NCL Backs Down on Great Stirrup Cay Drink Package Change as Tendering Returns

Picture this: you book a cruise, count on your drink package working on the cruise line’s own private island, and then get told that beachside cocktail is about to cost extra.

That’s the mess Norwegian Cruise Line created with Great Stirrup Cay.

Now it’s backing away from that plan. So that’s the good news. The less fun part? Guests will soon be taking tenders to the island again while work on the permanent pier continues.

NCL Has Reversed the Drink Package Change

Aerial rendering of Great Tides Waterpark on Great Stirrup Cay with colorful waterslides, pools, and a winding lazy river. — Great Stirrup Cay Great Tides Waterpark Aerial Rendering

Norwegian Cruise Line has walked back its plan to stop honoring its regular drink package at Great Stirrup Cay.

For guests, that’s a pretty big win. It means cruisers with NCL’s standard drink package perks, whether that’s tied to Free at Sea or More at Sea, won’t need to start paying out of pocket just because they stepped off the ship and onto NCL’s own island.

One travel advisor summed it up in a post shared on social media: “The Free at Sea beverage package has been extended indefinitely for Great Stirrup Cay. So if you have the FAS drink package it will still work on GSC after March 31; you don’t need to upgrade to FAS+.”

That lines up with what’s now showing in NCL’s updated U.S. and Canada promotional terms, which say the beverage package is applicable at Great Stirrup Cay bars, restaurants, and venues.

An NCL spokesperson stated “in response to feedback and to further enhance the island experience.” That’s about as close as cruise-line speak gets to: yes, people were not happy.

Recommend read: Norwegian Cruise Line Quietly Changed More Than Most Cruisers Realize

Why Guests Were So Frustrated

The original plan was never going to go down well.

Guests had been told their regular shipboard drink package would stop working on Great Stirrup Cay, first from March 1, 2026, but was later pushed back to March 31 after backlash from guests and travel advisors over the extra cost. After March 31, it looked like anyone who still wanted drinks included on the island would need either to buy them one by one or pay to move up to Free at Sea Plus.

That upgrade costs $49.99 per person, per day. The regular Free at Sea beverage package is listed at $28.50 per person, per day.

That’s a difference of $21.49 per day, or $150.43 extra per guest on a seven-night cruise.

Rendering of Great Stirrup Cay’s swim-up bar, with guests relaxing in the pool, sitting at the bar, and lounging beneath palm trees by the beach.

Cruisers were also left with a lot of questions about a possible island-only package, because one had been mentioned but never properly explained. So guests were being asked to accept a new charge without much detail about what they’d actually be getting.

According to advisor updates shared online, guests who already upgraded just to keep drinks included at Great Stirrup Cay can still cancel or downgrade, as long as they are at least three days away from embarkation.

Tendering Is Coming Back in April

There’s another part to this story, and it’s a lot less likely to get cheers.

Great Stirrup Cay is set to return to tender operations from April 1 while construction on the new two-ship pier moves into its final phase. Tendering is expected to continue through the summer.

Yes, that sounds a bit strange, because the pier did open and ships have already been using it. The first passenger ship docked there on December 28, 2025, which felt like the end of one of Great Stirrup Cay’s biggest headaches.

Norwegian Cruise Line ship docked at Great Stirrup Cay beside the new pier, with the island’s lagoon pool and palm trees in the foreground.

But it turns out that wasn’t the finished version.

Another travel advisor message shared on social media said: “Many of you have used the pier built at GSC and noticed it was temporary. NCL will be working on the permanent pier, so tendering will return beginning in April.”

That means guests can expect a slower trip ashore again for a few months, and the old weather worries come back too. Tender ports are always more vulnerable to rough seas, and Great Stirrup Cay has a long history of missed calls when conditions turn.

The Island Upgrades Are Still Moving Ahead

Even with the tender switch, NCL’s makeover of Great Stirrup Cay is still very much happening.

The cruise line’s own Great Stirrup Cay page says the new pier and welcome plaza are open now. The Great Life Lagoon pool area and Splash Harbor are open too, and Great Tides Waterpark is still being promoted for summer 2026.

Rendering of Great Stirrup Cay’s lagoon-style pool area, with sun loungers, palm trees, guests swimming and relaxing, and a Norwegian Cruise Line ship docked in the background.

So this isn’t a full step backward. It’s more like a very cruise-line version of home renovation: one room looks finished, another room is full of tools, and someone promises it’ll all be worth it by summer.

If you’ve been weighing up whether private islands are really better than regular ports, Private Islands vs Real Ports: Which One Makes a Better Cruise Stop? is a good follow-up read.

Key Takeaways

The main takeaway is pretty simple.

If you purchase NCL’s standard beverage package (Free at Sea), you should still be able to use it at Great Stirrup Cay instead of paying extra for drinks on the island. That’s the part most guests wanted fixed, and NCL has now fixed it.

But if you’re sailing from April into the summer, don’t assume you’ll just stroll off the ship and straight onto the beach. For a while, getting ashore is expected to take longer again due to tendering.

So this update is a win with an asterisk.

The beach bar bill looks a lot better. The trip to the beach may take a little more patience.