Bahamas
Great Stirrup Cay

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    • Day 6

      Beach Day in the Bahamas

      March 24, 2022 on the Bahamas ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

      I'm writing this from where I am sitting on the beach at Great Stirrup Cay.

      What a delight it was to have a quiet evening as opposed to the hullabaloo we had to endure every night at the Brickell Arch residence pre-cruise in Miami. Not that we got to bed early last night. But this time staying up was by choice instead of out of necessity. No need to caution anyone about loud music either.

      Anyway, a good night’s rest, and we were up at 7:00a this morning … a little later than usual. A quick visit to the gym to do our stretches. Followed by a light breakfast on the aft deck at the Terrace Café. Then, it was time to get ready for our beach break.

      Cruise lines lease small islands from the Bahamas to create a private oasis for their guests. Great Stirrup Cay, in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas, is just such an island and is open to the three cruise lines owned by NCLH. There are facilities available … food, snorkel rentals, zip lines, kayaks, and such. But most are closed today. No matter … we don’t need any of that to have a good day on the beach.

      With Insignia anchored off the island, we were transported ashore by small ferry boats operated by the locals. By 10:00a, Mui and I were walking amongst palm trees fluttering in the wind. Our timing was excellent as we managed to get one of the few shade palapas that are set around the beach. At that hour, there were maybe 20-25 people ashore … a perfect time to wander around and take photos. There are more people on the beach now, but with Insignia at less than 50% capacity for this cruise, neither the island nor the beach is crowded.

      As you can see from the satellite map I’ve attached, there are a number of coves with white-sand beaches. I would like to have gone for a wander to check them out. However, we were not expecting this beach break so I was unprepared to wander in the sun … no need to court a sunburn. Instead, I settled myself under the palapa to enjoy some quiet time for a while.

      Mui’s been in and out of the water a couple of times. The beautiful hues of the ocean, ranging from the palest blue to aqua, to deep navy are inviting. Alas, being unprepared for sand & surf fun, I’m going to have to settle for a short walk along the edge of the water. At least I can get my feet wet … which is what I am off to do now! Maybe I’ll try out the swing set in the shallows, too.
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    • Day 28

      JRH3 Pirate Invasion Cruise 24 - Bahamas

      January 28 on the Bahamas ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

      We stormed the beach (of Great Stirrup Cat), and took no prisoners. After stacking the corpses on the beach, we commenced with a 1 mile hash trail (damn island is tiny) . . . but as you can see, I had to do a little extra scouting just in case we ever come back. Or, maybe it was the check back 77 . . . who can be sure? While making my way around the back side of the beach area, I got chased down by a couple security folks (lets just call them golf cart ninjas), who promptly got me turned around.

      After an hour of ocean swimming, we circled up in the water and abused some of the pack that managed to do stupid things (yup, me included). As we walked back to the tenders, we just happened to walk past the bar, and you know, whatever. Had to stop for a couple beers and sing some songs.
      Tomorrow is a day at sea, as we make our way to Falmouth, Jamaica, where anything can happen (yup again, my turn to set trail). 😝😆😝

      I did not take any pictures of trail (just a few getting off the boat), but others did . . . and I'll post them once I get them.
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    • Day 19

      Great Stirrup Cay

      December 15, 2016 on the Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

      Noch einmal entspannen und das Meer genießen war heute (Donnerstag) angesagt. Unser Schiff steuerte die kleine Privatinsel Great Stirrup Cay auf den Bahamas an, die ausschließlich mit den Gäste des Schiffs belegt war.

      Bei Sonnenaufgang wurden wir in unserem "Zimmer" geweckt, sehr schön ☺ Nach dem Frühstück waren wir schon um halb neun dort; viele Gäste kamen erst um zehn, elf Uhr an. Wir steuerten direkt eine Liege im etwas ruhigeren Bereich an, auch hier gab es große Party Areas für unsere amerikanischen Schiffsfreunde ^^

      Auch auf der Insel galt das all inclusive Angebot vom Schiff, die Crew wurde dafür schon vorab rüber gebracht. So war auch für Cocktails und ein Imbissbuffet gesorgt! Es waren sehr viele Liegen vorhanden, sodass es trotz der ca 2000 Menschen keine anstrengenden Überfüllungszustände gab!

      Das Meer war hier super zum Schwimmen, leider hat die Unterwasserwelt rund um Florida generell nicht soo viel zu bieten. Nach 2x Ägypten - wo die Riffe mit zu den besten der Welt gehören - sind wir hier vll auch etwas verwöhnt hat's Lisje gemeint 😉
      By the way - heut hat sie es sogar mal ins Meer geschafft! 👏

      Das wäre auch eigentlich so das Einzige, was unseren Once-in-a-Lifetime-Trip noch perfekter hätte machen können.

      Hier ein paar Bilder für euch von unsrem letzten gechillten Tag. Wir haben uns noch einmal schön von der Sonne wegballern lassen 😎🌴🏖

      Unser Bericht erreicht euch wohl erst am Freitag, wenn wir wieder in Miami angelegt haben.
      Ankunft ist dort um 7 Uhr, dann gemütlich von Bord gehen. Unser Flieger nach FFM geht dann um 17 Uhr Ortszeit, sodass wir uns die Zeit noch etwas vertreiben können. Die Landung in Deutschland ist dann nach knapp 9 Stunden Flug gegen 7:50 Uhr angesetzt.
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    • Day 88

      Swimming with the pigs

      April 11, 2022 on the Bahamas ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      I swam with cute piggies in the Bahamas. I laughed so much. 😅🐖
      バハマ諸島で可愛い豚ちゃんと泳ぎました。大笑いしました!😅🐖

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Great Stirrup Cay

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