Beach at Nassau

[SCPixie]

I know this is a dumb question, so please don't be rude!

This is not only our first Disney Cruise, it's our first cruise EVER.

Is there an actual beach we can lay on at Nassau or do we have to walk somewhere else? I've heard conflicting things. Some people say I have to book an excursion and others tell me that the port connects to a public beach. In all honesty, I probably will enjoy the ship while it's empty for about 75% of the day, but I do want to "see" Nassau.

Thanks!

 

[erionm]

The closest beach is Junkanoo Beach (also called Western Esplanade Beach) which is probably a 10 minute walk from the pier.

 

[MUN]

I know this is a dumb question, so please don't be rude!

This is not only our first Disney Cruise, it's our first cruise EVER.

Is there an actual beach we can lay on at Nassau or do we have to walk somewhere else? I've heard conflicting things. Some people say I have to book an excursion and others tell me that the port connects to a public beach. In all honesty, I probably will enjoy the ship while it's empty for about 75% of the day, but I do want to "see" Nassau.

Thanks!

A 10 to 15 minute walk from the ship will take you to Junkanoo Beach. We visited it last Friday. It is a free public beach that is popular with locals as well as tourists. There are plenty of drink & food shacks on the beach as well as other vendors. We spent about an hour on the beach having a drink and walking around, although if you rented lounge chairs you could easily spend several hours there. This is the only beach I have visited in Nassau. I will allow others to suggest other beach options in Nassau.

It was easy to find as there were several other ship passengers heading over there with us.

 

[CluelessDisFan]

We're in the same boat, and I also was thinking of just hitting up a beach. But got a notice from U.S. travel about sexual assault on cabbage and cable beach reports came in since July the latest one was January 2. That has me a little concerned.

 

[bovioask1]

We went to a beach that was walking distance from Atlantis. Not the prettiest beach, fairly large waves, goes from shallow to deep real fast, but it was a beach nontheless.

 

[MUN]

We're in the same boat, and I also was thinking of just hitting up a beach. But got a notice from U.S. travel about sexual assault on cabbage and cable beach reports came in since July the latest one was January 2. That has me a little concerned.

Honestly, I think if you are in a group, you will be fine at the Nassau beaches. I have not visited Cable or Cabbage beaches, but I understand they are nicer than the Junkanoo beach I visited. My son and I felt very safe and when we approached by vendors we politely declined. However, the lounge chair rate seemed very reasonable. Junkanoo beach had a few security guards located on the perimiter.

To get to Cable beach (which is a few miles from the port, and surronded by resorts) one can take a cab or a public bus. I think water taxis serve Cabbage beach which I believe is near the Atlantis resort.

I know some people buy day passes to the British Colonial Hilton beach and pool. It is even closer to the port than Junkanoo beach. In fact, you walk right by it on the way to Junkanoo.

MUN

 

[2prettygirl]

I know this is a dumb question, so please don't be rude!

This is not only our first Disney Cruise, it's our first cruise EVER.

Is there an actual beach we can lay on at Nassau or do we have to walk somewhere else? I've heard conflicting things. Some people say I have to book an excursion and others tell me that the port connects to a public beach. In all honesty, I probably will enjoy the ship while it's empty for about 75% of the day, but I do want to "see" Nassau.

Thanks!

We walked to Junkanoo beach, about a 10 minute walk. It was very popular for the cruisers so we were not walking alone. I was not a fan of Nassau. I highly recommend getting off the ship to see it, walk to the beach and enjoy the water because it is beautiful but the next time we cruise there, I plan to stay on the ship and enjoy all the amenities on board. Nassau was my least favorite port that we have cruise to so far.

We did walk through the straw market, that is a crazy experience as there are so many people in there trying to barter with you but once again, it was an experience and worth seeing. There is also a Senor Frogs close by.

 

[Saamh]

We're in the same boat, and I also was thinking of just hitting up a beach. But got a notice from U.S. travel about sexual assault on cabbage and cable beach reports came in since July the latest one was January 2. That has me a little concerned.

A few of the assault incidences I've read about lately have involved the jet ski operators at these beaches. I might think twice about any watersports through a beach vendor...

 

[TeaBee]

We purchased day passes at the British Colonial Hilton when we were in Nassau. The hotel is walking distance from the port - maybe a block past the straw market? The beach is small, but it's not crowded and there's a view of the lighthouse and the cruise ships. There are plenty of lounge chairs and the day pass includes food/drink vouchers. We enjoyed it for a peaceful, lazy beach day.

 

[GTO-Girl]

I would either go to Atlantis, get a day pass at the British Colonial Hilton or stay on the ship. The one and only time we went to Junkanoo Beach it was not a good experience for us. The beach was trashed, sketchy people all around and the bathrooms were closed and flooded. My husband who is career law enforcement was very uneasy about the whole area so we didn't stay long.

There have been travel warnings here for several years. Once when traveling on another cruiseline we actually got a letter in our stateroom right before we got off the ship warning everyone to be careful!!! I just don't understand why ships keep going here!

Some people will disagree and that's okay because everyone can have a different experience. We have docked in Nassau many, many times but we stopped getting off the ship about 3 yrs ago.

 

[Krissy22222]

What is the price for the day pass for the British Colonial Hilton, and how does one go about purchasing them? Do you reserve ahead of time to just walk up?

 

[TeaBee]

Day passes for the Hilton are $65 for adults and include a $40 food/drink voucher. Kids are $33 with a $20 food voucher. You can book them ahead of time but we just walked up and paid at the front desk. I believe they limit the amount of passes they sell, but we weren't the first people off the ship and took our time getting there and didn't have a problem even with three other ships in port that day.

Here's the link to the Hilton website with info: http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ba...ssau-NASHIHH/attractions/cruiseship-info.html

 

[Krissy22222]

Does the food allowance cover the price of lunch? How is the food, in your opinion?

 

[TeaBee]

We had a couple of drinks each and then a burger or sandwich from the poolside bar which was all fine - nothing spectacular by any stretch, standard bar fare. I'm pretty sure you can eat at any of the other restaurants in the Hilton with the vouchers, but we didn't want to leave the beach. I didn't take photos of the menu, but found one from a few years ago on cruise critic. I think there were a couple of different options on there when we went in September, but it looks pretty close: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1779197

 

[Krissy22222]

How was the snorkeling from the beach? Also, I see that snorkeling tours are offered. Do those require going out somewhere in a boat?

 

[TeaBee]

The snorkeling wasn't spectacular at the Hilton, but we're beginning snorkelers so we were entertained.

 

[patch2013]

anybody familiar with this website where you can book day passes for a cruise? http://www.resortforaday.com/Nassau-Day-Pass-s/1826.htm
Just wondering if this is a good company to book with. I notice you can book direct at Hilton but by email?

 

[LSUfan4444]

anybody familiar with this website where you can book day passes for a cruise? http://www.resortforaday.com/Nassau-Day-Pass-s/1826.htm
Just wondering if this is a good company to book with. I notice you can book direct at Hilton but by email?

Yes, I have used them before with no issue and would recommend them without hesitation.

Our plan in Nassau is kind of the same..get off the ship as early as possible, a couple of hours at the beach. Stop by the brewery to pick u some beer to take back on board then hit the pools and such while everyone else is excursioning.