Norwegian Cruise Line announced today at Cruise Shipping Miami that it will make major enhancements to its private island, Great Stirrup Cay, located 120 miles east of Ft. Lauderdale in the Berry Island chain of the Bahamas. The 250-acre island will undergo a two-phase renovation, totaling in excess of $20 million, spanning 22 months and scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.

"We have one of the best private islands, particularly for swimming and snorkeling. With these improvements, we can provide an even more enjoyable island experience for the more than 9,000 guests who visit Great Stirrup Cay weekly during the height of the season," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer. "Highlights of the enhancements include an expanded beach front, exciting island excursions, additional dining facilities, private beachside cabanas and a new kid's area."

The first phase of improvements to Great Stirrup Cay is already underway. This includes the excavation and formation of a new entrance channel for tenders, marina basin and arrival area with welcome pavilion that will be the site for new tender landings and docks. Once this is complete, the island's current beach front will be expanded significantly to accommodate more guests.

New infrastructure and landscaping to enhance the guest experience is planned in the second phase including new dining and bar facilities; several comfort stations; a band stand; cruise program activity area;private beachfront cabanas; a kid's play area; straw market; and beach volleyball courts. Several new island activities and shore excursions will be added including wave runners, a floating Aqua Park with a variety of water toys, kayak tours through man-made rivers within the island, an eco-cruise, and a stingray encounter experience.These are in addition to the existing snorkeling; floats; inflatable hippo slide; and parasailing that are currently offered.

Norwegian has owned the island since 1977 when it became the first cruise line to offer an uninhabited tropical island experience exclusively for its guests. Great Stirrup Cay offers magnificent white sand beaches, majestic palms and calm, pristine waters where an abundance of colorful marine life inhabits the surrounding coral reefs.

Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Pearl regularly call on Great Stirrup Cay throughout the year.

For more information on Norwegian or to book a cruise, call 866-234-7350, click www.ncl.com or phone a travel professional.

About Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line(Norwegian)is the innovator in cruise travel with a 43-year history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of Freestyle Cruising which has revolutionized the industry by allowing guests more freedom and flexibility.

Today, Norwegian has the youngest fleet in the industry with 10 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed cruise vacation on the newest, most contemporary ships at sea.

Norwegian is presently building Norwegian Epic, the company's largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date, for delivery in June 2010. Norwegian Cruise Line is the official cruise line of Blue Man Group, debuting for the first time at sea on Norwegian Epic.

High resolution, downloadable images are available at www.ncl.com/pressroom. For further information on Norwegian Cruise Line, visit www.ncl.com, follow us on Facebook and Twitter @NCLFreestyle or contact us in the U.S. and Canada at 866-234-7350.

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From NCL.com

I have always wondered why cruise lines haven't invested deeper into these private islands long ago. They are pure revenue generators.

I'm curious to see what the Aqua Park and man-made rivers will be like...

Best regards,

Great Stirrup Cay was never improved as NCL abandoned the 3/4 Bahamas market a few years back. What they had was good enough for the occasional port stop.

In my report of the Sky last July I hailed NCL for their return to that market. I predicted them to become the leader in the 3/4 night market rather quickly (which they are now). The only thing I noted was: GSC upgrades required. With GSC upgraded they will blow the competition in that category out of the water (pun intended).

GSC may have been the first, but unfortunately it hasn't kept up with the pace of the other private beach destinations. The fact they still do beach landings puts it will behind all the others.

"Great Stirrup Cay offers magnificent white sand beaches, majestic palms and calm, pristine waters where an abundance of colorful marine life inhabits the surrounding coral reefs."

Nothing more, except a few restrooms perhaps & a standpipe. Have people forgotten how to enjoy themselves with sand and water alone?

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Originally posted by PamM:
A private beach should be:-

"Great Stirrup Cay offers magnificent white sand beaches, majestic palms and calm, pristine waters where an abundance of colorful marine life inhabits the surrounding coral reefs."

Nothing more, except a few restrooms perhaps & a standpipe. Have people forgotten how to enjoy themselves with sand and water alone?

Pam

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Sorry Pam, in today's mass market cruise arena, passengers, excuse me, make that "guests"; expect much more then pristine waters and a beach. That was fine 25 years ago but today more is expected. Bottom line, GSC has fallen well behind the competition.

Whenever we go to Princess Cays etc we end up getting a Cabana (ok glorified beach hut) which costs us a couple of hundred for the day, start doing the math and this is a big revenue stream to miss.

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Originally posted by PamM:
A private beach should be:-

"Great Stirrup Cay offers magnificent white sand beaches, majestic palms and calm, pristine waters where an abundance of colorful marine life inhabits the surrounding coral reefs."

Nothing more, except a few restrooms perhaps & a standpipe. Have people forgotten how to enjoy themselves with sand and water alone?

Pam

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Unfortunately not Pam. People need to have activities put in front of them. Just look around you. Kids play game boys at dinner table because their parents are are incompetent to have conversations.

