What percentage of time does a ship skip Great Stirrup Cay?

[watchdiva]

We have been considering maybe trying HAL one of these days. We would like to try X and Princess and HAL at some point. Why do you think HAL's island is so much better. Is it just bigger? nicer? more to do? Would love any info you can share.

 

Terry - you would LOVE the private cabanas on HMC (Half Moon Cay). They are rented through shore excursions and often wait-listed. If I can find a pic of our cabana from '06 I'll let you know. The island itself is very spacious and never really seemed crowded even with two HAL ships there. On our last HAL cruise, we booked not only the cabana but the butler package for the cabana (we were celebrating our wedding anniversary) and the entire experience was off the chain. HMC has an area isolated out for a sting ray excursion also. The facilities (wedding chapel, restrooms, bars, etc) are fantastic.

 

We loved HMC but decided not to cruise HAL again primarily because of the traditional dining and the fact that the HAL suites do NOT have butler service (DH loves the butler service).

[watchdiva]

We did'nt stop because of the weather....We felt 4 hours in Nassau is better than nothing....I guess they did'nt want to pay the port charges or they could'nt make money on excursions....This was my first and now my last NCL cruise.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise - I don't understand your comment about port charges? Port charges for where - Nassau? Can you please give some specifics? I saw your other post about not being happy with your cruise and wonder what happened......

[dalgirl]

You mean we may miss GSC and get to stop in Key West??? Now I am going to be praying for bad weather in April:p Sorry, but for us GSC would be no loss - we aren't planning to get off this trip.

[Silverspoon]

03/08 Gem

 

Missed private island because of wind and waves. Stayed overnight in Nassau instead.

 

Wished we would have gone to Key West...that would be SO much better than the private island.

[QuickieGlenn]

On the Dawn we headed yo GSC I was hoping for a detour to Nassau but the captain decided to try unloading even with a large chop. He positioned the ship between the wind & the island. They tendered for about 1 hr then decided that it was getting to rough and ordered them all back. He said if it got worse too fast they might have to strand people on the isalnd if it was to dangerous to tender. We watched the whole show from our balcony

[mkad1109]

We are also running at 50%! On the itinerary twice, made it once. First time we went to Freeport and as I recall they did arrange some rushed shore excursions....we just rented a taxi and went to the beach.

 

Personally I thought the private island is cute! Very relaxing way to end a busy cruise!

[AuntieBarb]

We've missed GSC 3 out of 4 times and each miss ended up being a sea day (which I love anyways :) ).

 

We enjoyed the one time we did get there. It's a nice beach day, but does get pretty crowded.

[familyof4cruising]

We have never missed GSC. We have been 5 times. BUT we have missed Grand Cayman 2 times.

[lovelights]

We've made it a few times and now no longer get off to go over to the Island - we stay onboard and enjoy the almost empty ship.

 

We're lucky enough to live in S. Florida about 15 minutes from the beach and we don't even go to the beach when we're home:D. We lived at the beach in South Jersey for 20 years and I guess we're just beached out now.

 

However, if NCL would build cabanas on GSC similar to the cabanas on Half Moon Cay (HAL's private island), you can bet we've book one in a nano-second and be on the first tender over! Hey, anyone know who to contact at NCL to suggest they consider building private cabanas and offer them as a shore excursion like HAL does?

 

It's not HAL's private island. It's Carnival's Private Island. And for those that have never been on HAL, when you book it to be able to go to Carnival's Private Island (HMC = Half Moon Cay), make sure that along with visiting the Private Island, you're also going to be visiting your stateroom much earlier than other cruise lines, because HAL closes up its sidewalks at like 10:00pm.

[jollycruise]

We made it there on the Dawn in January but we had to miss it on the Pearl this month. We did go to Key West as other posters said and that was much better than another sea day. Funny thing for us was we flew into Miami two days before our cruise and drove down to Key West. We ended up having a really nice day and enjoyed seeing things we didn't get the chance to see the first time. So it's 50/50 so far for us. Either way we were happy, we are on vactaion.

