Great Stirrup Cay

[nycruiser1975]

Newbie here who wants to know what is the GSC like? What can you do there? I want to go on Spirit out of NYC, but the only one available at time can go has GSC. Also does anyone know about the babysitting on board, how much and how late

[CTCruisers]

GSC is a small isle.

 

They have a small beach area for sunning and wading to the left of the boat ramp where the tender drops you off. To the right of the ramp, the water has a lot of rocks just below the water.

 

There is snorkeling, para-sailing, & jet-skis.

 

There have a bar area and food court set up with buffet food.

 

The key to getting a good spot is to get there early or later on after the first group of people return to the ship.

 

I took some pictures of the isle:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=366119

 

 

There is a road that goes from end of the cay to the other if you wanted to go for a walk, but bring bug spray.

 

 

Can't answer your question about baby-sitting.

[sweetpea-2]

my kids are all grown but from what I saw on the Dawn they looked like they were having allot of fun and were so cute....

as far as GSC we had a blast....it's a beach day and they do have some little hut shops and places to eat.....think they also have a running path also.... we loved our day there ;)

[immargaret]

Also does anyone know about the babysitting on board, how much and how late

 

This was on the NCL website, there is other kids crew information as well. Remember this is for childeren over the age of 2.....

 

http://ncl.com/more/kidscrew_mini.htm

 

 

KID’S CREW HOURS Sea days:

9 am – noon

2 pm – 5 pm

7 pm – 10 pm

Sea days & port days:

7 pm – 10 pm

GROUP SITTING HOURS

Sea days:

10 pm – 1 am (Sign up by noon on the same day)

Port days:

9 am – 5 pm (Sign up by 5 pm on the previous day)

10 pm – 1 am (Sign up by noon on the same day)

 

GROUP SITTING COST$5 per child per hour

$3 per child per hour for additional children in the same family

[Katmarha]

We did the GSC on the Dawn. It was a great beach day. Bring pool shoes for the rocks. There is a straw market and a BBQ. It was a nice beach day.

 

If the kids club on the Spirit is anything like the Dawn's club - your kids will have a blast!!!! My daughter (was almost 5 at that time) didn't want to leave. I didn't hear any bad things from any of the kids we talked to.

[BeachMartini]

Is the food on the island "free?"

[Baitman19]

Is the food on the island "free?"

 

Great Stirrup Cay is NCL's Private Island and the food is free. You have to pay for drinks & bottled water.

 

Get there early it fills up fast!

 

Happy Sailing,

Monty

[Jewelfine]

I heard someone say there were jet ski's or wave runners - is that true? does anyone know how much they are?

thanx

[nyzil]

No jet ski's - just rafts to rent or snorkeling gear - or you can bring your own

[dreamcruiservt]

GSC was a wonderful beach day - enjoyed very much by both my husband and I. We were there in March. We walked to the other side of the island and went snorkelling - there were so many fish under the dock - nice quiet area; quite a walk, past some interesting sites, and we did not need bug spray in March. After returning "from the other side", we ate some BBQ, then went snorkelling in the area to the right (as you exit the tender); water was much colder and deeper there; but, very nice. Loved the experience - our first private island experience!

[sweetpea-2]

Is the food on the island "free?"

 

:( nope, only free food is on the ship.....

[sweetpea-2]

I heard someone say there were jet ski's or wave runners - is that true? does anyone know how much they are?

thanx

 

allot of people were renting the large rafts which were great.....just a great day to float around and you can go way go without being over your head....and of couse there's such a high salt content in the water there that you float very easily....

[lv2crooz2]

:( nope, only free food is on the ship.....

 

If you paid for food, you were ripped off:eek: There are some pics of GSC in my Jewel pics

[kimdave68]

:( nope, only free food is on the ship.....

 

Food is free (hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza) on the island. Soda stickers on your embarkation card will get you a free soda.

 

Stay tuned for pictures and the story in our blog. It's coming. :)

 

Ciao!

[2Cruise4Ever]

We went on the Dawn last summer with our 2 kids (ages 2 and 7 then). The Kids Crew was great for them. They absolutely loved it and begged us to go there every chance they got. You can sign up for their package which includes a backpack, t-shirt, sunglasses, soda cup (unlimited refills) and a "Mom and Dad's night out" where they take the kids to the Garden Cafe (kids cafe their size - so cute!). The crew is open from 9-11, 2-4?, and then I think 8-10 pm (possibly opens at 7:00) with group babysitting from 10 until 1 AM. The Crew itself is free, but there's a $5 per child per hour charge for the group babysitting after 10 pm. If you have more than more than one child, there is a discount (we paid a total of $8 per hour). We never used the Crew on port days so I don't know if it's open. But, we were thoroughly impressed. Each staff member is required to have a college degree in Education or related field (i.e. Child Psychology). So, that was a comfort. If your child is not potty trained, they will give you a beeper so that they can notify you if your child needs to be changed.

