What to do in Nassau?

[pmgreene]

We are cruising 9/5 and are still undecided about what to do in Nassau. We (me, DH, DS9 and DD6) are all interested in snorkeling and looked at that excursion but it seems short. We've looked into Atlantis. We have a whole day there and just want to try a few things.

What's your suggestion for what to do while in Nassau?

Anyone know the name of the restaurant where they feed the fish each night?

Thanks for the feedback!

m :earsboy:

[disneyholic family]

well.....although you have a day in nassau, you might very well want to get back on the ship...

we took a room so that we could use the pools and slides at atlantis, but we were pretty tired by about 2 and left to get back to the ship (and in time to see the special screening of lilo and stitch on the big screen...)

i'm not sure we'll get off the ship at all in nassau the next time...

[daltonsdodisney]

The day we were there, we were in the middle of a tropical depression, so we just left our girls (8 & 6) in the kids clubs taxied to Atlantis to check it out. We strolled through the aquarium section that was open to the public, played a few slots, then taxied back in time for lunch. I had wanted to take the girls if only to see Atlantis, since they were into the MaryKate and Ashley video featuring the resort, but the weather just didn't cooperate and they could see it from the ship. It would have been wasted taxi fare anyway. There really wasnt' much to do. Next time, I'll probably explore the market place a little and get their hair braided, but that's all.

[Nutsoverdisney]

We visited Nassau twice while cruising on the Wonder. The first time we visited the straw market and went shopping in the stores on the way to the straw market, then took a taxi to the Atlantis. We used the pools, slides and enjoyed the beach there. Afterwards we went to the room to use the showers and relax while my DH and DM went to the casino for a few hours.

On our second visit to Nassau we again went to the straw market and did some shopping. Then took the horse and buggy ride. After that we returned to the ship because it was too hot for my DM70.

[rae519]

First trip to Nassau - April '01 - made about 3 purchases at the straw market, got ripped off by a taxi cab driver to get over to Atlantic (public part of aquarium and casino - just to get the casino card!!) - took some pictures and head back to the boat for a wonderfully relaxing day in a less crowded environment!

Next trip to Nassau will be December '02 - we plan to stay on the boat.

Rae

[The Chief]

I say, stay on the Ship. Nassau is awful. We were there in February and were very dissapointed. :(

[aprilgail2]

Stay On The Boat!!!!! Nassau is nothing great...its dirty and I would rather stay on the boat and enjoy it than get off in Nassau again (I took 2 cruises and got off both in Nassau, NEVER again!)

[PiperG]

We are not big fans of Nassau either.

We took the glass bottom boat ride, which I do not recommend. We didn't see much, the viewing area uncomfortable and the colors very washed out. We headed back to the Wonder quickly and enjoyed many uncrowded hours at the Micky pool with DS 5.

[skippyNC]

Nutsoverdisney said:
On our second visit to Nassau we again went to the straw market and did some shopping. Then took the horse and buggy ride.

How did you like the buggy ride? How long did it last? Do you recommend it?

Robin

[FOJMO]

STAY ON THE BOAT! IF we ever go back to Nassau again, that's what we plan to do. Very dirty, boring, and not much to see or do. Sorry I couldn't be more optimistic, but don't waste your money. ;)

[reggie92762]

Absolutely a great stop. Very close to the ship, maybe a 10 min walk on the main shopping street and then up two blocks. They have a website, do a search. For three of us 1 adult 2 children because we were on the ship it only cost $10.00 it was a lot of fun and very informational.

[buzz&woody'smom]

It is our only port of call and since staying on the boat and our 17 month old DS not being able to enjoy there is not much for him to do so we were hoping to go to Atlantis to see the aquariums or something???

[Mic]

We are in the same "boat". We are not sure what we will do in Nassau next week. I told some friends of ours about renting a room at Comfort Suites to use the pools at Atlantis, so they have reserved a room(they are on the same cruise). Partly because of the weather, we are hesitant to do the same. We have 4 kids, and 2 rooms would be a big chunk of money wasted if the weather did not cooperate. Does anyone know the charge of the aquarium tour(through the Atlantis directly) or the URL to Atlantis' website?
reggie-
I have heard of the pirate museum before, and thought maybe we could spend a little time there, as well as view the Atlantis' aquariums. How did you get there? Thanks!

