Nassau - Worth leaving the ship?

[Kim&Chris]

Just wanted some opinions, please.

From the posts I've read, it sounds like Nassau is "OK" and not really a highlight of this cruise.

Have any of you skipped Nassau and just enjoyed the ship? If so, any regrets?

 

[mketting]

We did the Blue Lagoon/ Stingray City excursion and then had lunch on the island. It is very beautiful and picturesque. We came back on the 2:00 Ferry.

We enjoyed this excursion but if you are looking for a very low key, relaxing vacation, staying on the ship or just hopping off to check off the straw market would be the way to go. We loved every minute of the trip but were exhausted when the cruise ended.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

leave the ship only if you like to have people asking you buy this get this buy from me. its not worth it. stay onboard and watch the shows get some sun swin in the pools. relax. but if i ever go on a 3 day again we will not get off the ship.

 

[mketting]

KYCruiseCrazy is right the straw market is pretty crazy and almost overwhelming at times.

The rows are so crowded, after about 20 minutes I had to get out of there,but we did pick up some inexpensive gifts my DD could take back to family and friends.

 

[Otimon]

Well worth leaving the ship for a trip to the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

Take a taxi over and back - $4.00pp each way. You'll find the taxi drivers at the end of the pier and we have always found them most pleasant and eager to answer your questions about Nassau.

Bon Voyage.

 

[Colestat]

We only left the ship to take a few pictures of it from the dock, then we got right back on. No regrets at all. The ship has so much to do on it and we only had a 3 day cruise. We got off at Castaway Cay instead.

 

[mketting]

Chatted with a man on pool deck who said the aquariums at the Atlantis were amazing!!

 

[TMTIP]

Nassau is not a place I like to take the kids. We just leave them at the kids clubs and visit the straw market for awhile and then head back to the ship. I just don't trust the sanitary conditions to have kids touching things and then happen to put their fingers in their mouths!

 

[EmmasGrammy]

If you haven't been to Nassau, you should probably give it a shot. You can always return to the ship anytime you want. We enjoyed the day trip to the Atlantis. It's a gorgeous place. We had seen the resort on the travel channel and knew we could probably never afford to go there, so we did the day trip and we are very glad we did. We also visited the Straw Market and I HATED it. I will never go there again!!! The "down town" area was okay. Lots of shops to buy the touristy stuff, but we didn't find any real "bargains".

Since we have seen Nassau we are planning to stay on the ship on our upcoming cruise. But if it is your first trip I would say "Check it out and if you don't like it, come back onto the ship!"

Have a great trip, whatever you decide.

 

[jlp651]

at least get the coupons for the free stuff from the jewlery talk...you see a quick glance of Naussa and get some goodies to take home...free..

 

[SNicksed]

If you're doing a 3 or 4 day, you should check out Nassau. Do an excursion or just get off to go shopping.

I'm so glad we did Atlantis and had a great day in Nassau because we were not able to dock @ Castaway Cay on our cruise .

 

[kaykels]

Don't miss it. Even if you only go for an hour or two. IF you want an inexpensive really nice beach day, try the Marriot Crystal Palace on Cable Beach. It's free. They have a large pool with swim up bar, slides, big beach, casino, motorized water sports(extra charge), ping pong tables, tiki huts and loungers on the beach (free). We went for a few hours and had SO MUCH FUN. Enjoy!

 

[baward]

We have done the Ardastra Gardens excursion. It was interesting. Also went to the Queens Staircase and the Fort there (cannot recall the name).
If and when we happen to go back to Nassau, we would probably stay on the ship.

 

[crisi]

We took our four and five year old and wandered up to the Pirate Museum. It was a highlight of their trip!

I'm not big on shopping and the first several blocks off the pier didn't impress me. But I suspect there is more to Nassau than the first couple of blocks off the pier.

 

[mermaid593]

We have been to Nassau twice. I recommend taking either a horse drawn carriage ride or a shore excursion where you have a guide. There really is a lot more to the island than bad experiences at the Straw Market. The island is rich in history and has some excellent sites to see (Queens Staircase, Fort Charlotte, Fort Fincastle, Pirates Museum). The natives know that tourists are their bread and butter but understand a firm "no".

 

[potterpixieprincess]

Originally posted by kaykels
Don't miss it. Even if you only go for an hour or two. IF you want an inexpensive really nice beach day, try the Marriot Crystal Palace on Cable Beach. It's free. They have a large pool with swim up bar, slides, big beach, casino, motorized water sports(extra charge), ping pong tables, tiki huts and loungers on the beach (free). We went for a few hours and had SO MUCH FUN. Enjoy!

How do I get to this beach? How crowded is it? Thanks for the tip, by the way!

 

[Dodie]

Originally posted by kaykels
Don't miss it. Even if you only go for an hour or two. IF you want an inexpensive really nice beach day, try the Marriot Crystal Palace on Cable Beach. It's free. They have a large pool with swim up bar, slides, big beach, casino, motorized water sports(extra charge), ping pong tables, tiki huts and loungers on the beach (free). We went for a few hours and had SO MUCH FUN. Enjoy!

How is this "free?" This is a beach/pool at a hotel and it is free to non-hotel guests? How is this?

 

[CheapMom]

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE PIRATE MUSEUM? My kids will be 7 and 8 they are interested in history. Are there lots of real pirate artifacts? Will it be good for those ages? How much does it cost?

 

[crisi]

Pirate Museum

www.pirates-of-nassau.com

Kids were free. Adults are charged ($12 on the web site, they charged us $10). So it was $20 for the family - a little pricey, but somehow reasonable for a tourist trap.

Its set up mostly as scenes. Not a lot of artifacts (one room with cases), but a big "ship" you walk through and see pirates playing cards, mending sails, fighting. Then more scenes of pirates in jail. Our kids walked through so fast we didn't get to read a lot of stuff - but they were very interested in looking (they found it a little spooky - they are four and five - I think your kids are the perfect ages). Think a more serious and educational "Pirates of the Carribean" that you walk through and read instead of riding through. You'll get a good idea from their web site.

The also have a hokey shop and a pub. We didn't eat there so I can't vouch for the food.

A word of warning. The streets in Nassau are not marked (or not marked well) - so although you can get a map, its only going to give you an idea of where the museum is. Combine the map from their web site with the map you have in your Nassau flyer from the ship to find the museum. The building is purple, so once you are close, you can't miss it.

 

[CheapMom]

Thanks- I think we will check that out. We just want to do a little low-key exploring/shopping on Nassau and spend the rest of the day on the ship. This sounds great.