For years, Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay, has been one of the most frequently missed ports in the Caribbean, largely due to rough seas that made tendering unreliable.
That changed this week when Norwegian Getaway became the first ship to officially dock at the island’s long-awaited pier on December 28, 2025.
The milestone was announced onboard in the ship’s Freestyle Daily, marking what Norwegian Cruise Line called a “historic moment” for both the vessel and the company.
“Today marks a historic moment for Norwegian Getaway and in the history of Norwegian Cruise Line to be the first ship to dock at Great Stirrup Cay with the opening of our brand-new pier,” the onboard notice read.
“Each and every one of our guests this cruise will be making history alongside us… being the first cruise passengers to walk off a Norwegian Cruise Line ship onto the island of Great Stirrup Cay.”
Norwegian Getaway is sailing a three-night Bahamas itinerary from Miami, departing PortMiami on December 26, 2025, with a scheduled call at Great Stirrup Cay before returning to Miami on December 29, 2025.
An end to tendering and fewer missed ports
The new pier means guests can now walk directly ashore instead of relying on tenders, a long-standing pain point for cruisers sailing to Great Stirrup Cay. In the winter months especially, choppy seas have forced Norwegian Cruise Line to cancel the stop entirely on many itineraries, even when the island was listed as a marquee destination.
With direct docking now possible, cancellations due to tender conditions should drop significantly, something NCL cruisers have been vocal about for years.
For now, only one side of the pier appears to be in use, which limits docking to a single ship at a time. While Norwegian Getaway docked directly at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Gem was anchored farther out and continued tendering guests to the island, according to CruiseMapper.
Cruisers have been asking: “When will the pier be done?”
The timing of the first docking comes after months of frustration from loyal NCL guests, many of whom specifically book itineraries for Great Stirrup Cay, only to miss it repeatedly.
In a recent Reddit thread titled “When is their stupid pier at Great Stirrup Cay going to be finished?”, one cruiser stated:
“Both times I’ve chosen NCL specifically for that one day at Great Stirrup Cay… they had to cancel due to choppy weather for tendering. I just didn’t expect it to happen twice.”
Others chimed in with similar stories, including cruisers who said they had only made it to the island once in seven attempts, while some reported missing the port three or four times in a row. Several commenters even admitted they canceled future Norwegian sailings because of repeated Great Stirrup Cay cancellations.
The new pier at Great Stirrup Cay is part of a bigger investment plan
The debut of the pier also aligns with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ broader redevelopment plans for the island. In an April 2025 press release, the cruise line emphasized how critical the project is to the guest experience:
“These newly announced enhancements to Great Stirrup Cay will further improve the guest experience on the island, which is already one of our top-rated destinations worldwide,” Sommer said. “Along with the completion of a new multi-ship pier later this year, we’re improving both access and amenities on the island.”
Norwegian has committed approximately $150 million to the island’s redevelopment. Once the private island is capable of accommodating two ships at the pier, the cruise line estimates that more than one million guests will visit annually by 2026.
The cruise line emphasized that the new pier at Great Stirrup Cay will support increased capacity to the island while enhancing the guest experience. Norwegian Cruise Line stated the new pier will bring a seamless and reliable access to the private island year-round.
Other changes coming to Great Stirrup Cay, but not all of them are popular
The new pier is just one part of a broader redevelopment underway at Great Stirrup Cay. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has announced additional enhancements to the private island, including expanded amenities, improved infrastructure, and long-term plans to support growing passenger volumes in the Caribbean.
However, not every change has been met with enthusiasm from cruisers. One of the most controversial updates has been the decision for Norwegian’s drink packages not to apply on Great Stirrup Cay. This announcement surprised many guests who expected their onboard beverage benefits to extend to the private island.
While the pier should significantly reduce missed calls and improve reliability, reactions to the island’s ongoing evolution suggest that infrastructure upgrades alone may not be enough to satisfy all cruisers, especially when long-standing perks are scaled back at the same time.