[Scratch42]

Please do tell where this Pirate Museum is. My DD would love this!

Thanks for your info and thanks for saving me mucho bucks!

Scratch
:smooth:

[reggie92762]

I found the site for the museum it is http://www.pirates-of-nassau.com/ This is a lot of fun..only about 10min walk from the ship..my boys loved it...

[Nutsoverdisney]

skippyNC- We enjoyed the horse and buggy ride. It was myself, DH 45, DM 70, and DD15. The driver gave us a little history of the buildings and surroundings as he rode us around the town. He answered all of the questions we asked him, he was very friendly.

The ride lasted about 20 minutes and costs $40.00 per carriage. You can find the horse and drivers near the hair braiding area. They are all lined up and you can pick out which horse and buggy you would like to ride in.

It seems I am in the minority on this board with regards to getting off the ship in Nassau. Both times we cruised we had a stop in Nassau and got off the boat both times. The town does not seem dirty, people do ask you if you need a taxi but all you have to do is say, no thank you, and keep walking. The same with the hair braiding, just say no thank you and keep walking.

I think Paris was a much dirtier city, but I would visit Paris again as I think every city or country has a lot for vistiors to experience. When we cruise again and stop in Nassau(for the 3rd time) I will find something new to experience there, and not stay on the ship

[disneyelaine]

We did the Nassau City Tour. We had a very informative driver. I liked hearing about the history. I also just enjoyed driving around the town, seeing the school buildings, looking at the houses people live in there. He took us over to the good side of town to see where the "rich" live. Very interesting. Then we stopped at the Nassau Marriott for a 20 min. break. You can actually go down and walk the beach here, unlike at the Atlantis. We played the slots for a bit. Nassau is dirty, but hey it is a foreign country. I would have felt I missed out if I only stayed on the ship!

[Scratch42]

Thanks, Reggie92762!

Just checked out the website, she's gonna love it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

and my wallet thanks you!

Scratch
:smooth: :bounce: :Pinkbounc

[reggie92762]

We really enjoyed it my boys were 7 and 9 at the time and they really liked it. All of the employees are dressed in costume and are around to tell a story or two...the gift shop and little eating area are definitely kid friendly. Remember to tell them your on the ship....you get the discount then....and take a picture out front with the kids in the stockade!!!

[Tluvs2talk]

I think you should get off the Ship in every port you visit. While these are poor countries, it is interesting to see how other's live. It also makes me very thankful to live in the USA!!! I think if you cruise to different countries it is a shame to never step foot on land. I have been to Nassau twice and have enjoyed going to the straw market and visiting ATlantis. We go again next week and are renting a room at Atlantis this time. We did have a lot of Islander's wanting us to buy stuff and get our hair braided. A simple no thank you works . Here is a link to Atlantis. www.atlantis.com

[Tluvs2talk]

FOJMO,
I was not directing my answer to you, nor was I asking to be attacked. I was simply stating my opinion on what to do in Nassau. I said if you had NEVER been to Nassau I would look around. Obviously this has nothing to do with you since you have been many times. I have also been to the straw market in Nassau and walked up and down the streets. I do prefer Atlantis and the beach over there. It is sad that people like you want to turn everything in to a debate and make every answer about them!!!

:(

[MnParrothead]

The Atlantis looks absolutely beautiful from the pictures on their website (We've seen it from a distance on our past cruises and it looks magnificent). We will be on the Wonder Nov. 7. Now I need to sit down with the family and see what everyone wants to do. There are a lot of great ideas on this thread. The pirate museum would be very educational for the kids since they will be missing a couple days of school, the horse and buggy sounds like fun. Decisions, decisions...

