The Bahamas Has a New Private-Island Waterpark Opening This Week, With 19 Slides, Cliff Jumps and an 800-Foot River

Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas is adding a nearly six-acre waterpark with 19 slides, cliff jumps and an 800-foot river, turning a Norwegian Cruise Line island day into something much bigger.

Great Tides Waterpark and Great Stirrup Cay are almost ready for their first regular cruise passengers. Norwegian Cruise Line has held its opening celebration for the new attraction on its private island in The Bahamas, with the park officially opening to guests Sept. 4 when Norwegian Luna arrives on a seven-day Caribbean cruise from Miami.

That means 19 waterslides, the cruise industry’s first cliff jumps and an 800-foot-plus river are joining an island that already has a sprawling lagoon pool, beaches, cabanas and an adults-only beach club. And it completes the most important part of a transformation Caribbean Journal has been following at Great Stirrup Cay all year.

The bigger story is what Norwegian is turning the island into. Great Stirrup Cay is no longer built primarily around getting off the ship and finding a beach chair; it is increasingly a self-contained resort destination where families, couples and groups can spend the entire port call doing very different things.

The Waterpark Changes the Great Stirrup Cay Day

Great Tides covers nearly six acres inside Norwegian’s 270-acre Bahamian island, according to the cruise line. Caribbean Journal previously reported both the dimensions of the park and the broader transformation underway across Great Stirrup Cay as construction approached completion.

At the center is Tidal Tower, a 170-foot structure packed with slides. There are 19 slides across the park, ranging from racing attractions to rides designed for families to experience together.

One of the signatures is The Great Slide, which Norwegian bills as the Caribbean’s only four-person body slide. Cliffside Cove adds jumps of 10 and 15 feet, an unusual feature for a cruise-line private island and one Norwegian says is an industry first.

Then there is The Wandering River, stretching more than 800 feet through the park. It is deliberately more involved than a conventional lazy river, including an immersive tunnel and a swim-up bar along the route.

Younger children have a separate option at Splash Cay, a 9,000-square-foot aquatic play area. That separation is important because Great Tides is not simply a collection of giant slides aimed at older kids and adults; Norwegian is trying to make the park usable by a multigenerational group without requiring everyone to spend the day doing the same thing.

“We’re excited to officially open Great Tides Waterpark,” Norwegian Cruise Line president Marc Kazlauskas said when the Sept. 4 date was announced.

Why Norwegian Is Doing This Now

This is only one part of a much larger investment in Great Stirrup Cay. Caribbean Journal reported in May that Norwegian was undertaking a $150 million pier expansion designed to accommodate two large ships simultaneously, addressing one of the biggest limitations of the private-island experience. Caribbean Journal’s report on the $150 million Great Stirrup Cay expansion

That infrastructure is fundamental to the new attractions. A waterpark, giant pool and beach club can draw considerably more use when passengers can walk directly ashore rather than relying on tender boats between ship and island.

The waterpark also follows the opening of Great Life Lagoon, a large heated pool with a beach-style entry, swim-up bars and areas geared toward families. Caribbean Journal covered that phase of the Great Stirrup Cay expansion earlier in the year, along with the new Vibe Shore Club, tram service and additional recreation areas — see our earlier look at the Great Stirrup Cay transformation

Norwegian has projected more than one million visits to Great Stirrup Cay across 17 ships, another indication of why so much new capacity is being added ashore. The private island is increasingly central to the cruise line’s Bahamas and Caribbean deployment rather than an occasional extra stop.

That includes the company’s newest ships. Norwegian Luna, which will bring the first regular guests to Great Tides on Sept. 4, is sailing Caribbean itineraries from Miami and pairing the private island with ports including Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and Tortola. (Here’s Caribbean Journal’s guide to Norwegian Luna’s Caribbean season)

The strategy continues with Norwegian Aura, the company’s largest ship yet, which is headed to the Caribbean after its debut and will also call at Great Stirrup Cay. Caribbean Journal has reported that the 3,840-guest ship is being paired with Norwegian’s expanding private-island network as part of its Caribbean program.

There’s More Than Water Slides

The new park has three food trucks: Low Tide Smoke for barbecue, Catch of the Cay for seafood and Tidal Treats for ice cream and soft serve. Those are part of an effort to make Great Tides somewhere passengers can remain for a substantial part of the port day rather than leaving whenever they want lunch.

The broader island still gives you plenty of alternatives. Great Life Lagoon is a 28,000-square-foot pool with swim-up bars, while the beaches remain available to guests who came to The Bahamas primarily to spend a few hours beside the water.

There are also cabanas, the adults-only Vibe Shore Club, a snorkel garden, ziplining and other optional experiences. Norwegian says general beach access, the lagoon and complimentary dining are among the amenities included with an island visit, while Great Tides requires separate admission.

That last distinction is important when you are budgeting the cruise. A call at Great Stirrup Cay does not automatically give you admission to Great Tides; booked passengers can reserve waterpark passes through their Norwegian account, subject to availability.

There are also attraction-specific height and weight requirements inside the park. Depending on the ride, minimum heights run from 36 to 48 inches, and guests 17 and younger must enter with a ticketed adult who is at least 18.

How Much Is a Cruise That Gets You There?

The easiest short option being promoted around the opening is a four-day Norwegian Getaway Bahamas cruise roundtrip from Miami with Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau. Norwegian is currently advertising select departures from $299 per person, although cruise pricing changes by sailing, cabin and booking date.

A longer option is a seven-day Caribbean itinerary aboard Norwegian Luna from Miami, pairing Great Stirrup Cay with Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and Tortola. Norwegian is advertising select sailings from $699 per person, giving passengers a full Eastern Caribbean itinerary rather than a Bahamas-only escape.

There are also seven-day Norwegian Epic sailings from Port Canaveral with Great Stirrup Cay, Jamaica and Cozumel, with select departures advertised from $599 per person. Those fares are cruise fares rather than Great Tides admission prices, so anyone booking primarily for the waterpark should check the available park pass before choosing a sailing.

Caribbean Journal previously found Norwegian Luna seven-night Caribbean cruises at about $939 per person during an earlier rate check. That gives some context for how much fares can differ by departure date and itinerary, and is another reason to price the exact sailing rather than relying on a headline fare.

Which Great Stirrup Cay Day Is Right for You?

If you are traveling with school-age children or teenagers, Great Tides is now the obvious centerpiece. Between Tidal Tower, the cliff jumps, The Wandering River and Splash Cay, there is enough inside the gates to build most of the day around the park.

Couples who care more about a pool and drinks may prefer Great Life Lagoon, while the adults-only Vibe Shore Club gives passengers another way to approach the island. And if your idea of The Bahamas is still simply clear water and a beach chair, you do not have to buy the waterpark pass at all.

That choice is really the point of the Great Stirrup Cay expansion. Norwegian is putting several different versions of a Caribbean vacation stop on one island, then letting passengers decide how much of it they want.

The official guest debut on Sept. 4 is the latest and biggest piece. With 19 slides, cliff jumps, an 800-foot-plus river and Norwegian Luna arriving from Miami, Great Stirrup Cay is about to show passengers what Norwegian’s new version of a Bahamas private-island day looks like.