Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that the brand new Great Tides Waterpark at its private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay, will open on Sept. 4, 2026, during Norwegian Luna’s 7-day cruise that week.
The Great Tides Waterpark will include 19 total waterslides, including 11 main attractions plus 8 kid-friendly slides in the splash zone, a nearly 800-foot dynamic river, the 9,000-square-foot splash zone for kids, and the industry’s first cliffside jumps. There is going to be so much to do at this new addition at Great Stirrup Cay.
The 170-foot Tidal Tower will be home to eight thrilling waterslides; the two tallest slides of the tower, guests can experience drops and climbs on an inner tube for a thrilling ride. Other slides include racing mat slides where guests race to the finish, tube slides which feature large spirals and spins that will have you spinning in different directions, as well as body slides. Some slides will have conveyor belts to lift the rafts to the top of the tower, which will make your experience so much easier.
Cliffside Cove will offer some unique fun with racer slides, two different cliff jumps standing at 10 and 15 feet tall, a first in the cruise industry, and the Caribbean’s only four-person family slide.
The Grotto Bar, a hidden cave bar that will be under the family slide, will give you a chance of some great people watching while enjoying a cocktail
At the center of the waterpark is a 9,000-square-foot kids splash zone with an oversized tipping bucket over 40 feet tall. Eight mini slides and interactive water features for children of all ages.
The waterpark will also feature an 800-foot-long dynamic river, an immersive water experience with an accelerated current that is faster and more exciting than the typical lazy river. Guests will be able to enter from several points, including a wading pool with a swim-up bar nearby. As you go down the river, you will travel through an illuminated grotto tunnel featuring a dreamlike multi-sensory experience. Around the edge of the dynamic river and kids’ splash zone will be cabanas for premium access to the popular family areas.
Guests may purchase a pass to Great Tides Waterpark by logging into their myNCL account after completing their cruise reservation.
Cruisers can visit Great Stirrup Cay year-round and seasonally from ports including New York and Philadelphia as well as Florida ports in Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando (Port Canaveral) and Miami.
If you want to celebrate the grand opening of the waterpark, you can embark on Norwegian Luna’s seven-day Caribbean sailing from Miami on Aug. 29, 2026. Norwegian Luna offers itineraries through November 2026 with visits to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Tortola, British Virgin Islands as well as Great Stirrup Cay. For shorter sailings from Miami, Norwegian Getaway offers three- and four-night voyages to the Bahamas through October 2026. Visit http://www.ncl.com to book your cruise.
How excited are you for the new Great Tides Waterpark?
Barry joined Thrillgeek in 2016. He has been a journalist for over 20 years. He is one of the co-hosts of the Thrillgeek Podcast, Editor and Digital Content Coordinator here at Thrillgeek. When he is not going to the theme parks, traveling with his wife, Cyn or playing with their dogs. He is playing drums, going to concerts, trying some of the amazing food or enjoying many of the amazing performing arts we have in Orlando.