Nassau or not to Nassau?

[cyndisun]

I need some advice from veterans...

Nearly 18 months ago we (DW, DH and DS--then 3 1/2) stayed at Atlantis and *loved* it! But to be honest, it was the resort and specifically the zero entry pools that we loved. I don't care much for Nassau itself.

So my questions are as follows:

1. What is it like staying onboard while in port? Is anything closed besides the duty shops or gift shops?

2. I read in a trip report that it costs $25 per person to go through the dig and other areas excluding the pools. The dig was pretty cool, but not worth $25 in my opinion.

3. How do you get access to the pools? I've heard that is possible.

I'm concerned that the 4 night itinerary will leave us feeling like we want more time and I really want to be sure before we commit to Nassau (either financially with booking an excursion or mentally by deciding to go).

BTW, if you ever have a chance to stay at the Ocean Club near Atlantis--two words--do it! It is very private and you feel like the rich and famous. You get complete access to Atlantis (pools and all) and they have a convenient shuttle to take you there. When we stayed, Lenny Kravitz was there! And don't feel weird if you have kids. Although it is very ritzy, they made us feel completely comfortable. They arranged in-room babysitting for us so we could eat in the fancy restaurant. And they came around every night at 6:30 or so with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Definitely a once in a lifetime!

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[PiperG]

Hi,

We did a land and sea package so Nassau was part of our Wonder cruise. We had chosen the glass bottomed boat excursion over the other choice and were very "under-whelmed." After the tour, we headed right back to the ship and had the best time.

DS, 4 3/4 at the time, could not wait to get back to Mickey's pool. Quite frankly, it was great having the pool to ourselves. The ship was not crowded and the whole experience very serene.

DS ended up taking a nap so DH and I spent the afternoon on the verandah drinking wine and watching various CMs test the life boats. Crazy. . .but that is one of my favorite memories. . .just relaxing on the verandah while DS slept.

We definitely wanted "more" so booked a 7-day cruise while still on board. Atlantis sounds good. Maybe next time. . . .

 

[inkkognito]

We almost always stay on the ship in Nassau now. The stores cannot be open when it is in port, but there are plenty of activities to keep you busy, the pools are less crowded, there are movies, and it's also a nice time to visit the spa. If you are not keen on returning to Nassau, I recommend giving it a try. Check out the Navigators on my website and you will see examples of the onboard activities.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[din]

We went to THe Dig when we were there. We left there before lunch and headed back to the ship. THe dig was nice for one time, not sure if we will do that again.

Back on the ship the kids wanted to do something in the clubs and DW and myself had a nice time relaxing on deck 9 in the afternoon. Picked up the kids around 3PM or so and I think we then went to the movies. It was great and releaxing.

cindysun: Are you asking about the pools in Atlantis? If yes you will need to get a room in Atlantis or Conformt Inn. Other posters can provide details on that.

 

[nemblanch]

cyndisun:

We (DH,DS9, DD3, and myself) will be sailing with you on 6/23 Wonder and have also given this stop in Nassau quite a bit of thought.
This will be our first trip to the Bahamas, but also had considered staying onboard at port. We are not that interested in Nassau, and the shore exc's seemed $$$ for what you got.
After much conversation back and forth, we have decided to
rent a room at Comfort Suites and enjoy the aquariums, pools and waterslides of Atlantis, as suggested by posters to these boards. We will not be visiting Sea World or a water park this trip to WDW the week before (6/16- 6/23), so we felt this was a good alternative. Costs about the same as Atlantis Beach Day excursion, but we have access to ALL of the Atlantis facilities not just the beach. Only a little nervous about doing it on our own!. Wish us luck!

Good luck with your decision!

 

[cyndisun]

nemblanch,

I don't think you'll be disappointed if you have access to the pools. Our son loved being able to play along the edge of the zero-entry pool without mom or dad hovering. He liked it better than the kitty pool that had a definite step in. He is a little shy about the water. He also loved the lazy river float.

There were plenty of water slide that your oldest will probably love. And The Dig *is* interesting if it is part of the package.

The place is huge though. One of the days we stayed at a pool on the older side of the resort (not near the towers). It was close to the lazy river float and also had a zero-entry pool.

Another bit of advice, if I may...the food there is nominal at best. I have read elsewhere on this board that you can order sandwiches, etc. from room service the night before to take ashore. If this is allowed, I think it is a great idea.

DH says to be sure to try the waterslide that goes through the shark tank.

Hope to see you in June!

cyndisun

 

[bcburgner]

After my family's (kids ages 3, 9 & 10 DW and DH) experience at Nassau, I'd highly reccomend staying on board the Wonder. The beach was ok, but you had to deal with all of the natives trying to sell you stuff or trying to get you to ride their junky jet skis. The surf was a bit strong for my kids to swim in and they are strong swimmers, as we have a pool at home. So they didn't spent much time in the water. As far as going to a hotel pool for the day, I feel you can do this anytime, anywhere, so what is the big deal with doing this. With only having a couple days on the Wonder, our family wished we had stayed on the Wonder and enjoyed all the ship has to offer.

Just my thoughts. Have a great trip!!

 

[lampy]

It is really a personal preference.

The Atlantis Resort is the most luxurious (expesive) resort in the world. The pools are no ordinary pools! I could never stay inside and watch a movie when just outside is a Bahamas Island.

We decided to rent a room at the Comfort Suites and swim at the pools, beach, and enjoy the dig. We would definately do it over and over again.

Now everytime a special comes on T.V. about Atlantis (discover channel, or that Olsen twin - infomercial) we say - remember that!

