I hope that someone who has been on DCL or has visited the Bahamas before can give me some advise. I will be traveling in Dec. 2010 with my 7 yr old daughter and husband. We are planning on visiting the stingrays and snorkeling at Castaway Cay. My little girl is wanting to do that badly since she has seen our honeymoon photos from years ago when we visited String Ray bay in the Caymans. She really wants to give snorkeling a shot, but is so scared of the idea of sharks!
However, we are wanting to plan something different in Nassau. Having never been there before, I don't know what to expect or what to do. I don't want to spend too much $$ on an excursion, however. What is there to do at the Atlantis resort, and is it worth a visit? Should we just do our own thing in the city and shop? I've heard there is some sort of rum or rumcake factory that does tours? Are there any beaches in a short distance from the port?
If anyone can give experienced advice on what points of interest/excurisions in Nassau that I "shouldn't miss" or even the ones that "aren't worth my time," I would be soooo appreciative!
With a 7 year old I can tell you about a few things I have done there that would work for her age.
I am not much for aquariums but the one at Atlantis is AWESOME!!
DCL excursion is a bit spendy but you can easily grab a taxi at the port to take you there. You must walk though a security building at the port and inside are lots of people who will offer you a taxi to Atlantis. SET THE PRICE BEFORE GETTING IN THE CAB !!! Dont let the driver ask you to pay extra for the toll. You set a price and stick to it. That rarely happens but a few drivers will try and get extra for that toll bridge. It is a short ride, he will expect a tip. Also there is a water taxi by the port for $11 per person to take you across too but it is along uphill walk to Atlantis.
There you will pay for the aquarium tour. It moves fast but you can go back through as many times as you want after the tour, just show the bracelet they put on your wrist as proof of admission. Part is inside and part is outside. Its huge!!!
Eat before you go food is expensive at Atlantis.
Pirate museum is good too.I think its $12 per adult, allow an hour to tour it in order to read everything. It starts out a dark wharf secne but is well lit after that. At the end is an outdoor area where you can take photos in stocks and such. Plus take your photo with the pirate who lets you into the museum if you want. They are usually pretty cool looking. Buy your admission ticket in the gift shop next door. Its a 10 minute walk from the ship.
Its a large purple building, 2 blocks behind the straw market which can be seen from the ship.
Dont do the glass bottom boat tour. Boat is dirty and when we went we didnt see any fish at all. They said the seas had been rough so we couldnt go see the ship wreck either. Stairs down into the glass viewing area are steep and hard to go up and down for many people. They had a free glass of lunch but the jar looked gross so we never had any.
Ardastra gardens is a very old zoo. It does have animals native to the islands. Plus marching flamingos if your there at the right time and there are garden areas to walk through. Its interesting but the zoo part is old and small cages which compared to newer zoo's is kind of depressing but a child would enjoy it.
Right in front of the port building on the road are carriage rides. The carriages are old but it is a fun ride and something most kids have never done. It is narrated but until your away from heavy traffic it is hard to hear the driver. They charge according to how far you go. You can negioate a bit with the price. Wait until afternoon so they know business is about over for the day and say I have $30 left, what can we get for that? They will give you a ride around town.
The harbour tour is just ok, Not exciting. But you see many beautiful homes owned by famous people which is interesting. Just before you turn around and come back you stop and feed some fish. Coming and going you get great photo ops for the ship.
The 2 hour city historical tour is very interesting for local history. You can walk up Queen Anne's staircase after learning its history and will see 2 forts. One fort is in great shape and you get a guided tour of it. Locals have tables set up by both forts with great buys.
I havnt been there but i know there is a beach 2 blocks from Atlantis you can walk over too from Atlantis. I think it is a free beach. You can ask where you catch a taxi, they will know for sure.
A couple of tips I could give you is buy water on the ship to take with you. There are NO water fountains on the island. Water there is very expensive and the cheap bottles sold by peopel standing on the corners have had some problems. It may not be happening now but a while back they had vendors selling water for $1 a bottle and they had got bottles from the trash, washed them and filled them themselves. Then when someone buys it they open it before the customer gets it so you dont know it wasnt sealed. So bring from the ship.
Also bathrooms are hard to find some places. In the shopping areas especially. Bring your own travel size t.paper, seat cover and hand sanitizer because often these bathrooms are not well stocked or not up to our standards for cleanliness. Of course Atlantis is clean but some are not so clean.
NEVER get your daugher or your hair braided on the islands. If she wants it done ,please do it on the ship or castaway cay. Nassau you can watch the ladies who use the same combs on everyone without washing them.
Also some will change the price after they are done and the other ladies will swear to it. Even though you set the price first. This is a common scam on all the islands.
Hope this helps some,
Kathy
__________________
20 DCL cruises and counting!
1 Carnival Glory cruise
Waiitng for the new ships to arrive for more magical cruises!!
