What to do in Nassau

[RoccoP72]

Well we are about 4 days away from the Wonder leaving port!!:yahoo:. Only problem is that I dropped the ball and for the first time didn't really plan out what we are going to do on & off the ship!!! :oweye:. We are docking in Nassau on Monday and I believe Castaway on Tuesday. We ended up just booking the snorkel & tube rental & 1hr bike ride for Castaway. No excursions for Nassau really caught our eye though and in my opinion some of the tours were a little pricey for something we can try and do ourselves. So that is exactly what we are going to do in Nassau...A Self-Guided Tour! Now I need your help...where do we go & where is the best place to eat lunch??? I've heard that the Queen's Staircase is a must do and walking around the Atlantis Resort as well. I looked into it and you can get into parts of Atlantis for free including the casino. I also found out that Michael Jordan has his celebrity golf tournament starting that Wednesday so we are hoping that some of the celebs arrive early and we may be able to spot a few on Monday! Being born & raised in the Chicago area, I could almost guarantee I will find MJ in the casino...Thanks in advance for everyone's recommendations...

[jrbdad]

No recommendations, but looking forward to hearing others & your TR.
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[KevinZ]

I was at Nassau a couple of years ago. Did a tour of the island. Thought it was okay. Because the island wasn't that exciting to us, next month we're going to stay on the Wonder and explore the ship more on the Nassau day.

[jrbdad]

Kevin-

We are taking our first ever cruise on the Wonder in late May & thinking of doing just that - staying on the boat. If we get off, it will probably just be to walk around a little.
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[TimK]

We stayed on the boat most of the day. Ours was just a 3-day cruise and we wanted to enjoy the ship's amenities more than we wanted to get off.

That said, we did end up leaving for an hour or so. Walked a few blocks right around the port there. Nothing really impressive, IMO. Lots of street vendors, taxis, horse & buggy drivers trying to solicit business. My wife walked in a couple of shops but didn't even consider buying anything.

I guess I'm not the world traveler type. I didn't exactly feel unsafe but having the kids with us still made me nervous. Some would say I've seen too many movies but I didn't want to risk letting my guard down. Still I'm glad we did get off for a bit and expose the kids to a bit different culture/environment than they are used to.

We have another 3-nighter booked later this year. The only thing I think I would really plan is if I decided to splurge on one of the Atlantis excursions. They are expensive so it's not a given that I would want to go down that road. Might just stay on board again. So much to do there without spending extra $$$.

I'm not a gambler so the casing doesn't really interest me. But I'm sure it's far enough away that you need to take a cab. I'd suggest looking into that before you go.

Have fun on the cruise, Rocco!

[RoccoP72]

But I'm sure it's far enough away that you need to take a cab. I'd suggest looking into that before you go.
I was able to find out that there is a water taxi service where the ship docks that takes you to Paradise Island for $3 a person, so that seems fair enough to get us to the casino and back :D. Thanks for advice everyone. Hopefully I'll get a little more before we leave on Saturday morning, especially where to eat! I spoke to a friend who visited Nassau once and said there is a place called 'The Fish Fry' and another place called either Twin Brothers or Two Brothers, I can't remember.:scratchchin:

[samIam]

we got our hairbraided and walked around the straw market and looked in a few shops. It was hellishly hot the day we were there so unfortunatly we ditched rather early since the kids were wilting...however I had planned to go to the barcardi rum factory which does tours...

http://www.igougo.com/attractions-reviews-b91242-Nassau-Bacardi_Rum_Distillery_Tour.html

also to the rumcake place...

http://www.bahamasgo.com/bahamasrumcake.htm

I also wanted to check out Atlantis...but the cruise price was prohibitive.

