Only one excursion departure time??

[doulasue]

Hi! Sailing on the Wonder 5/12, can't wait. Wondering about shore excursions in Nassau. My son and I want to do the snorkeling tour, but the others in our party want to go to Blue Lagoon Beach Day. Two questions; Is there any way that we could "meet" them at Blue lagoon after we snorkel, and if not, how is the snorkeling at Blue lagoon for a first timer? He may not be too disappointed if we don't do the snorkeling tour, as long as he sees some fish at Blue lagoon! It seems like all of the excursions leave in the morning, so it would be impossible to do two excursions in one day, unless some have additional departure times. HELP! Thanks so much.

 

[kplatt]

Originally posted by doulasue
Hi! Sailing on the Wonder 5/12, can't wait. Wondering about shore excursions in Nassau. My son and I want to do the snorkeling tour, but the others in our party want to go to Blue Lagoon Beach Day. Two questions; Is there any way that we could "meet" them at Blue lagoon after we snorkel, and if not, how is the snorkeling at Blue lagoon for a first timer? He may not be too disappointed if we don't do the snorkeling tour, as long as he sees some fish at Blue lagoon! It seems like all of the excursions leave in the morning, so it would be impossible to do two excursions in one day, unless some have additional departure times. HELP! Thanks so much.

We did the Blue Lagoon Beach Day/Dolphin Encounter last November. It's about a 45-min. boat ride to the Island from the port. There were a few other boats that arrived during the day, but they seemed to be excursions like ours, and not a regular ferry service, so I'm not sure how you could link up with your friends later in the day.

As for snorkeling at Blue Lagoon, I would have been very disappointed if it had been my first time. I saw NO fish while snorkeling there, and my husband and son saw only two. But it was 1 week post-hurricane, and the island had suffered a lot of damage. Maybe the weather interfered?

Our best snorkeling has been done in locations that have rocks, coral reefs, or sunken artifacts such as those at Castaway Cay. Blue Lagoon had a smooth sandy bottom.

You don't give your son's age, but he may enjoy the dolphins at Blue Lagoon. You don't have to book the dolphin encounter to walk through their compound. There were also lots of small hermit crabs near the walkways that my daughter enjoyed watching. You can always wait to do your snorkeling at Castaway Cay if you don't want to split up your party.

Sorry to have rambled...hope this helps!

Karen
Wonder 11/01
Magic 3/02
Wonder 11/02

 

[doulasue]

Karen, Thanks, it really did help. It is so hard to try and decide how to split up the day, but also not "duplicate" activities at Castaway Cay. So, you think that the snorkeling at Castaway Cay would be fine for an 8 year old boy (first time?). I would not mind skipping the snorkling excursion and sticking with our party when we are in Nassau, as long as he won't be too disappointed in snorkeling at Castaway. He is just so excited about snorkeling, I want him to enjoy it. Thanks for your reply, it was helpful. Sue

 

[kplatt]

Our experience is that Castaway Cay was much better than Blue Lagoon for snorkeling.

We've been spoiled, though, by spending a week at Sapphire Bay on St. Thomas a couple of years ago. (A day at Sapphire is available as a shore excursion on the 7-day eastern Caribbean Magic .) Lots of fish VERY close to shore. By comparison, on Castaway Cay I had to go out a fair distance to see many fish, although my husband and daughter saw some closer in.

If your son is not a strong swimmer you may want to pack a foam kickboard. It didn't take up much space in our luggage, and I guess something inflatable would work just as well and take up less room. We took one to St. Thomas for the family to share, as the kids were 7 & 9 at the time and I'm not a good swimmer. Just stick it under your abdomen and you can spend hours hovering above rocks, reef ... and fish!

Karen
Wonder 11/01
Magic 3/02
Wonder 11/02

 

[doulasue]

Karen, I was thinking that since float rentals are included with with cost of the castaway package, the he could just lay sideways on the float. Thanks for the info, I feel better about not paying for the snorkeling tour in Nassau. This should be just fine, and lots of fun. thanks, Sue