Nassau or Ship?

[marv]

This will be are first cruise this year and have read alot of posts about Nassau some good but most not so good.
What would be the good points for leaving the Ship at Nassau and the good points for staying on board?

This will help me to make up my mind as at the moment ime

Thankyou Marv

 

[Hammy]

I just returned from the New Years cruise. We went to Atlantis and love it!! My kids are 8 and 12. If they like swimming and water slides this is the place to go.

 

[WDWLVR]

If you've never visited Nassau before than I suggest you at least get off and check out the shopping area right near the port. On a few of our past cruises we've taken a taxi over to Atlantis. For $25 or so per person you can get a wrist tag that will let you explore the grounds and The Dig (the Atlantis aquarium). The grounds are beautiful. We've done it first thing in the morning and always had time to get back to the ship for lunch and enjoy the ship in the afternoon.

 

[clovely]

We've been to Nassau and stayed at a resort. My only regret about that trip was the day we went into Nassau and to see Atlantis because everyone said we should. I thought it was a wasted day and wished we'd just stayed by the pool. But it's all in what you want out of a vacation...I want to chill by the pool. On our upcoming Disney Cruise especially, I feel like there will be so much going on that what little time I have to just relax, I want to relax. And the day when most everyone else goes into Nassau seems like our best bet for that. I'm just not an "explorer" on vacation...but even if you are, if you've been to other places like Jamaica or Cozumel or other Caribbean or Tropical destinations, I don't think Nassau compares to those places (I can really only compare it to Montego Bay and a couple other places we saw in Jamaica, though).

BTW, I think Atlantis is definitely not for everyone either. If you have kids between like 8 and 16, they'll probably love it but unless you want to gamble, it was too noisy and crowded and just not relaxing or fun to us!

 

[marv]

Thanks for your replys...the whole idea of this cruise is to chill out i think we will need as we would have been in Florida for 20 days previouse doing the parks. Also i was considering doing Atlantis but dont want to really over spend as the cruise is all inclusive staying on the ship appeals to me so we get our moneys worth. I may just get of the ship and see what is there then get back on board.

Thanks again Marv

 

[edmartin]

If you've never been there, take a stroll through the shopping area & then take a taxi or water taxi over to Atlantis. Atlantis is beautiful & something to do for all ages.

 

[eblack0409]

I have been to Nassau twice and loved it both times....great shopping....I didn't however care for Freeport...reminded me of the ghetto!

 

[abminer]

If you've never visited Nassau before than I suggest you at least get off and check out the shopping area right near the port. On a few of our past cruises we've taken a taxi over to Atlantis. For $25 or so per person you can get a wrist tag that will let you explore the grounds and The Dig (the Atlantis aquarium). The grounds are beautiful. We've done it first thing in the morning and always had time to get back to the ship for lunch and enjoy the ship in the afternoon.

DW and I have always wanted to see Atlantis. We are considering the "beach day" excursion for our 4 day cruise but does that inlcude admission to "the dig" or not? If we do the shorter excursion-the one that includes the tour of the dig only, can we still walk around the resort and look at other stuff? Basically we just want to see the aquarium and see the resort-look at restaurants, casino (though we're not big gamblers), shops, lobby, grounds... and are trying to figure out if we need to book an excursion to do so. How/where do you get the $25 wrist tag? Do you need to arrange it in advance? If we do that can we eat in an Atlantis restaurant for lunch? Does the wrist tag have a time limit? More info please!

 

[graygables]

Teen DDs excursion was cancelled, so last minute, we decided to walk around Nassau. We only had a little over 1 hour (had to pick up younger ones for lunch onborad), so we walked up to Ft Fincastle, took some photos, around by the Governor's mansion and through the straw market (which was NOT bad at all...try Istanbul for a scary marketplace!!!) We bought a few things and were back on the ship just in time, so it's possible to just wander for an hour and get a nice taste of things, then go back. I'm glad we did it and if we ever go to Nassau again, I'd just hit the straw market. It was a nice "taste" of Bahamian life.

