Please recommend port excursions for Nassau and Castaway Cay

[jlnten17]

Looking for recommendations that would be suitable for kids age 7 and 4. TIA!

 

[starvenger]

With regards to Nassau...

Are you looking for beach? Tours? Aquatic outing?

Did you have a budget? Are you comfortable with going through 3rd party instead of via DCL?

 

[klug_bug2010]

Also with regards to Nassau....
I would skip Atlantis waterpark with kids that young. We did that with our 5 & 9 yr olds. Too many things to see, not enough time.
(We did, however take in Atlantis in a vacation in itself, and that was great!)
I, personally, would stay on the ship in Nassau to take advantage of the quieter ship and smaller lines for Aquaduck.
Castaway Cay is something that you can't go wrong with, no matter what you do or do not choose. We got off on CC, and just plopped down on the beach and did whatever we wanted, and that was the best part of our vacation!
Good luck and happy planning!

 

[Rob1872]

Took my kids to Ardastra Gardens. Quick driving tour of the city, some souvenir shops, and the zoo/botanical gardens.

Wouldn't do a "port excursion" for Castaway Cay; just go down and enjoy the beach. When they are a little older you could rent bikes and bike down to the observation tower; however, I don't know how your 4 year old would handle it.

 

[mkb3]

As far as bikes at Castaway Cay do they have kid bikes? My daughter needs an 18" kid bike

 

[lklgoodman]

As far as bikes at Castaway Cay do they have kid bikes? My daughter needs an 18" kid bike

Yes. They have all different sizes of bikes. You don't need to book this ahead of time, you can wait and do it once you get on CC. Same with the tubes/floats, can wait and decide once you get there.

 

[starvenger]

Also with regards to Nassau....
I would skip Atlantis waterpark with kids that young. We did that with our 5 & 9 yr olds. Too many things to see, not enough time.
(We did, however take in Atlantis in a vacation in itself, and that was great!)
I, personally, would stay on the ship in Nassau to take advantage of the quieter ship and smaller lines for Aquaduck.
Castaway Cay is something that you can't go wrong with, no matter what you do or do not choose. We got off on CC, and just plopped down on the beach and did whatever we wanted, and that was the best part of our vacation!
Good luck and happy planning!

Would agree about avoiding Atlantis as a cruise excursion. Even when I looked at the Comfort Suites option it was a lot for basically a half day at a waterpark.

Also agree about Castaway Cay. The cruise private island has always been a beach day for us.

 

[ginny65]

I know my DH will want to see a bit of Nassau since we have never been there, but I don't want to spend the entire day there. I like the idea of staying on the ship to enjoy it being less crowded. Does DCL have a tour of Atlantis? or is that through a 3rd party?

 

[Mommb]

The only excursion/sight I'd consider in Nassau for young children is Ardastra Gardens, which is a small zoo with a cute show in which kids can walk alongside flamingos. We did that one, and then stayed on the ship the next several visits until our kids were old enough to appreciated the Graycliff chocolate factory tour.

I agree with other posters that you don't need an excursion at Castaway Cay in order to have a great day. The only one my family has done is the Stingray Adventure, but that has a minimum age of 5. If you're OK splitting up, that would be fun for your 7 year old and one parent.

 

[Mommb]

Does DCL have a tour of Atlantis? or is that through a 3rd party?

DCL has several tours that visit parts of Atlantis, but it may be less expensive to travel there on your own.

 

[ginny65]

We won't have our children with us. What excursions are available at Nassau for adults (through DCL)?

 

[pezgirlroy]

deleted

 

[jlnten17]

With regards to Nassau...

Are you looking for beach? Tours? Aquatic outing?

Did you have a budget? Are you comfortable with going through 3rd party instead of via DCL?

We are interested in any of the above. 3rd party would also be fine. I think the kids would really like the beach or an animal interaction but the choices with a 4 year old are very limited. We would rather not split up because it is a short cruise (3 days) and we will likely be back on a longer cruise in the future.

 

[KashasMom]

We always get off the ship. It's not longer as empty as it used to be! We've done the resorts for a day at the British Colonial Hilton 2 or 3 times. It's an easy walk from the ship through town to the hotel. They have a great pool, a nice beach looking out at all the ships, and good food (all included in the price). On the way back you can pop into the straw market for some little souvenirs if you want. https://www.resortforaday.com/destinations/nassau-bahamas-day-passes/

Another thing we loved doing is a walking tour - https://www.frommers.com/destinations/new-providence/walking-tours. We really saw a lot of the town. You can stop along the way for a coffee/drink/snack and also include the Pirates Museum.

We've gone to Blue Lagoon for a dolphin excursion. I loved the ferry ride and it's a beautiful island. Our stop in Nassau was not long so we didn't get to spend as much time there as we would have liked. We left the ship, grabbed a taxi to Paradise Island and got on the ferry. On the way back the ferry dropped us right at the ship. Very easy. I'd like to go back just to spend the day at the beach. Easy to book on their site.

As far as CC, I wouldn't book anything. We did the stingray excursion once but didn't care for it. Think the stingrays were just uncooperative that day. Now we just hang out at the beach.

 

[starvenger]

We are interested in any of the above. 3rd party would also be fine. I think the kids would really like the beach or an animal interaction but the choices with a 4 year old are very limited. We would rather not split up because it is a short cruise (3 days) and we will likely be back on a longer cruise in the future.

OK, with a 3 day cruise and Castaway you might not want to hit another beach, but Colonial Hilton is within walking distance and you can get that via one of the resort for a day websites (or the Hilton itself).

Not sure how the chocolate tour is, anyone have experience with that?

 

[revdon64]

DS9 and I did the Stingray Experience on CC in January of 2018 and loved it! So much so that I've booked the whole family to do it this January. Didn't get off the ship in Nassau, but if your family is interested there's a pirate museum within walking distance of the dock. Had DS and I gotten off the ship, that's what we would have done.

 

[braysmommy]

We have also done day pass at Colonial Hilton which is easy to walk to. When my son was younger we also stopped at Pirate Museum which is next door to the Hilton. Easy fun day!