Last edited by Kathleen Templeton; October 7th, 2010 at 11:28 PM.
I hope that someone who has been on DCL or has visited the Bahamas before can give me some advise. I will be traveling in Dec. 2010 with my 7 yr old daughter and husband. We are planning on visiting the stingrays and snorkeling at Castaway Cay. My little girl is wanting to do that badly since she has seen our honeymoon photos from years ago when we visited String Ray bay in the Caymans. She really wants to give snorkeling a shot, but is so scared of the idea of sharks!
However, we are wanting to plan something different in Nassau. Having never been there before, I don't know what to expect or what to do. I don't want to spend too much $$ on an excursion, however. What is there to do at the Atlantis resort, and is it worth a visit? Should we just do our own thing in the city and shop? I've heard there is some sort of rum or rumcake factory that does tours? Are there any beaches in a short distance from the port?
If anyone can give experienced advice on what points of interest/excurisions in Nassau that I "shouldn't miss" or even the ones that "aren't worth my time," I would be soooo appreciative!
Thanks! :-)
Hi Kathy,
When we went to Nassau the ship offered an excursion that gave us a walk through the Atlantis Resort (NOT a DISNEY CRUISE) and to see the place was really something! It is massive and great sea creatures and Casino etc. View their website. Now I do not think Disney offers the walk through BUT you can get a cab to it and back. Think the cab was $13 1 way. likewise to rum cake factory but thats not much fun for the child. Beaches???? Jeeeeeeeze with spending the day at Castaway Cay why even consider Nassau beaches? Hum you can go to the search box for Nassau and just see what interests you on the island and compare to what Disney has for shore excursions. We sail April 2011 on the new Dream and I also am wondering what I care to plan for the Son and family. Of course.............shopping is good for Perfuls and jewelery. Both of which are NOT on my agenda though. Good luck, Carole
With a 7 year old I can tell you about a few things I have done there that would work for her age.
I am not much for aquariums but the one at Atlantis is AWESOME!!
DCL excursion is a bit spendy but you can easily grab a taxi at the port to take you there. You must walk though a security building at the port and inside are lots of people who will offer you a taxi to Atlantis. SET THE PRICE BEFORE GETTING IN THE CAB !!! Dont let the driver ask you to pay extra for the toll. You set a price and stick to it. That rarely happens but a few drivers will try and get extra for that toll bridge. It is a short ride, he will expect a tip. Also there is a water taxi by the port for $11 per person to take you across too but it is along uphill walk to Atlantis.
There you will pay for the aquarium tour. It moves fast but you can go back through as many times as you want after the tour, just show the bracelet they put on your wrist as proof of admission. Part is inside and part is outside. Its huge!!!
Eat before you go food is expensive at Atlantis.
Pirate museum is good too.I think its $12 per adult, allow an hour to tour it in order to read everything. It starts out a dark wharf secne but is well lit after that. At the end is an outdoor area where you can take photos in stocks and such. Plus take your photo with the pirate who lets you into the museum if you want. They are usually pretty cool looking. Buy your admission ticket in the gift shop next door. Its a 10 minute walk from the ship.
Its a large purple building, 2 blocks behind the straw market which can be seen from the ship.
Dont do the glass bottom boat tour. Boat is dirty and when we went we didnt see any fish at all. They said the seas had been rough so we couldnt go see the ship wreck either. Stairs down into the glass viewing area are steep and hard to go up and down for many people. They had a free glass of lunch but the jar looked gross so we never had any.
Ardastra gardens is a very old zoo. It does have animals native to the islands. Plus marching flamingos if your there at the right time and there are garden areas to walk through. Its interesting but the zoo part is old and small cages which compared to newer zoo's is kind of depressing but a child would enjoy it.
Right in front of the port building on the road are carriage rides. The carriages are old but it is a fun ride and something most kids have never done. It is narrated but until your away from heavy traffic it is hard to hear the driver. They charge according to how far you go. You can negioate a bit with the price. Wait until afternoon so they know business is about over for the day and say I have $30 left, what can we get for that? They will give you a ride around town.
The harbour tour is just ok, Not exciting. But you see many beautiful homes owned by famous people which is interesting. Just before you turn around and come back you stop and feed some fish. Coming and going you get great photo ops for the ship.
The 2 hour city historical tour is very interesting for local history. You can walk up Queen Anne's staircase after learning its history and will see 2 forts. One fort is in great shape and you get a guided tour of it. Locals have tables set up by both forts with great buys.
I havnt been there but i know there is a beach 2 blocks from Atlantis you can walk over too from Atlantis. I think it is a free beach. You can ask where you catch a taxi, they will know for sure.
