Cape Stirrup Cay May 2017

Before we went on the cruise, I found it hard to get recent info on GSC. So I thought I would post in hopes it helps someone in planning their day on the island.

Food: The island has new pavilions for food service which has nice patio tables and chairs and also picnic table pavilion. There are at least six service lines to accommodate the lunch crowd. We were on a small ship - The Sky - so there were three service lines open. Food was typical burgers, hot dogs, salads, fruit. The pizza was not too good - frozen box like stuff but the regular picnic fare was fine. There is another pavilion off to the side for beverage dispensing.

Shade vs Sun vs Clamshell: I had read that there was no or little shade so clamshells were the way to go. We reserved one on board which also gave us priority tendering....but will discuss that in another paragraph. The clamshell area is all the way over to the left side of the beach area. Furthest away from food, drink, bathrooms. We were there on a windy day. After the clamshell tipped over for the third time....I said enough and requested a refund.. it was gladly taken care of. What I did not know and why I rented a clamshell...was I wanted to have shade.

Well shade is available! True....there is no shade at the foot of the seashore. But there are several mangrove treed places not far from the shore that have plenty of loungers. We got three lounges right under some palms like six steps from the bar service pavillion on the beach. We may have had to walk to the waters edge....about twenty steps...but that was ok to park ourselves there and go snorkeling and come back to the chairs. I would not have liked the clamshell...hot even though there was mesh in the back...and really too far from conveniences. I counted at least two hundred loungers under one grove of trees and there were other groves also. If one has little guys that need watching by the shore...maybe that would not work...but for adults wanting shade...there is some. I think if I wanted to watch little guys I. The water with some shade, I would have brought a small sun umbrella with me.

Tendering: NCL has four large tenders ... double decker ...on the island. For our size ship, they used two of the four. People without excursions...that being a snorkel trip, clamshell, or anything else that needed rented....then people had to get tender tickets ahead of time. When they called the group numbers...Those with excursions, groups 1, 2, and 3 were called all at once. Again, for our small ship...there was very little wait and plenty of shaded loungers available throughout he day as well as those in full sun.

Stingray excursion. Although we have done a stingray excursion years before, we decided to do this excursion on the island. We thought it was very well run and worth the cost. They have two small boats that ride out to the stingray area. The guys who run it are very well versed in the life of the stingrays and do an outstanding job of explaining the animals habits, personalities, diets and so forth. The enclosed or fenced area that the stingrays are in are in the fenced area because of the waters around do have sharks and cannot get into the area. So that being said....it was a very good excursion.

Snorkeling. We were there on a windy day...so that made for a murky water day. Beautiful water but it was not crystal clear. We brought our own masks, snorkels and vests. They can be rented also. I also wore thin water shoes instead of fins as I did not want to haul the fins. I was glad to have the shoes as the wind pushed us toward a rocky area. Also was glad to have the vest on as the wind and slightly choppy water made it difficult to swim. I must admit...I don't know what the water garden talk is all about....I saw rocks, some big jar type vessels, and rope lying on the sandy bottom. There were only a few fish....but it just wasn't a memorable snorkel except for working hard to get out to the rocks and back to shore!

There is a small market of tshirts, souvenirs, bathing suit cover ups and so forth. No pressure and no one trying to get you to buy....which was nice just to be able to look around. We were on a four day cruise to Cuba and the ship did not anchor to be able to go to the island until 1030 or 11:00 which made for just an afternoon on the island....but the sun was intense and that was enough time to visit there.

So in a nutshell, hope that the above helps in planning.

Excellent point on the shade issue...folks think spending money guarantees a good time, when in fact, you don't have to spend a penny on these "private beach days" to have a blast! Sun or shade is available for the taking! And...the loungers MOVE! If you see a spot you want to be and there is no lounger there...PUT one there!

Excellent info about GSC. I was really concerned about getting some shade and had planned to rent a clam shell. However, some in our group have trouble walking so now I know that the clam shell area is the furthest from the concessions. I visited this island on the Breakaway in Nov '15 but we went to the lagoon area. I was not one bit impressed with this area because it reminded me of a construction site but we had paid for a clam shell there so we stayed put. Nice to know that we can have it all and for free...a better beach, a lounger, shade & food nearby. We're scheduled on Breakaway in Oct. 2017. Thank you again.

Is the food "free" since the cruise line owns the area? Thanks :)

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