Advise please on Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Marteen.........

[denbama]

What are some of the best shore excursions for these ports. Will be on the Carnival Valor. Any links to shore excursion companies would be appreciated. Thanks

[LisaK]

the first place to start is on Carnival's web site, browse thru the excursions that they offer and see if anything interests you.
A lot depends upon what you want to do and see.
some General Ideas:
Nassau - go to Atlantis Resort and take a tour of the "Dig" its an amazing aquarium - just grab a cab(land or water) at the pier. IF you want some beach time in Nassau book a ships excursion to the Blue Lagoon- there are different packages offered at different prices. You can take a tour of the Pirate Musuem, walk around Government Center, go to the Straw Marketplace, visit the zoo.
St. Thomas - pretty much all about beaches, snorkeling and shopping. There are many beautiful beaches to choose from, go to www.vinow.com for some really good information. You can hire a taxi for a few hours to tour the island. You can do St. Thomas very easily on your own. Shopping - two main shopping districts - at the pier - Havensight Mall or downton Charlotte-Amalie.
St. Maarten - another beautiful beach and shopping dream island.
look into taking the Golden Eagle Catamaran tour- thru the ship - its great - you get to sail, swim, snorkel, hang out on the beach, and have a bit of a party. Take the morning tour - this gives you enough time to get back to the ship, change clothes, grab a bite to eat and then head into town to shop - take the water taxi on the Dutch Side, or grab a cab and head over to the French side of the island to shop. IF you just want to hit the beach Orient is the most popular.

[ms411]

denbama, the BEST excursion is the one that best matches YOUR interests and budget.

For Nassau, it's almost universally agreed that Atlantis is a MUST SEE. The ship will offer excursions, but you can also take a street taxi or water taxi on your own right from the dock. If you like shopping, by all means visit the Straw Market for handbags of all types - straw, knockoff, other fashion-type bags, and other items. If this is your first visit to Nassau, a straw bag is a MUST for either you or a child. You can do both Atlantis and the Straw Market in the same day if your ship is in port for the entire day. You can walk to the Straw Market from the ship. Snorkeling, in my opinion, is just OK in Nassau - not great.

For St Thomas, snorkeling is better, and Coki is THE beach for snorkeling and other water activities. Sapphire is second. Most first-timers like to take an island tour on their own that includes tour of scenic look-outs, beach time, and shopping. Let taxi driver recommend beach, because if there are lots of ships in town, they'll usually try to direct you to a less crowded beach. Approx $25/pp.

HOWEVER, if you like history, St Thomas offers historic walking tours that leave from Blackbeard's Castle. $20/pp with a guide; $12/pp w/o guide. You get an opportunity to see several restored buildings with unique antiques.

For St Maarten, most first-timers take a tour so they can see both Dutch and French side of the island. You can beach and shop in town near where the ships come in. The Guavaberry House is a MUST see in St. Maarten.

[denbama]

thanks