A couple of tips I could give you is buy water on the ship to take with you. There are NO water fountains on the island. Water there is very expensive and the cheap bottles sold by peopel standing on the corners have had some problems. It may not be happening now but a while back they had vendors selling water for $1 a bottle and they had got bottles from the trash, washed them and filled them themselves. Then when someone buys it they open it before the customer gets it so you dont know it wasnt sealed. So bring from the ship.
Also bathrooms are hard to find some places. In the shopping areas especially. Bring your own travel size t.paper, seat cover and hand sanitizer because often these bathrooms are not well stocked or not up to our standards for cleanliness. Of course Atlantis is clean but some are not so clean.
NEVER get your daugher or your hair braided on the islands. If she wants it done ,please do it on the ship or castaway cay. Nassau you can watch the ladies who use the same combs on everyone without washing them.
Also some will change the price after they are done and the other ladies will swear to it. Even though you set the price first. This is a common scam on all the islands.
Hope this helps some,
Kathy
wow..........awesome suggestions.......thanks so much.
With a 7 year old I can tell you about a few things I have done there that would work for her age.
I am not much for aquariums but the one at Atlantis is AWESOME!!
DCL excursion is a bit spendy but you can easily grab a taxi at the port to take you there. You must walk though a security building at the port and inside are lots of people who will offer you a taxi to Atlantis. SET THE PRICE BEFORE GETTING IN THE CAB !!! Dont let the driver ask you to pay extra for the toll. You set a price and stick to it. That rarely happens but a few drivers will try and get extra for that toll bridge. It is a short ride, he will expect a tip. Also there is a water taxi by the port for $11 per person to take you across too but it is along uphill walk to Atlantis.
There you will pay for the aquarium tour. It moves fast but you can go back through as many times as you want after the tour, just show the bracelet they put on your wrist as proof of admission. Part is inside and part is outside. Its huge!!!
Eat before you go food is expensive at Atlantis.
Pirate museum is good too.I think its $12 per adult, allow an hour to tour it in order to read everything. It starts out a dark wharf secne but is well lit after that. At the end is an outdoor area where you can take photos in stocks and such. Plus take your photo with the pirate who lets you into the museum if you want. They are usually pretty cool looking. Buy your admission ticket in the gift shop next door. Its a 10 minute walk from the ship.
Its a large purple building, 2 blocks behind the straw market which can be seen from the ship.
Dont do the glass bottom boat tour. Boat is dirty and when we went we didnt see any fish at all. They said the seas had been rough so we couldnt go see the ship wreck either. Stairs down into the glass viewing area are steep and hard to go up and down for many people. They had a free glass of lunch but the jar looked gross so we never had any.
Ardastra gardens is a very old zoo. It does have animals native to the islands. Plus marching flamingos if your there at the right time and there are garden areas to walk through. Its interesting but the zoo part is old and small cages which compared to newer zoo's is kind of depressing but a child would enjoy it.
Right in front of the port building on the road are carriage rides. The carriages are old but it is a fun ride and something most kids have never done. It is narrated but until your away from heavy traffic it is hard to hear the driver. They charge according to how far you go. You can negioate a bit with the price. Wait until afternoon so they know business is about over for the day and say I have $30 left, what can we get for that? They will give you a ride around town.
The harbour tour is just ok, Not exciting. But you see many beautiful homes owned by famous people which is interesting. Just before you turn around and come back you stop and feed some fish. Coming and going you get great photo ops for the ship.
The 2 hour city historical tour is very interesting for local history. You can walk up Queen Anne's staircase after learning its history and will see 2 forts. One fort is in great shape and you get a guided tour of it. Locals have tables set up by both forts with great buys.
I havnt been there but i know there is a beach 2 blocks from Atlantis you can walk over too from Atlantis. I think it is a free beach. You can ask where you catch a taxi, they will know for sure.
A couple of tips I could give you is buy water on the ship to take with you. There are NO water fountains on the island. Water there is very expensive and the cheap bottles sold by peopel standing on the corners have had some problems. It may not be happening now but a while back they had vendors selling water for $1 a bottle and they had got bottles from the trash, washed them and filled them themselves. Then when someone buys it they open it before the customer gets it so you dont know it wasnt sealed. So bring from the ship.
Also bathrooms are hard to find some places. In the shopping areas especially. Bring your own travel size t.paper, seat cover and hand sanitizer because often these bathrooms are not well stocked or not up to our standards for cleanliness. Of course Atlantis is clean but some are not so clean.
NEVER get your daugher or your hair braided on the islands. If she wants it done ,please do it on the ship or castaway cay. Nassau you can watch the ladies who use the same combs on everyone without washing them.
Also some will change the price after they are done and the other ladies will swear to it. Even though you set the price first. This is a common scam on all the islands.
Hope this helps some,
Kathy
Ired your whole letter................THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ADVICE ON BRAIDS & WATER!!!!!!
1st timer-needs help with Nassau excursions-help!
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