 

There are pics of the Dawn in my signature with several of the kids having a blast. Oh, and by the way, you'll LOVE GSC. IMHO, it's the best of the Private Islands.

[unclepaulie]

:( nope, only free food is on the ship.....

 

Yes the food at GSC is free....at least the NCL barbecue is. I don't remember seeing other food vendors, if there is.

[smeyer418]

:( nope, only free food is on the ship.....

 

LOL you are funny. The food on GSC is free. It comes from the ship--first tender over in the AM. There are no food vendors on the island but they do have some food stuff's in the straw market(small-cash or credit card you can't charge it to your account).

 

Did you eat on the island and how much did you pay?

 

I also thought that GSC was one of the easiest best beaches I have even been to. We stayed until the last tender off....the island became very quiet...

[kimdave68]

It's just too crowded IMO:

 

 

Well at least we got to see this place! After all we were beginning to think it did not exist. (due to changed itineraries due to weather)

 

I took this picture from the tender going back to the ship. (11:19AM)

 

Ciao!

[smeyer418]

Looks like people having a great time to me...

 

3000 people from a ship go anywhere there will be alot of them...

[mbisson]

It's just too crowded IMO:

 

 

We were able to get on one of the first tenders so had a couple hours before it was especially crowded on the beach. We then walked the trail to the other side of the island and "explored" a bit. Then we grabbed a bite and finally headed back to the ship. Yes, it's crowded when everyone gets there, but you can enjoy the beach for a couple hours before that happens.

 

-Monte

[kimdave68]

We had VIP tickets and were there early too.

 

Didn't care for the hearding on the tender to get there and like I said very crowded. Nowhere near 3000 heads off the ship; as a matter of fact when we got back on (before noon) many public areas onboard had lots of people. Everyone we met did not like this stop. (for the same reason) We will probably stay on the ship next time around. On this itinerary I would have preferred more time in Bermuda over this place. I would ONLY do this itinerary again for the ship or a good (and I mean good) price.

 

We skipped the beach and explored as well. Decent pictures of the ship as well as RCI's Majesty of The Seas (Coco Cay). I thought it would be funny to swim over to their island and walk around haha. :eek:

 

More to come on the blog both good and bad. :)

 

Ciao!

[unclepaulie]

Nice beach day. I look at it this way. If you like the beach and you're used to crowded beaches (Jersey shore for example), you'll enjoy GSC all the same. Get there early enough, grab some chairs with umbrellas, swim, float around on the mild surf, snorkel or even go parasailing (we did). The children all seemed to be having a blast. Plus, if you want to skip the barbecue and go back onboard for lunch, you can do that too.

 

The key is to get those tender tickets when they first announce them!

[Katmarha]

:( nope, only free food is on the ship.....

 

When we went it was free - when did they change that? I though the BBQ on GSC is run by the restaurant crew off the ship???

[elephant98]

We did Great Stirrup Cay on the Jewel back in February. The barbecue luncheon (hot dogs, burgers, chicken, fruit, tea, water, etc.) are all free. There are several little bars to buy mixed drinks, soda, beer and water, not to mention plenty of staff roaming the beach and selling alcoholic drinks too.

 

A word of caution -- the beach area is very small and will fill up quickly. So if you want to get a good spot on the beach, or grab one of the limited hammocks that are available on the island, be sure to get on one of the first tenders that go ashore. Because as we all know, once a good spot is taken, its pretty much taken for the whole day.

 

On the Jewel, getting on a tender was not as simple as just showing up at the tender deck when you wanted to go ashore. (At least, not if you wanted to get off early). Rather, you had to pick up a numbered ticket at the pursers/customer service(?) desk in the atrium mid-ship and wait for your number to be called.

 

Also, the dock that the tender used to pull up to had blown away during one of the many 2005 hurricanes, so our tender had to make a beach landing. Hopefully, they have replaced the dock by now. But, if not, it could be very rough going if anyone in your party is in a cast, in a wheelchair, or elderly. It is a pretty steep climb up the sand too.

 

We had a very nice time at Great Stirrup Cay. However, on a purely subjective note, we did not feel that it was as nice as the other private islands that we have been to. They really pack you in on the beach, and there are too many beach chairs (where you sit upright) and not enough lounge chairs (where you can lie down).

 

On a side note, of the private islands I have visited, I would rank them as follows:

 

(1) Castaway Cay

(2) Princess Cay

(3) Coco Cay

(4) Labadee

(5) Great Stirrup Cay

 

. . . and I would put a pretty big gap between the 1-3, and 4-5. But hey, its just me. In the end, they all offer a nice stretch of beach, water to swim in, a free barbecue and activities. Its all good!!!

[cruiserssandr]

:( nope, only free food is on the ship.....

There is NO CHARGE for the BBQ.