 

[Pumbaa_]

We are planning to get off just to check ou thte straw market and the pirate museum (arrr!)
Thisis our first cruise and we want to hang out on the ship more.

 

[marv]

Could you tell me does Atlantis have a water slide that is transparant and goes under water. I ask, as my daughter saw a picture in our holiday brochure and it was the Atlantis Resort.
If so, if i took a water Taxi and got the rist band for Atlantis would we be able to use this slide and the facilitys or would we have to pay extra? If we would have to pay how much would this cost?

Thanks Marv

 

[marv]

Pumbaa i didn't know there was a Bristol in the Usa we have a city called Bristol not far from where we live

Marv

 

[Hammy]

Marv - Yes Atlantis has water slides that go through the shark tank. Do a search on the board for "Atlantis" there is alot of information. The only way you can use the pools and water park is to get a room. We just returned on Saturday we took a taxi ($4 per person) and I booked a room at the Comfort suites through Travelocity. It cost me $150. The prices range based on time of year.

 

[WDWDeb]

The last 2 cruises, we did not get off the ship in Nassau. The Mickey pool isn't crowded, there is plenty of seating on deck 9 and 10, the spa isn't as crowded, etc. We just thoroughly enjoy the ship and the activities onboard as if it was a day at sea.

 

[tjmw2727]

We are in the same position, first time cruise, only 4 days and we want to maximize the "cruise experience"! We have decided not to book anything at Nassau but we will probly leave the ship for a short time. We are considering walking to the Pirate Museum and the straw market with the rest of the day onboard relaxing and enjoying any activites offered.

TJ

 

[4theloveofdisney]

We are planning to get off just to check ou thte straw market and the pirate museum (arrr!)
Thisis our first cruise and we want to hang out on the ship more.

I think that is what we have decided to do as well. I don't think the tours will be that interesting for our little ones and I can't see spending the money on Atlantis. We were leaning toward the dolphin encounter but found out it's been changed and you only get about 15 min. of time with them. That doesn't seem worth $85/95 p.p. for a family of 5! We also thought of going to one of the local beaches and we received some great e-mail info on doing this but DH doesn't feel comfortable venturing out on our own with three little kids in tow, especially in a place we have never been. So, we are going to explore the market, maybe get our dd's hair braided and do the pirate museum. We haven't cruised on a Disney ship before so, some boat time with minimal crowds sound great to us!

 

[thompson princesses]

Just a "heads up" (pardon the pun) on the hair braiding in Nassau or any other port. We paid $80- to have my dd's hair braided in Labadee (Haiti) on our last cruise. When we got home she couldn't stop itching and had red bumps on her scalp. I took her to her pediatrician and she had some kind of "fungus" and had to use a special shampoo. She couldn't stand the itching so we removed the braids after only 4 days. Bring your own comb if you plan on doing this! They do not sterilize the combs or brushes and they can be very dirty. ~Barb!~

 

[marv]

Both my daughters had there hair braided in Universal studios, where i would have thought there would have to be strict hygiene rules. Sad to say both my daughters had their braids in for couple of weeks after we got home and i had to visit the docters with one of my daughters as she had those red bumps over her head. The docter really didn't have any answers but my daughter actually lost alot of hair when they finally came out.
My hair is naturaly afro and my hair was braided when i was young. I relax my hair now then leave it to dry everyday with a bit of oil in so it looks like a tight shaggy perm.
Some of the hair products i use would be no good for someone with really straight hair they are very strong solutions which should really only be used on afro hair.
I think those red bumps that my daughter had was an alergic reaction to the oil that was put on to help them braid.
I may take some hair dressing that can be used on straight hair with me and ask if they could use that next time.

Gosh this has turned into an Essay

Marv

 

[thompson princesses]

Marv-That's a great idea...might make it easier to take the braids out too! My dd was so excited to have them. Next time should be better! ~Barb~

 

[tjmw2727]

Since we are already OT onto hair braiding ..... I am going to have my dd's done here at home before the cruise. There are a few places that do a nice job. This way I know the salon, it costs a bit less and we won't waste time on vacation getting to girls hair done. I did this before one of our WDW vacations and it worked out very well.

TJ