NCL’s Great Tides Waterpark Takes Great Stirrup Cay to a New Level

Cruise lines have spent years competing over ships. Increasingly, however, what happens off the ship, particularly on their private islands, is becoming just as important to the sale.

That was certainly evident as Norwegian Cruise Line officially unveiled Great Tides Waterpark at Great Stirrup Cay yesterday, adding another significant selling feature for travel advisors putting together a Caribbean vacation. I was lucky enough to be on site and had the opportunity to experience the park firsthand. More images are available on our Facebook page here.

For advisors, private islands have become much more than another port on an itinerary. They offer something easy to explain to clients: a controlled, resort-style experience carrying much of the cruise product ashore. At Great Stirrup Cay, complimentary dining, beach access and the massive Great Life Lagoon are already part of the experience, while guests with NCL’s Free at Sea beverage package can use it on the island as well.

Add a nearly six-acre waterpark with 19 waterslides, Cliffside Cove, Splash Cay and an almost 800-foot Wandering River — affectionately referred to during the opening as the “not-so-lazy river.”

That gives advisors another experience to sell before their clients ever board the ship.

“It’s a place where families will create memories,” NCL President Marc Kazlauskas told TMR Canada at the opening. “Today we celebrate the opening of Great Tides Waterpark, but we also celebrate the people, partnerships and pioneering spirit that made this possible.”

There is value in that message for advisors. Instead of selling a Caribbean cruise based solely on the ship, accommodations and traditional ports of call, Great Stirrup Cay can increasingly be presented as one of the vacation’s headline experiences.

NCL clearly sees the opportunity. More than one million guests are expected to visit Great Stirrup Cay aboard NCL ships during 2026, making the island an increasingly important part of the company’s Caribbean product.

“We greatly value our partnership with The Bahamas,” said John W. Chidsey, Chairperson and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “Not only will this create a lot of jobs, but it obviously brings a lot of tourists to come experience the wonderful islands in The Bahamas.”

U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Herschel Walker put it another way.

“You’re not just building a park,” Walker said. “You’re building a family. You’re building a community.”

The Hon. Randy Rolle, Member of Parliament for Bimini and the Berry Islands, reminded those gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony that the relationship stretches back considerably further.

“Today’s opening represents nearly five decades of partnership,” Rolle said, noting NCL acquired Great Stirrup Cay in 1977.

For travel advisors, Great Tides adds another layer to that story. Clients can have the cruise ship experience, a Bahamian beach day and now a major waterpark experience within the same vacation.

That makes Great Stirrup Cay more than another dot on the itinerary.