip board in the area you want and they open up your clamshell for you. The earlier you get there the better choices you have.

 

They do keep track so no need to worry about someone taking over your spot.

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Can you wait and book a clamshell when you are on the island or does it need to be done in advance?

[Medtech2]

Can you wait and book a clamshell when you are on the island or does it need to be done in advance?

You can book on the island but they may be full, plus prebooking gets you priority tendering.

[Smurfette27]

You can book on the island but they may be full, plus prebooking gets you priority tendering.

 

We just cruised last week and the clamshells were all sold when we got to the island. We were among the first tenders so they were rented out already by the time we got there although some people never showed up to claim them because a couple of them were never setup by the workers. You can reserve them ahead of time but you need someone to come by and set them up for you as there's a piece missing for it to stay up... at least that's what I was told.

 

We went to Blue Lagoon beach and although we weren't in the shade, it was perfect... sunny with a nice breeze so you never really felt hot and I'm by far, not a sun worshipper.

[Mrs.C05]

You'll need to bring your own towel. We laid our towels out on some lounge chairs in the morning and then went on our kayaking excursion. When we came back, somebody had moved our towels and taken our spot :( We didn't realize how big of an issue this was until we found out there were no extra towels on the island.

 

The island is bigger than it seems at first. My advice if you have teens with you is to not be afraid of walking a bit further. There's a main area right near the ship that has the biggest location for food. However, if you keep walking down you'll find another food station and a bar with a really nice alcove to hang out near.

 

They have tubes and floaters that you can rent (for a pretty penny of course) and they have activities throughout the day.

 

GSC is awesome :)

 

Yes! We had this issue too. We had a total of 11 chairs, and didn't have a problem until lunch time, when we went to get our food, and then came back and a group of ladies had laid there towels out on the ground next to the last lounge chair, and one of the girls moved our bag over to take our end chair! We didn't say anything since we could share the other chairs, but still! All this island and you set yourself right next to us (in front of a trash can) and take one of our chairs.:confused: