Please help us pick a Nassau shore excursion

[MommaluvsDis]

This is my cousin's first ever cruise and I'm letting her pick which shore excursions she wants to do. She's narrowed it down to three but can't decide between them so we'd appreciate input for you. They are:

Catamaran sail and reef snorkeling

Caribbean Queen Snorkel Tour

and

Blackbeard's Cay Beach and Stingray Adventure

We greatly appreciate your input!

Thanks!

 

[wonderfan]

We were happy not doing any excursions --- we left the ship for about an hour of shopping right near the port, but decided to get back on the ship -- Nassau was not for us -- too many people in your face, etc.

I don't know what cruise you are on (we were on the 3-day) -- but, we were thrilled to get back on the ship as it was less crowded and the kids could really enjoy the pools, etc. and we could check things out with less of a crowd and just enjoy the ship since we were cruising for such a short time ...

Thanks my two cents ---

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Thanks for the info wonderfan.....Anyone else?

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Any other input?

 

[webray]

We didn't do any of those. We did the two hour historical city tour..it was excellent, we came back, went to the straw market, lunch at Conch Fritters, checked out Senor Frogs and Hard Rock Cafe. Did some other shopping. We had a blast.

When my sister went, she did the dolphin encounter and loved it.

 

[beccasmom]

We did the historical tour, which I did not much enjoy. It was only $24 (this was in 1998), but I did not find it to be too interesting and I’m a history buff. I would stay on the ship personally. Especially on the three-day cruise, there is hardly time to really enjoy the ship because the days go by so quickly.

 

[musicgirl]

We did the Catamaran sail and snorkel. It was great. It was the first time my sister and her family snorkel. My niece-12 at the time just kept squealing with delight at the fish.

Make sure you bring a zip plastic tote to keep everything dry. We had a quick downpour and our towels got wet. Also, the bigger the better to keep your shoes in it as well. There was a rather large pile of sandals and shoes.

Sit with your feet in the net. It was comfortable. The kids sat in the net, laid in the net on the way back.

If you do it, get into the water as soon as possible. We were very polite and let everyone else get in line to go in the water, and it took forever for us to get off. The ladder into the water was right next to the net.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Just bumping this up to see if I can get some extra input. Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

[angel*lady]

Another vote for the catameran and snorkling excursion! My dh, 2 ds and I went in 2003 and loved it!! The boat ride is fun and the snorkling was wonderful! On the way back the boat stopped at the Atlantis resort if you wanted to get off and take a taxi back later. We stayed on because we wanted to hit the straw market. If I had to do it over I would have gotten off and explored the resort. To me the straw market was a let down. I guess I thought there would be more things native to the island. To us it seemed like it was mostly really cheap quality t-shirts and knick knacks that you would find at home at the Dollar Store. We are going to be back there on another cruise in a few weeks and we will bypass the Straw Market completely.

 

[SparkyC]

My husband and I did the Catamaran & Snorkeling excursion on our honeymoon in August 2004.

Neither of us had ever snorkeled before, and we had a fabulous time. At first we were a little hesitant: the man that took us to the catamaran was pretty rude, didn't say a word, and walked too fast for many of the people in the group. We had been told the catamaran was reserved for just our group from the Disney cruise, but there ended up being several groups so it seemed slightly crowded.

All our apprehensions faded away, and quickly. The catamaran sail was great, a nice opportunity to check out the harbor area. The reef where we were taken was awesome. Granted, we are NOT experienced snorkelers, but we saw the reef and a large number of different color/sized fish. (It made snorkeling @ Castaway Cay seem really, REALLY dull.)

On the way back, the guide, who was a really funny guy, gave us a little tour of the harbor and talked about which of the mansions belonged to which celebrity, etc.

So, to make this long story a bit shorter---we loved it. Had a great time. But a quick aside---we were really glad we had brought some of our "Clorox wipies" with us. The snorkel and mask were, shall we say, "well used" and it made us feel a lot better wiping those bad boys down before putting them on our faces/in our mouths!

 

[NeedsNEscape]

I'm glad you posted this question, because I was wondering what we should do. It does sound like the catamaran and snorkel would be fun. I hope others reply.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Nothing about Blackbeard's or Caribbean Queen?

 

[Billinaz]

One year we did the Dolphin swim (booked on our own before we left) and last year we did the historical tour so the kids could tell their teacher they did something educational!


The tour was OK, but the dolphins were something I thought was really different. One of those "glad we did that" (and got photos) things.

