Nassau Excursions

[mkh531]

Hi, first time cruiser here, we will be traveling on the Dream in Nov '16 on a 4 Night Bahamian cruise. I was looking at the Nassau Excursions list and it was a long list, with many excursions that were either too pricey or require my kids to be older than they are I'm wondering if we are better off just staying on the boat and doing activities that day? Will more excursion choices be added as we get closer to the sail date? Or is it better to just get out and walk around Nassau with the kids (2 girls ages 7 and 9). Thanks!

 

[dcassetta]

If it is your first time in Nassau, I would recommend getting off the ship. There are a number of things that a within easy walking distance like the straw market and pirate museum. The small Ardastra Gardens zoo is nice and is a quick cab ride. The chocolate making tour at Graycliff is really fun for kids - adults, too!

 

[PAcpl]

The first time we went to Nassau we made the mistake of doing an excursion to "tour the island". What a waste! As soon as you step off the boat and walk down the pier there are taxi vans waiting all over the place. You can hop in one for about twenty bucks and they will take you all over the island to site see and shop. If you are going to pay that kind of money for an excursion you're much better off buying a day pass at Atlantis (IMO).

DW and I haven't been too impressed with Nassau the last couple of times we went to the Bahamas so now if we do get off the ship we head right to Paradise Island and Atlantis. If nothing else I think your kids would get a kick out of the aquarium(s) there.

Here is some day pass info for you:

http://www.resortforaday.com/Resort-for-a-Day-with-full-access-to-Atlantis-p/nsnapics10.htm

I would also recommend checking out a site called CruiseCritic.com. They have a huge message board just for the Bahamas with a lot of great info on it.

Enjoy!

 

[Otimon]

You folks and the youngsters will all enjoy the Greycliff Chocolate Factory Tour in Nassau. We've been on it twice now and highly recommend it as
fun for the whole family. After the tour you make your own chocolate creations and they will pack them up for you to take back to the ship.
Both times our were put into a nice wooden cigar box and had no problem boarding the ship with it.

 

[ladypiph]

I would recommend trying the Discover Atlantis port adventure it only includes the aquarium, but Atlantis itself really is a sight to see. Just touring the resort will be an amazing experience for the whole family.

 

[richmo]

Honestly, I don't think you need to do an excursion in Nassau.

Our first time there, we walked to the Queen's Staircase and looked around the fort, then walked back to downtown near the ships and went thru some of the stores and the Straw Market. Then back to the ship by lunchtime.

Atlantis is beautiful. It's also expensive. Remember you will have a full day at Castaway Cay the day after (sometimes before?)...to me, that makes an Atlantis related excursion unnecessary.

Our second time in Nassau I think we just got off the ship for a little bit to stretch our legs, walked around downtown and back to the ship in an hour or two. Its a nice place to enjoy the ship with a few less people on it.

 

[sillecruisers]

We did the dolphin swim at Blue Lagoon, and while it is very pricey, I am so so glad we splurged. Best vacation memories ever! We were blown away by how awesome it was.

 

[hardis5]

We will as well be doing a 4-day during the same period in 2016 and having done Blue Lagoon previous (just the beach side though one in our party did the dolphin encounter) and last time staying on the ship, we'll again likely just stay on the ship and enjoy the freedom of the boat with a lot fewer on-board. Being a first time cruise, you have 300+ days before you'll be able to book your excursions, so lots of time to research and decide what to do (or not).

 

[mkh531]

Thanks everyone, these are great suggestions. We've been to the Atlantis before (although the kids haven't) so I'm not really into going there. I think the Dolphin excursions i was most interested in doing requires kids to be over 8 years old, and my youngest wont be old enough (although she will be 7--maybe they will let that go?) I'm an obsessive trip planner so i want to explore all these options now before i make a rushed decision.

 

[DISGRL13]

We did the Catamaran sail and snorkel and really enjoyed it. Another suggestion is to walk around town and stop by the Pirate Museum. We enjoyed it even thought it is a little cheesey.

 

[AAAG]

We also really enjoyed the Ardastra Gardens and zoo - it has a really cute flamingo show, and the kids can feed birds from their hands. At the time, my kids were younger than yours (1 and 4), so Atlantis wasn't an option. We didn't pre-book a tour. We just grabbed a taxi.