[Wishing on a star]

Different Strokes for Different Folks! There are a million different opinions on the boards here, on everything from the Coffee onboard to excursions off the ship! Sounds like many of the negative posts are from people who have not experienced the Atlantis, Snorkeling, etc. that there is available????

Okay, Just wanted to mention one thing here about getting a room to spend the day at Atlantis. MIC mentioned worrying about being out all of the money if the weather didn't cooperate. I worried about that too. Since the weather can be especially Iffy this time of year, and since it is off-season. I bet that you could decide last minute if you wanted to do this, take a taxi to the Comfort, walk in and get a room. I have heard of others doing this, and sometimes getting a better rate than they would have gotten by reserving ahead. You may want to check and see what the availability looks like.

PS: I too want to get off the ship, and just can't decide what we will do! Our son LOVES aquariums and would love to see them feeding the fish. On the ATLANTIS web site they post a schedule of the the feeding locations and times for each day. It is a great website.

[aprilgail2]

We also did the horse and buggy ride since my 2 year old saw them and wanted to go on one.....it was just another dissappointing thing to do in Nassau in our opinion....you went on a ride past a few churches and other things, through town and down a few run down streets...really wasn't worth the money....

[aprilgail2]

We also did the horse and buggy ride since my 2 year old saw them and wanted to go on one.....it was just another dissappointing thing to do in Nassau in our opinion....you went on a ride past a few churches and other things, through town and down a few run down streets...really wasn't worth the money....

[aprilgail2]

We also did the horse and buggy ride since my 2 year old saw them and wanted to go on one.....it was just another dissappointing thing to do in Nassau in our opinion....you went on a ride past a few churches and other things, through town and down a few run down streets...really wasn't worth the money....

[SoleilLoca]

I'm with the majority of people on this thread...stay on the boat. I was TOO excited to get to Nassau. From the boat, it's beautiful...and then we got off the ship.

the first thing we did was the straw market,(after we dodged the hair braiders, taxi drivers and carriage drivers following us down the road) which was EXTREMELY HOT and congested and I got really nervous in there (not too fond of masses of people calling me "baby love" and "honey"). I bought a few hand carved items from one of the vendors near the front and I was ready to go. We hadn't planned on any shore excursions and our intention was to go back on the boat after the straw market, but the water looked too inviting and we caught a cab to paradise island public beach. while it was pretty to look at, it was spoiled by all the people CONSTANTLY asking if "you want jet ski or banana boat ride,sugar?",MORE hairbraiders, and coconut-milk vendors. The tide was high, the current was strong, and there were jellyfish all over the place. No thanks, not for me. And the town itself was so...dirty and run down, I can understand why they're just about to trip you to get your business. the prettiest part of that island was the walk from the ship, where you had a perfect shot of atlantis and the bridge to get to it. that was all I really enjoyed.

OH- word to the wise..if you have highlights and you swim in the water...wash your hair before taking a dip in the goofy pool. my hair turned a lovely shade of lime green for the remainder of the vacation. ;)

[Ashley24]

When we went to Nassau last April we tried the carriage ride and I wouldn't recommend it. First of all, they charge everyone a different rate. Someone mentioned they paid 40.00...well, I only paid 25.00 since I knew what others had paid and simply told them what I was willing to pay. My sister and family got charged much higher even though she knew about the cheaper price too. She said the man insisted. Anyway, we went through a very crowded part of town and I could not really hear the man talking because of all the traffic noise...lots of yelling and honking. My dd had to sit next to the man in front and looked scared to death!
Then we went to the beach by Atlantis and unfortunately the waves were too rough for either of my dd to swim in. When the waves went back in, they sucked in everything out to sea...way too powerful for my 7 year old dd. Plus all the salt! Her bathing suit was just loaded with salty sand from the few minutes she DID try to swim. And yes, we got lots of offers for the hair braids but kindly refused. My dd really enjoyed the market place. She got some nice souvinirs there and learned a great lesson in bartering and why the people are so insistent on getting your business. It was an eye opener for her. Now little sis (age 4) would not have liked that aggressive approach at all and went back to the ship with her dad. Hope this helps.
Ann