What to do in Nassau -- cheap(er) ideas for family

[sandydk]

What's fun to do in Nassau? Kids will be 8 and 11. I wanted to go to Atlantis but hubby wants to look at other (cheaper) options.

 

[BensDaddy]

Stay onboard and enjoy aqua duck, the pools, and other activities with 2/3rds fewer people, short lines, etc.

 

[Otimon]

We've done the Greycliff Hotel Chocolate Factory Tour twice now and enjoyed it both times. Fun for the whole family.

 

[chamberlain]

We did the chocolate tour last week and there were 3 or 4 families with us with children about your children's age. They looked like they really had fun. But for an even cheaper alternative like Bensdaddy said you can always just stay on the ship and have loads of fun.

 

[squirk]

I've heard the chocolate tour is fun as well, but I second (third?) the idea of staying on the ship. Shorter waits for the slides, less-crowded pools, better choice of deck chairs, just more "breathing room" in general.

 

[richmo]

We've been to Nassau twice and haven't done any excursions. Our general feeling is that, especially with a Castaway Cay day either before or after, spending a fortune on Atlantis just isn't worth it.

The first time we were in Nassau, we took a walk to the Queen's Staircase and the fort next to it, then back to downtown. Went in a few shops then back to the ship by lunchtime and enjoyed a quieter ship the rest of the day.

The second time was similar: took a quick walk into the adjacent downtown, went thru the market, then back to the ship by lunchtime.

Even if you don't go into town at all, you can at least get off the ship and walk around the dock area a little, take pics of the ship, etc. That doesn't even require going thru customs in or out.

 

[disneycruisedreams]

Will I have to go thru customs if I do a Disney excursion to Blue Lagoon?

 

[TheGryphonsDen]

Has anyone visited the zoo/conservation park with the marching flamingos? It is definitely a cheaper option, but I haven't been there to know whether it is worth it to visit. We'll be there in August with a 7 and 9 year old, so I am willing to let you know how it goes. We are not doing expensive options on Nassau either. Atlantis looks like fun, but I can't justify the expense for such a short time.

 

[alliecat523]

There isn't really a customs per se, but there are officers who will check your passport as you re-enter the facility that leads back to the ships. This goes for everyone re-entering the ship area regardless of excursion.

 

[pag41989]

We stayed on the ship and did pictures with the princesses (lines were much shorter!) and enjoyed the pools. Hubby went out to Nassau though for the hand rolled cigars.

 

[scootch]

We did the chocolate tour last week and there were 3 or 4 families with us with children about your children's age. They looked like they really had fun. But for an even cheaper alternative like Bensdaddy said you can always just stay on the ship and have loads of fun.

About how many hours is the tour?

 

[dsdeleon]

Took disboards advice and stayed on the ship, but the adults walked around for 10 min. Will be staying on ship again.

 

[bovioask1]

I've never stayed on ship during a port of call, but it doesnt sound like a bad idea!
Personally, we've always just grabbed a ferry right outside the boat, got a tour of the island while it takes us to a dock near Atlantis. Walk around Atlantis, check the aquarium (dont remember the price) then go to a beach outside of Atlantis. Not the greatest beach but a beach nontheless

 

[sambycat]

Has anyone visited the zoo/conservation park with the marching flamingos? It is definitely a cheaper option, but I haven't been there to know whether it is worth it to visit. We'll be there in August with a 7 and 9 year old, so I am willing to let you know how it goes. We are not doing expensive options on Nassau either. Atlantis looks like fun, but I can't justify the expense for such a short time.

We did this visit to Ardastra gardens on our last cruise through Disney. I really enjoyed it. Fed some cool little birds, watched the flamingos. It's kind of a small little zoo, some interesting creatures, many of whom are rescued. We would go back.

 

[scootch]

Took disboards advice and stayed on the ship, but the adults walked around for 10 min. Will be staying on ship again.

We stayed on last year but it just looked like a busy sea day.... was your experience better?

 

[baileyfamily]

We're planing on getting a day pass to the Melia resort: https://www.bookatourcaribbean.com/MeliaNassauDayPass

I've heard the snorkeling is pretty good, and the pools look nice.

 

[Winston Wolf]

Pirate Museum

 

[SSRFred]

Has anyone visited the zoo/conservation park with the marching flamingos? It is definitely a cheaper option, but I haven't been there to know whether it is worth it to visit. We'll be there in August with a 7 and 9 year old, so I am willing to let you know how it goes. We are not doing expensive options on Nassau either. Atlantis looks like fun, but I can't justify the expense for such a short time.

We did this last year. We liked it a lot and would definitely visit again. We loved hand feeding the birds and seeing the flamingos. DS9 was chosen as a volunteer during the flamingo show.

 

[sandydk]

I think I'm the one that's all gaga for Atlantis, but I really don't want to spend so much $$ for just an afternoon. We do want to get off the ship at least for a bit since we've never been to Nassau. Planning on staying on ship most of the Key West day since we've been to Key West several times already.

 

[chamberlain]

For the Greycliff Chocolate Tour we met at O'Gills at 10:45 am and were back onboard around 1:15pm. It was a nice tour without taking up all of your day. Greycliff is not very far from the ship so it doesn't take too long in the bus to and from.