[Beachsausage]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise - I don't understand your comment about port charges? Port charges for where - Nassau? Can you please give some specifics? I saw your other post about not being happy with your cruise and wonder what happened......

They meaning NCL would probably be charged if we would have docked at Nassau, and they would not make anything on shore excursions....We just feel NCL is a low end cruise line that nickel and dimes you for everything....They want to charge you for a behind the scenes tour...give me a brake...my brother came off the Gem the week before and he said people complained about the food and ect.

[mbisson]

my brother came off the Gem the week before and he said people complained about the food and ect.

 

The same can be said about just about every ship afloat

[Preds]

We're 2 for 2 in making it to GSC, both times in August, once on the Spirit in 2006, and this past Aurgust on the Sky.

 

Personally, I'd take Key West or Nassau over it any day.

[J&R-Chicago]

....They want to charge you for a behind the scenes tour...give me a brake...my brother came off the Gem the week before and he said people complained about the food and ect.

 

We took the "Behind the scenes tour", and happily paid the $55 for it. It was well worth it. Plus, at $55, it ended up being only 12 people on the tour. And it was 12 people who were really into it. Not 75 people who couldn't care less.

 

As it turned out, we missed GSC on the Dawn, so they added another Behind the Scenes tour. And we were very happy they did.

 

Sorry to hear your great disappointment with NCL. Good luck finding something that pleases you.

Edited December 23, 2008 by J&R-Chicago

[angeljt]

We're 3 for 3 stopping at GSC. We only went on shore the first time and chose to stay on board and have the ship almost to ourselves the other 2. On our last cruise, they switched the days because it was too rough for the tenders and we went to Nassau first and GSC the next day.

[ddakrt]

We did'nt stop because of the weather....We felt 4 hours in Nassau is better than nothing....I guess they did'nt want to pay the port charges or they could'nt make money on excursions....This was my first and now my last NCL cruise.

 

They meaning NCL would probably be charged if we would have docked at Nassau, and they would not make anything on shore excursions....We just feel NCL is a low end cruise line that nickel and dimes you for everything....They want to charge you for a behind the scenes tour...give me a brake...my brother came off the Gem the week before and he said people complained about the food and ect.

 

Huh? What does Nassau have to do with anything? And why specifically 4 hours?

 

This was your first and last time on NCL because they canceled a port because of safety? You're going to be running out of cruiselines since they all cancel for various different reasons.

 

I always wonder how exactly only NCL nickle and dime passengers, as if other lines don't charge (more usually, in fact) for specialty restaurants or on board tours.

 

Crazy.

Edited December 23, 2008 by ddakrt

[prg2101]

Huh? What does Nassau have to do with anything? And why specifically 4 hours?

 

This was your first and last time on NCL because they canceled a port because of safety? You're going to be running out of cruiselines since they all cancel for various different reasons.

 

I always wonder how exactly only NCL nickle and dime passengers, as if other lines don't charge (more usually, in fact) for specialty restaurants or on board tours.

 

Crazy.

 

 

I've been trying to tell people that exact thing for a while now, oh well more staterooms for the rest of us

[ddakrt]

I've been trying to tell people that exact thing for a while now, oh well more staterooms for the rest of us

 

Come to think of it, Beachsausage is right! The people of Roatan made me pay when I went ziplining there, and I had to pay to go parasailing in Key West!!!

 

How dare them!:mad:

[prg2101]

they wanted my keycard when I asked for a beer.......couldnt believe it....:D:p

[Beachsausage]

Come to think of it, Beachsausage is right! The people of Roatan made me pay when I went ziplining there, and I had to pay to go parasailing in Key West!!!

 

How dare them!:mad:

Listen I was just saying I did'nt care for my cruise with NCL. I had a better time with Carnival. I was'nt the only one on the ship that felt that way......Maybe if I was a person that went to bed by 7 p.m. I would of liked it.......The Captain knew what the weather was like he should of took us to Nassau instead of waiting to we arrived to GSC.. and cancel it.

