Is Nassau that bad!? No sugarcoating!

[CampbellzSoup]

From he DIS unplugged podcast and others on this board it sounds like a not fun port...

Should I just stay on the ship that day or would you guys say to venture out???

Thanks my fellow cruisers!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Its a fantastic port......to ride Aquaduck...

 

[mevelandry]

There are tons of threads about Nassau. DH and I took the Warnings issued by the countries ... and the Personal Navigator very seriously (see picture). We chose to stay on board and never regretted it.

From the boat, the town looked very old and not very inviting. Really, we have absolutely no regrets about staying on board that day. There was so many things to do on the ship...

 

[3Down1Up]

I personally didn't see anything very interesting in our (very short) ride through Nassau, but we were in worse-looking ports in Mexico, and we did a DCL excursion that was fun (the chocolate factory one). It was something cute and different, not very long, and not horrifically expensive, so I'm glad we did it instead of stay on the boat the whole day. But Nassau didn't strike me as appealing to walk off and tour on our own.

But PP is right that there are a lot of threads here on Nassau, and everyone has an opinion on it. I suggest reading those and deciding what's best for yourself and your group.

 

[DCL4LIFE]

I've been to Nassau on cruises more times than I can count. At least a dozen, probably more. After about the third time, I stopped leaving the ship. It's so nice to have a quiet ship to explore, and all that food

That being said, I've also stayed on the ship in St. Thomas, Cozumel, Jamaica, Haiti...etc. I just love being on the ship.

 

[MUN]

From he DIS unplugged podcast and others on this board it sounds like a not fun port...

Should I just stay on the ship that day or would you guys say to venture out???

Thanks my fellow cruisers!

Others will tell you it's a great port with lots of fun stuff to do. If you have never been there before I would venture out and decide for yourself. I can't imagine not getting off the ship because a bunch of strangers told you "Nassau is bad."

MUN

 

[Dave_MaryJo]

It all depends on what you are into. We love spending the day at Atlantis water park.

 

[mevelandry]

Others will tell you it's a great port with lots of fun stuff to do. If you have never been there before I would venture out and decide for yourself. I can't imagine not getting off the ship because a bunch of strangers told you "Nassau is bad."

MUN

What about the government's warnings? Even DCL warns you about crimes against tourists.

 

[Dug720]

What about the government's warnings? Even DCL warns you about crimes against tourists.

They say to take the basic precautions that you would in any large city. As long as you do that you should be fine. Are there areas you shouldn't go? Sure. There are in ANY large city. Heck, I LOVE in NYC and there are places I wouldn't go. You need to be aware of your surroundings and where you're going. And for god's sake don't act timid and afraid. Walk with confidence and you should be fine. Show timidity and weakness and yes, it's an injured gazelle in the savannah with hungry lions around. If you LOOK like a target, you will BE a target. If you look confident - even if you're faking it - you stand far less of a chance to become a victim.

And if that warning from DCL is going to freak you out, PLEASE do yourself a favor and don't ever come to NYC or any other large city. Seriously.

(And yes, I have traveled SOLO to London, Dublin, Florence, Nassau, St. Maarten, and San Juan. I've lived in Chicago and NYC. So I know about being aware of your surroundings and NOT being gullible.)

 

[mevelandry]

They say to take the basic precautions that you would in any large city. As long as you do that you should be fine. Are there areas you shouldn't go? Sure. There are in ANY large city. Heck, I LOVE in NYC and there are places I wouldn't go.

And if that is going to freak you out, PLEASE do yourself a favor and don't ever come to NYC or any other large city. Seriously.

I've been to NYC 7 times. I read the crime reports from there too. From what I saw Nassau was worst.

 

[Dug720]

I've been to NYC 7 times. I read the crime reports from there too. From what I saw Nassau was worst.

You admitted you didn't get off the ship. You DIDN'T see Nassau.

 

[Eechallenger]

I would stay on the ship. We got off the first time and were really underwhelmed. THe second time we stayed on, enjoyed a leisurely and very quiet lunch, then watched a movie by the pool pretty much by ourselves. I guess if you've never been you should check it out, and I certainly didn't feel unsafe, but Im not into the whole shopping thing, so staying on was a better choice for me.

 

[MsMamaBear]

Get off at least once to see it for yourself. I've been 3 times. There's no way I'd be on a ship and not get off at an island I've never been to.

 

[mevelandry]

You admitted you didn't get off the ship. You DIDN'T see Nassau.

From what I saw on the reports.

 

[Dug720]

From what I saw on the reports.

You didn't specify that.

Still, none of them say don't go. They all say (basically) use common sense - don't go off the beaten path, stay alert and aware, don't look like a victim.

 

[mevelandry]

You didn't specify that.

Still, none of them say don't go. They all say (basically) use common sense - don't go off the beaten path, stay alert and aware, don't look like a victim.

I thought I did. English is not my first language and my syntax sucks.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I've been to NYC 7 times. I read the crime reports from there too. From what I saw Nassau was worst.

What crimes reports in NYC just wondering? NYC where most of the tourist go is super safe outside of maybe pickpocketing

 

[Dug720]

What crimes reports in NYC just wondering? NYC where most of the tourist go is super safe outside of maybe pickpocketing

If you only knew. We have had knife-wielding people on the subways IN THE TIMES SQUARE AREA. People have been pushed in front of trains. Let's see...there's been at least one freak with a chainsaw. Oh and let's not forget the shoot-out outside of the Empire State Building a couple of summers ago.

But even not taking that into account, the way people on here flip out about someone calling to them from the sidewalk trying to sell them something in Nassau, they would never make it in NYC when they walk up to you and try to cram CDs and stuff into your hands. Or the Chinatown "bargains" where you're taken into a super secret room to select your knockoff purse.

Or the numerous "characters" walking around Times Square begging for money via taking pictures (at least now they have to have signage that tips are not required for photos) - none of whom have background checks as there is no agency who puts them out there. And more than one Elmo has flipped out - and been found to run porn rings in Cambodia and other locations.

Yeah.. Super safe.

 

[mevelandry]

What crimes reports in NYC just wondering? NYC where most of the tourist go is super safe outside of maybe pickpocketing

http://maps.nyc.gov/crime/

 

[NHDisneyFan]

Dug is bringing up pretty isolated incidents. The typical tourist spending multiple days in NYC is not going to run into issues. It is a safe city for tourists who follow the precautions you outlined earlier in the thread.