Port of Nassau

[jenhelgren]

We will be in Nassau October 30 aboard the Disney Wonder. I did some investigating last night and saw that there will be atleast 4 other ships in port that same day! Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Fascination, NCL Sky, and RCCL Enchanment. I have never been to Nassau-can the port comfortably handle this many ships in one day or will it be crowded? I was thinking about paying for a beach day at a resort if we don't book a shore excursion through Atlantis but if things will be crazy we might just stay on the ship and book spa treatments or something. Any guesses??

 

[dandjfla]

We will be in Nassau October 30 aboard the Disney Wonder. I did some investigating last night and saw that there will be atleast 4 other ships in port that same day! Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Fascination, NCL Sky, and RCCL Enchanment. I have never been to Nassau-can the port comfortably handle this many ships in one day or will it be crowded? I was thinking about paying for a beach day at a resort if we don't book a shore excursion through Atlantis but if things will be crazy we might just stay on the ship and book spa treatments or something. Any guesses??

We were there on a three night cruise in March and we were one of 5 ships in port that day! It didn't feel overly crowded to me though. We took a water taxi over to Atlantis to walk arou d the resort/aquarium but I really wish we had stayed on the ship My personal feeling is I would not spend money for a beach day at Nassau since you will be making a stop at Castaway. Have fun whatever you choose!

 

[jenhelgren]

Can anyone else chime in on whether or not to get off the ship that day? I plan on spending the entire day on the beach at Castaway Cay which is the day before Nassau, so we might be worn out because our port days are 3 in a row this cruise. Atlantis looks like something my kids would enjoy but I really want to relax this trip so if getting around and Atlantis will be packed it might not be worth it for us.

 

[dznyacct]

Can anyone else chime in on whether or not to get off the ship that day? I plan on spending the entire day on the beach at Castaway Cay which is the day before Nassau, so we might be worn out because our port days are 3 in a row this cruise. Atlantis looks like something my kids would enjoy but I really want to relax this trip so if getting around and Atlantis will be packed it might not be worth it for us.

I vote for staying on the ship . Nassau is a dirty port in my opinion and not worth getting off the ship for. Stay on board and enjoy all that the ship has to offer !

 

[TXDCLfan]

I vote for staying on the ship . Nassau is a dirty port in my opinion and not worth getting off the ship for. Stay on board and enjoy all that the ship has to offer !

Ditto We avoid cruises that stop in Nassau can not stand the place

 

[Castillo Mom]

It really depends on what type of excursion you do. I had the same dilemma when I booked a double dip on the Dream, with two CC days I didn't think we should get off in Nassau.

This was my sister's first cruise so I ended up booking a dolphin experience at Blue Lagoon. It's a tiny little island and so easy to get there. We did the excursion through DCL. It was as easy as getting off the ship and walking just a few feet to where we waited for a boat to take us to the island. There are different animal encounters to do or you can just relax on the beach. Here's a link to their site: http://www.bahamasbluelagoon.com.

The area of Nassau near the ships isn't very enticing, it's true that it's dirty and I wouldn't have enjoyed trying to do any shopping or sightseeing on my own there, but again, Blue Lagoon was nice. Being on a shorter cruise you might enjoy staying on the ship instead but thought I'd post our experience.

Have fun!

 

[ChristineandLiv]

I know I am a minority, but I really liked Nassau. We did the Blue Lagoon, and it was great. The ride over was beautiful, and the person who took us over was funny AND told us a lot about the houses along the island and who lived in them. There are more things I would love to explore in Nassau--pirate museum and Atlantis to name two. I think it really does depend upon the excursion and what you want to see/experience in the port.

 

[Callymum]

Nassau is like Marmite. You either Love or Hate it. I wasn't a great Fan when we were there.

 

[iloverags2]

We always get off, and often walk over to Fort Fincastle and Queen's Staircase! The staircase is quite lovely, and the fort has really nice views of the ships in port and the city itself. It's about a mile walk (you can cab if you prefer...we just love the stroll), and the staircase is free (if there is a local giving the history of the area to you, then a tip for him if you so like). There is a $1 per person charge for the fort...not a bad deal at all! They also have guides in the fort (similar to the local at the staircase) although we never use a guide there since it is all pretty self-explanatory.

Junkanoo Beach is also just a stone's throw (15 minute walk at most) from the port. It's nice...not overly beautiful, but a good place to put your feet in the water. I much prefer the staircase/for though.

Oh yes, and if you have passports you can get them stamped just outside of Festival Place (the building you must walk through to leave the pier area).