[AuntieBarb]

Listen I was just saying I did'nt care for my cruise with NCL. I had a better time with Carnival. I was'nt the only one on the ship that felt that way......Maybe if I was a person that went to bed by 7 p.m. I would of liked it.......The Captain knew what the weather was like he should of took us to Nassau instead of waiting to we arrived to GSC.. and cancel it.

 

Then cruise Carnival. Nobody is stopping you. Why are you here in the NCL forums?

 

NCL is still filling ships and has big returns from Latitudes members. They obviously are doing something right with a large percentage of people. NCL hardly entices anyone to retire at 7PM either. Oh, that's a laugh!

 

Here's something for you to ponder. Do you really think the Captain can just up and say we'll go here or there on a whim instead? They have to get permission. NCL has to absorb extra port fees in place of GSC. The port has to have room and accept them. Also storms around GSC can blow in quickly with little warning. There isn't always ample warning. So whine if you have to, but know that NCL doesn't go around purposely messing with itineraries.

[lovelights]

Then cruise Carnival. Nobody is stopping you. Why are you here in the NCL forums?

 

NCL is still filling ships and has big returns from Latitudes members. They obviously are doing something right with a large percentage of people. NCL hardly entices anyone to retire at 7PM either. Oh, that's a laugh!

 

Here's something for you to ponder. Do you really think the Captain can just up and say we'll go here or there on a whim instead? They have to get permission. NCL has to absorb extra port fees in place of GSC. The port has to have room and accept them. Also storms around GSC can blow in quickly with little warning. There isn't always ample warning. So whine if you have to, but know that NCL doesn't go around purposely messing with itineraries.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing. Why are they in an NCL forum, instead of a Carnival forum? We've been on Norwegian Dawn and Sky, and going back on Sky in 4 weeks with our family, and there was never a night where there was nothing to do after 7pm. That's when the fun started actually. I've been on RCL, Princess, and NCL. I'm not saying one is better than the other, because all ships have their pros and cons. My husband and myself can always take any situation and have fun out of it. I guess some people just aren't like that. Sounds like to me that someone went on an NCL ship with "Carnival" on the mind, and no matter what NCL did, it just wouldn't have been good enough. I say..... "go back to Carnival".

[ddakrt]

Listen I was just saying I did'nt care for my cruise with NCL. I had a better time with Carnival. I wasn't the only one on the ship that felt that way......Maybe if I was a person that went to bed by 7 p.m. I would of liked it.......The Captain knew what the weather was like he should of took us to Nassau instead of waiting to we arrived to GSC.. and cancel it.

 

Which is totally fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I was simply asking some questions to the points you tried to raise in this thread.

 

BTW I'm in my mid 20s, I'm positive I'm more suited to the "party crowd" demographic that Carnival is known for more than yourself, yet I have no desire to sail on Carnival anytime soon.

 

If I want to party, I'd much rather go to Cancun and hit up Coco Bongos than a cruise ship. Cheaper drinks, more people that stay up past 7pm, and bigger venues.

 

When I cruise, I enjoy the port of calls and usually have plans for each one. This calls for me to wake up early so naturally I'm not going to stay up until 5am to party. Still though, I've always found things to do until at least 1am when I start to get tired, even on a NCL ship.

[timkatmom]

Just got off the Sky..Pulled up to GSC, but captain at last minute said we will not be heading out due to high winds..Very disappointed, although I understand. However, I have been on Princess where they have given an onboard credit to use. I know it is only a three day cruise, but they could have given OBC of $25 or so. One of my "strikes" against NCL for being so cheap.

[maywell]

If GSC is skipped over that much, I don't feel bad for going to Coco Beach instead of Disney or Sea World in December (that and its cheaper). Gotta get my swimming and tanning in the ocean somehow...