Tender to Great Stirrup Cay

[abram.m.schwarz]

 I have read stories about people waiting for 2 to 3 hours to get to the private island. Someone please tell me this is the exception not the rule. Are there any tips to avoid long lines? 

[roger001]

The first few hours are filled by using tender tickets.  You will be given info on how to get those tickets.   One person can get them for all of your party.  However, to get an early tender ticket does require standing in a tender ticket line.  If you are in a suite, then you can get priority for the tenders.   The tenders are big. carry a lot of people, and take a while to fill.  Additionally, the water is frequently choppy loading the tenders is a slow process.  There will be at least two tenders running back and forth and the trip is about 10 minutes.  After a few hours, they go to "open tender" and you just go down and get on when you're ready.  By then the lines are gone, although you still have a wait for the big tender to fill.   Great Stirrup unfortunately is not a very user friendly accessible place.  

Edited May 5, 2019 by roger001

[abram.m.schwarz]

Do you get tender tickets when you check in ? 

 

What is the best way to go with little kids? Hoping the island has a nice calm beach.

Edited May 5, 2019 by abram.m.schwarz

[www3traveler]

2 minutes ago, abram.m.schwarz said:

Do you get tender tickets when you check in ? 

 

What is the best way to go with little kids? Hoping the island has a nice calm beach.

There will be a notice in the Freestyle Daily (delivered to your cabin each evening with the next day's activities and times) as to where you can get your tender tickets and what.  If you have booked an excursion to the island, you will board the tender at the time on your excursion ticket.  

 

Staff is very good about helping to board children.  There is little space however for strollers.

[BirdTravels]

52 minutes ago, abram.m.schwarz said:

 I have read stories about people waiting for 2 to 3 hours to get to the private island. Someone please tell me this is the exception not the rule. Are there any tips to avoid long lines? 

Totally in your control. Pull a tender ticket as soon as they are available. This is the time you may join the line. Once in line, it will just depend on how fast the tenders load at that point. Suite guests will be escorted to the front of the line, but that does not slow things down (much). They are large tenders and take a while to load. 

 

For fastest exit, move to the lower deck and the front of the tender near the ramp (that will be the first people to disembark). If you are on the top deck, you’ll be sunburn and sea sick before you get to the island. 

Edited May 5, 2019 by BirdTravels

[Oakman58]

Yes, the tenders are slow to load and have a capacity of 450 passengers.  When returning back to the ship I don't recommend waiting for the last tender.  It might be standing room only.

 

[Diver2014]

Wow, it's so COOL to see Little Norway I and II still in use as tenders!  They used to be the tenders on the SS Norway and were carried on the front (okay, bow) deck and lowered into the water via davits.  I was on Little Norway I in 1989 and again in 1993 when the SS Norway stopped at Great Stirrup Cay.  Thanks for the memories!

[cruisinmeme]

Does being platinum get you anywhere with the tender tickets. We have always had a suite and so i get confused.

[FLAHAM]

Three Caribbean cruises and the GSC stop cancelled on all three due to rough seas.

[OceanBlueWaters]

Once you board, go to a kiosk (or App, TV in room, etc.) to get your reservations (since you can't do that online prior).  I wanted 1st tender off ship and fortunately got that since I did that as soon as I boarded (I was on Escape). 

It all depends on the ship, and which ones require tendering reservations.

Hope this helps and good luck.  I hope you make it there!

[Monica887]

4 hours ago, abram.m.schwarz said:

Do you get tender tickets when you check in ? 

 

What is the best way to go with little kids? Hoping the island has a nice calm beach.

We walked all the way to the other end where there was a quieter calmer area for our kids to swim. A more secluded seating area just past a bar.

[kayjay76]

I've never had to tender for the ports I've been too so this is new to me.

 

Is it like the luggage thing, disembarking,  where the night before they put out tender tickets? 

Or do you book it thru kiosks or tv in your room after you board the first day?

 

If anyone could explain exactly how the entire process is done that would be great! Thank you in advance!!! 🙂

[OceanBlueWaters]

See post #10 above.

[drvmywifecrzy]

Usually you get tickets in one of the lounges starting at about 7am (or an hour before 1st tender)

[abram.m.schwarz]

We are on Norwegian Sun. Does anyone have experience with this boat? Is it tv or wait in line? 

[OceanBlueWaters]

Not true.  I booked my tender to GCS as soon as I boarded via kiosk (Escape).

 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, cruisinmeme said:

Does being platinum get you anywhere with the tender tickets. We have always had a suite and so i get confused.

Yes. You get priority tendering.

 

 You can join the end of the [long] line without a tender ticket. (End not front). 

[mking8288]

Priority tendering procedures at GSC do seem to vary, sometimes, depending on the ship ... each tender takes easily 15 to 20 minutes to board and to get off afterward, if & when possible, stay on the lower deck as better protection against sunburn.  

 

Guests in Haven & suites get escorted to be on tender #1, often meeting at a pre-designated location, earlier than others.  Those on a shorex booked with NCL also get early boarding, do tendering tickets needed - instructions & details with their shorex booking confirmation.  Plantium/Plus get priority tendering - sometimes getting on # 1 or 2 also - most recently for us, no "tickets" needed, the color coded Guest KeyCard(s) is checked (sometimes) and you get to join the end of the (long) line, regardless of what group ticket #'s are being called ... sometimes, this is chaotic.  Crew members and supplies or perishable provisioning are loaded on the first launch & going ashore as well ... not uncommon to wait 15+ minutes before everyone is seated, tender is full & ready to go ashore. 

