Staying on ship in Nassau?

[Spwhoney]

I have read some threads that people have said that they stayed on the ship or wished they had stayed on the ship in Nassau.
why is this? For safety, boring, what?

 

[dizzi]

A lot of people fell there isn't much to d to on Nassua....Or maybe not toothier caliber maybe not right word............

We get off ever time and I have enjoyed it everytime.

We have done something different every visit.

It Is what you make it!

 

[WonderinAland]

We did a B2B on the Dream a couple years ago. First time in Nassau we did an excursion to Blue Lagoon (?). Second time, we just stayed on board to enjoy the ship, pools, and especially the AquaDuck, with fewer people around. We had been to Nassau on a previous cruise a year earlier and just didn't care to see it again.

 

[Aggiegrl]

A lot of people have younger children or aren't the casino/waterpark/swim with dolphins type. There ARE other things to see, but not an abundance of things IMHO. It's sort of a been there, done that feeling.

Frequent cruisers tend to cruise for the ship and not the ports, so they enjoy time on the ship with less people onboard. This seems especially true on the shorter 3 and 4 night itineraries, regardless of cruise line. After a full day on a private beach island, a lot of people want a relaxation day.

 

[jimsubry]

We were there about 15 years ago and it was all very novel to us...we enjoyed walking around the downtown area, seeing the British colonial architecture. We also hopped on some local bus with no idea whatsoever where we were going, hey, we were young and adventurous! It took us all over and it was fascinating. Through poverty stricken villages where what must have been maids in the hotels would get on or off. We saw areas with mangy roaming dogs, graveyards, etc. The thought did not cross our mind at the time that it just might be dangerous, ha ha. Nowadays, I don't think we'd do that but I'm glad we did. Got to see what most tourists don't, and no one bothered us, maybe because we didn't really look like typical rich tourists and more like penniless students or something.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Well, the Nassau excursions are usually overpriced. The cost of the Atlantis waterpark and dolphin encounters is ridiculous. Most of the beaches are private, so you have to buy a day pass, which isn't bad if that's what you want to do. The public beaches are mostly local and there have been reports of attempted drug sales (though I've also heard that if you firmly say no, they leave you alone, and they only approach adults and teens, not children).

I get off and go to Senor Frog's. I've also done the Booze Cruise before... I don't remember that. (kidding... but the end is a little spotty) But I understand why people would want to stay on the ship. After all, in port, the pool is much less crowded.

 

[ndabunka]

I have read some threads that people have said that they stayed on the ship or wished they had stayed on the ship in Nassau.
why is this? For safety, boring, what?

We've been to Nassau 4 other times including a 4-day stay @ Atlantis in 2009. Over the years, we've done the blue lagoon thing and the swimming with the Dolphin's inside of Atlantis as well as their full water park. All those things are great even to do them again but a lot of those excursion prices are INSANE. However, the wife and youngest ARE doing the Chocolate factory tour this time while me and the oldest are planning on staying on the ship.

One thing that I personally enjoy is looking at the HUGE yachts in the harbor. I spent a LOT of time in the larger harbors around Lake Michigan when I was younger. We never had a huge boat (in fact, all of ours were under 36 feet so technically they weren't even "yachts") but I really enjoy seeing the HUGE 100 ft+ yachts as it reminds me of those days. A good way to spend some time there is to hang out at one of the bars around the bay and simply "people watch".

 

[Magic3forme]

we are not fans of Nassau.. been there/ done that type of thing.


We love to take advantage of the pools etc.....

 

[E ticket rider]

I have read some threads that people have said that they stayed on the ship or wished they had stayed on the ship in Nassau.
why is this? For safety, boring, what?

I think the following statement sums up Nassau for me...

Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt...

 

[Jenntx]

This thread is great for a newbie to cruising. We were planning to stay on the ship on Nassau day and enjoy the ship. Being new to DCL & cruising we were wondering if we would be missing something by not getting off the ship that day. This thread has answered our question.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

This thread is great for a newbie to cruising. We were planning to stay on the ship on Nassau day and enjoy the ship. Being new to DCL & cruising we were wondering if we would be missing something by not getting off the ship that day. This thread has answered our question.

I hope that answer is to check it out for yourself.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[swimfly]

we are not fans of Nassau.. been there/ done that type of thing.

We love to take advantage of the pools etc.....

This! It's the exact same as it was when I was 20. Don't judge the Bahamas by Nassau. There are phenomenal spots just not where the cruise ships park (is park the right word?) But I do think if you have never been you should go. Unless the only reason you are cruising is for the boat or CC.

 

[amejiajr8]

I hope that answer is to check it out for yourself.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Second this. Everyone will have a different experience. I heard similar things about Jamaica...kept an open mind and absolutely loved our visit. Planning to get off the boat for sure in Nassau just to say I visited the island. Not sure what we are doing yet but going to keep an open mind.

 

[amber_cntrygrl]

We cruised to Nassau last February, and decided to catch a cab to the public beach. The cab dropped us off at Atlantis, then we had to walk down the road to get to the beach. I felt like the entire time we were there, we were constantly saying NO to people trying to sell us stuff. Bracelets, t-shirts, drugs..it was miserable. We left around 12 and went back to the ship just to be able to relax..the beach and ocean was beautiful, but we'll stick to the ship next time!

ETA: I think everyone should go at least once, just to see it, because the beaches really are BEAUTIFUL!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[amejiajr8]

I for one am going to try and find me some Conch or Conch fritters maybe a local beer or rum. I tried Conch in Grand Cayman and loved it. As Anthony Bourdan says the best way to learn about a culture is thru food. When on the island do as the island people do.

 

[ilovetexas]

Nassau is fine. I've never felt unsafe and have been there several times. We like to do some shopping and also go enjoy the beach/pools at the Sheraton (Cable Beach) then stop and eat at the Fish Fry on the way back to the ship.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3067

http://family.go.com/travel/places-to-eat/bahamas/nassau/poi-590789-the-fish-fry/

We've also done the walking tour: www.brentjes.com/nassau You get to see the Queen's Staircase, Fort Fincastle, etc. I still haven't made it to the Pirate Museum.

 

[KarenW]

We went to the fort and the Queen's staircase on our last cruise. We really enjoyed it and am glad that we went. That said, it is definitely a " been there, done that" sort of thing and we are planning to stay on board on our next cruise.

 

[Runnergal]

I've been to Nassau several times, and my kids were just at the Atlantis for spring break with their aunt. I am not a big shopper, so that part of Nassau doesn't interest me either. But this will be our first Disney cruise, and it is only 4 nights, so we really want to make the most of our time on the ship.

 

[lizabu]

Nassau is fine. I've never felt unsafe and have been there several times. We like to do some shopping and also go enjoy the beach/pools at the Sheraton (Cable Beach) then stop and eat at the Fish Fry on the way back to the ship.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3067

http://family.go.com/travel/places-to-eat/bahamas/nassau/poi-590789-the-fish-fry/

We've also done the walking tour: www.brentjes.com/nassau You get to see the Queen's Staircase, Fort Fincastle, etc. I still haven't made it to the Pirate Museum.

Thank you for the great links. It will be our first time to Nassau and we've been trying to decide what to do. The walking tour looks really interesting.

 

[JimGA]

This thread is great for a newbie to cruising. We were planning to stay on the ship on Nassau day and enjoy the ship. Being new to DCL & cruising we were wondering if we would be missing something by not getting off the ship that day. This thread has answered our question.

You can also get off the ship and stay at the port and look at the Disney ship, take a few pictures, look at the other ships that might be in port next to you and then get back on the boat. Might be nice to feel solid ground for 20 or 30 minutes