First Time Disney Cruise

[missycourteau]

My family of 4 will be taking a 4 day cruise in April. I've been looking at Port Excursions for our family to experience while in Nassau and having trouble deciding if/what we should do. Any advice from anyone out there?? My boys (9 and 11) have never been on a cruise before and with only being on there 4 days, should we just step off the ship for a short time to look around then get back on for the to experience the ship?? Any suggestions would be great!! Thanks!!

 

[wcw57]

i'm on the "get a taste of the port and then enjoy the near empty ship" team....some ports more than others......

btw,

 

[AndreAggie]

That's our plan in Nassau. It's a good time to take advantage of the ship and the water slides, theater, etc.

You'll get a great beach day at Castaway Cay.

 

[nzdisneymom]

If your main purpose for the cruise is to decide if you like cruising and want to experience as much as you can about the ship, I'd skip an excursion, maybe get off the ship and walk around the shops nearby for a bit, but mostly enjoy being onboard. Especially with kids the ages of yours - they'll be more about the ship than the stops

 

[GrannyDee]

Nassau is one of our least favourite ports of call. Crowded stalls as you disembark, busy city streets as you exit the port entry. Atlantis is a good resort, but pricey.

We'll be staying onboard.

 

[MPS516]

We have been to Nassau multiple times so much different for us as well as having been on a dozen DCL cruises in addition to other lines. At 9 and 11 it is possible the boys would get a better feel for cruising experiencing port days, this is a big part of cruising. I would look for something that may interest everyone and schedule some time on an excursion.

We love the ships and savor every minute we are aboard, we cruise for the full experience.

 

[2prettygirl]

We did not care much for Nassau, if we were to go again, I would definitely stay on ship! Here is what I would suggest, if you would like to enjoy a little bit of the port while there, get off of the ship and walk into town. There is a beach within walking distance (highly suggest staying on the main roadways in Nassau, you don't want to veer to far off the beaten path, pick pocketing is a huge issue in Nassau) but you will find many people walking to Junkanoo beach, which is somewhat close to port. The water in beautiful and it would give you a little bit of time to see Nassau. There is also the straw market, which is another experience within itself. My kids enjoyed walking in the straw market, lots of vendors and unique items to see. There are lots of hagglers in Nassau so be cautious and politely say no thank you and they should leave you alone.

As for staying on ship, it's always nice to stay on ship in ports as it's usually rather empty and a great time to enjoy the water slide with no lines and the pools are empty.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

I'm not the biggest fan of Nasau. It's noisy and crowded. I like to get off, grab a couple of souvenirs from the stalls right at port (mostly shot glasses and funny tshirts and the like for college buddies) then we get back on. I love enjoying the boat when it isn't crowded. Congrats on your first cruise- you're going to have a blast!

 

[mort1331]

I am following as I am in the same boat (ship) as OP. First time our dds 5&9, but when people say Atlantis is expensive. What is the cost? I haven't been able to find it. Is there different levels at Atlantis?

 

[missycourteau]

I am following as I am in the same boat (ship) as OP. First time our dds 5&9, but when people say Atlantis is expensive. What is the cost? I haven't been able to find it. Is there different levels at Atlantis?

I was able to locate pricing under the port excursion information. It looks like there are a bunch of different options depending on what you want to do there. It looks like it's a lot of fun, but my older son is not a huge waterside fan so I didn't know if that was the best idea. They have a dolphin excursion at the Atlantis that looks cool too!!

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

I would avoid Nassau - nothing for kids, and if the kids are girls, they are constantly solicited to have their hair braided. Stay on the ship and enjoy its amenities.

 

[belac]

We liked the Chocolate excursion at graycliff. It was great, not a bad price and DS 9 and DH loved it. We had plenty of time to shop as well and back on ship early. It is only an hour and a half or two hours for the whole tour.

 

[BigredNole]

I have not cruised and have decided that a 5-day is the shortest we will go for. If we went this route, we plan to enjoy the ship while people are off. We may step into the port of Nassau to shop and look for an hour or so, but that would be it.

 

[EASchechter]

If you're set on getting off the ship, try the Pirate Museum. It's been quite some years since our last Nassau cruise, but I really liked the museum, and it was an easy walk from the port.

 

[cmph]

I've read every thread related to Nassau on this board posted in the last year, and beyond. I posted a couple days ago for suggestions, too (pretty specific needs, though). SO many people stay on the ship and tell others to stay on the ship on these boards. It doesn't seem like the ship will really be that empty! I see no problem staying on the ship anyway, and whatever excursion we do will be short, but I'm definitely approaching it with the mindset that it won't be all that empty. For those of you who have gone recently - does the ship really empty out all that much? Nassau isn't very popular!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've read every thread related to Nassau on this board posted in the last year, and beyond. I posted a couple days ago for suggestions, too (pretty specific needs, though). SO many people stay on the ship and tell others to stay on the ship on these boards. It doesn't seem like the ship will really be that empty! I see no problem staying on the ship anyway, and whatever excursion we do will be short, but I'm definitely approaching it with the mindset that it won't be all that empty. For those of you who have gone recently - does the ship really empty out all that much? Nassau isn't very popular!

The ship, typically, isn't as empty in Nassau as it would be in another port. But, there are enough people who do get off that it are definitely fewer people onboard than say, on a sea day.

 

[cmph]

The ship, typically, isn't as empty in Nassau as it would be in another port. But, there are enough people who do get off that it are definitely fewer people onboard than say, on a sea day.

Makes sense. But are the onboard activities reduced under the assumption that more people get off than actually do?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Makes sense. But are the onboard activities reduced under the assumption that more people get off than actually do?

Usually, yes, but I think DCL is aware that fewer people get off in Nassau. I believe that's why they've started dong Palo brunch on Nassau day (usually it's only done on sea days). I think that would indicate that there are probably more activities onboard for a Nassau port day than some other port day. Although the Dream doesn't do anything but Nassau and Castaway Cay. I was just speculating a comparison to other ships and other ports.

 

[cmph]

Usually, yes, but I think DCL is aware that fewer people get off in Nassau. I believe that's why they've started dong Palo brunch on Nassau day (usually it's only done on sea days). I think that would indicate that there are probably more activities onboard for a Nassau port day than some other port day. Although the Dream doesn't do anything but Nassau and Castaway Cay. I was just speculating a comparison to other ships and other ports.

I do hope this is the case for us, that they don't reduce activities too much, even on our 7 day Bahamian. I am guessing more get off in Nassau for the 7 day than for the short cruises. I'm just imagining that the water activities onboard will be packed with people expecting them to be emptied, and I've probably exaggerated the situation in my head.

 

[tlprice]

My 8yo daughter and I went on our first Disney cruise in December. We did the Forts and Junkanoo in Nassau and loved it. We are both history buffs though and enjoyed the historical aspect of it. Also it was inexpensive and a short excursion that gave us a taste of another country and plenty of time on the ship that day too.