What to do in Nassau?

[bubbasmom99]

This is our first cruise and our first visit to the Bahamas... don't really want to sign up for a shore excursion and not really interested in seeing too much on shore, but maybe taking in some shopping. What's a good plan? Where should we go? Would like to pick up some island rum, hehe... what else is there to buy that is a good bargain? We want to do a couples massage back on board in the afternoon, so I was thinking of walking around in the morning. Is that a good plan?

 

[jkovick]

The shopping area is just a block off the pier. Compared to other cruise destinations, we didn't find any great bargains. There are a lot of jewelry stores and such. A couple of hours will be all that you need to cover the shopping area.
The straw market is towards the end of the shopping area. The straw market has some "craft" type things but is mostly low quality T-shirts, tote bags, towels etc with aggressive sellers. (I would skip the straw market unless you have your heart set on going to it)
Enjoying the ship is the highlight of the trip to Nassau! Hope you have a great trip.

 

[antmaril]

We are staying on board in Nassau. I'm not a big fan.

 

[pooky_uk]

Hi Joy - I too am wondering what to do in Nassau!

I'm not a fan of organised excursions and would love to take the island in at my own pace!

From what have I have read on this site - nassau doesn't seem to have too many fans but we aim to take in the shopping including the straw market then head off to cable beach .......

Being our first cruise I just to take it all in!

Laura

 

[webray]

Don't let the nay sayers keep you from enjoying your day/morning at Nassau. We had a blast, and really the people in the straw market are great. We had a wonderful time negotiating for our trinkets..lol.

There is one excursion that is excellent..we took it right when the ship docked..it is the two hour historic island tour. You are driven around in air conditioned taxi vans to all the important sites..you get to get out and look around, explore the forts, light house, queen annes staircase, etc. We loved this (me, hubby and dd 22).

When we got back to the shopping area we had an excellent lunch at Conch Fritters, checked out the straw market, Senor Frogs, Hard Rock Cafe. Went to the pharmacy to get postcards and stamps to mail to friends and family back home. Mail box is just down the road from pharmacy you can't miss it. Then we went on an alcohol hunt..lol. We went in many stores and decided to make our purchase in one of the larger ones. They were sampling many items in the middle of the store..all the local rums. They were delicious..and we stocked up. Hubby got a great bottle of scotch and we picked up some of our other favorites. They box it up great..wrap it securely for travel..so no problems there.

We enjoy taking it slow, talking with the locals, getting a feel for the island.

There is also a great filipino restaurant right next to the strawmarket..we grabbed an afternoon snack there.

Enjoy Nassau!!!!

 

[TDERadulski]

How far is it to the beach? Is it wasy for DH, DS and I to simply take a cab to a beach? If so, which beach should I request and how much should a cab ride cost us?

- Tara

 

[princess Snow]

There is another thread, "Has anyone taken a cab to Cable Beach, tell me everything" which discusses cab and bus fares and such.

 

[Cuzisayso2]

We did the dolphin swim in Nassau and really enjoyed it. Other than that, in retrospect, we would have stayed aboard and enjoyed the ship. Nassau was not impressive and the "sellers" can be very aggressive. If you've never experienced that before it can be a bit unsettling. JMO.

 

[Paticake]

We are just wanting to go over to see Atlantis. Should we do the tour or is it something we can do at our own pace? We were in Freeport in March and found the agressiveness in a straw markets a little nerve racking at first but then it became kind of fun getting prices down.

 

[Sleeping Beauty fan]

Question...how far is Hard Rock Cafe from the beach? Is it easy to find? We are wanting to find it when we are there in July. Thanks!

 

[StuartMI]

Well I think we're doing that Ardastra Gardens tour and city tour, and then probably having lunch at Senor Frogs or something - but thats about it.

 

[bynum66]

On my recent trip, I booked a room through Expedia for Atlantis (Royal Towers) for about $170 (October 1) for 2 adults and 2 children. We had access to all Atlantis facilities and the beautiful beach. Our room overlooked the beach and the view was breathtaking. We had the best time. Enjoy.