Great Stirrup Cay Questions

[cruisinforfun9]

Hi - we are going to Great Stirrup Cay as a newly added stop in March, we are in the Haven on the Encore!  I have questions regarding the Villas on Silver Cove😊. I booked one lagoon villa!  
 

1.  I’m reading that the Lagoon villas are a far far walk from the buffet and other stuff - my dad just had knee surgery and will still be recovering so this is not ideal!  
 

2.  We are a party of 11..  I picked lagoon bc it holds 10, with my fingers crossed they won’t hassle us for having an extra.

 

Im wondering if we should consider 2 ocean view villas which we don’t really need 2 but those only hold a max of 8 so figured they would hassle us if we tried to bring 3 extra in... So we’d need 2..  however if these are closer and bringing 11 into the lagoon ones when it only holds 10 is gonna be a problem maybe that’s our best option?  Is a $450 different which is just silly to spend for no reason... 

 

anyone know if all the lagoon villas are far away from drinks, food, etc and if they will let us have 11?!?   I can’t seem to find a good map!

[Sauer-kraut]

Looking at this map:  https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/great-stirrup-cay#gsc-map

the silver cove lagoon villas  have an exclusive restaurant and it doesn't look that far from the villa area.

[cruisinforfun9]

Thank you!  I’ve been looking everywhere for that map and finally turned my phone landscape to get the desktop version and there’s the map!  Wala!  Now, to figure out the studio vs if I need a 1 bedroom bc of the 11th person!

[mking8288]

GSC is a tender port - odds of a successful visit for each planned or scheduled stop at the private island is always 50:50 regardless of previous success or lack thereof.  

 

To transfer to the double decker tender boat, based on the island, one must be able to walk across & down 2 or 3 steps from the ship (typically, Deck 4) onto the upper deck of the tender.  Once at the island, take more steps down to the lower deck of the tender to go ashore at the pier.  Beach wheelchairs are available, on a first come, first serve basis.

 

Advantage of being in Haven, with & without booking a villa or cabana, or other shorex activities - the concierge/butler team will handle your priority tendering to be among the first to go ashore, ahead of the rest - beach wheelchair for transport, should not be an issue.  Traveling together as a large group, I trust abled bodies can help him navigate the steps for the tender ride, and when returning from the island (skip the line, show your Haven keycard & bypass the long lines at the end of the day ... ask your conciege team)

 

As I recall, both the large and small cabanas, has an option to add extra guests, up to 2 more (I believe) for a nominal up-charge.  I believe the villas has similar options - you can easily check that by going into your reservations, click under Shorex & look it up ... pricing & options should come up.  As for whether someone there is going to do an exact head count ... well, I dunno.  

 

Uploading - see below - is the most recent GSC guide distributed onboard last month as we're scheduled to visit; and, made our stop successfully.  

Edited January 6, 2020 by mking8288

[Aauclair]

The large Villas are terrific ( could fit your group easily, with some people even lounging on the floats included ), but could pose a mobility/safety problem since the ramp you need to climb up to access many of the villas is quite steep. Going up would be tricky if he has knee issues and going down could be unsafe as you end up moving pretty fast by the bottom. With proper support, you could make it work...but if he wants to move around the area a lot, then it might be a problem. Perhaps there are large villas with no ramps that you could request. 

 

The Silver Cove options would not have as much of a problem but are a hike from the straw market. 

 

That said, the BBQ, bar and food truck near our large villa provided everything we needed and it was so much quieter and nicer. And close to the bathrooms. We went to the bigger beach for snorkelling but ended up just enjoying the smaller lagoon close to us for the rest of the day.

 

Have fun! 

[BostonGal35]

i believe they give you bracelets and check tehm.  i dont think you can just smuggle in an extra person withouth paying.

 

teh buffet is great, but there is food as a PP said near the cabanas.  there was a food truck serving pull pork and ceviche as well as a small BBQ with burgers and dogs.  and a bar which is my #1 priority.

[Katxx]

You will check in for silver cove right at the entrance of GSC. They do give wristbands to each person so I don't think you'll be able to smuggle an 11th. Then you get on a tram and they ride you over. You can get access to silver cove without buying a villa if you book a spa treatment so not sure if someone in your party would go for that? Instead of having to pay more for two villas. 

 

As far as distance to the buffet, it really depends where you end up on the map. If you are past the moet bar and over by the pavillion on the far side of the lagoon, then its a bit of a far walk. You will only run into issues with how steep the incline is from the lagoon/sand to the villas.