Kid-friendly cultural Nassau excursions ideas?

[cmph]

By now I have read every thread on Nassau excursions that I could find in this forum and the Royal Caribbean forum! But I still can't pin down what seems best, so I wondered if I'm missing something, or if more recent cruisers have new or different opinions/suggestions. And please please, I am not interested in rehashing Nassau safety issues! I think that has been discussed enough. This is our first time in Nassau, and we will be getting off the ship, no question.

We're sailing on the 7-day Bahamian on the Wonder over New Year's Eve - DH, DD11, DS8, my parents, and myself. First time DCL, but experienced cruisers aside from my kids. We chose this cruise partially b/c we've been everywhere else in the Caribbean, but somehow never to the destinations on this cruise (those aside from CC), and we're dying to go to Castaway Cay. My parents will probably do their own thing, so if anyone has a suggestion for an older couple not into anything adventurous or involving swimming... I will pass it on! They are not the "take a cab and do your own thing" type, definitely need a booked excursion.

Initially, Atlantis seemed like a no-brainer, but it's $600 for 4 and there are a TON of ships there at the same time as us. I don't want to waste a day standing in long lines or in giant crowds; DS practically melts in any parks line without a fastpass, LOL. I then thought of Blue Lagoon, but we did a dolphin thing in Hawaii a couple weeks ago - and is the beach only really going to be that exciting or worth the money when we are at Castaway Cay literally the day before? Plus - January isn't likely to be the best time to spend two days in a row at the beach for people coming from Phoenix. Also not interested in snorkeling tours, b/c we'll have orthodontia issues with that (trust me, just learned that in HI), or in Graycliff (we used to live near Hershey and did many similar things multiple times already in Chocolate World).

So my mindset now is to treat this as a good time for a cultural experience for the kids, to see a place very different than home (only the adults are experienced cruisers). Something involving Ardastra, maybe? Will the fort and Queen's Staircase be interesting enough to the kids? I'm all for saving money - but with kids, I am thinking a pre-booked tour is better than hiring a driver to take us around. Everyone talks about Atlantis, Blue Lagoon, and Graycliff for kid-friendly excursions... but is there anything besides those that most kids really love? Pirate museum seems hit or miss. I super-wish DH didn't have celiac, b/c the taste of bahamas tour sounds great and my kids are foodies, but he isn't going to risk that every destination really understands gluten-free, too stressful.

Is there anything I'm overlooking? or has my thought process gone askew somewhere here? Any advice is welcome!

 

[Capt_BJ]

http://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/what-to-do/unique-tours-activities/pirates-of-nassau/

https://www.virtualtourist.com/trav...7/Things_To_Do-Nassau-Pirate_Museum-BR-1.html

 

[Sytrace]

We enjoyed the Glass bottom boat tour in December 2014. The boat is right there near the exit to Nassau and down the pier so it is easy to get to. The tour guides were funny and on the way pointed out homes belonging to celebrities, as well as backround information on their town, harbor and Atlantis itself. Once we got to the location to look at the sea life, we went down to the bottom of the boat and took a look around .They talked about the ecosystem and had pictures and charts of various fish and sea grass that was interesting. It was a relatively short trip, so we had plenty of time to get back onboard and enjoy some quiet time on the Aquaduck.

We have done Atlantis and Greycliff before as well and they were nice too. I once went to Hershey Park a long time ago and honestly, Greycliff cannot hold a candle to it. But my kids have never been to Hershey so they really enjoyed the experience with fresh eyes.

 

[cmph]

http://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/what-to-do/unique-tours-activities/pirates-of-nassau/

https://www.virtualtourist.com/trav...7/Things_To_Do-Nassau-Pirate_Museum-BR-1.html

Thx... it's still on my "maybe" list, even though it seems hit or miss, like I mentioned in my original post. From what I've read on the boards, lots of kids like it, but some are freaked out. DD is, shall we say... sensitive. DS would like it. We're talking about splitting up into kid/parent pairs b/c every idea seems like it would appeal to one more than the other.

 

[cmph]

We enjoyed the Glass bottom boat tour in December 2014. The boat is right there near the exit to Nassau and down the pier so it is easy to get to. The tour guides were funny and on the way pointed out homes belonging to celebrities, as well as backround information on their town, harbor and Atlantis itself. Once we got to the location to look at the sea life, we went down to the bottom of the boat and took a look around .They talked about the ecosystem and had pictures and charts of various fish and sea grass that was interesting. It was a relatively short trip, so we had plenty of time to get back onboard and enjoy some quiet time on the Aquaduck.

I saw that one and wondered if it was geared toward adults b/c of the celebrity stuff? I also have the semi-sub on my short list. DS was extremely bummed that he just couldn't get the snorkel to fit right in his mouth in HI (orthodontia issues I mentioned) and kept getting water in his mouth, so seeing fish up close would be good. The semi-sub makes me think of the Finding Nemo sub at DL! But you're right, picking something short is smart b/c I know they'll want to get back to the boat... even though the itinerary only has us stopping at CC, Nassau for a full day, and Key West for 1/2 a day!

 

[Sytrace]

The mention of celebrity homes is minimal at best. Sort of like : "That is Oprah Winfreys house over there " "And that is where Nicolas Cage had a house"

I liked the glass bottom boat more so because it was quite roomy above decks (double stack boat) and the bottom was large enough to accommodate the group without worrying about being too crowded. I don't like submarines but this was okay. lol

 

[dcassetta]

Ardastra Gardens is a nice little zoo. You could easily combine that with visiting the fort and the queen's staircase. It is walkable, but only a short taxi ride if that's more comfortable for you. Don't miss the chance to feed the lorikeets and the flamingo parade.

 

[cmph]

Part of the problem is that this is the kids' Christmas present, so we can't consult them in advance (Dec 30 sailing), unless availability is much more plentiful than I realize in Nassau. All of the things have these "very limited availability warnings". Now I'm weirding them out by asking questions like "How do you feel about flamingos?" and "which do you like better - tropical fish or tropical birds?" They think Mom is nuts by now. But so far all I've gleaned from our very random conversations is that DS likes fish a lot more than birds but still likes birds... DD likes them equally... and moats/drawbridges/forts are all pretty interesting. The only truly helpful part so far has been when DD randomly told me she wants to take a Disney cruise to the Bahamas (I swear she hasn't hacked onto my computer!!) but never get off the ship. At least I know to avoid booking lengthy excursions.

I'm on the right track anyway, so thanks for the feedback!

 

[tlprice]

My DD8 and I did the Forts and Junkanoo and loved it. We are both history buffs though. If your kids aren't into history and culture, they probably wouldn't like it as much. It was perfect for us because we got to experience the history and culture of Nassau without taking all day (it is a pretty short excursion). It also was not extremely expensive.

 

[cmph]

My DD8 and I did the Forts and Junkanoo and loved it. We are both history buffs though. If your kids aren't into history and culture, they probably wouldn't like it as much. It was perfect for us because we got to experience the history and culture of Nassau without taking all day (it is a pretty short excursion). It also was not extremely expensive.

Thank you! That was one of the three on my final list of options! I know DS would like it, more than DD, and definitely more than Ardastra. She'd rather do anything with animals or nature and would probably pick Ardastra if we discussed the options. We're thinking we may split up into kid/adult pairs at this point. Otherwise the boat tour is going to win b/c it would be both kids' second choices, if I'm guessing correctly.