Norwegian Cruise Lines is one of the largest cruise companies in the world offering a fleet of seventeen ships and growing. Guests can travel all around the world on some of the amazing itineraries that Norwegian has to offer. Besides amazing itineraries, guests choose Norwegian for their more “freestyle” cruising vibe. Norwegian is notorious for their freestyle dining, which means guests can eat at whatever time they prefer instead of assigned dining times. Norwegian prides itself on amazing cuisine, one of a kind on-board activities (go karts at sea- yep Norwegian has that!), world class entertainment, and many different categories of on-board accommodations (google “The Haven suites” and tell me how amazing that looks!). The best part about Norwegian is that most of the time they offer amazing incentives for booking like free wifi, free beverage packages, and even free airfare on certain cruises. Plain and simple, Norwegian can usually offer a guest way more “bang for their buck” as compared to other large cruise lines.
I recently cruised on a Caribbean vacation with Norwegian Cruise Lines. Many of their Caribbean itineraries include a stop at their very own private island- Great Stirrup Cay. This little slice of heaven is located in the Bahamas where the water is always the most beautiful shades of blue, and the beaches are amazing.
I want to highlight an amazing option that is totally worth the money if you ever get to visit Great Stirrup Cay. A private villa! Specifically, an ocean villa at Silver Cove! My friends and I booked one of these and let me explain…
From the minute we stepped off the cruise ship and over to the private villa tent, the VIP treatment started! My party and I were driven by golf cart to an exclusive and quiet part of the island (Silver Cove) where we were assigned our villa. Our driver jumped out, opened the door to the villa, and gave us a brief overview of the amenities inside. We are talking about a LUXURIOUS full sized private bathroom, living area with TV and a sofa, a mini fridge stocked full of bottled water, and a dining area that had complimentary snacks waiting for us. We were given a quick lesson on how to work the TV remote, which remote control worked the indoor and outdoor ceiling fans, and showed a complimentary selection of sunscreen and bug spray. The best part was when we opened our sliding glass doors to the back of the villa. There were two large lounge chairs and another comfy chair for two under a covered roof. Then, look up and AHA- the beach! The beach with our own chairs and umbrellas, all laid out for us! As we walked out onto the beach- here comes our personal room steward who introduced himself to us and told us he would tend to any of our needs. He immediately summoned the bartender and the tropical drinks were ordered. No, they were not ordered from the same bar that the rest of the island had access to- they were ordered from a bar that is exclusive to villa guests, which clearly means quicker service! This part of the island has a full service bar AND a champagne bar for more fancy drinks. The amazing cocktails started coming!
At lunch time our room steward told us that the lunch buffet was ready for us. He escorted us, again by golf cart, because heavens- people in villas don’t walk, right to the lunch area. Again, not your typical island lunch buffet with the crowds. We had our own lunch area with higher end buffet foods including a selection of seafoods, chicken, beef, and pork dishes. This is again, only offered to those staying in the villas. After our bellies were full, here comes our guy to take us back to our villa.
When we were back at our villa, it was beach time again! This part of the island is so quiet that a nap on the beach was in store for us. We plopped into our beach side lounge chairs and spent the rest of the afternoon in the sun (personally- I was under an umbrella!) with our fancy drinks in our hands (yes I said hands- don’t judge!).
When I say we found heaven on earth- it was right there in that villa on Great Stirrup Cay. We were secretly hoping the cruise ship would leave us there… we would have taken our chances! An Ocean Villa at Silver Cove can accommodate eight guests so the cost is well worth it, especially if you have friends to split it with. They also have a larger villa called a Lagoon Villa which can accommodate up to 10 guests. If you are interested in getting really fancy- there are even 1 and 2 bedroom villas in Silver Cove. These would accommodate multiple families and can hold up 18 guests.
One tip that I wish we would have known ahead of time is that the private villa actually has more outlets than the room on the cruise ship. We could have brought a few of our devices to charge if we had known! On the ship we were taking turns charging our cell phones, cell phone chargers, smart watches, and even our selfie sticks (yes my friend brought a selfie stick- and we are still friends!). Another piece of advice- there is no need to bring any water off of the ship for the day. The villa had plenty of bottles of complimentary water.
Hands down, this was such an amazing experience for the traveler who wants a day of relaxation with a little (or lot) of beach thrown in! Everything about renting the private villa really makes you feel like a V.I.P. I would definitely recommend this excursion to any of my clients who are traveling to Great Stirrup Cay with Norwegian Cruise Lines!
Review By:
Erica Fogelsong
Vacation Specialist at Denville Travel