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

[Dukegirl5577]

I seem to read often about the ships not being able to tender in GSC due to weather.

 

Of those of you who have been on an itinerary with GSC as one of the ports, how often have you missed it? What happens in that case? Will the ship ever go to a differnt port or will they just sail instead?

[chard]

We had GSC on the itinerary in May '05, May '06, June '07 and April '08. The only time it was skipped was in April '08. When the captain passed close by the island we could see why. The waves crashing up against the island precluded any possibility of tendering. I don't know if different times of year would yield different percentages.

[J&R-Chicago]

We just returned from a week on the Dawn. Friday, 12/12, was to be GSC day. But, it was canceled due to rough seas.

 

The captain considered going to Nassua, but decided against it, saying we would have had little time there.

 

So, we had an extra sea day. Which actually turned out to be very enjoyable. Ironically, it seemed like we just kind of drifted between there and Miami, we could see the Florida coast not too far off.

[amd1234]

We just returned from a cruise on the Pearl and the ship couldn't dock at Great Stirrup Cay due to rough seas.. The day before the Captain made a decision to go to Key West. We thought this was the right decision I didn't care to have another sea day.. Key West was a very enjoyable day ...

[KarmaElectra]

I missed GSC two times out of two...so I have never seen it!

 

Both times, the ship just stayed extra time (overnight) in Nassau.

[knjfaith]

what do u mean by 'u didn't care 2 have another sea day'...i thought it's usually thurs cozumel...fri @ sea...saturday great stirrup...so was the only difference that saturday was key west?

[cantwait2cruize]

Probably not the answer you were looking for but.......GSC is a poor excuse for a private cruise Island. Don't worry if you miss it.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Made it on our SS Norway cruise and on the Dawn. 2 out of 2!

[Buford T Justiice]

We are 1 for 2, with Nassau substituted the time we missed GSC.

[mbisson]

We're 3 for 3 going to GSC!

We try to get onshore early, enjoy 2 or 3 hours before the island fills up (and the ship empties) and then head back to an almost now deserted ship. We've had great times doing it that way!

 

The island becomes almost a circus when it fills!

Edited December 17, 2008 by mbisson

[CronoDL]

I've been on two sailings that included GSC on the itinerary, and both times we've missed it. The sailings were in September and August, with the one in September having had rough seas at the end of the cruise.

 

Edit: Also, I forgot to say that for both instances, the day for GSC was turned into extra sea days; we were on track to go to GSC, and then we were notified that morning that we won't be stopping there.

Edited December 17, 2008 by CronoDL

[bakerintn]

I am 0 for 1. In March, 2008 we did not stay at GSC because of an approaching weather front. Winds went over 35 knots, with very black skies for a few hours and lots of horizontal rain. We just stayed at sea -- it was interesting to see the crew change their plans because of this. They actually did a very good job of adjusting ..... probably because it happens a lot.

[B4andAFT]

We've missed the two times we were scheduled to stop there as well. :(

[Lowie]

we made it there in april but missed it this month. instead we had a day making circles on the ocean.. fine by me :)

[jp2001]

For me, it depends how you want to count. Missed it once out of 2 cruises scheduled to go there but twice on three attempts to go.

 

I will explain. On my first cruise (December 2003), we were supposed to go to GSC and to Nassau the following day. Since we couldn't go to GSC due to high waves, we went to Nassau instead that day. We tried GSC again the following day but couldn't tender and we just had a sea day. I didn't mind, it was a sunny day and we enjoyed the pool area for a while.

 

On my 2nd cruise (september 2006), we were able to tender without any problem.

 

While I haven't been to other cruiselines private islands, I enjoyed GSC. We were there at night (7pm - 1am) and from 7am to 2pm the following day. At night, they had a good show (libo and fire handling) and also contests that you can enroll in. The following morning, I walked to the lighthouse (lighthouse isn't really worth it but I enjoyed the walk), then I swam a little (water was crystal clear) then a quick bite at the BBQ and I reboarded at 1pm. I'm usually not a beach person but I did enjoy my visit.

[Pool girl1]

We just returned from a cruise on the Pearl and the ship couldn't dock at Great Stirrup Cay due to rough seas.. The day before the Captain made a decision to go to Key West. We thought this was the right decision I didn't care to have another sea day.. Key West was a very enjoyable day ...

 

We were on the same cruise. My DH and I do not get off the ship at ports because it is difficult for him. But I was happy that we went to Key West because I felt comfortable about getting off at that port and walking around the shopping area by myself. It was a cute place and I found one store around the corner that was perfect and inexpensive for little tibits for my grandkids. I really like Key West and would like to return again.

[Dukegirl5577]

Thanks for the answers! If the captain makes the decision to divert to a different port, are there shore excursions (from the cruise line) available in that new port?

 

(Obviously I know you can book shore excursions from private vendors and have done so in the past, but I would imagine that if the captain diverts the ship you might end up with less time in port than usual and would worry about making the departure if on a private tour in this instance.)

 

When does the captain usually make the decision? The night before? That morning? Upon a failed attempt to moor?

[terrymtex01]

We have had it on our schedule twice and made it twice. I have heard people say it isnt that nice for a private island, but I can't imagine what they expect it to be? It has a great beach, great food, snorkeling, hiking, etc.

 

As another poster said, we usually get to the island very early, get good seats in the area shaded by trees and swim for a bit, grab lunch and usually after lunch head back to the deserted ship, which is nice. I couldn't swear to it in court, but I do think the last time we were there the casino was open while we were at the private island. I think we bowled a game and then went to the casino, but I maybe mixing that up with another port.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Sounds like they should make this another casino progressive game. At the start of the cruise place your bets..will we make it or sea day!

[watchdiva]

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?

[hypercafe]

We have been there 4 times and couldn't get off 2 so it was a 50% hit rate. As for the Island, it is very small with a lot of people jammed into a very small beach area. It's not worth the stop. If you want to enjoy the sun etc go to the beach at one of the other Islands you stop at and enjoy the empty ship here. I think HAL has the best private island.

[mbisson]

If I count correctly --- from the reports given it's 15 successes out of 30 scheduled.

 

But this is the kind of thread where I would expect people would be more likely to report negatives than positives

[Dukegirl5577]

But this is the kind of thread where I would expect people would be more likely to report negatives than positives

 

Very possible. Unless you have something specific to report, you might ignore the thread. You might be more likely to respond if you didn't make it there.

[terrymtex01]

We have been there 4 times and couldn't get off 2 so it was a 50% hit rate. As for the Island, it is very small with a lot of people jammed into a very small beach area. It's not worth the stop. If you want to enjoy the sun etc go to the beach at one of the other Islands you stop at and enjoy the empty ship here. I think HAL has the best private island.

 

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.

[Beachsausage]

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.