Peek at the private island for cruisers that just got a major makeover

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GREAT STIRRUP CAY, Bahamas — Cruising’s original private island, Great Stirrup Cay, is emerging from a major makeover.

As can be seen in the photo tour above, the 268-acre beach getaway owned by Norwegian Cruise Line has been spruced up over the past year with new and revamped food and drink venues, rebuilt cabanas and expanded areas of powdery soft sand. A large number of additional lounge chairs have been brought in, and there’s a new underwater sculpture garden for snorkelers. The company has spent more than $1 million on new landscaping.

More is coming. Still in the works is a new upscale lagoon area for passengers staying in the exclusive Haven cabins on Norwegian ships. It’ll feature 38 private villas with up to two bedrooms, a two-story restaurant and swim-up bar. There’s also a new spa area taking shape.

“It’s a substantial investment,” the Norwegian executive in charge of the overhaul, Carlos Gonzalez, told reporters during a recent tour. “This is the biggest (makeover) of the island ever.”

Acquired by Norwegian Cruise Line in 1977, Great Stirrup Cay is located in the Bahamas’ sparsely populated Berry Islands chain, about 62 miles from Nassau. During a typical week, it’s visited by several Norwegian Cruise Line ships for what, essentially, is a beach day. It also gets the occasional visit from the vessels of Norwegian’s sister lines Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises.

A staff of more than 60 people lives full time on the island to prepare it for ship visits.

Showing off new structures such as a taco eatery near the beach, Gonzalez says the aim of the overhaul is to give the 40-year-old retreat a more relaxed, resort-like feel. The new landscaping includes more than a thousand trees to cast more shade on island visitors. Pathways have been paved to offer a more elegant experience getting around. Additional seating areas have been added around a number of venues to create a cozier experience.

“We’re trying to create these spaces where people can come and hang out,” Gonzalez says as he stands in front of a new roof-covered, open-air seating area at Abaco Taco.

Gonzalez notes the island now has 3,000 lounge chairs, up from 1,200 before the makeover. In the past, visitors who got to the island late sometimes would struggle to find a chair. Now there are more than enough for everyone even when the biggest ships visit.

The main buffet dining venue, Jumby Beach Grill, has been revamped to have four food lines instead of two, greatly speeding up service and cutting down on crowds. A new deck with umbrella-shaded seating has been added in front of the venue, and two associated bars were moved to a better location. The bars also were made twice as big.

Jumby Beach also received significant behind-the-scenes upgrades that will result in food being cooked faster and staying hotter and fresher,” Gonzalez says. The total cost for upgrading Jumby Beach alone was around $750,000, he notes.

The improvements at Great Stirrup Cay also included the rebuilding of the island’s 22 private cabanas, which are available for rent starting at $299 for a group of six. Each cabana now has its own ramp down toward the beach and is filled with premium lounge furniture a small refrigerator.

Also getting upgrades were the Patron Bar and Bertram’s Bar. Enhancements to the latter include new machines to create frozen drinks and other new equipment to speed up bar service, which Gonzalez says is two to three times faster now.

The mojito- and daiquiri-serving Bacardí Bar, meanwhile, received more than half a dozen new tables and umbrellas at an outdoor seating that also features a band stand for live music. Overlooking the beach, it now has more of a destination feel.

While mostly done, the work to upgrade Great Stirrup Cay is likely to continue through the end of the year. The new lagoon area for passengers in Haven cabins will be the last element of the overhaul to be completed. In addition to Haven guests, the exclusive area will be open to passengers who book a spa treatment on the island. A limited number of day passes to the area also will be sold.