3 Night Bahamian Cruise Port Questions

[BeckFam08]

Hello everyone! My family and I have done numerous WDW trips but have decided that what we really want to do is play on a beach! We are considering a 3 night cruise as a starter cruise for our family of 4 (myself, DH, DS10 and DS3). I'm looking at the shore excursions and am feeling very overwhelmed.

For Castaway Cay I think my family would be more than happy just playing on the beach and taking advantage of the slides, etc. Do we need to book any add-ons to do this? If we arrive and want to rent snorkel gear is that an option?

Also, for the Bahamas, is there a beach option? Has anyone done it? I've read such mixed reviews on the Nassau stop but don't think my family will want to stay on board all day. Is there flexibility to get on and off the ship at various times?

Thanks so much for your help and feedback!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hello everyone! My family and I have done numerous WDW trips but have decided that what we really want to do is play on a beach! We are considering a 3 night cruise as a starter cruise for our family of 4 (myself, DH, DS10 and DS3). I'm looking at the shore excursions and am feeling very overwhelmed.

For Castaway Cay I think my family would be more than happy just playing on the beach and taking advantage of the slides, etc. Do we need to book any add-ons to do this? If we arrive and want to rent snorkel gear is that an option?

Also, for the Bahamas, is there a beach option? Has anyone done it? I've read such mixed reviews on the Nassau stop but don't think my family will want to stay on board all day. Is there flexibility to get on and off the ship at various times?

Thanks so much for your help and feedback!

On Castaway Cay it's certainly do-able to just "hang out" on the beaches, do Pelican Plunge, have lunch - all at no cost. If you want to rent snorkeling gear once on the island, yes you can. I believe the cost is $10.75 currently.

Sorry, can't really help with Nassau, we did a shore excursion, but Atlantis is an option, I know. You can check here for other shore excursion options: http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/shore-excursions/

Just use the pull down menu on the right hand side and click on Nassau. Then click "go"

 

[wehavesix]

We have never been to the beaches on Nassau so I can't answer your questions about that. I noticed you have sons so I wanted to recommend the Pirate museum to you. It's a short walk from the ship, inexpensive, and you can do it on your own schedule very easily. At most, it should take no more that a couple of hours of your day and that's including the walk to and from the ship. There is also a chocolate factory tour that's a lot of fun but it might not be the best for your 3 year old. It would probably be best for ages 6 or 7 and up.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a great time!

 

[BeckFam08]

I did take a look at the Atlantis option for Nassau but it seems very expensive for a waterpark in my opinion. Is there something I am missing about it?

 

[dcassetta]

Atlantis is an expensive waterpark, but like any park is clean and well maintained. Some people book a day room at the Comfort Suites instead of the excursion. This still allows you access to the water park, and can save money depending on when you are traveling.

You might also consider the Blue Lagoon Beach Day. Not as fancy as Atlantis, but nice for families and gets great reviews.

Cable Beach is nice for just spending a day in the sun. Some of the resort hotels like the Melia and Hilton offer day passes which include use of their facilities.


On Castaway Cay there is plenty of availability of snorkel gear, so no need to book ahead.

 

[TinkGirl]

We just reserved snorkel equipment today for next week's cruise. It's $32.00 per person. No idea if they run out, but they are out of bikes. The floats are $10.75.

 

[TinkGirl]

I want to know about Nassau excursions, too.

 

[BethanyRichardson]

We're planning to take the No. 10 bus down to Saunders Beach for a bit, then maybe head over to the Ardastra Gardens Zoo. First trip there, tight budget, and a 3 and 1-year old that need to be back on board for naptime!

 

[CTdaizy]

We did the Atlantis excursion back in 2012, it was a dolphin encounter, lunch and water park one. We would never do it again. The dolphin encounter was great- lunch was ok and the water park was PACKED! There were 4 cruise ships in port, plus all of the people staying at Atlantis and the surrounding hotels that allow access. It was crowded and the lines were super long for rides. If I was a paying Atlantis resort guest, I would have been pretty ticked at the amount of people at 'my' water park! Stick to a beach excursion- more relaxing!

One tip, if you do go to Atlantis and it's anywhere near summertime, bring/wear water shoes or flip flops. Walking from place to place in the water park is brutally hot!