Great Stirrup Cay Pier Hosts First-Ever Double Ship Call
If you're sailing on the Norwegian Epic or Norwegian Getaway around December 21, 2026, expect Great Stirrup Cay to be crowded — that day's double call is projected to bring in nearly 8,500 passengers. Anyone booked on a Prima or Getaway itinerary to the island can also expect access to the new pier, the Great Tides Waterpark, Horizon Park and Hammock Bay. Check your cruise line's itinerary updates, since Cruise Industry News counts 30 more double calls scheduled through the 2026-27 winter season.
Norwegian's timing here is the story: the pier opened in August 2026 and, per Cruise Industry News, 30 more double calls are already booked through the winter season. That's not a one-off photo op — it's a capacity play. Pairing the Prima, on its first Caribbean summer, with the veteran Getaway on a three-night Bahamas run suggests Norwegian is using Great Stirrup Cay to soak up both long and short itineraries out of Port Canaveral and PortMiami. The December 21, 2026 call with the Epic and Getaway, projected near 8,500 passengers, is the one to watch — that's a lot of bodies on one beach, waterpark or not. My read: guests get more amenities (19 slides, pickleball, 50 hammocks) but also more company. If I were sailing that week, I'd check whether my cruise line has a shore-side alternative built in.