 

[aidanht]

If anyone has done any of them and is willing to give details, I would be very grateful. We are traveling with kids aged 6, 8, and 11. No one is afraid of the water, but no one has snorkeled before, either, and we'd all love to try it if the excursion snorkels are good for beginnners & kids.

Any thoughts?

 

[marylou]

carribean queen and blackbeards excursions as well as blue lagoon and would appreciate anyones input

 

[Typhoon Guy]

I did Blackbeard's last year and I just booked it again for my August cruise.

It was great1 The price was not bad either. It is a great first time snorkle experience. It is zero depth, meaning you are not jumping off a boat into unknown depths of water, you enter the water from the shore. They provide equipment and give a brief instruction. The cove where the stingrays are is about an acre or two big and is fenced in from the open waters. the deepest water depth is about 7 or 8 feet. Very kid frirendly.

I booked it for myself and my sister who is in her 30's my 18 year old nephew and my 62 year old Mother.

There is a nice beach to swim if you get board. I actually never experienced the food or the rest of the island as I spentthe majority of the time in the water withthe rays. Wear a t-shirt as your back is exposed to the sun and most people burn easily.
At one point they line everyone up in two rows. they give you fish and the rays swim right up to you.

The trip to and from the port is about 15. I highy suggest doing this experience! ! ! ! ! This rates much higher in my book than going to Atlantis, the Glass Bottom Boats and the Straw Market. (Although there is still time in the day to do Atlantis and the Straw Market)

 

[the kabuki]

I did Blackbeard's last year and I just booked it again for my August cruise.

It was great1 The price was not bad either. It is a great first time snorkle experience. It is zero depth, meaning you are not jumping off a boat into unknown depths of water, you enter the water from the shore. They provide equipment and give a brief instruction. The cove where the stingrays are is about an acre or two big and is fenced in from the open waters. the deepest water depth is about 7 or 8 feet. Very kid frirendly.

I booked it for myself and my sister who is in her 30's my 18 year old nephew and my 62 year old Mother.

There is a nice beach to swim if you get board. I actually never experienced the food or the rest of the island as I spentthe majority of the time in the water withthe rays. Wear a t-shirt as your back is exposed to the sun and most people burn easily.
At one point they line everyone up in two rows. they give you fish and the rays swim right up to you.

The trip to and from the port is about 15. I highy suggest doing this experience! ! ! ! ! This rates much higher in my book than going to Atlantis, the Glass Bottom Boats and the Straw Market. (Although there is still time in the day to do Atlantis and the Straw Market)

What beach do you go to do this?

 

[churchlady]

We were on the 3 day in April and enjoyed the Dolphin Encounter, booked ourselves and saved money. If I had to do it over, though, I never would have left the ship. The trip went so fast and we barely scratched the surface of things to do onboard. We booked a 7 day for our next trip, but anything less and I would treat Nassau like a day at sea. I've heard the same from others. The ship beats Nassau by a mile!

 

[lhiltunen66]

We just got back today from our first Disney cruise. We went to the Blackbeard Stingray Excursion and I would highly recommend it! We met on the ship at 945 and were in the water at Blackbeard Cay by 1030. We swam and snorkeled with the stingrays for an hour or so (there are other fish to see also) and then we fed them for another hour. It was absolutely amazing! The stingrays literally crawled right up on you to be fed! They are such neat creatures. All the staff working there were very helpful and courteous. At lunch we were given a show by Action Jackson- a local who gave us a limbo show. He had almost everyone there participate in the show..he was so flexible and strong. He actually limbo'ed with me in his arms (and I am a plus size woman) while the limbo stick was burning! It was a great deal of fun! Hope this helps! Great for people who dont like to be in water over their heads..the rays were in water jsut a few feet deep. Great first snorkeling experience also.

 

[msbinky]

We just returned from the Wonder May 1-5 Cruise and this was our first cruise. It was so WONDERFUL!! Anyways, we did the Catamaran sail and reef snorkeling and none of us had ever snorkeled. I thought this would be a mistake but it was great! My children are 11, 9, and 5 and they loved the boat ride. I thought they would be scared of the netted area but jumped right on and sat down. The waves were a little high they called them moderate so when we got out of the boat my middle child got scared as she is not a very good swimmer. We got off the back of the boat and it seemed a lot rougher than the front. So we tryed again and the kids just basically swam around and looked down a few times then went back to the boat. My husband and I just took turns going out and snorkeling. Not bad for the first time. It was so beautiful underwater. They then put the sail up, placed local music, and pointed out some of the manisons owned by famous people along the shore. VERY relaxing! Over all a great experience.
We too were debating between the catamaran and the Blackbeard's but could not find enough info on Blackbeards nor get much response about it. GOod luck!