Nassau - what to see and do

[dopeyluvsgrumpy]

We just got back from our cruise that had a stop in Nassau and we had a great time!!!! Our DS4 LOVED the Pirate museum. It wasn't a large museum which is perfect for younger children, but it was really well put together and interesting for the little guy and mom and dad. After that we took a cab to the beach and our little guy loved the clear blue water. WE were also thinking about taking one of the horse drawn carriage rides around the city, but ran out of time.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Do the vendors and the sites that have admission charges (like the Pirate Museum) take US dollars? Or do we need to make sure to get some Bahamian dollars to spend?

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Cindy, there's no reason whatsoever to exchange US for Bahamian, unless you want some for souvenirs. They will all gladly take your American cash!

I tend to be a Nassau apologist, but that's partially because I'm a history buff. There is more to see in Nassau than Bay Street, for sure.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Cindy, there's no reason whatsoever to exchange US for Bahamian, unless you want some for souvenirs. They will all gladly take your American cash!

I tend to be a Nassau apologist, but that's partially because I'm a history buff. There is more to see in Nassau than Bay Street, for sure.

Thanks, Dreamfinder. I am really looking forward to seeing more of Nassau the more I read on the DIS.

 

[MMCD]

How much is the horse and buggy ride and for how long? Where can we get one?

TIA,

mmcd

 

[LindseyLou2222]

save

 

[LCTsMom]

We had a group ranging in age from 2 to 75. We walked through the Straw Market to the pirate museum. (http://www.pirates-of-nassau.com/ ) We really enjoyed the museum.
(Click on the thumbnail if you'd like to see pictures: )

My mom bought a knock off Louis Vuitton bag at the Straw Market, and my DD6 got a little personalized straw purse. DS15 loved it there too, he got lots of cool shell necklaces. It's definitely a tourist trap, but fun.

 

[HoosierFrog]

We got back from the Wonder about 10 days ago. We booked a room at the Comfort Suites for $135. When the taxes, housekeeping fees and energy surcharge was added, it came to $179.20 for two adults and two 15 years olds. It cost us $20 to get over to the CS by taxi--about 15 minutes total time from port to hotel, riding with another family. Check-in took abuot 15 minutes, and we checked out while we were checking in. The walk from the CS to the Atlantis was about 5 minutes, then it was another 8-10 minutes to actually find the pool area. We got towels and then found a chair for our stuff. Then we enjoyed the pools, slides, lazy river, etc. Lunch was $25 for the family hamburger meal, consisting of four good-sized burgers with Lettuce, tomato and onion, 2 large fries and 4 sodas.

We spent from 10-4 there and had a great day for right around $250, or $63 per person, which is fairly reasonable for cruise excursions. We had been to Nassau 3 times before on the Wonder and had stayed on the ship each time. I really much prefered our day at the Atlantis to staying onboard. The one drawback was that I didn't use enough sunscreen, so I didn't get to fully enjoy CC the next day because of my sunburn.

Thank you, this is exactly what I wanted to know. The only problem is to figure out if we'll have any time to do some shopping. My DW loves purses and I would hate to take the experience of buying a knock off away from her. Since it's just the two of us, I think (from what I priced the room at currently: $240), we may just go ahead and book the excursion. If there were more of us, then we'd go for the room. Maybe we can swing 4 hours in the water and 2 shopping. Oh well, have to plan that beter as it gets closer. September 25, 2008, our first cruise.

 

[libpetersen]

We did this last time with a huge group and had a great time! The food and bar were excellent. You have a very short walk, and can see the cruise ships the whole time, so no getting left behind anxiety. The price of $15 per adult was reasonable, and I thought the food and drinks were not very expensive.

 

[ccourtney]

Hello!

I am actually planning a 3 day land/4 day sea cruise either at the beginning of November or beginning of December 2009. One of the main deciding factors in doing the land/sea was because my son had just recently commented to me about a commercial he saw for Atlantis Aquadventure in Nassau and that he wanted to go there someday. When I was researching on the Disney Cruise Line website I saw that they offer a (fairly expensive) shore excursion that includes use of the waterpark. I think there is even a Water Park/Dolphin Encounter combo excursion (I think the total for both of us would be over $500 for this one). Obviously I want to make this trip memorable for my son, but it seems very expensive. Has anyone out there done this excursion? If so, is it worth it? It says it includes a light lunch. I'm curious about what "light lunch" means. Is that a crust of bread and some water or what?

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Does anybody have a web link for the British Colonial Hilton I am very interested in this and also the Horse buggy ride how much does this cost for 4 people and where do you get on it at? I also am very interested in this pirate Museum how far is it from the ship. Do they have children activities or just history to read and look at I have a 4 year old that is why I am asking and he can get bored pretty quick even though he loves Pirates

 

[suezyq50]

Hello!

