Have you booked Blue Lagoon not through Disney?

[Tashamu2004]

It seems cheaper to book a Blue Lagoon beach day just through Blue Lagoon and not Disney. Apparently you can also book an option to just get a picture of you kissing a dolphin without a full dolphin experience. What would be the advantage to book through Disney? Thoughts? I will be traveling with DH, a 3 yo, and a 5 yo.

 

[Dug720]

It seems cheaper to book a Blue Lagoon beach day just through Blue Lagoon and not Disney. Apparently you can also book an option to just get a picture of you kissing a dolphin without a full dolphin experience. What would be the advantage to book through Disney? Thoughts? I will be traveling with DH, a 3 yo, and a 5 yo.

Have not done it either way - but I seem to recall people not being able to book it independently if on a cruise.

The big advantage of booking through Disney is in the event something happens and the group is delayed, they will hold the ship as long as possible or get you to the ship. Booking on your own it is solely on you to ensure you are back to the ship - you miss it you are on your own.

 

[dcassetta]

I've done Blue Lagoon several times through Disney. We have been escorted over to the ferry, and the ferry over to blue Lagoon picks up inside of the gated port area in Nassau. I am not sure if you would be able to join the Disney group and board the ferry. I'm guessing no, because the Disney group is all given identifying bracelets and or stickers. We have then gone over and made a quick stop on Paradise Island, where Atlantis is, and a few more people have been picked up. So, I'm not sure where you would pick up the ferry if you booked it on your own. That might require you to get over to the paradise island pier.

I think it would be best to contact Blue Lagoon, and ask them about transportation.

 

[disneyholic family]

how much do you actually save by doing it on your own?
i never find the savings sufficient to outweigh the peace of mind i get when i book through the cruise line, knowing that they'll hold the ship for our group if something should go wrong..

 

[Dug720]

how much do you actually save by doing it on your own?
i never find the savings sufficient to outweigh the peace of mind i get when i book through the cruise line, knowing that they'll hold the ship for our group if something should go wrong..

Or get you to the ship if they cannot hold it.

 

[disneyholic family]

Or get you to the ship if they cannot hold it.

yes, that too...

 

[jenf22]

Have not done it either way - but I seem to recall people not being able to book it independently if on a cruise.

We did it through Disney back in 2012 and then you could NOT book it if you were coming in on a cruise ship. So unless Blue Lagoon has changed it since then (which is possible) you have to book through DCL.

 

[Dug720]

We did it through Disney back in 2012 and then you could NOT book it if you were coming in on a cruise ship. So unless Blue Lagoon has changed it since then (which is possible) you have to book through DCL.

Thanks for confirming. My last Disney cruise was Feb 2015, and I seem to remember people then saying that if you were coming in on a cruise ship you could NOT book it on your own then as well.

 

[Quellman]

Here is a question, as I have looked at it myself.

When you book with Blue lagoon, could you not just say you are staying on Island, and then let them know you'll just meet them at the dock (as if you were going to be out and about already that morning and this way they don't need to pick you up)? They wouldn't necessarily know that you are a cruise passenger.

My only concern is the ferry boats to and from the island. I would hate to find out they prioritized the boats for cruise guests first (because they have a must be back by___ time) over regular day guests (who would only be going back to their hotel). This could mean you would unintentionally be left by the cruise.

 

[Dug720]

Here is a question, as I have looked at it myself.

When you book with Blue lagoon, could you not just say you are staying on Island, and then let them know you'll just meet them at the dock (as if you were going to be out and about already that morning and this way they don't need to pick you up)? They wouldn't necessarily know that you are a cruise passenger.

My only concern is the ferry boats to and from the island. I would hate to find out they prioritized the boats for cruise guests first (because they have a must be back by___ time) over regular day guests (who would only be going back to their hotel). This could mean you would unintentionally be left by the cruise.

I would suspect that is exactly what they do - especially since it's been reported that cruise ship passengers are given different wrist bands. No band, no admittance to the ferry for those with bands, which I'm sure DO have priority.

 

[dcassetta]

Here is a question, as I have looked at it myself.

When you book with Blue lagoon, could you not just say you are staying on Island, and then let them know you'll just meet them at the dock (as if you were going to be out and about already that morning and this way they don't need to pick you up)? They wouldn't necessarily know that you are a cruise passenger.

My only concern is the ferry boats to and from the island. I would hate to find out they prioritized the boats for cruise guests first (because they have a must be back by___ time) over regular day guests (who would only be going back to their hotel). This could mean you would unintentionally be left by the cruise.

Yes, I do you think you could say that you were staying at a hotel, and ask them to pick you up the dock. The problem is that the hotels are mostly on Paradise Island, where the blue Lagoon ferry does pick people up. So you would need to get from the crew ship dock over to the paradise island dock.

In my experience in going to Blue Lagoon 4 times, we have gotten on the ferry inside the gated port area. So the only people able to get on the ferry at the cruise ship wharf are cruise ship passengers.

There have always been multiple times to catch the return ferry, so it's up to you to make sure you time it so that you're back by the time the ship leaves. The ferries to Blue Lagoon are large, I would guess they hold a 150 people, so I don't think you would need to be concerned about them reserving a ferry for cruise ship guests only. Each time when taking the return ferry, it is always stopped at the Paradise Island dock. When returning to the cruise ship dock you are required to leave the gated area and come through the secure area to have your identification checked.

 

[Quellman]

Yes, I do you think you could say that you were staying at a hotel, and ask them to pick you up the dock. The problem is that the hotels are mostly on Paradise Island, where the blue Lagoon ferry does pick people up. So you would need to get from the crew ship dock over to the paradise island dock.

In my experience in going to Blue Lagoon 4 times, we have gotten on the ferry inside the gated port area. So the only people able to get on the ferry at the cruise ship wharf are cruise ship passengers.

There have always been multiple times to catch the return ferry, so it's up to you to make sure you time it so that you're back by the time the ship leaves. The ferries to Blue Lagoon are large, I would guess they hold a 150 people, so I don't think you would need to be concerned about them reserving a ferry for cruise ship guests only. Each time when taking the return ferry, it is always stopped at the Paradise Island dock. When returning to the cruise ship dock you are required to leave the gated area and come through the secure area to have your identification checked.

Thanks for the insight. In my head, I would just not have them pick me up at all, and just meet them at the departure point on paradise island. Either by water taxi or regular taxi.

Good information about capacity and availability getting off the Blue Lagoon island too.

Hopefully I won't have any more Bahama cruises in my future!

 

[TEMom2]

I have been researching other options in Nassau and found a lot of info on companies offering things not through the cruise lines. Many have specific cruise ship packages. I don't recall seeing any for Blue Lagoon, but I wasn't looking for that. Check out Trip Advisor and some of the other travel sites. Good Luck!