People talk about Princess Cay being nicer? Please!!!! It is a long stretched islands and Princess is not even holding rights to the entire island. They only let you on one long stretch along the shoreline.

Coco Cay (LSC) is nice as well. GSC has more natural areas though.

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Originally posted by jetwet1:

With the new tender station being built, does that spell the end of Little Norway 1 and 2 ?

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Unfortunately. I think this was the most unique thing on GSC. I wish they would keep that.

[ 03-24-2010: Message edited by: FL_Cruiser64 ]

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Originally posted by Atlcruiser:

For the shorter market cruises, they would be my number two choice. NCL is a nice cruise line but they don't match up with Carnival or Royal in the mass market arena.

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That would make NCL#3. But how can you make that assumption if you as you say went to GSC in 2007. The Sky didn't even enter the 3/4 Night market until 2008.

So you really can't compare the Sky to the Majesty or Imagination.

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Originally posted by FL_Cruiser64:

I said last year that the Sky is gonna take over the 3/4 Night market. She did. Booking volume and per head revenue clearly show that.

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I'm guessing Disney is the leader in the 3/4 night market out of Florida, if you are basing it on booking volume and per head revenue. No mass-market cruise company sails at the consistent high occupancy as Disney, nor can any company come close to the yields.

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Originally posted by eroller:

I'm guessing Disney is the leader in the 3/4 night market out of Florida, if you are basing it on booking volume and per head revenue. No mass-market cruise company sails at the consistent high occupancy as Disney, nor can any company come close to the yields.

Ernie

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I am wondering where you got your information from Ernie? I never heard that before. Carnival is clearly the leader in the 3/4 day market out of Florida.

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Originally posted by Cam J:

I am wondering where you got your information from Ernie? I never heard that before. Carnival is clearly the leader in the 3/4 day market out of Florida.

Cam J

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Carnival is the leader based on what? Overall capacity? Yes in that regard they are the leader. I'm talking about yields & occupancy. It's widely known that DCL sails at well over 100% occupancy on just about every sailing, with little to no discounting. A 3-day cruise on Disney costs about the same as a 7-day on Carnival. That is what you call a high yield, and DCL is certainly the leader in that regard. Carnival would kill to get the yields that DCL does. It will never happen.

Ernie

[ 03-24-2010: Message edited by: eroller ]

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Originally posted by eroller:

I'm guessing Disney is the leader in the 3/4 night market out of Florida, if you are basing it on booking volume and per head revenue. No mass-market cruise company sails at the consistent high occupancy as Disney, nor can any company come close to the yields.

Ernie

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Sorry. I should have clarified. I based it strictly on the south Florida market out of Miami (Majesty vs Imagination vs Sky).

Not sure if Disney could be put in any category as Disney cruise is more like a theme cruise all the way around. If Nickolodeon would start a cruise line it also would be more like theme cruises. Their overhead is higher thus demanding higher cruise fares.

Also Disney packages a lot of their cruise with landbased Disney World packages.

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Originally posted by eroller:

A 3-day cruise on Disney costs about the same as a 7-day on Carnival. That is what you call a high yield, and DCL is certainly the leader in that regard. Carnival would kill to get the yields that DCL does. It will never happen.

Ernie

[ 03-24-2010: Message edited by: eroller ]

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3 day DCL vs 7 day CCL is about the same price your right. But there is one major difference, Carnivals prices are more resonable and they try to make it affordable for people.

Carnival is still the overall leader dispite the high "yeilds" you say Disney has, which you still have yet to back up.

Cam J

[ 03-24-2010: Message edited by: Cam J ]

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Originally posted by Cam J:

Carnival is still the overall leader dispite the high "yeilds" you say Disney has, which you still have yet to back up.

Cam J

[ 03-24-2010: Message edited by: Cam J ]

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Again, overall leader based on what? Low prices, capacity, what?

As far as yields go, just do the math. Pick any sailing you want on Disney Wonder, then compare with any other mainstream line on a comparable cruise. Which price point is consistently higher? It's Disney. There is your market leader in terms of yields. This is not rocket science. DCL can charge these high yields because they are always full. Simple supply and demand. Carnival could never fill their ships at Disney prices as the demand is not there. They would love to, but it's not going to happen.

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Originally posted by eroller:

Carnival could never fill their ships at Disney prices as the demand is not there. They would love to, but it's not going to happen.

Ernie

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Fore me I would be bored on such island. So I just will stay on the ship and relax with all facility's a/b. Maybe a quick visit look around and back to ship.

Question is there any body among us who have visit all or most of the cruise lines private islands. I'm very interested to hear the differences. Maybe it cane make my view of those islands change.

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Originally posted by Maasdam:
Gentleman we are talking about NCL private Island and the whole treat is going to change in who is the market leader in the 3/4 day cruises.

Fore me I would be bored on such island. So I just will stay on the ship and relax with all facility's a/b. Maybe a quick visit look around and back to ship.

