{"version":"1.9","identifier":"49a56a1c-03ab-48a0-b56b-5584e28ca0d6","language":"en-US","title":"Norwegian reworks 2027 itineraries to send 200,000 more guests to Great Stirrup Cay","layout":{"columns":7,"width":1024,"margin":32,"gutter":20},"componentLayouts":{"text":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"maximumContentWidth":720,"margin":{"top":12,"bottom":12}},"photo":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"margin":{"top":20,"bottom":20}}},"componentTextStyles":{"default":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"textColor":"#171717"},"headline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue-Bold","fontSize":36,"lineHeight":42,"conditional":[{"conditions":{"maxViewportWidth":480},"fontSize":28,"lineHeight":34}]},"intro":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":20,"lineHeight":28,"textColor":"#555555"},"caption":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":19,"textColor":"#666666"},"byline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":20,"textColor":"#666666"},"body":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"paragraphSpacingAfter":14,"linkStyle":{"textColor":"#00704a"}}},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://cruisesfrog.com/news/norwegian-great-stirrup-cay-200000-more-guests-2027-itineraries","datePublished":"2026-10-30T20:56:16.997735Z","dateModified":"2026-10-30T20:56:32.255936Z","authors":["Patrick Karsh"],"excerpt":"Norwegian now expects about 1.4 million guests on its Bahamas island in 2027, up from 1.2 million, after a new pier and waterpark opened.","thumbnailURL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/49a56a1c-03ab-48a0-b56b-5584e28ca0d6/8cc68d2ef8bb09503cf5365972a1e0ab.jpg","keywords":["itinerary"],"generatorName":"Frog News","generatorVersion":"1.0"},"components":[{"role":"title","text":"Norwegian reworks 2027 itineraries to send 200,000 more guests to Great Stirrup Cay","textStyle":"headline","layout":"text"},{"role":"intro","text":"Norwegian now expects about 1.4 million guests on its Bahamas island in 2027, up from 1.2 million, after a new pier and waterpark opened.","textStyle":"intro","layout":"text"},{"role":"byline","text":"By Patrick Karsh · Published October 30, 2026","textStyle":"byline","layout":"text"},{"role":"photo","URL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/49a56a1c-03ab-48a0-b56b-5584e28ca0d6/8cc68d2ef8bb09503cf5365972a1e0ab.jpg","caption":"Norwegian Luna at the new pier on Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in The Bahamas. · Norwegian Cruise Line","accessibilityCaption":"Norwegian Luna at the new pier on Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in The Bahamas.","layout":"photo"},{"role":"caption","text":"Norwegian Luna at the new pier on Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in The Bahamas. · Norwegian Cruise Line","textStyle":"caption","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"Norwegian Cruise Line is rerouting ships to put more guests on its private island. On the company's third-quarter earnings call on October 29, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said changes to its 2027 and 2028 itineraries will bring roughly 200,000 more guests to Great Stirrup Cay than it had planned.\n\nCEO John Chidsey said the Bahamas island is now expected to welcome about 1.4 million guests in 2027, up from the 1.2 million the company projected earlier, according to [Cruise Industry News](https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/10/ncl-itinerary-changes-add-200000-guests-at-great-stirrup-cay/), which covered the call.\n\n## Why Norwegian wants more island days\n\nThe island got two big upgrades this fall. The Great Tides Water Park opened on September 4, alongside a new two-berth pier that lets ships dock instead of sending guests ashore by tender. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings describes the waterpark as spanning nearly six acres in its [third-quarter results](https://www.nclhltd.com/news-media/press-releases/detail/835/norwegian-cruise-line-holdings-reports-third-quarter-2026).\n\nEarly feedback has been strong, according to the company. On the call, executives said 90% of surveyed waterpark guests would recommend it. About 100 social media creators attended the opening, and the company said their posts have drawn more than 275 million views.\n\nFor a cruise line, a private island day is good business. Guests spend money on cabanas, drinks and attractions that the company keeps, rather than spending it in a public port. A pier makes the island easier to visit in more kinds of weather, and that makes it easier to schedule more calls.\n\n## What the company is not saying yet\n\nCFO Mark Kempa didn't share how many visitors buy waterpark tickets. He said that number should grow as more families sail on itineraries that stop at the island.\n\n\"As we continue to get more and more exposure, especially into Q4, with more and more families sailing on those itineraries, we would expect that to continue to improve,\" Kempa said, according to Cruise Industry News. He added, \"That'll take time to build awareness.\"\n\nExecutives also said they expect the island to support higher cruise fares over time. In January, the company plans to launch a new marketing platform built around the line \"cruise without compromise.\"\n\n## A stronger quarter and a new CFO\n\nThe island news came with better numbers overall. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings reported third-quarter revenue of about $2.9 billion and GAAP net income of $491 million, or $1.07 per share. Adjusted EPS was $1.12 and adjusted EBITDA was $937 million.\n\nThe company raised its full-year outlook. It now expects 2026 adjusted EBITDA of about $2.55 billion and adjusted EPS of about $1.70. It still expects net yield, a measure of revenue per guest day, to fall about 4.4% for the year. It also pointed to about $100 million in new yearly cost savings.\n\nThere were fleet moves, too. The company sold Oceania Sirena and chartered her back through spring 2028, and Oceania Sonata floated out ahead of her August 2027 debut.\n\nThe same morning, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings [announced a CFO transition](https://www.nclhltd.com/investors/news-events/press-releases/detail/836/norwegian-cruise-line-holdings-announces-cfo-transition). Chief Strategy Officer Meghan Montana will succeed Kempa as CFO on January 1, 2027. Kempa, who joined the company in 1999, will stay on as an adviser through June 2027.\n\n## What it means for Norwegian cruisers\n\nIf you're booking a [Norwegian Cruise Line](https://cruisesfrog.com/cruise-lines/norwegian-cruise-line) trip from Florida for 2027 or 2028, expect more itineraries to include Great Stirrup Cay. That's good news if you want a waterpark day with a short walk off the ship. It's less ideal if you'd rather spend that day in a port you haven't seen.\n\nThe company didn't say which sailings will change. Check the port list on any trip you're considering, and look at waterpark and cabana prices before you sail, since those extras are where the island makes its money.","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"}]}