[RoccoP72]

we got our hairbraided and walked around the straw market and looked in a few shops. It was hellishly hot the day we were there so unfortunatly we ditched rather early since the kids were wilting...however I had planned to go to the barcardi rum factory which does tours...

http://www.igougo.com/attractions-reviews-b91242-Nassau-Bacardi_Rum_Distillery_Tour.html

also to the rumcake place...

http://www.bahamasgo.com/bahamasrumcake.htm

I also wanted to check out Atlantis...but the cruise price was prohibitive.
Hair-braiding may be out of the question for me, but I had no clue about the Bacardi tour! I saw they run tours @ 11am & 2pm and they must have a minimum of 10 people otherwise they cancel the tour. Maybe I'll network on the boat and see if anyone else will be doing that tour and what time they are going to make sure I don't show up and there is only 9 people...:oweye:

[worldfanatic]

I've been to Nassau a couple times on cruise ship port calls.
We did some fantastic snorkeling. If you enjoy that, it's a great place for a snorkel cruise.
Otherwise, the town is pretty unimpressive compared to other tropical spots.
Atlantis looks like a neat place to explore. But the rest of Nassau itself offers very little charm IMO.

[MAGICFOR2]

I stayed at Atlantis on an incentive trip a couple of years ago, saw the DCL outside my window! :wave: I ventured out to the straw market with a friend, as did some of my friends. On the way in by Taxi, we were taken on a scenic drive up the beach and told the party was at the park if that's what we were looking for.

On the way back to the airport, the taxi drivers charge each of us almost double the going rate, then took us through the streets - looked scarey - at the airport, one of our ladies talked about being in the back seat of a cab with her daughter that morning - being taken down a back alley and left in the cab for 20 min. while the driver went in to an unsavory looking house with no explanation :eek: She was relieved to arrive safely at the airport. This has led me to say if we ever stop in Nassau on DCL, we'll do the Atlantis excursion - great water park - great pools! Fun Beach - I don't care to explore Nassau at all. :rolleyes:

[cardaway]

On the way back to the airport, the taxi drivers charge each of us almost double the going rate, then took us through the streets - looked scarey - at the airport, one of our ladies talked about being in the back seat of a cab with her daughter that morning - being taken down a back alley and left in the cab for 20 min.

Sadly, not that uncommon. If you get otuside the resoprt areas it gets bad really fast.

[matthew517]

The dolphine encounters at blue lagoon is alot of fun. Dont miss the straw market. Alot of the major hand bag companies like Coach and others sell their bags that have a slight issue with them nothing to noticeable just cant be sold in their retail stores.

[CFRivera]

The dolphine encounters at blue lagoon is alot of fun. Dont miss the straw market. Alot of the major hand bag companies like Coach and others sell their bags that have a slight issue with them nothing to noticeable just cant be sold in their retail stores.


After living in the Bahamas and visiting Nassau several times I can tell you that those bags with the slight imperfections are what is commonly referred to as 'Knock Offs'. Imitations that look very much like the real thing but are not of the same quality.

As for what to do in Nassau...the straw market is a good once in a lifetime experience but if I did not have a choice and had to go to Nassau I would spend the day at Paradise Island at the Atlantis resort. Lots to do there no matter what it is that you enjoy doing while on vacation.

[bakerworld]

We are registered for a tour of the 'castle and fort' ending at the staw market but read about tours being 'robbed' so now we're uncertain about actually taking the tour - does anyone have an opinion about whether it's worth the risk or is the risk exaggerated??

[bakerworld]

Cancelled the trip into Nassau - talked to a lot of people in work and from reading the various threadd, figured enjoying the ship would be a better use of time - besides, didn't want to spend the entire jaunt waiting to be robbed.

[jrbdad]

Having never taken the kids out of the country until this cruise, we were glad to get off the ship and walk around a little. Notice -- "a little" -- we did feel uncomfortable from all the hawkers, but the island is beautiful. We definitely enjoyed the ship for the majority of the day. We were somewhat surprised as how many others had the same idea. DW & DD9 took advantage of the spa and the boys tested out the basketball court. I wandered the ship -- it was a very pleasant day.

Next summer a trip to Atlantis is in order :woohoodance:

[worldfanatic]

figured enjoying the ship would be a better use of time

That's a great move. I always enjoy in-port days on board where it's quieter because so many others are ashore.

If you're in a port that you're not too excited about, why not stay on and enjoy the amazing ship??

[matthew517]

The bags they sell in NY on the street are knock offs. The bags in the straw market are bags the manufacture sells that they cant sell in their stores. Here is why.
#1.My wife bought a couch bag the first cruise. She had an issue with the zipper. She took it back to the coach store in Virginia and they replaced it. Why would they replace a knockoff?