Question is there any body among us who have visit all or most of the cruise lines private islands. I'm very interested to hear the differences. Maybe it cane make my view of those islands change.

Greetings Ben.

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Except Casta Away Cay (Disney) I've been on all very recently.

I would put RCI's Coco Cay (Little Stirup Cay) and NCL's Great Stirup Cay on top on even heel for now.

Coco Cay gets the not in activities such as wave runners. GSC gets the nod for beauty of the island and their tender landing. I will see, once they completed their renovations, if GSC can pull away.

Half Moon Cay is a third and Princess Cays is dead last. Its not even an island just a small portion of Eleuthera.

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Originally posted by FL_Cruiser64:

That would make NCL#3. But how can you make that assumption if you as you say went to GSC in 2007. The Sky didn't even enter the 3/4 Night market until 2008.

So you really can't compare the Sky to the Majesty or Imagination.

I said last year that the Sky is gonna take over the 3/4 Night market. She did. Booking volume and per head revenue clearly show that.

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I visited GSC on the Dawn and the island was in horrible shape. Not enough space for guests without being on top of each other. The beach area was rocky. Not enough tables for people to sit and dine. The list goes on and on.

I can compare the three cruise lines. Been on the all more than once. No way has NCL taken over the three and four day market with one ship.

[ 03-25-2010: Message edited by: Atlcruiser ]

[ 03-25-2010: Message edited by: Atlcruiser ]

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Originally posted by FL_Cruiser64:

But just to clarify: I was strictly speaking of the Miami market.

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No problem.

Anyway, I don't know if NCL is the short cruise leader out of South Florida or not, but the SKY would be my first choice. Compared to the competition I think she is the best ship in the 3/4 day market. Once you move up to 4/5 days there are a lot more options.

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Originally posted by Dutch:
I've been to all of the Out Islands except Half Moon Cay:

- Disney's is tops though it feels more commercial and fabricated. Docking facilities make it so easy to get on and off the ship, plus the separate adult beach is sweet. Imagine the Polynesian Village environment on an island.
- Labadee is a great experience too. Physical surroundings (mountains) are prettier than the Bahamas and there is so much space. Activities like zip line and water park are plusses or minuses depending upon your POV.
- Great Stirrup Cay (NCL) - The swimming cove is very pretty and has some good undersea life. The beach was too crowded for the big ship's capacity but this will be remedied with the expansion of the beach where the tender service used to operate. Definitely due for a makeover... old lounge chairs and dining facilities With the investment NCL has planned, it will probably be the best Bahama out island after Disney.
- Coco Cay (RCCL) - Sits right next to NCL's Great Stirrup. Decent but not picturesque.
- Princess Cay was OK but probably the least memorable. It's not an island... just a private stretch of beach. Felt like something in front of a hotel... not a Castaway experience

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Wow, I think you took the words right out of my mouth! I was planning to write a response this morning but work pretty much took over.

I've been to them all, and here are my ratings:

1. Castaway Cay - by far the nicest, most organized, most pristine, cleanest, and the most attention to detail. I love the fact there is a secluded adults only beach and bar, and the buffet actually serves made to order steak, unlimited soft drinks, and unlimited soft serve ice cream. The beach chairs and towels are the nicest, and you can swim in a lagoon like setting or directly in the ocean depending on the beach.

2. Labadee - as mentioned it's the most scenic. Being on a small peninsula in Haiti means it's surrounded by mountains and the setting is stunning. It also has the most activities, including the zip line and coaster. The beaches are great, water is beautiful and calm, and there is plenty of room. Again you can swim in a more secluded lagoon like setting or directly in the ocean on the other side of the peninsula.

3. Half Moon Cay - I think HAL did a nice job. It's clean, organized, and well kept. All the typical amenities are there but they seem to be a step above most of the other islands. There is a nice choice of beaches and this is probably the most quiet and tranquil of all the islands.

4. Coco Cay - I really like the island itself, the layout, etc. but when I stopped there on LIBERTY OF THE SEAS it was way too crowded. Normally a Freedom Class ship does not stop there. I also didn't like that much of the swimming water was actually a large lagoon, so the water was not as clear or nice. When I stopped there on SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS the experience was much better. I like the little fountain as you arrive to the dock by tender.

5. GSC - it's been a couple years since I've been to GSC but I've always enjoyed it. It's the oldest of the lot, but probably the least developed as well. The beaches are nice and the water is clear and clean. The beach landings are a unique feature. I remember the beach chairs needed replacing and pretty much everything looked very worn, and this was a few years ago.

6. Princess Cays - as someone else mentioned, a bit unmemorable. It's nice, but pretty much just a stretch of beach and probably not the best stretch of beach at that. I honestly can't remember much more about it.

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Originally posted by eroller:

No problem.

Anyway, I don't know if NCL is the short cruise leader out of South Florida or not, but the SKY would be my first choice. Compared to the competition I think she is the best ship in the 3/4 day market. Once you move up to 4/5 days there are a lot more options.

Ernie

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