Bahamas...yay or nay?

[Eliza1078]

First time cruise planned for January! I'm a little nervous as I've heard of crime rates increasing in the Bahamas...those who have recently been, did you feel safe? Stay on ship? Venture out? Thanks!

 

[Marc D]

The crime rates are not increasing. They are as high as they have been in the last few years. Crime advisories have been in effect in Nassau for quite a while.

Some here will mention they walk about Nassau without a worry and that you always need to be careful anyway. Others will say they stay on the ship since the city is nothing special. Many get off, many stay on the ship. Do what you are comfortable with.

 

[Shay985]

Hi! I have been a CM for a long time and we get off the ship every chance we get. I have never had any problems in any of the ports. I feel totally safe! Enjoy your cruise! S x

 

[KashasMom]

We always get off the ship wherever we are - especially if it's a new country for us! Nassau is no exception. Many cruisers don't seem to have experience dealing with touts and get a bit...freaked out. You just need to know how to deal with them and get past them in the port area. We've never had any issues and have had some great days in Nassau. You can always get off the ship, have a look around town and if you don't feel comfortable get back on the ship. Or...take an excursion booked through Disney.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

We found the worst part is declining every cab driver. It's like swatting mosquitoes when you are in a heavy wooded area. We still get off the ship because for us going to the rum cake store is a must. I like to venture out a street over to get a few Kalik beers because it's my only chance or place to get it. This cruise is also time to go to the straw market and get some new beach towels. They are cheap in every sense but the dog doesn't complain and walking through there after a cruise helps you sweat out a couple of pounds I think for us we've seen everything we need to see and we can be back on the ship within a couple of hours but I am not afraid to get off the ship. Do as you would do in any other situation and don't corner yourself in a dark ally per say. Stay in open tourist areas or as a CM suggested, go on a DCL excursion and enjoy Nassau

 

[MomOTwins]

I skipped Nassau and stayed on the ship both cruises we docked there. I would feel comfortable doing a DCL excursion, but there were none that really appealed to me.

 

[ahain]

When we go to Nassau, we do get off the ship. In the past, we have done Atlantis, but have also wandered the main shopping street & straw market. We don't stray off the primary streets, stay aware of our surroundings and keep our valuables close.

 

[pezgirlroy]

My feeling is that if I am going to visit a place I always get off the ship. May just be for a few minutes may be for an excursion. When we were last in Nassau, we did the Junkanoo and Fort Discovery tour. It was great. It was a good taste of the area and fun. It was with my parents, 8 year old and 3 year old. My husband did the scuba diving excursion through the ship. Interestingly he was the only one that did that excursion and he had an amazing private dive. And yes we felt perfectly safe.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We also have a cruise to the Bahamas in Jan 2020. The plan is to get off the ship and look around the main port/market area and get back on the ship for lunch. We're always very careful of our surroundings and never wear/carry anything of value to attract attention. I just don't like the constant sales pitch by vendors and cabbies.

 

[moericus]

Use common sense. Stay near the Ports. Stay near the shops. Use a taxi from a taxi stand. Wrap bags around your arm/wrist. Hold children's hands. Write down the location of the embassy if you're venturing far.

Those local shopkeepers have a heck of a lot more to lose from crime than you do. They will take care of the deadbeats.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

First time cruise planned for January! I'm a little nervous as I've heard of crime rates increasing in the Bahamas...those who have recently been, did you feel safe? Stay on ship? Venture out? Thanks!

We only get off now to go to the Starbucks and use their WiFi.

 

[MrsDuck]

We hate the Bahamas and don't get off the ship anymore. That said, I'd get off at least for an hour or so since it's your first cruise. Then, I'd head back and enjoy a less busy ship!

 

[Drfate102]

We just did our first Disney Cruise and it was a 3 night to the Bahamas. We did the Nassau by Land and Sea excursion, and it was for the most part good. The Sea was awesome and the guides were just awesome. The land part, not so much, thy make Florida drivers look sane. So many great spots crowded by vendors trying to sell you stuff. And when we did some shopping, crossing the street was scary. The Dream offered a free Shopping Seminar on where to go that wouldn't rip you off, so do that. Next time, we might just go ashore of a little bit, but if it is your first time, go, take an excursion to feel safer and enjoy the new experience.

 

[FSU Girl]

If you've never been to Nassau before I suggest getting off the ship. Visiting Atlantis is fun, even if you just get a taxi there, which will be super cheap. I prefer staying on the ship.

 

[BlueRibbon]

We only get off now to go to the Starbucks and use their WiFi.

Of course, when we were there in August the Starbucks WiFi wasn't working. Since it was a Mommy/Daddy trip we wanted to text back home to see how things were going. We tried other places looking for free WiFi, and ended up at a "Cyber Cafe" down an alley off of Woodes Rogers Walk on the second floor. There were plenty of tourists and people on the first floor of this plaza, but the second floor had no one. We went to into the "cafe" and these 4 dudes look up like we're interrupting their day. Even though it was nice an air conditioned inside, we just got the username/password and went outside.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

We're cruising the Dream in June specifically to go to Nassau for Atlantis. And Castaway Cay & the ship, of course, but we really do want to do the Aquaventure at Atlantis.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

The Dream offered a free Shopping Seminar on where to go that wouldn't rip you off, so do that.

It's not necessarily that those places won't rip you off, it's that they've paid DCL to advertise. (Granted, most of the time, the recommendation is large international jewelry chains, so you're not likely to get ripped off in terms of fake merchandise, but it's still always a good idea to do research before making large purchases.)

 

[holden]

We've sailed to Nassau many times and have done several excusions. Now we enjoy a quiet day on the ship when we are there.

 

[bedgraynexl]

I also recommend getting off the ship and at least looking around the port area and going to the Straw Market. We aren't used to the bargaining / haggling and the hard sell approach but my DD17 (then 14) really got into it when passing through. She bought a shirt and a dress from some of the vendors and enjoyed the process. I enjoyed walking downtown and just looking around.

It is good to get a feel for the places you visit. After your first time you can decide whether to get off next time. We go again in March 2021 and will probably at least walk around. I am not sure of an excursion yet. It is too far out to decide.

 

[osueddy]

We took our first cruise this past June on the dream. We did get off the ship. We did the shopping scavenger hunt that we found out about from the shopping seminar on the ship. My daughter and I had fun going into the stores and getting the little free trinkets that were on the scavenger hunt list. We also got our passports stamped!