I am actually planning a 3 day land/4 day sea cruise either at the beginning of November or beginning of December 2009. One of the main deciding factors in doing the land/sea was because my son had just recently commented to me about a commercial he saw for Atlantis Aquadventure in Nassau and that he wanted to go there someday. When I was researching on the Disney Cruise Line website I saw that they offer a (fairly expensive) shore excursion that includes use of the waterpark. I think there is even a Water Park/Dolphin Encounter combo excursion (I think the total for both of us would be over $500 for this one). Obviously I want to make this trip memorable for my son, but it seems very expensive. Has anyone out there done this excursion? If so, is it worth it? It says it includes a light lunch. I'm curious about what "light lunch" means. Is that a crust of bread and some water or what?

Have you thought about doing Atlantis on your own? It is the cost of a hotel room, $170 and up, depending the time of year. Very easy to do. There is lots of info here.

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Great Info Thanks

 

[kbovenizer]

I am interested in the British Colonial Hilton. Did you have to make reservations for this? Or did you just walk in the day of? If there were no reservations, were there any problems just paying for use of their beach? Or is this a normal occurance? (Can you tell I've never done this before???)

Is there any access to any facilities? Changing rooms, etc?

Thanks

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

How about any info on the Horse Carraige ride how much and how many people can go together?

 

[pskorf]

Is it possible to do more than one excursion in a day? For example, we will be cruising with the in-laws and they will not want to snorkel, swim, or walk too long of distances due to some health issues. I was looking at the excursion list and the glass bottomboat tour looks like something that we could all do. However,my DD would REALLY like to do the Dolphin Encounter. Is it possible for us all to do the boat together and then the in-laws can head back to the ship and DH, DD and myself still have time to do the Dolphins? Or the other way around? Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks!

 

[disneyfan19712006]

On our first Disney Cruise 3/07 my son and I were not sure we wanted to get off in Nassau since we had been there before. It was the day of Anna Nicole's funeral. We meet up with a tour guide on the dock. Yes this is how she makes her living. We had such a great time we meet up with her again in the summer. We have communicated with email and after meeting up with her for the 5th time in June we went to her house for some Caribbean cooking. We had a great time and have seen sides of the island that are not covered in your standard tours. I am proud to have Mary as my friend and Bahamian family. If you need a tour guide just PM me and I can hook you up with her email. There are so many things to see and do that you can not possibly do them all in 100 visits. I am addicted to cruising but I think Mary has convinced me to fly down in the Spring so I can spend more time on the island.

 

[LCTsMom]

On our first Disney Cruise 3/07 my son and I were not sure we wanted to get off in Nassau since we had been there before. It was the day of Anna Nicole's funeral. We meet up with a tour guide on the dock. Yes this is how she makes her living. We had such a great time we meet up with her again in the summer. We have communicated with email and after meeting up with her for the 5th time in June we went to her house for some Caribbean cooking. We had a great time and have seen sides of the island that are not covered in your standard tours. I am proud to have Mary as my friend and Bahamian family. If you need a tour guide just PM me and I can hook you up with her email. There are so many things to see and do that you can not possibly do them all in 100 visits. I am addicted to cruising but I think Mary has convinced me to fly down in the Spring so I can spend more time on the island.

Wow! That's really cool!

 

[marathonmommy]

Is it possible to do more than one excursion in a day? For example, we will be cruising with the in-laws and they will not want to snorkel, swim, or walk too long of distances due to some health issues. I was looking at the excursion list and the glass bottomboat tour looks like something that we could all do. However,my DD would REALLY like to do the Dolphin Encounter. Is it possible for us all to do the boat together and then the in-laws can head back to the ship and DH, DD and myself still have time to do the Dolphins? Or the other way around? Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks!

I think so. The dolphins were near the ship . . . we spent the day at the beach. We came back and I swam with dolphins while hubby took a nap. Keep in mind though, the ship is nowhere near the hub of activity. The water taxi takes a bit of time.

 

[stephent2008]

If you want to get off the ship there are a few things I would highly recommend... really I do...
- If you want a ‘beach day’ you can go to Atlantis or Cable Beach. The Hilton has a private beach that is chargeable, but it is right next to the port.
- Walking... I like to walk and there is a nice trail up to the queen’s staircase and on to the fort. Maps are available free of charge from the port.
- Excursions. My favourite was the Historical City Tour. It was very interesting and we had a great guide. I would be hesitant if you had lots of kids though.
- If it is just adults, hire a moped and go around the island. This was so great. When you get away from the port you really do get to know the real Nassau.
- If you are into your sports, allot of the ships play each other in Nassau, there is a pitch just along the coast. The games of choice are cricket and football (and i mean real football, not the American version where you pick the ball up! ). It’s fun to watch.
- If you want to go shopping, you can jump in one of the busses to a local mall (it will tell you on the front of the bus). The mall sells everything you can get by the port, a bit cheaper. Just a fun little adventure.
Some people dislike Nassau because of the port area. When you get past this, the island is an awesome place IMO. Very pretty, awesome people with a very interesting history.