#2. In NY they move around and are never in the same spot. Why because it is not legal to sell bags that violate trademarks. But they are there 360 days a year. Wouldn't Coach and the other companies have shut down this infringement on their international copy rights? The answer is yes. They have a coach store in Nassau which would have had this shut down.
McDonald's shut down a burger place in Tel Aviv back in the late 70s for calling it self McDavid's and violating their trademark.

[CFRivera]

The bags they sell in NY on the street are knock offs. The bags in the straw market are bags the manufacture sells that they cant sell in their stores. Here is why.
#1.My wife bought a couch bag the first cruise. She had an issue with the zipper. She took it back to the coach store in Virginia and they replaced it. Why would they replace a knockoff?

#2. In NY they move around and are never in the same spot. Why because it is not legal to sell bags that violate trademarks. But they are there 360 days a year. Wouldn't Coach and the other companies have shut down this infringement on their international copy rights? The answer is yes. They have a coach store in Nassau which would have had this shut down.
McDonald's shut down a burger place in Tel Aviv back in the late 70s for calling it self McDavid's and violating their trademark.


You are assuming that #1 The clerk in the store in Virginia had the time to check if the bag was a knock off, would know a knock off compared to the real thing, even cared if the bag in question was a knock off.

#2 The intellectual property laws in the U.S. are the same around the world. I can guarantee that they are not. There are Coach stores in Bangkok also but I have seen vendors set up stalls selling knock offs of Fendi, Gucci, Coach and any other name brand you can think of. And the stalls are at the same location everyday without moving.

[RoccoP72]

Thanks to whomever for bringing this post back, since I completely forgot to check back in and go over what we ended up doing @ Nassau. To be very brief we were only in town for a little over an hour before ended up walking into a neighborhood where the houses had barbed wire covering their roofs! The city of Nassau really put a bad taste in my mouth, due to constantly being hawked for various services. We did end up taking the water taxi over to Atlantis but ended up sitting on the boat for a little over an hour to get there because they wanted to fill the boat as much as humanly possible. The same thing happened on the way back too, but you get what you pay for. And of course the water taxi had a random guy get on the boat and throw out a few facts about Nassau and then proceeded to go up to everyone for money. The positive side was definitely Atlantis. It was so clean and well kept up that it is completely night & day compared to the city of Nassau.

[bakerworld]

We never bothered getting off at Nassua at all. We lazed by the adult pool and enjoyed a day of complete relaxation. Even the Disney Cruise ship cautions against leaving the ship - don'e know why they stop there.

[MAGICFOR2]

What? They stop there and then tell you not to get off?

[bakerworld]

U could get off - Cruise line had safety tips for enjoying Nassau, stated a disclaimer to the effect the off-shore trips were NOT Disney driven/libel and mentioned that crime against tourists enjoying Nassau had risen of the last few years.

[MAGICFOR2]

U could get off - Cruise line had safety tips for enjoying Nassau, stated a disclaimer to the effect the off-shore trips were NOT Disney driven/libel and mentioned that crime against tourists enjoying Nassau had risen of the last few years.

Well, that makes sense from what I saw and heard. It seems like one big drug fest other than the resorts. Is this the only place with cruise ports in the Bahamas? Maybe DCL should think about another port!

[bakerworld]

My opinion: it's the cruise lines 'nod' to people with the type of excess/extra income to enjoy shopping and/or casino action. :woohoodance:

[RoccoP72]

My opinion: it's the cruise lines 'nod' to people with the type of excess/extra income to enjoy shopping and/or casino action. :woohoodance:

Not to mention that I firmly believe that Disney gets a cut of all the $$$ that is spent in Nassau at certain stores. That seems like a broad brush to paint, but it was just my impression after sitting in on the presentation when you first board from the woman who goes over all the places to get the best deals on jewelery, purses, souvenirs, etc. It just seemed fishy that if you went to those specific stores and presented her card you would get an additional discount. It almost seemed like she was driving people to certain stores, which in turn puts money right back into the Mouse's pocket. :scratchchin:

