As Norwegian Cruise Line focuses on delivering extra to its passengers with its new model positioning, “Expertise Extra,” the cruise line is making a serious funding that’s anticipated to offer a giant return by way of passenger satisfaction.
The cruise line began 2025 with the rollout of an upgraded cruise bundle providing passengers “Extra at Sea,” and it’s hoping to finish the 12 months with one other massive change that passengers will certainly rejoice, too.
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With Extra At Sea, passengers get onboard perks like extra premium beverage selections and extra specialty eating meals. The cruise line can also be working to ship extra on board by way of leisure that provides extra selection in programming each inside and outdoors the primary theater.
Past providing passengers extra by way of latest enhancements to its onboard expertise, Norwegian Cruise Line can also be set to ship extra at its non-public island in The Bahamas, Nice Stirrup Cay, by the top of 2025.
Development of a cruise ship pier is underway on the island, and it’s anticipated to be accomplished within the fourth quarter of this 12 months.
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Picture supply: Norwegian Cruise Line
Nice Stirrup Cay’s new pier may have a huge impact on passenger expertise
The brand new pier, a $150 million funding, will accommodate two giant cruise ships concurrently. It’s going to considerably enhance entry to the island for all three of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ cruise manufacturers: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Norwegian Cruise Line has owned Nice Stirrup Cay since 1977 and was the primary cruise line to supply its passengers a non-public island expertise, but it surely hasn’t developed Nice Stirrup Cay as extensively as the opposite cruise line locations which have come after it.
Till now, the island has lacked a cruise ship pier, making it essential for passengers to be shuttled to the island by way of tender boats. As soon as accomplished, the brand new cruise ship pier will make entry to the island way more dependable. The vacation spot is commonly missed as a young port since tough seas typically make tendering unsafe.
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Lacking a port of name is all the time a disappointing expertise for passengers, so with the ability to take extra passengers to Nice Stirrup Cay extra typically will little doubt imply many extra happy Norwegian cruise friends.
Following the pier completion, Norwegian plans to put money into further enhancements to Nice Stirrup Cay to additional elevate the passenger expertise because the cruise line will increase calls to the vacation spot. Norwegian expects to welcome a couple of million passengers to the island in 2026, up from about 400,000 in 2024.
Latest passenger experiences exhibit the necessity for the pier
The essential want for a pier at Nice Stirrup Cay was underscored by a latest passenger dialogue within the NCL neighborhood on Reddit.
“Escape is skipping GSC this week. We have been presupposed to be there Tuesday 3/11, Captain cancelled it at present on account of winds. For our troubles, we get an in a single day in Port Canaveral,” Reddit consumer Totally different-Motor144 wrote.
Different passengers reported related experiences on latest sailings.
“I’m on the Jade now, we have been presupposed to go to GSC on the sixth and so they stated that too,” Low_Permission7278 chimed in.
Even those that did make it to the island reported irritating experiences on account of lengthy waits for tender boats.
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“We went on 3/8 and it was a sucky nightmare. Hours and hours for tenders. You didn’t miss a lot,” HufflePharm famous.
One other passenger’s expertise revealed simply how harmful and scary it may be to function tender boats in tough seas.
“I’m sorry this occurred however I do know they don’t make this determination flippantly. We have been on the island on a phenomenal sunny day. The winds got here up unexpectedly and we needed to be evacuated. Getting the tenders to the ship within the wind and waves was terrifying,” BethABoo65 defined. “I hope the pier is the sport changer they stated will probably be. The island is gorgeous and I might have preferred to attempt it out.”
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