VANCOUVER — Norwegian Cruise Line is ramping up the sophistication of its Great Stirrup Cay, a 250-acre outpost in the Bahamas that launched the private island concept when Norwegian bought it in 1977.
The line is planning millions of dollars of improvements during the next year, in part to keep the island competitive with other current and planned private attractions in the area.
Although Norwegian was first with the idea, Great Stirrup Cay lacks many of the features of the newer proprietary islands, such as Disney Cruise Line's Castaway Cay.
"It was a great experience, a real private island experience, but a simple experience," Norwegian president Andy Stuart said of Great Stirrup Cay's original layout.
By spring 2017, Norwegian expects to unveil its latest iteration of the island, Stuart said at CLIA's recent Cruise360 conference for travel agents here.
The biggest change will be a luxury development around the island's lagoon, which will mostly be reserved for guests of the Haven, Norwegian's ship-within-a-ship premium area. The lagoon will feature a swim-up bar, a party room for up to 75 guests, a fine dining restaurant and 22 deluxe air-conditioned luxury beach villas that can be rented for the day.
"We think these are going to be incredibly popular," Stuart said, adding that pricing has yet to be determined.
There will also be a Mandara Spa on site, and guests buying a treatment will be allowed to use the lagoon. There will be a small number of admissions to the lagoon area that can be purchased, as well.
The rest of the island will get a boardwalk spanning the length of a 10-acre beach. There will be 50% more dining options, Stuart said, including the addition of an Abaco Taco bar and a LandShark Bar & Grill, part of Norwegian's partnership with Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.
The basic cabanas already on the beach will be made over. For families, additions will include volleyball and basketball courts, pingpong tables, picnic areas and more rest-rooms.
Stuart said an underwater sculpture trail will be built for snorkelers to explore, with maps provided.
Another addition will be a zipline, which will soar 100 feet in the air and be 1,000 feet long.
"We've got parallel lines so guests can race, if they're competitive," Stuart said.
A Great Stage will host concerts, games and other entertainment. The Patron-sponsored tequila bar will be expanded, and a new air-conditioned reception area will orient passengers and offer advice on activities.
"At the moment, the guests come ashore and they're a little unsure what to do," Stuart said.
Norwegian will also add lockers so guests can store valuables or a change of clothes. It is also spending more than $1 million on landscaping, "which is really a huge investment, but it's just going to lift the whole quality of the experience," Stuart said.
Private islands are growing in number and becoming more elaborate. Norwegian is building one in Belize, which is set to open in December, and MSC Cruises has plans for a $200 million island near Bimini.
Stuart said Norwegian's plans for Great Stirrup Cay were laid out long before MSC announced its project last December.
While Norwegian's port in Belize is connected to the mainland by a bridge and staffed by Belize residents, Great Stirrup Cay is a true island and will continue to be staffed by employees from the ship.
Stuart said cruise lines could do more to play up the experience.
"I think we're so used to having private islands that we forget how sexy it is," Stuart said. "It's a private island. Nobody lives there. It's a beautiful destination in the middle of nowhere, and we're sort of blase. It's a big deal. Who gets to go to an island where nobody lives there?"