Nassau shore excursions?? Opinions, please.

[veruka]

hi - we're going on our first ever cruise with our 6 yr old and 7 yr old. Having lived in the desert all their lives, they have never seen the ocean. Here's the question to all you experienced cruisers....is there any way for the kiddos to experience sand and surf at Nassau without doing a formal shore excursion? We were toying with the idea of just staying on the boat for that day, but I wanted to hear what you all had to say. Which shore excursion is best for kids on a 3 day cruise?

Thanks so much for any input!

 

[mm126]

We took our kids (DD5, DS6) on the Blue Lagoon Beach day and they loved it. We had a beatiful sunny day and the water is not very deep so they were able to play in the water for most of the day. They also enjoyed the ferry ride from Nassau to Blue Lagoon...about 45 minutes. If you go, bring your own beach toys (you can purchase them on the ship) as they did not have a large selection to purchase at Blue Lagoon. They offer a buffet lunch but to be honest, we didn't care for it. If you bring a softsided cooler, you may be able to order sandwiches from room service and bring them with you.

This tour is from 9:00 AM - 2 PM if you take the first ferry back. That's what we did and we walked up to the Pirate Museum in Nassua before going back to the ship.

I would be happy to answer any questions, you may have.

 

[mketting]

Ditto. Blue Lagoon is avery picturesque Island. We were there in March and My DD6 really enjoyed it.

 

[newms]

We did the Catamaran snorkel with our two kids but I wouldn't recommend it for a 6 and 7 year old. We also tried to walk up to the closest hotel beach just so the kids could play in the water, but there were many guards posted and they wouldn't let you near the water unless you were a hotel guest. They said you would need to take a cab to Cable Beach if you wanted to do that. (We didn't, though).

 

[musicgirl]

We've done both the Blue lagoon beach day and Catamaran Sail and loved them both. And don't worry if you don't know how to snorkel. On the Cat. Sail, they will go over basics. Even if you go snorkeling with no information, the life vests will hold you up to just float with your face in the water.

 

[Janemoj]

Is Blue Lagoon best booked through Disney, or can you organise it independently? Will we have free time on the beach if we book the stingray experience?

One last question is the stingray excursion only suitable for snorkellers or can chickens like me stand in the water?

I'm sort of thinking the same as Veruka ( my kids are 15,13,and 10) that we should let them get the most from the ocean as it is a real one-off chance for them.

 

[zeke11]

Just bumping up that last question --

Can Blue Lagoon be done independently or only through an excursion through DCL?

Kris

 

[zippeedee]

Hi!
I haven't done a Disney cruise yet (hopefully early next year) but I've been to Nassau and Paradise Island many times. There are a number of tour companies that will book the Blue Lagoon island day, as well as a "Robinson Crusoe" day. Most leave from the dock at Hurricane Hole, just over the bridge on Paradise Island and an easy boat ride from the cruise ship dock, or from the dock just across from where the ships dock. Majestic Tours is one company that we have happily used in the past.
Have a great trip!

 

[kaykels]

I think what you were asking was how to get around the "formal excursions" and have a great beach day. If so, do it on your own. You can enjoy the beautiful beaches over at Cable Beach at the Wyndam Marriot and enjoy the pool, waterslide, swim up bar, beautiful beach, water sports, tiki huts and loungers. My kids had a wonderful time there. I heard lots of chatter about "staying on the boat" "nassau is awful" and while everyone is entitled to their opinion, I feel that it would be awful to miss a beautiful beach day in the Carribean at a nice hotel with all of the amenities you could ask for. Go to the beach and have a wonderful time. The water is beautiful. It's free there. The cab ride is $5.00 pp. and you come and go at your leisure.

 

[SCOTTOHIOCPA]

Next time we go, we will do the Cable Beach trip instead of Blue Lagoon. It will cost $100 less and we will be able to come back to ship whenever we feel like it.

In April we went to the Blue Lagoon for our third time, but it took from 9:15 meeting time at wavebands to after 11:30 to get to the island, including the 45 minute ferry. There is a nice shallow area to swim in - 4 ft at high tide, 1 foot at low tide, but we were disappointed that ALL of the snorkeling areas were closed.

Janemoj - We did the stingray snorkel on our last trip. The water is too deep to stand up (we were there at high tide?), but there are wooden steps down into the water that you could probably stand on.

 

[iluvtink]

Originally posted by zippeedee There are a number of tour companies that will book the Blue Lagoon island day, as well as a "Robinson Crusoe" day... Majestic Tours is one company that we have happily used in the past.
Have a great trip!

BEWARE!!! When we took the Blue Lagoon excursion, we booked through Disney. They make it very clear on the ship that if something happens and you are late getting back to the ship due to ferry malfunction, bad weather, or whatever, and you are with a different tour group, the ship WILL NOT wait for you. If you have booked your tour with Disney, you will not be left behind. Saving a few $$ is not worth the risk, IMHO!!!