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Nassau Questions


blawmtih

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My wife and I are doing the 4-day cruise (Nassau, Coco, and Key West), this is our first cruise and I have a ton of questions.  Has anyone ever done the Charm and Beauty of Nassau tour?  After we are done with the tour should we just head back to the ship or enjoy Nassau some more?  Is Atlantis worth it?  Basically are there any good recommendations for Nassau?  My wife gets nervous in the hustle and bustle of crowded places and I want to make certain she enjoys this trip.

 

Thanks

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I did Atlantis once...YEARS ago, when I first started cruising.  I thought it was a good excursion but I do recall that the lines for getting to the buses was VERY long and it was very crowded.  At that time, the tour included at least parts of the aquarium.  I don't believe it does, anymore.  The casino is fabulous but wasn't really even open during the time that we were there.  Darn it. 

 

I am not familiar with the "Charm and Beauty of Nassau" tour but I will just give you my 2 cents.  Whenever I visit a new port, I ALWAYS do the "familiarization/introduction" tour (they call it something different at each port) just to get an overall feel of the place and see if there is anywhere I want to go BACK to at another time.  These general tours are usually quite affordable and a good way (for me, at least) to get an idea of what there is to see and do.  It sounds, to me, like the Charm and Beauty is one of those general type tours.

 

I do not know how long you will be in Nassau or what the hours are, but I will caution you...if your wife is a bit skiddish about "sketchy" circumstances, I would advise you to stay close to the compound when not on an organized tour.  Nassau can be a sketchy place, particularly at nighttime.  I don't mean to scare you.  It's NOT Beirut, but I will admit that I do not go outside of the compound at night in Nassau.  I rarely even get off the boat anymore in Nassau.  There are some beautiful homes in and around Nassau and I do recall that whatever tour it was I took went past the many celebrity homes and I enjoyed that very much.

 

It will be great.  You are on a cruise !  Enjoy it

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Without knowing you it's a bit hard to make suggestions, but I can offer my personal thoughts and experiences.  Also, be sure to check out the posts on this site related to Nassau at http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/nassau

 

  • Walking around Bay St (where the markets are) is certainly something to at least do for a couple minutes.  Sales tactics are reasonably low pressure by non-US standards.  Unless you're taking a cab or bus from the pier, you'll almost inevitably walk through part of this area anyway.
  • There is a pirate museum that seems a bit corny (and to an extent, it is), but it's surprisingly well done and certainly worth seeing once.  Bring your glasses, it's very dark inside (works with the theme).
  • There is a brewery, and rum distillery, and a chocolatier that all offer tours, samples, etc
  • The Governors Mansion and the Queens Staircase are nothing to spend much time at, but interesting to see (Queens Staircase more so, the mansion is just looking, nodding, and moving on IMO)
  • Paradise Island is very popular, and the beaches, waterpark facilities, restaurants, etc are all very nice.  That in mind, I find the price to be a bit ridiculous, and for some of those amenities, I just assume stay onboard and pay little or nothing.  I may also be bias because I live in South Florida, so there is little novelty in this for me.  Again, nice place, but to me personally, it's too expensive to make it worth it.
  • Junkanoo beach is a short walk from the pier, along with several other free beaches.  A few beaches along the way may belong to hotels that charge, but they can be good options as they may be a tad quieter, offer bar service, have pools, chairs, etc.  It's been too long to name any in particular.
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Just did a "learn to Segway" tour in Nassau and highly recommend it.

 

We have been wanting to try a Segway tour for years but the pictures always seemed to show the group riding along a busy road and I didn't feel comfortable doing it with my son and feeling like I would be terrified of him going into the road.

 

For the one we just did in Nassau (through NCL) there was a short bus ride to a park area just past Junkanoo (sp?) beach. They gave you several minutes to get used to the Segways in the park and then we all rode in convoy along the beach and back, ending up at a bar for a refreshment break before heading back to the park for a "boys vs girls" obstacle course race. Felt very safe throughout and no concerns about "being in traffic" ... somehow the guys bought the guides beers and still the girls got the favorable calls at the obstacle course :(

 

At the end of the tour they will bus you back to the terminal or let you do your own thing, we walked back through Junkanoo beach and made a few strategic bar stops as we wandered back.

 

Highly recommend it if you are interested in trying Segways.

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I do the same thing as WAAAYTOOO! My first time in port I book a tour of the city, whatever it is called or a Hop On Hop Off trolley ride. Atlantis has many different tours, can't remember them all but there is the water park, the aquarium, the place itself. I have been to Nassau so many times, that I hop the $5 cab from the pier to Atlantis and visit the casino.

 

Raye I can't believe you don't go to the Atlantis casino.

 

Candie

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Has anyone ever done the Charm and Beauty of Nassau tour?

 

I have to admit that this is the first time I've seen 'charm and beauty' and 'Nassau' in the same sentence... If this is your first stop on your first cruise, please don't let it taint your cruise experience.  I'm sure many people have a great time there, but...it's not the best of ports available to cruisers.

 

I'd probably just get off the ship, head down to Junkanoo beach, buying a drink in a coconut along the way, and then try out the local dishes made from fish and conch at the beach.  Then head back to the ship.

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  • 9 months later...

 I'd probably just get off the ship, head down to Junkanoo beach, buying a drink in a coconut along the way, and then try out the local dishes made from fish and conch at the beach.  Then head back to the ship.

 

 

I've been here before but before I was married and had kids. I know it's not the safest port, is Junkanoo beach a clean and safe beach for a family with young kids (9 and 6)

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I've been here before but before I was married and had kids. I know it's not the safest port, is Junkanoo beach a clean and safe beach for a family with young kids (9 and 6)

 

I thought so, at least it was the day I was there.  I've seen pictures of it dirty, but that was after big celebratory party/parade days (think Independence Day) before they had a chance to clean up the place.

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