Great Stirrup Cay - Upcoming Pier Development and Renderings

[Beezo]

Hi everyone!

 

I did some digging online and was able to find some details on the new pier for GSC as well as additional updates coming to the island.  Please note - NCL has only announced the Pier itself, but looks like many more exciting enhancements are in the pipeline. I myself was wondering what they were going to do with the harbor they created for all the tenders.

 

Client: Norwegian Cruise Lines
Location: Berry Islands, Bahamas
Size of Project: 280-acre
Construction Cost: 
Completion date: 
Unique Features:  4 pools – 35,000-sf of water surface, 20,000-sf commissary kitchen, 5-acre solar farm

Great Stirrup Cay is Norwegian Cruise Line’s 280-acre private island in the Bahamas. BA assembled a team to assess the guest experience, operations, and infrastructure of the island to provide a holistic plan of moving forward. For the guest experience, BA explored an array of new activities, amenities, and F&B venues for guests. The new design included a Bahamian village with shops and restaurants, 4 pools amounting to over 35,000 SF of water surface with slides, a rockwork grotto cave bar/swim up bar, a dune buggy park, island-wide bike trails, coastal cabanas, 20,000SF commissary kitchen, and 5-acre solar farm. The goal was to add amenities and activities that showcase the natural beauty of the existing upland and surrounding waters and allow guests to discover Bahamian island from end to end.

For operations the plan adds two piers capable of berthing Breakaway Plus class ships, upgrading all existing infrastructure to accommodate the increase in capacity, adding a 20,000 SF commissary kitchen and F&B operation, administration offices, roadways, as well as sustainability initiatives to include a 5-acre solar farm. BA completed the master plan and design for the cruise pier, pools, civil and back of house infrastructure. Beach work was recently completed, and the BA team is continuing to focus on environmental permitting efforts for the piers to be able to move forward. The Master Plan allows for the island resort to develop and expand facilities considering all aspects of coastal resiliency and infrastructure sustainability. BA’s scope includes design services, concept development, master planning, planning, design, and construction administration. BA leads design efforts, internal project management, planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, marine engineering, interior design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://bermelloajamil.com/destination-development-portfolio2/

Edited April 10 by Beezo

[ChiefMateJRK]

 Wow!  Thanks for posting that.

[cruiseny4life]

Nice detectivating work!! I like it!

[omahabob]

Foosas say ooooh! Foosas say aaaah!

[dexddd]

Looks nice.  If true about being done in 2025, highly doubt that.

[Laszlo]

20 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Looks nice.  If true about being done in 2025, highly doubt that.

Probably take to 2025 just to do the dredging alone for the pier. I wonder if all the permits have been applied for yet?

[Capitan Obvious]

17 hours ago, Beezo said:

For operations the plan adds two piers capable of berthing Breakaway Plus class ships,

 

Hmmm...so no ability to berth the new 200,000GT ships they announced?

[Liljo22]

1 minute ago, Capitan Obvious said:

 

Hmmm...so no ability to berth the new 200,000GT ships they announced?

I don't think that means that.  The Breakaway Plus class ships are just the biggest ships NCL currently has.  This isn't a press release from NCL.  Its from the architectural firm that doesn't have that information.   

[Capitan Obvious]

29 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

I don't think that means that.  The Breakaway Plus class ships are just the biggest ships NCL currently has.  This isn't a press release from NCL.  Its from the architectural firm that doesn't have that information.   

 

However, NCL would have had that information and would have known to include it in their request for the pier design. You don't design for what you have, you always have to design for what you will have.

[Menocchio]

It says the new pier can handle Breakaway+. It doesn't say it can't handle bigger than Breakway+.

[Liljo22]

33 minutes ago, Capitan Obvious said:

 

However, NCL would have had that information and would have known to include it in their request for the pier design. You don't design for what you have, you always have to design for what you will have.

How do you know they didn't design it bigger.  NCL just announced the bigger ships a few days ago.  Are you saying that BA should have put in their write up from months ago that NCL was planning on having bigger ships?  Is that how the bigger ships should have been announced?   

[Beezo]

From NCL:

 

“The new pier will be constructed to simultaneously accommodate two large vessels of the Company’s current and future ship classes.”

 

https://www.nclhltd.com/news-media/press-releases/detail/590/norwegian-cruise-line-holdings-unveils-bold-new-vision-for

 

The pier will be able to handle the new ships. 

[Beezo]

3 hours ago, dexddd said:

Looks nice.  If true about being done in 2025, highly doubt that.

I agree - but remember- they only mentioned the pier in the press announcement. These renderings are probably now through the next couple years once pier is complete. Nothing about the pools, shopping, etc has been formally announced by NCL yet. 

[Maleficent's Dad]

Great post, thanks!

[Turtles06]

Hmm... two 5,000-guest ships there at the same time?  Sounds like great fun. 😁

 

 

[spethstation]

Guess I'm booking cruise with a stop to GSC for 2026 now... 😁

[skeeter195]

That is one long walk to get to the farthest beach just before silver cove.  

[Big Red 85]

Thanks Beezo for that hopeful and informative post.  Our fingers are crossed.  Perhaps the pier will be done for our 11/29/25 cruise.  That would be very nice.

[Beezo]

25 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Hmm... two 5,000-guest ships there at the same time?  Sounds like great fun. 😁

 

 

Hahah I know. But, Royal Caribbean does it with two Oasis class ships on an island half the size. Will depend on passenger flow, areas, activities, etc. 

[Beezo]

12 minutes ago, skeeter195 said:

That is one long walk to get to the farthest beach just before silver cove.  

I believe I read they have a trolly-like system they’ve already setup.  It’s been a couple years since I’ve been there so can’t confirm on my end. Anyone been there recently?
 

It looks like the pier is right by the tender docks current location.  

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, Capitan Obvious said:

 

However, NCL would have had that information and would have known to include it in their request for the pier design. You don't design for what you have, you always have to design for what you will have.

Well, you certainly live up to your almost screen name.

[Capitan Obvious]

2 hours ago, Menocchio said:

It says the new pier can handle Breakaway+. It doesn't say it can't handle bigger than Breakway+.

 

Interesting logic. Thus, if an elevator says it can handle 25 people it would OK to put 60 people in it since "it doesn't say it can't handle" that many.

[hallux]

13 minutes ago, Beezo said:

It looks like the pier is right by the tender docks current location

I believe you're right.  That lagoon with the waterfall looks to be the current tender dock location.

[Capitan Obvious]

2 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

How do you know they didn't design it bigger.  NCL just announced the bigger ships a few days ago.  Are you saying that BA should have put in their write up from months ago that NCL was planning on having bigger ships?  Is that how the bigger ships should have been announced?   

 

They may have announced them a few days ago, but do you realize just how much time is spent in design, financing, and contract negotiation before they make a public announcement? NCL has known about these ship for far longer than a few days.

 

The firm desiging the peir would not have had to say anything about the new ships. Instead of saying that the piers could accomodate a Breakaway+ ship, they could have said that the new piers could handle a ship UP TO  ######GT.

[The Traveling Man]

@Beezo Thank you very much for posting this.  Interesting that while they mentioned that the docks could handle two BA+ class ships, they illustrated it with a rendering of one of NCL's smallest ships, the Sun, which rarely makes its way to GSC.