When Recommend was invited to an exclusive September preview of Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand-new Great Tides Waterpark on the line’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas, I expected to have some fun, but did I expect a solid seven hours of over-the-top fun? I most certainly did not. I could’ve stayed longer, but I would’ve gone viral as a pier runner.
Do I recommend this experience as an add-on during your client’s visit to the island? Most certainly. I promise they’ll call you from the island to say, “thank you,” as they’re floating down The Wandering River, which, I might add, was my favorite experience and I’ll tell you why in a minute.
This must be at the top of your client’s shortlist when exploring Great Stirrup Cay, and if you’re thinking it’s just for families with kids and teens, think again (my waterpark buddy and I are over 50).
As John Chernesky, Norwegian Cruise Line’s CSO, told media during a press conference aboard Norwegian Getaway the day after the preview, “The [addition of the] waterpark obviously speaks to our focus on the premium family segment but you don’t have to have kids to enjoy the waterpark.”
He added, “We’ve been looking at renderings and concepts for over a year and talking about it as a theoretical, and to actually stand there and be in the moment and experiencing it, it blew my expectations away. I was blown away by the scale of it and just how much fun everything was.”
Joel Garcia, Norwegian’s VP of Construction and Engineering, said their goal was to make sure that everyone in the group was catered to. “We had been working 15 months nonstop, from start to finish, looking at everything to make sure we offered something for everyone,” he said. “During those 15 months, it was nonstop work, but the rewarding part was seeing all the guests enjoying the waterpark. It kind of put everything into perspective. We really made something special. My first reaction was really a sense of pride.” He stressed, too, that this is “much more than a traditional waterpark. We wanted to make sure we had an immersive experience, adding great features like our immersive tunnel, which is absolutely outstanding.”
Making a Splash
Great Tides Waterpark, which has been designed to welcome 1,800 passengers daily but will currently top off at 1,200, features a plethora of thrilling experiences, but it’s the one Garcia singled out that took me most by surprise. As I drifted down the 800-ft.-long Wandering River on an inner tube, without a care in the world, I rounded a bend and what did I see just ahead, but a tunnel. Not sure what to expect, I laughed with glee over the unexpected and then I was fully immersed in a whimsical world with immersive digital projections of marine life dancing across the cavern walls, including above my head. Enchanting was the word that immediately popped into my head. Also of note is the fun detour located alongside the river—the swim-up Floataway Bar.
Enjoying NCL’s version of a lazy river, though, was just one piece of a day packed with waterpark action. The park’s central hub is the Tidal Tower, home to eight exhilarating slides, including what NCL is calling the first “nautilus” slide in the world, Tropical Spiral, which spun me “right round, baby, right round”—in fact, at one point, I was sliding backwards squealing with delight. For the very peak of adventure, though, your clients will have to head up, way up some 100+ steps to ride the Caribbean’s first dueling Master Blaster slides, Breakwater Blasters, which use high-pressure water jets to propel riders—and their inner tubes—uphill and through steep drops and twists. Ok, so maybe that’s not for everyone; those seeking a slightly more subdued thrill will want to dash over to Tropical Storm, which mirrors more traditional waterslides. The highly competitive, meanwhile, will want to challenge a companion on Whitewater Dash and Rapid Mat Racers, racing side by side on separate slides to see who can make it to the bottom first.
Families with older kids and teens, or groups of adults who love silly fun, definitely need to head to The Great Slide, where four guests can slide down together—it’s one of those slides your clients will be wanting to do on repeat. For those who love to take their thrills up a notch, then you’ll want to recommend jumping from the Cliffside Cove, home to the Caribbean’s tallest cliff jumps. Although I did not partake in this experience (those who know me know I have a terrible fear of heights), I did sit by the pool and watch as others hesitated, deciding whether or not to make the leap. I did, however, head right next door, to The Fearless Falls slides, which shot me out five feet above the water before I splashed into the pool below.
And if you’re thinking, well, this really is a perfect waterpark for families with teens, not so fast. The waterpark is also home to Splash Cay, offering over 9,000 sq. ft. of space for families with little ones, embraced by cabanas and featuring an oversized tipping bucket holding 300 gallons of water, eight mini-slides and interactive water features. Ok, you caught me, I didn’t spend much time there, but I did spend time checking out the new food trucks, which include Low Tide Smoke, serving BBQ; Catch of the Day, where I had delicious golden fried shrimp; and Tidal Treats, where the waterpark’s hidden gem can be found—a tropical fish-shaped waffle cone that comes topped with vanilla soft serve, colorful sprinkles and one’s choice of a swirl flavor (everything from bubblegum to tropical orange). While food from the food trucks comes at an additional cost, there are buffet-style options available that are included in the cruise fare.
Beyond the thrills, however, NCL sees Great Stirrup Cay itself as an important part of the overall cruise experience—and a key selling point for travel advisors.
As Chernesky noted, “Great Stirrup Cay is one of our highest-rated destinations in the Caribbean, so people realize the value of it. How many people get to vacation 52 weeks out of the year? Not many. And so those limited vacation windows [your clients] have, you want to maximize it, and…the service and the experience [here], I think, is just second to none. If you’re not talking about…Great Stirrup Cay, you’re missing out with your clients.” And he reminds travel advisors, “You think of Port Canaveral, you think of Jacksonville, you think of Tampa, you think of New York City to get to the Caribbean, to The Bahamas—I think it’s a million people a year across 17 ships who will have access to Great Stirrup Cay.”
