Nassau

[love__goofy]

This is our first cruise. We are only one the dream for 4 nights, so we really want to spend as much time as possible enjoying the ship.

We would like to get off, even for just an hour or so, to experience the beautiful beaches. Is there an inexpensive way to do this? Our family has 6 people, so a taxi would probably require 2 of them.

Thanks!

 

[MUN]

This is our first cruise. We are only one the dream for 4 nights, so we really want to spend as much time as possible enjoying the ship.

We would like to get off, even for just an hour or so, to experience the beautiful beaches. Is there an inexpensive way to do this? Our family has 6 people, so a taxi would probably require 2 of them.

Thanks!

OK, I have never been to Cable Beach, but I hear it's very nice. It can be reached by taxi and it is on the same island as Nassau. Junkanoo Beach is a short walk from the dock, and I have been there, but it may be too "funky" for many people. My oldest son and I enjoyed Junkanoo Beach, but I'm not sure the rest of my family would have.

 

[love__goofy]

Do you pay to get onto Cable Beach? Also, are there taxis waiting at the port?

 

[MUN]

Do you pay to get onto Cable Beach? Also, are there taxis waiting at the port?

I don't believe there is a fee to visit Cable Beach. You should have no trouble finding a taxi at port.

 

[dmunsil]

Do you pay to get onto Cable Beach? Also, are there taxis waiting at the port?

Cable Beach doesn't have a fee per se, but the nicest section of the beach is effectively controlled by the hotels in front of it. All beaches in the Bahamas are public up to the high tide line, but the hotels own everything above that line and have security to keep non-guests away. There's one section of the beach you can access easily at Goodman's Bay Park, but there's not really anything there except a small playground and a restroom that is locked most of the time. I think they may open it on weekends, because it's mostly used by locals. But there are no other facilities or vendors to speak of. If you just want to see a nice white sand beach, it's a fine way to go. I'm not sure I'd actually want to spend the day there. Every time we've driven by it's been nearly empty, but we haven't seen it on a weekend.

Some people have reported some success finding a route through an alley or parking lot onto the main part of the beach in front of the Melia hotel, but you may find that the hotel security keeps you away. Success seems to depend on how much they care about keeping people out (they're more aggressive in high season than in low). Basically if you want a simple, hassle-free beach experience you should probably go to Junkanoo, or pay for a beach day pass. At the Melia it's $35 for adults and $25 for kids, or $55/$40 with lunch included. That gives you access to the portion of the beach they control as well as their lounge chairs, pools, public facilities, bathrooms, etc. There's also a day pass available at Breezes resort, but that's age 14+ only, or Sandals resort, which is ages 18+ only. Those are both all-inclusive resorts (drinks and food included), so they're more in the neighborhood of $100/person.