Great Stirrup Cay - the 1st private island in the cruise industry

That would have been the headlines in a cruise magazine or backpage of the travel section of a Florida new paper in the late 1970s. Great Stirrup Cay is a small island that is part of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) purchased the island in 1977 and developed it into a private island for their cruise ship passengers. Back then it was a very rustic set up and as you can see below the tenders were specially designed to land right on the beach and guests walk off the tenders in the front of these landing craft style boats.



Norwegian Cruise Lines still uses the same tenders but have invested in the island development to give guests a "Better Beach Day". This has allowed the entire cove, called Bertram's Cove, to be used by the guests instead of having the middle section of the beach and waterway only for the tenders. This has also improved overall water safety and access to the entire cove to explore snorkeling this beautiful clear blue water.



Some of the improvements include an inflatable waterslide, eco boat tour, kayak and waverunner tours, adding more palm trees and other fantastic additions yet to come.



One of the most notable, especially those who have been to the island before is the buffet. The first picture is the old buffet and the new one just opened this year!





Want to go to the island and see for yourself? The easiest and most cost effective is booking a 3 or 4 Day Bahamas Cruise on the Norwegian Sky out of Miami. These short but fun-filled exciting cruises give you the best of the Bahamas, including stops to Nassau, Freeport and of course Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's Private Island.