 

For mid-sized ships like the Gem/Dawn or Sun, etc. - there are plenty of loungers & clam shells, etc. all over the island, not a bid deal to rush onto the island to start sun "baking"   However, if the BA/Plus class ship (or, Epic) is visiting for the day and a successful tendering is called, after the first 5 or 6 are launched, it's pretty much open to anyone still waiting.  

 

There are variations, just check at the Shorex Desk and/or read the Freestyle Dailies to find out what prcedures that ship is using & how.  If it is a windy day with currents & small waves, below the safety threshold, expect a slower & longer wait for all these to happen.   Another difference, whether they can use 2 tenders at the same time, front & mid ship (starboard) once anchored to load & unload passengers.  

 

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by mking8288

[brookie848]

We've only been to GSC once and if we are ever scheduled to return there, we will just stay on the ship. We found the tendering process beyond miserable.

 

We had no issues tendering to the island (we were in a suite and had a cabana rented for the day). But coming back was a nightmare. We waited over 45 minutes on the tender for the trip back. People had been waiting for almost 90 minutes. I spoke to others that had headed back to the ship before and after us, and they all experienced the same misery.

 

Be prepared for a looong wait on the return trip. Make sure you stay on the lower level so that you are out of the sun. If you have kids, you will need something to entertain them. It might also be smart to have some water with you just in case. You may get lucky and have a quick return trip, but I'd be prepared just in case that doesn't happen.

 

I understand that people love this island, but it wasn't for us for a variety of reasons -- the tendering process being one of them.

[Peachypooh]

11 hours ago, brookie848 said:

We've only been to GSC once and if we are ever scheduled to return there, we will just stay on the ship. We found the tendering process beyond miserable.

 

We had no issues tendering to the island (we were in a suite and had a cabana rented for the day). But coming back was a nightmare. We waited over 45 minutes on the tender for the trip back. People had been waiting for almost 90 minutes. I spoke to others that had headed back to the ship before and after us, and they all experienced the same misery.

 

Be prepared for a looong wait on the return trip. Make sure you stay on the lower level so that you are out of the sun. If you have kids, you will need something to entertain them. It might also be smart to have some water with you just in case. You may get lucky and have a quick return trip, but I'd be prepared just in case that doesn't happen.

 

I understand that people love this island, but it wasn't for us for a variety of reasons -- the tendering process being one of them.

We didn't have problems with a long wait to  get back but we did have problems with choppy surf and bobbing up and down and sideways. Once we got back to the ship on the return they were only allowing one person at a time to disembark and there was a wait until it was safe. With 300 plus people trying to get off it took forever. Also there is no real place to hang on if you stand up and I almost fell over a few times. We now stay on the ship if this is one of our stops.

[Beer Belly]

While at GSC, can you use your drink package ?........and how about food ?.....do we need to bring cash or CC ?

[Oakman58]

At Great Stirrup Cay (GSC) the beverage package is good and they serve buffet food that is also included.  You might want to bring cash if you want to buy a souvenir or such from a vendor.

[PelicanBill]

On Breakaway the first 5 or 6 tenders were ticketed by signing up at a touchscreen kiosk.  If you failed to notice this you had to wait about 2 hours after starting.  We've generally bought a clamshell or shared a cabana to get on Tender #1 or 2.

 

We did not wait long one time and walked right on another to go back to the ship.

 

Choppy water in the afternoon was a real issue for those with mobility concerns. One time, the rise and fall of the tender against the ship was 1-2 feet.  Two men had to lift people over the short gangway and time it carefully to the rise and fall, while two men on the other side steadied you as you got your footing on the ship. 

[kayteecat]

My boyfriend and I were on the Escape in January and were able to book tender group #1 onto the island the night before. It wasn't really well-announced on the ship but was in the daily, we booked at one of the kiosks by the elevators.

 

I believe our tender was slated to board at 8 AM but we were called early, as other posters have indicated the tendering process does take time to load everyone up. I'd say from lining up to arriving at the island was probably 30-40 minutes. We were first on the island and got our choice of loungers and were able to get a couple of drinks from the bar servers prior to the crush of people arriving. Your UBP does work on the island, but note that the drink selection may be more limited as if they run out of an ingredient once they're on the island, they either have to sub something else or 86 it from the menu. If you're on the first tender, you will catch crew members loading supplies onto the boat and that's how all the food and drink stuff gets on the island. Remember that the island is largely vacant more often than not.

 

We arrived at the island before 9 and left shortly after 1 PM as that was plenty of beach time for us. The tender back didn't take too long to fill, though it was longer than departing the ship. I echo what others have said about the waters being choppy - we have strong stomachs and we were fine, but if you get nauseous easily it probably wouldn't be pleasant. This was on a day when we were cleared to tender, so when all these sailings have to skip GSC I feel bad for the cruisers but understand it would be a very rough and probably dangerous ride.

[mking8288]

For guests staying in a suite (not mini-suite) or Haven, unless procedures had changed, you can skip the long line in the afternoon/last tender or two, do a bypass & show the crew your Guest Keycards & you will be taken to the front of the boarding ramp/line to get on ... not absolutely sure but I thought they had a small sign & someone from Haven there to "assist".  

 

The vertical motion of the tender is not to be under-estimated when sea conditions worsen as the crew take safety very seriously; and, hold on tight to children & belongings - stepping up & across the "not wide" gangway.