14 Best Cruise Line Private Islands Ranked

Above, Mitch Geriminsky and I about to jet ski at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.

It seems like yesterday that a friend and I took a cruise to the Bahamas aboard the Norwegian Sky. But it actually was two years ago.

It was with Norwegian Cruise Line and one of the stops of the cruise was their private island, Great Stirrup Cay. While there, we went on jet skis for about an hour or so. We had a good time.

Afterwards, I found a beach cocktail bar and had myself a screwdriver (vodka and orange juice). 

MSN has posted a slideshow article (from The Travel Blog) on 14 best cruise line private islands ranked.

They start it with:

Picture this: you’ve been at sea for days, and suddenly the ship drops anchor at a pristine island that exists solely for your enjoyment. No crowds from other cruise lines, no local vendors pushing trinkets, no competing for beach chairs with strangers who booked through different companies.

This is cruise line territory — a private playground carved out of paradise and designed around one simple promise: everything here is yours for the day.

To read and see more, go here. 

Cruise Giants Are Building Their Own Private Paradise Islands

Above, yours truly about to jet ski at Norwegian's Great Stirrup Cay.

Last summer, a friend and I went on a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line and one of the stops was the company's private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. We spend the day jet skiing and shopping while there.

Cruise lines having their own private islands is a growing trend for cruises. Carnival and Royal Caribbean are also betting on private island stops. 

Fox Business took a look at this growing trend.

They begin with:

Cruise lines have been betting big on their private destinations. 

Later this month, Carnival will open Celebration Key, a private destination the cruise line operator has been developing on the island of Grand Bahama for its guests.

CEO Josh Weinstein told "The Claman Countdown" host Liz Claman on June 24 that it was "already one of the most searched-out cruise destinations on Google" ahead of its debut.

"We are talking about over a mile of white sand beach, 275,000 square feet of man-made built lagoon, the world’s largest swim-up bar, the world’s largest sand castle, and we’ve built five portals all over this destination so that we can accommodate different needs for different guests," he said. "We have a family zone, we have an adult zone, we have a private beach club and more."  

Celebration Key will add to the private destinations and islands that Carnival already has in its portfolio.

To read more, go here. 

Cruise Lines: PrIvate Islands Instead of Showing The World

Above, the Norwegian Sky and tender boat off Great Stirrup Cay. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last year's cruise to the Bahamas with Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky included a day at their private island, Great Stirrup Cay. 

We had a good time shopping and doing some jet skiing there, this was the first time I have been to a cruise line's private island resort. Norwegian is building a dock at Great Stirrup Cay to accommodate their ships. Currently, they dock off-shore and ferry passengers on tender boats. 

It appears that this practice of taking customers to private islands instead of showing the world is not sitting well with some cruise customers. 

Business Insider sees this as a growing trend with cruise lines. There are reasons why cruise lines are doing so and they discuss this in a new article.

They begin with:

Cruises have always been a vessel for exploration — a way for travelers to see the world. But over the last few years, these floating resorts have increasingly narrowed their focus to just one type of destination: theme parks in the middle of the ocean.

Cruise ships touch virtually every corner of the earth, from Antarctica to Albania, Madagascar to the Mediterranean. They're often the most convenient and affordable way to see several countries in one trip, which is why bookings have remained buoyant despite uncertain economic tides foundering the rest of the travel industry.

However, these exploratory roots are quickly becoming overshadowed by more lucrative, purpose-built beach resorts that not all travel traditionalists may be happy about.

To read more, go here.