Friday, September 2nd
12pm-2:30pm
We did not have a plan for touring Nassau, although we did have two goals--one was to see Atlantis and the other was to get our passports stamped. We passed on formal excursions because we didn't want to have a forced itinerary. After getting off the ship, we walked down the pathway that leads to a brightly colored building. The building, which contains various shops and market stands, passes you through to the city. All around the building, you are continually offered rides, merchandise, and other services like hair braiding. We politely declined and offered warm smiles and continued walking. Surprisingly, each of the Bahamian individuals offering rides or tours did not question us further and simply offered a sincere, "Please enjoy your stay in Nassau." The merchandise salespeople were a little more pressing, often placing toys in our children's hands before we would even notice. Even so, we politely declined and kept moving forward.
View of the Brightly Colored Building from the Dock
Once we had exited the building, we had a quick huddle and decided to take the water ferry over to Atlantis. The ferries are situated to the right and charged $3 per person, except for the two 2-year olds in our group. We purchased a one-way ticket and waited approximately half an hour for the boat to leave. The boat then took another 15 minutes or so to arrive at Atlantis. If you take the ferry, do not purchase a round-trip ticket (which is non-refundable), in case you decide to travel differently on the way back.
View of Our Ride on the Water Ferry
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After getting off the ferry, we walked about 10 minutes to the Atlantis resort area. Atlantis has an outside shopping and dining district called Marina Village, which felt very "American." It had restaurants such as Johnny Rockets and we sat down for smoothies at Jamba Juice. It felt safer, cleaner, and more at home here, especially since there was no peddling of wares as in the manner of the dock market. Both inside and outside Atlantis, there are also major shopping labels such as Dooney & Bourke and Versace.
Once inside the Atlantis resort, the primary areas we were allowed access to were the Casino and the shops. There were podiums both inside and outside the resort that checked visitors for hotel wristbands. Since we weren't hotel guests, our access was very limited. I was disappointed that we weren't able to peek at their waterslides and aquarium, but it was understandable. I had read that if you arrive at Atlantis first thing in the morning, you may be able to tour the area before they start checking for wristbands. Either way, don't get your heart set on seeing the bulk of Atlantis without purchasing an excursion or day pass!
After seeing all we could see, we decided to take a taxi back to the port from Atlantis. The taxi cost us $4 per person and we were able to negotiate not paying for the two youngest children. Once we arrived back at the brightly colored dock building, our next goal was to get our passports stamped. When looking at the building from the street, there is a guardhouse on the right which permits access to the Customs building next door. Simply tell the guard that you want your passports stamped and he will direct you accordingly. The guard was very friendly and cheerfully funny. After getting our passports stamped, we were on our way back to the ship by 2:30pm!
View of Our Bahamian Passport Stamp at Prince George Dock
For us, we would also add a hotel night to break up the drive. And then we would probably add at least one night at Disney. Usually, our max is about a 5-night vacation. But we are definitely considering all of our options. I would love to see the Fantasy, and am hoping they may add shorter itineraries to the Fantasy's lineup. Otherwise, we may have a 7-nighter in our future! And for a B2B, do they make you get off the ship? I wasn't sure how that worked.
