Blue Lagoon Island Beach Day - review with photos

[Tinkermom3]

I have received several requests for info on our Blue Lagoon Island Beach Day and since I had trouble finding much info on it before we did it I thought I would post a review of our experience...

We loved Blue Lagoon Island. We are beach people so this was right up our alley. We did the Island Beach Day through DCL. We met around 9:30am in one of the lounges on the Wonder and were given bracelets to wear on the island. There are different bracelets that let them know if you are just doing the beach excursion or the dolphin swim. We waited about 15 minutes or so and then were walked a short distance to a waiting ferry that took us over to the island. It is about a 20 minute ferry ride over to the island. This in itself was fun as you get to see parts of Nassau from the water.

Here is the ferry:

Once we got to the island the dolphin swim folks were gathered together and taken off to the right at the dock. You can walk over to the dolphin area and watch the dolphins. We watched just for a few minutes and did not really explore this area. Here is the dock where you enter off of the ferry:

We then headed to the beach area. The beach is on a protected lagoon so there are no waves. It was not crowded here at all BUT we did have a bit of trouble snagging a chair. We walked all the way to the end of the beach area to get one but it really was not a big deal at all. Folks from other cruise lines were there and left fairly early so within an hour or so lots more chairs opened up. There are inner tubes available to use which are included in the cost of the excursion. From what we gathered that was about the only thing included. I *think* snorkle gear was extra but we brought our own. My
3 kids and DH went snorkling and said they saw WAY more fish than on Castaway Cay. (I was a wimp and did not go in as the air temp and water temp were a bit chilly when we were there ) Here are a few pics around the island:

Lunch is included in this excursion and I have to say was really good! It was burgers, grilled chicken sandwich or a hot dog with fries, punch or water, and orange wedges. Lunch is served in a covered pavillion similar to Castaway Cay. We took our lunch back over to the beach:

We ventured over to the other side of the island where it is not protected. There is a very small rocky beach over there that was just beautiful. There was a rope up in the water so I do not think swimming is allowed:

We got to the island just before 11am. Ferries leave to go back to the port at 1pm, 2pm and 4pm. We took the 2pm back as I wanted to do a bit of shopping in Nassau. We were REALLY torn though and would have loved to stay on the island longer.

The island is beautful, extremely clean, not very crowded at all and with friendly staff. I saw a couple of volleyball nets with folks playing and they also had a basketball court over by the food pavillion. We very much enjoyed our time at Blue Lagoon Island and we would definitely go back (and most likely will on our July 2011 Dream Cruise).

Let me know if you have any specific questions! I hope this info is helpful to anyone who is thinking about this excursion!

 

[mrskay9]

thanks! I'm not sure you made my decisions any easier but I loved your pics and review!

I'm having an awful time booking nassau!

thanks for the info!

 

[dlberney]

Thank you for the info! We will be going in June, 2011 and my kids want to do the Dolphin Swim. Your post helped a lot!

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

 

[pesto78749]

Great Review. It makes me feel so much better seeing the pictures. It seems much safer than I imagined! We are scheduled for the dolphin encounter but really want the swim. However it is sold out. Do you think we would be able to upgrade at blue lagoon? Thanks for any info you might have.

 

[Mom2Dash&JackJack]

Thanks so much - this helps us make our decision on what to do in Nassau for the day! We are going in May 2011 - can't wait!

 

[auntyaba]

Great review can you tell me if they have lockers on Blue Lagoon beach? My sister and I are going and not sure what to do about keeping our things safe and dry.

 

[zalansky]

What a great review! This is not something we have even considered in the past but after seeing your pics, I want to book it for our Dream cruise. Do you recall how much the excursion cost you per person? Thanks so much for sharing! You have a beautiful family.

 

[mhl1414]

Me and my son did the dolphin encounter a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I don't think you would be able to upgrade to a swim once there. I wanted to do that also. The only issue we had is they did not want my son to wear a swim vest and he was really scared being on the edge of really deep water. Didn't understand why it was such a issue for him to wear a swim vest. He forgot to let go of the dolphin and he almost went in with her! But all and all it was a great experience and a beautiful island. We are thinking about doing the beach day there next year and those pics just reminded me how pretty it is.

 

[Tinkermom3]

Great review can you tell me if they have lockers on Blue Lagoon beach? My sister and I are going and not sure what to do about keeping our things safe and dry.

I did not see any lockers. We pretty much just hung out near our stuff and took our camera and money when we did walk around. This is what we do on Castaway Cay as well.

Here is some info I pulled off of the DCL website:

Additional Information

Lunch is included (choice of 8 oz. Angus beef hamburger or cheeseburger, chicken burger, veggie burger, 1/4 lb. all beef hot dog); fresh fruit, chips and 2 non-alcoholic beverages per person. Beverages include (fruit punch, water, and soda).
Additional food and beverages including, beer (local and imported), frozen daiquiris, piña coladas, tropical drinks, wine and mixed drinks and Blue Lagoon's Sky Juice may be purchased at an additional cost.
Unlimited use of unsinkable float mats, inner-tubes and big boss noodles is included. The snorkeling tour and historic eco-hike are available at an additional cost.
Kayaks, Paddle Boats and Aqua Cycles are available at additional cost.
This excursion is stroller accessible.
Fresh water showers, changing rooms and restrooms are available.
Guests are encouraged to bring towels, sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats.
Wheelchairs must be standard size and collapsible. No electronic wheelchairs or scooters permitted. Guests must be able to transfer onto the boat.
Guests are encouraged to bring cash or credit card to purchase optional extras such as souvenirs and photos.

What a great review! This is not something we have even considered in the past but after seeing your pics, I want to book it for our Dream cruise. Do you recall how much the excursion cost you per person? Thanks so much for sharing! You have a beautiful family.

Thank-you! The cost is $69 and $55 for kids under 3 years.

 

[JennyJ]

Great info! We did the Blue lagoon excursion when we cruised a few years ago and it was fantastic. We felt safe the entire time and I remember being enthralled with the whole experience.

We had moments where we looked around in awe of the views...I'd love to do it again!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Great review... Thanks for sharing...

 

[mollygirl13]

Its all booked up for our upcoming cruise. Darn it!

 

[jessrose18]

Thanks for the review

 

[mmmears]

Thanks for writing this review and for the photos! I've wondered what this excursion was like -- it looks wonderful!!!

 

[SophiasDad]

We did the Blue Lagoon Beach Day as well on our last cruise, March 28th. Its a great beach excursion for families. We have stayed at the Atlantis before in addition to doing the excursion from DCL. It is absolutely beautiful and a must do if you have never been but way too expensive IMO for a family; even if you do the Comfort Suite booking across the way. Blue Lagoon was perfect for DD5 and DS3 to swim in and play along the beach. There were no waves to knock them down and I was able to pull them around the lagoon on the provided floats with the water never getting any deaper than my chest. I agree that by the time DCL gets you there, its tough to find a chair. However, there are picnic tables dotted across the beach and we camped there until a few chairs opened up. The food provided was very good and the kids enjoyed the boat trip each way. All in all, definitely worth trying and was much more affordable IMO than the Atlantis excursion.