NCL’s Great Stirrup Cay Transformation: New Waterpark, Pier, & Industry-Firsts

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today announced a massive transformation for its private island, Great Stirrup Cay (GSC), with the unveiling of the nearly six-acre Great Tides Waterpark and a host of other industry-first enhancements slated for summer 2026.

The update is a long time coming for NCL and for GSC. “I wish we would have done this five or 10 years ago,” NCL President David J. Herrera told TMR in an interview this week. “The reality is that we bought our island more than 50 years ago,” and now, five years after plans were delayed because of the pandemic, NCL is finally getting a chance to roll out the upgrades.

The Great Tides Waterpark

The plans for Great Stirrup Cay are headlined by a nearly six-acre Great Tides Waterpark, set to open in summer 2026. The park will include a nearly 800-foot dynamic river, a 9,000-square-foot splash zone for kids called Tidepool Town, and, in an industry first, cliffside jumps.

Standing above the park will be the 170-foot Tidal Tower, home to eight of the 19 total waterslides, including the two tallest. Plans for those slides include body slides, tube slides with large spirals, racing slides, and a conveyor belt to lift rafts to the top of the tower instead of having guests carry them up on their own.

Racer slides will also be available at Cliffside Cove, which will also offer two different cliff jumps, one at 10 feet and one at 15 feet, a first for a private destination. Hidden in a cave tucked under Cliffside Cove’s family slide will be The Grotto Bar, which Herrera is betting is one of the more popular places on the island.

“Watching that interaction with the family and friends who are there to support or, let’s be honest, ridicule them and get their reaction, I have a feeling that the bar is going to be my favorite places on the island,” Herrera told TMR.

Tidepool Town will be the area for the younger family members, with a tipping bucket high above at more than 40 feet above ground, eight mini waterslides, and the 8,000-foot-long dynamic river. The area will also feature cabanas for families to make home base.

Jet Karts Track

The cliff jumps aren’t the only firsts that NCL is adding to GSC. Plans also call for a Jet Karts Track, which NCL is calling “a mini aquatic racecourse that combines elements of go-karting and jet skiing.” The addition calls back to NCL being the first cruise line to add a racetrack to its ships’ top deck.

“You want to do one or two something that is unique and genuine, we’re the first ones to have a Jet Karts Track,” Herrera said.

Other Additions

The Jet Kart track and Great Tides Waterpark might be more splashy, but Herrera told TMR that the expansion starts with “building a pier.” NCL had announced earlier this year that it would add a pier to GSC. Herrera said that “no one likes tender. It’s a challenge, especially when it’s one of your marquee ports.”

The pier, along with the welcome plaza and tram service, all announced earlier, will debut later this year. Other previously announced plans include the additions of the Reef Bar, a beach-club-style adult space, the Shallows Bar, the 3,400-square-foot Splash Harbor, and Horizon Park, which will feature lawn-style games, pickleball courts, a nine-hole mini golf course, and half a sports court.

In the meantime, guests will not experience any disruption during calls to GSC. “One of the things we wanted to make sure, people pay for a cruise, they pay for a great experience, we can’t jeopardize it,” Herrera told TMR, adding that construction has already started on a number of the projects, and that guest experience, which ranks highest among any ports NCL serves, is still rated highly.

Impact for Travel Advisors

For NCL, the investment in Great Stirrup Cay isn’t just about enhancing the guest experience; it’s also a significant opportunity for its travel partners, Herrera said.

“We love our travel partners, we prioritize our travel partners,” Herrera told TMR. “We are letting them know, there will be a lot of eyeballs on NCL, new commercial series, we want them to capitalize on the extra momentum and demand generation that they are going to have.” He emphasized the mutual benefit of the relationship. “I am excited about anything when it comes to travel partners that’s mutually beneficial because it is a partnership. I hope they capitalize on the influx of attention that GSC and by default, NCL will have.”

This anticipated surge in interest is being fueled by NCL’s aggressive “Escape to the Great Life” campaign, which includes a nationwide sweepstakes giving away 250 cruises to Great Stirrup Cay, and high-profile consumer activations in New York City (July 29-31) and Miami (throughout August).