Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Expects 1.4 Million Visitors to Great Stirrup Cay in 2027 Following Major Upgrades

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings delivered a strong financial update during its morning earnings call, reporting an impressive $2.9 billion in revenue alongside an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.12, which comfortably surpassed Wall Street expectations. Beyond the strong quarterly financials, company leadership highlighted a major strategic shift regarding its newly enhanced private island destination in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay. Driven by recent infrastructure investments and heavily revamped cruise itineraries, Norwegian is aggressively scaling up its visitor projections, signaling a massive push to capture a larger share of the lucrative private destination market.

According to CEO John W. Chidsey, the cruise operator now expects approximately 1.4 million guests to visit Great Stirrup Cay in 2027. This represents a significant upward revision from the company’s initial projections, which anticipated about 1.2 million visitors. The 200,000-passenger increase is not a coincidence; it is the direct result of a carefully coordinated operational pivot. Norwegian is actively altering its global sailing itineraries across multiple vessels to ensure that significantly more ships—and consequently, thousands more passengers—make Great Stirrup Cay a central port of call on their Caribbean and Bahamian voyages.

Private islands have evolved from simple beach excursions into the crown jewels of the modern cruise industry. Not only do most cruise passengers demonstrate an overwhelming preference for private island days—prized for their pristine beaches, secure environments, and hassle-free resort experiences on land—but these destinations also serve as crucial drivers of ancillary revenue for cruise lines. On-island spending, ranging from private cabana rentals and premium food and beverage packages to excursions and retail purchases, often yields exceptionally high profit margins. By funneling more ships toward Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is strategically positioning its portfolio to maximize both guest satisfaction and onboard-style profitability ashore.

To accommodate this dramatic surge in visitor volume, Norwegian has thoroughly reworked its deployment schedules for both the 2027 and 2028 seasons. More ships are being routed through the region, transforming Great Stirrup Cay into a high-capacity hub capable of handling multi-vessel days.

Adjusting Itineraries for More Visits

The logistical catalyst making this ambitious traffic expansion possible is the newly opened two-berth pier, which officially debuted on September 4. For years, visiting Great Stirrup Cay required slower, weather-dependent tender operations, where passengers were ferried from the ship to the shore in smaller boats. This traditional tender process often created bottlenecks, limited the total number of hours guests could spend on the island, and restricted the company to handling only one or two ships at a time with considerable friction.

The introduction of the modern two-berth pier completely eliminates these historic constraints. Two cruise ships can now dock simultaneously, allowing thousands of guests to simply walk right off the ship and onto the island without waiting around for tender transfers. Furthermore, the pier infrastructure provides guests with significantly more hours ashore, maximizing their relaxation and recreation time.

The impact of this new infrastructure is already visible in upcoming deployment schedules. During the month of November, there are at least 12 instances where two Norwegian Cruise Line ships will be docked side by side at Great Stirrup Cay on the very same day. Operations will peak even further on November 17, when an unprecedented three NCL ships are scheduled to visit the private island simultaneously. On that high-volume day, two of the ships will utilize the new double-berth pier, while the third ship will rely on traditional tender operations to transfer its passengers to the land, underscoring just how heavily utilized the destination has become.

What Is New at Great Stirrup Cay

For travelers who have not visited Great Stirrup Cay in recent years, the island offers a dramatically transformed environment that bears little resemblance to the quieter, more rustic destination it was even just a few months ago. The centerpiece of these multi-million dollar renovations is the nearly six-acre Great Tides Waterpark, which represents the largest single investment in the island’s modern history.

Early guest feedback regarding the water park has been overwhelmingly positive. According to management reports shared during the earnings call, an impressive 90 percent of surveyed guests stated they would recommend the new water park experience. Norwegian also leveraged a massive influencer marketing campaign to drum up excitement for the grand opening, inviting approximately 100 social media content creators to experience the amenities firsthand. That strategy yielded massive digital returns, generating over 275 million views across various platforms and instantly introducing the upgraded destination to a vast new demographic of potential cruisers.

Company management noted that water park participation rates and overall onboard and on-island spending are tracking precisely on target with financial projections. The water park anchors a broader suite of infrastructure and amenity upgrades implemented across the island designed to elevate the guest experience from a basic beach day to a full-scale resort adventure.

The ambitious target of bringing 1.4 million visitors to Great Stirrup Cay next year marks a decisive step in solidifying the island as a powerhouse competitive asset for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. As major industry competitors like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Corporation continue to heavily invest in and expand their own private destinations in the region, the modern cruise experience is increasingly extending well beyond the physical confines of the ship itself. Although the expanded facilities and the new water park have only been open for a few weeks, early operational and financial indicators strongly suggest that the massive gamble on Great Stirrup Cay is paying off for NCL.