nassau and castaway cay excursions/port adventures?

[esmeralda2030]

hi all, are there any excursions on nassau that you recommend? a lot of them seem to be very “tourist trap”-y and very expensive, but I definitely want to get the most out of the day in nassau and not just stay on the ship.

I would want something not too “exciting” (ie no speedboat tours or swimming with dolphins) but relaxed and maybe educational.

I’ve heard that there are free public beaches within walking distance of the cruise terminal, I also plan to bring my own snorkel gear. Has anyone done this instead of going on an organized excursion (just explored nassau on your own and gone to a free beach)?

on castaway cay, my plan right now is just to do the bike rental and then snorkeling in the lagoon and relaxing on the beach. anything else sound worth it? my travel party is all adults.

most excursions on my cruise (12/16-12/20) are not sold out yet.

 

[Drfate102]

My wife and I really enjoyed the Land and Sea tour at Nassau. Go to go around and see the sights and wildlife in the water. Got some great shots of the ships at the docks. The land portion wasn't as good as the sea, but went up to the for and spend a little time at Atlantis. I didn't think it was too expensive.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The free beaches near port are not good snorkel spots.

 

[ambula603]

The free beaches near port are not good snorkel spots.

Are they decent beaches to just get in the water?

 

[starry_solo]

For Castaway Cay, we did the Walking & Kayaking Adventure. It was about 3 hours long. There was a walk with educational information (plants native to the Bahamas, information about movies that were filmed in the island, etc.) and then kayaking was an adventure. My group of 2 enjoyed it (it was $73/per person) but dang, that kayaking is difficult (we've never done it!)

 

[DSLRuser]

Our last trip to Nassau was 2008. We did some walking tour at our own place. Went to the fort, the queens stair case, and some shops.

We learned enough 14 years ago to know in January 2022, we will stay on the ship and not be bothered with Nassau.

 

[Cheburashka]

hi all, are there any excursions on nassau that you recommend? a lot of them seem to be very “tourist trap”-y and very expensive, but I definitely want to get the most out of the day in nassau and not just stay on the ship.

I would want something not too “exciting” (ie no speedboat tours or swimming with dolphins) but relaxed and maybe educational.

I’ve heard that there are free public beaches within walking distance of the cruise terminal, I also plan to bring my own snorkel gear. Has anyone done this instead of going on an organized excursion (just explored nassau on your own and gone to a free beach)?

on castaway cay, my plan right now is just to do the bike rental and then snorkeling in the lagoon and relaxing on the beach. anything else sound worth it? my travel party is all adults.

most excursions on my cruise (12/16-12/20) are not sold out yet.

Atlantis Aquaventure on Nassau is great. DCL isn't offering it right now, but you can buy a day pass directly via Atlantis's website, and take a taxi to get there & back. It gives you access to the beach and water park. The Atlantis resort is huge and upscale, and also has a casino. Have a photo of your Covid vaccine card on your phone- you'll need that for entry into Atlantis. I included information and pics about my Atlantis visit last month in my trip report below.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-halloween-on-the-high-seas-magic-getaway-cruise.3858291/

 

[littledebbie335]

You might consider snorkeling at Castaway Cay before doing anything else. We were one of the first ones in the water on our last cruise and had a wonderful time, but we noticed that the water had gotten pretty cloudy later in the day from the all the people swimming. If you bring your own equipment, you just need to stop by the rental desk for a vest, which is free. Inflating it is optional, but they want to be able to see you out there!

 

[esmeralda2030]

Atlantis Aquaventure on Nassau is great. DCL isn't offering it right now, but you can buy a day pass directly via Atlantis's website, and take a taxi to get there & back. It gives you access to the beach and water park. The Atlantis resort is huge and upscale, and also has a casino. Have a photo of your Covid vaccine card on your phone- you'll need that for entry into Atlantis. I included information and pics about my Atlantis visit last month in my trip report below.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-halloween-on-the-high-seas-magic-getaway-cruise.3858291/

Your trip report was so helpful, thanks.
I personally don't think the Atlantis thing is worth it for me. The resort is beautiful but there are waterslides on the ship and beaches (albeit more crowded and less clean) for free too. I'm "ballin' on a budget" for this trip since plane tickets were so expensive around the holidays haha.

 

[esmeralda2030]

For Castaway Cay, we did the Walking & Kayaking Adventure. It was about 3 hours long. There was a walk with educational information (plants native to the Bahamas, information about movies that were filmed in the island, etc.) and then kayaking was an adventure. My group of 2 enjoyed it (it was $73/per person) but dang, that kayaking is difficult (we've never done it!)

Omg yes I've been ocean kayaking before and it is a WORKOUT! It is really fun though! I'll consider this one I love educational tours too!

 

[esmeralda2030]

We decided to do pearl island on nassau day and the kayaking + walking tour on CC. So exciting!!
hopefully the weather is good!!

 

[Starwind]

Omg yes I've been ocean kayaking before and it is a WORKOUT! It is really fun though! I'll consider this one I love educational tours too!

We did the Walking & Kayaking Adventure a few years ago and highly recommend it. Educational, enjoyable, some good exercise but also relaxing, and *fun* ! Plus you get to see parts of Castaway Cay one normally doesn't get to see.

SW

 

[starry_solo]

Don’t forget to bring cash for a tip! We forgot, couldn’t add to ship account, but we’re able to leave a note with cash at guest services in an envelope

 

[mollygirl13]

We decided to do pearl island on nassau day and the kayaking + walking tour on CC. So exciting!!
hopefully the weather is good!!

We just booked the Dream for 12/13 sailing and I booked us for the Pearl Island Beach Day. Anything I should know about it? Looks really nice. We are 2 adults just looking for a beach day and some swimming!