 

[ohiominnie]

We'll be cruising for the first time next May. I've already told DH that I don't really care if we step off the ship anywhere except Castaway Cay. I've heard stories about how they try to sell you things and keep hounding you. Besides...Nassau isn't Disney...and I'm spoiled! He thinks we should get off at least to say we've been there.

I haven't heard this thing about renting a room at Comfort Suites before.....so you basically rent a room for the day but don't use it? Do you just rent it so that way you have access to the pools?

Sorry if this question seems dumb....I'm definitely in the newbie category when it comes to cruising!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by ohiominnie

I haven't heard this thing about renting a room at Comfort Suites before.....so you basically rent a room for the day but don't use it? Do you just rent it so that way you have access to the pools?

Yes, that's right.

Sorry if this question seems dumb....I'm definitely in the newbie category when it comes to cruising!

No apology necessary. I think most people learn about that option from reading these boards.

 

[nemblanch]

lampy: I'm with you!

ohiominnie: I can still hear my 3rd grade teacher saying:
" There is no such thing as a dumb question!"
I would never have known about the CS room, if I had not
stumbled upon these boards. I can't believe all the useful
info I have learned! We are giving Atlantis a try, will let you
know how it turns out.

cyndisun: Thanks for the info about the food, we figured it be best to bring lunch from the ship. (I already have the cooler
packed!) Being from NJ, we usually vacation at the shore or
coastal NC, so my kids are used to the beach. But they LOVE pools, so the lazy river and zero-entry pools sound great!
See ya in a few weeks!

 

[Piglet_Pooh99]

We definately didn't find it that big of a deal. I had never been to the bahamas so we had to get off for a little bit. I dont' even think we spend 2 hours wondering around. The people there are really pushy. We went to both Del Sol stores to each buy a shirt and after that we went straight back to the boat. We are a young couple and we were on our honeymoon and didn't really see the point in spending that kind of money. We enjoyed ourselves plenty on the boat.

 

[disneydeb]

my daughter and i went off the boat in nassau and being confirmed shoppers we thought we could have an enjoyable day shopping and seeing some of the sights WRONG!!! after 1/2 hour in nassau we headed right back to the ship and stayed there, nassau was filthy, some of the streets the signs had been torn down, and we did not feel safe at all, we would not eat in nassau, we ate on the ship even though there is a planet hollywood the first block after you get off the ship. and just a safety note we saw a girl who was not paying attention almost get run over by a truck backing up because the dont have the little horns that go beep, beep, beep when they back up! also we saw a teenager from the cruise get his eyebrow pierced off the ship and then the lady who did it threw the needle back in with all the others and used it again yuck, needless to say in the first place that boy was only 15 , and in the second place we saw him the next day and his eyebrow had gotten infected, so please be very careful!!!

 

[reggie92762]

Don't forget about the Pirate Museum my two boys loved this. It is just a 10 min walk from the ship. Very informative and very inexpensive for our family of three it was $10. The boys had a great time playing around the replica pirate ship and all of the information that gathered.

 

[Buschfan]

We went to Nassau once on a 4 night cruise and it was the pits! Some woman with a bloody dress kept following us around. We also went to an observation tower and were hounded by some guy that wanted to give us a 'tour'. Very dirty town also. Not a place that is worth going on vacation to. We will never book a ship that stops there again. We always take the 4 night cruises that either go to Key West and/or Cozumel.

 

[kellyb2000]

So when you book a room at Comfort Suites, what do you do to get there and to use the pools and stuff at Atlantis? Do you take a taxi there from the ship? Also is this economical for 10 adults/5 kids to do. Just how many rooms will we have to book? I wanted to do the Disney excursion but just realized it doesn't include the pools.

 

[din]

Originally posted by kellyb2000
So when you book a room at Comfort Suites, what do you do to get there and to use the pools and stuff at Atlantis? Do you take a taxi there from the ship? Also is this economical for 10 adults/5 kids to do. Just how many rooms will we have to book? I wanted to do the Disney excursion but just realized it doesn't include the pools.

Taxi is $4 per person one way, and yes that included children and $1 toll, so in your case it is $4X2X15 = 120 + 1 = $121. If you are good in bargining you may get it for cheaper, but don't pay more than $4. Get them to also pay for the toll before you get into the cab.

Hotel is 4 person per room, children included. Again in your case 4 rooms.

Check out the other posters regarding height limits.

 

[prifoka]

Hello Nemblanch and Cyndisun!

We are also on the June 23rd cruise! Myself (Kathy) and my daughter (14) and her friend (14). I also, after alot of back and forth talks, booked a room at Comfort Suites. I wanted the girls to able to use the pools and waterslides. They are both waterbugs.

Our trip is coming up so fast.

 

[bartoscowabunga]

When we were in Nassau on the Disney cruise, we first went to the public beach, which was very nice, but the waves were unbelievable, so I didn't really go in the water much and wouldn't let my daughter go in. No one really bothered us as far as trying to sell us stuff on the beach, but I wouldn't have felt safe leaving our stuff on the beach and walking away without someone watching it.

Later on we went back to the ship and then got off to walk around the town and a guy was running toward us being chased by the police and was apprehended. Made me nervous. Don't think I would walk around town again.

 

[dznymom1]

We rented a room at Comfort Inn and spent part of the day at Atlantis. We had a great time and enjoyed lunch by the pool. I didn't find the lunch prices to be too bad. I think it was $30 for the 4 of us.

We also went to the Straw Market and had some fun haggling for souvenirs. My kids enjoyed it and it was good for them to be exposed to another culture. I think that as long as you expect to be approached by hairbraiders, drink vendors, etc, and you politely decline, then you will be fine. I found everyone to be respectful of a polite, firm "No thank you." It can be intimidating if you aren't prepared for it, but since you read these boards you will be prepared!