 

[braysmommy]

Another vote for getting off the ship. We got off and walked to the Pirate Museum, DS6, loved it and then we walked across the street to the Hilton where I had pre-booked our day pass there. Had fun on the beach and pool and took the short walk back to ship at the end of the day.
A very nice and relaxing day

 

[caribbeandreaming]

Not sure which Atlantis excursion you were considering, but if it is the Aquaventure I found this post I replied to a few weeks ago about our experience there...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3127164

If you've never been to Nassau, I would recommend at least getting off the ship for a little bit and experiencing it for yourself. I didn't find it to be that bad, but YMMV.

 

[cleophus12]

I think your kids will only enjoy Atlantis if you are doing one of the excursions that lets them use the water facilities. Otherwise they are just going to wish they could use the pool/slides/lazy river. Yes it's a neat place but if all the kids can do is look around at all the stuff they can't do, they won't have much fun. In that case I'd just stay on board.

 

[Kendal]

I think your kids will only enjoy Atlantis if you are doing one of the excursions that lets them use the water facilities. Otherwise they are just going to wish they could use the pool/slides/lazy river. Yes it's a neat place but if all the kids can do is look around at all the stuff they can't do, they won't have much fun. In that case I'd just stay on board.

We don't the Atlantis tour with a 8 year old we never seen the water park.... He knew u was there but we never went over to it.... He had a great time looking around at the aquarium it was a little pricey but was something different we har done something different everytime... We promised him tht when he was older we would do the water park but we all had a blast

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[Kendal]

We don't the Atlantis tour with a 8 year old we never seen the water park.... He knew u was there but we never went over to it.... He had a great time looking around at the aquarium it was a little pricey but was something different we har done something different everytime... We promised him tht when he was older we would do the water park but we all had a blast

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Sorry was supposed to say we did the Atlantis tour

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[tweis]

We will be in Nassau October 30 aboard the Disney Wonder. I did some investigating last night and saw that there will be atleast 4 other ships in port that same day! Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Fascination, NCL Sky, and RCCL Enchanment. I have never been to Nassau-can the port comfortably handle this many ships in one day or will it be crowded? I was thinking about paying for a beach day at a resort if we don't book a shore excursion through Atlantis but if things will be crazy we might just stay on the ship and book spa treatments or something. Any guesses??

We always get off in Nassau even if it's just to walk around and by few souvenirs. Many of the resorts in the area offer a day pass which will make for a good beach day. We had planned to purchase a pass at the Sheraton on Cable Beach on our trip a few weeks ago but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. You can't always count on a beach day at Castaway if the weather is bad. We had rain both days but still managed to have a great time.

I would also like to mention that when we were at Nassau a few weeks ago, there were 3 Carnival ships in port with us. The time before that we had 2 carnival, 1 RCCL, and 1 NCL. Never had any overcrowding issues.

 

[yarlenna]

Most port cities are not clean -
Get out and see the island.
The Blue Lagoon is not far - but it magical.

 

[MND]

I know I am a minority, but I really liked Nassau. We did the Blue Lagoon, and it was great. The ride over was beautiful, and the person who took us over was funny AND told us a lot about the houses along the island and who lived in them. There are more things I would love to explore in Nassau--pirate museum and Atlantis to name two. I think it really does depend upon the excursion and what you want to see/experience in the port.

No, you're not in the minority at all. Nassau is a great port with plenty to do in the beautiful and historic downtown area. Sure, Atlantis gets a lot of business from the cruise ships, but I have enjoyed walking around downtown taking in the sites, and shopping.

I have found the people to be friendly without being pushy. I don't think downtown Nassau is dirty at all, particulary when compared to other Caribbean ports.

Here is a walking tour guide that I have used in the past:

http://www.brentjes.com/nassau.html

Mike

 

[MHSweb79]

We took a 3-night cruise in May and got off the boat for just an hour or two in Nassau. Very underwhelmed. We spent the rest of the day on the ship and enjoyed our time there.

That said, this was our one & only Disney cruise experience so staying on the ship was great for us. If you are experienced cruisers, then by all means explore Nassau on foot or book an excursion

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I know I am a minority, but I really liked Nassau. We did the Blue Lagoon, and it was great. The ride over was beautiful, and the person who took us over was funny AND told us a lot about the houses along the island and who lived in them. There are more things I would love to explore in Nassau--pirate museum and Atlantis to name two. I think it really does depend upon the excursion and what you want to see/experience in the port.

We will be going back to Blue Lagoon. We loved it. I've never seen a piece of paradise with a piece of Sea World in a natural setting that didn't break the bank.

It is a place for our family!