[osanmike]

The best thing to do in Nassua is the Atlantis. It is very expensive through Disney ($150 each for a 4-5 hr excursion), but here is a secret my wife found & we did when we went. There is a Comfort Inn that is located next to the Atlantis that is affiliated with them. What does that mean, you book a room there for the day you are going to arrive (about $225 a night). Get off the boat & take a Taxi to the Comfort Inn (about $10). Check inn (Your room will not be ready, but you aren't going to use it anyway). Get your bracelets for the Atlantis (They get you into the Water Park & Aquarium). Walk across the street to the Atlantis (The Comfort Inn is actually closer than some of the rooms at the Atlantis). Enjoys yourself all day long in the water park & Aquarium. Take a Taxi back to the boat ($10). We had a blast & it only cost us $245 instead of $600 and we got to spend the entire day there.

[jrbdad]

The best thing to do in Nassua is the Atlantis. It is very expensive through Disney ($150 each for a 4-5 hr excursion), but here is a secret my wife found & we did when we went. There is a Comfort Inn that is located next to the Atlantis that is affiliated with them. What does that mean, you book a room there for the day you are going to arrive (about $225 a night). Get off the boat & take a Taxi to the Comfort Inn (about $10). Check inn (Your room will not be ready, but you aren't going to use it anyway). Get your bracelets for the Atlantis (They get you into the Water Park & Aquarium). Walk across the street to the Atlantis (The Comfort Inn is actually closer than some of the rooms at the Atlantis). Enjoys yourself all day long in the water park & Aquarium. Take a Taxi back to the boat ($10). We had a blast & it only cost us $245 instead of $600 and we got to spend the entire day there.

Thanks for the tip -- I'd been thinking of doing just this during our upcoming trip in July. Had wondered if we'd be better off just paying the price and staying with DCL. How far out do you book the Comfort Inn? Do you think I'd run into any snags since we are a family of five and I'd have to buy an extra day pass?

[osanmike]

Not sure how far out you would have to book it. We couldn't have called very early as we only booked our cruise maybe a month before going. As far as a family of 5, you'll just have to call the. Here is the web site for them http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-paradise_island-bahamas-BS003?promo=gcibs0003 (http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-paradise_island-bahamas-BS003?promo=gcibs0003)
Good luck & have fun

[jrbdad]

Mike-

Thanks for the link - I will definitely check it out.

I'm guessing it wasn't too difficult to get a can to or from?

I think it would be nice to have the room for later in the day to "freshen-up" before heading back to the ship.
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[bakerworld]

thought there was an earlier posting about a water taxi for $6 RT

[osanmike]

Getting a cab was easy both ways. As far as the room, we wanted to spend as much time at the Atlantis & I think we had to be back on board the ship around 5, but it would have been nice to see a room.

[jrbdad]

Mike-

Great -- thanks again.

[steelers1933]

Not sure how far out you would have to book it. We couldn't have called very early as we only booked our cruise maybe a month before going. As far as a family of 5, you'll just have to call the. Here is the web site for them http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-paradise_island-bahamas-BS003?promo=gcibs0003 (http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-paradise_island-bahamas-BS003?promo=gcibs0003)
Good luck & have fun

Osanmike, how was the cab ride? We have a 6 and 3 year old and was considering this but weary of the cab ride. Is there anyway to tell if one is more reputable than the other? Think when I checked the room was about $350. Screen name also makes me ask if you are military or prior?
Dan
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[osanmike]

We just got the 1st real cab that was available. There are a lot of them right where the ship pulls up and it is not that far (if I remember correctly you could see the Atlantis from where we pulled in). And yes, I am in the military. I made this email account when I did my short to to Osan. Currently stationed in Hawaii, so if you have any questions about Oahu or the new Disney resort (Aulani) I would be happy to try and answer them.

[steelers1933]

Will do on Hawaii questions. I have been to Hale Koa as both the wife and I are retired AF and now DoD employees. We are owners at Aulani and our trips to Hale had a lot to do with the decision to buy there. First trip will be 2012 can't wait to come back to the island as it has been awhile.

Thanks for the info.
Dan
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