Which shore excursion did you choose in Nassau? About This Page:

[All Ears]

We just received our little pamphlet re: the available shore excursions in Nassau. They all sound pretty good to me... so for those of you who did an excursion, which did you choose? And were you happy with that choice?
I would love to hear about anyone's experiences.
Thanks!
[img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Michelle

[Dave Marx]

I'm going to move this topic over to Planning Your Disney Cruise, as it's more likely to get a response there.

[katerkat]

Never done the Disney cruise, but I've been to Nassau several times on cruises, so... Here's what we've done that we liked:

Toured Atlantis (without an excursion) -- my family took a taxi over and wandered around on our own. Saw big turtles for my older sister, saw fish for my younger sister, Dad taught me how bad gambling is by inserting my quarter into a slot machine and winning me $5.

Rum punch cruise -- on my honeymoon. Was fun, BUT there was no bathroom between the boat and the cruise ship, and after several glasses of rum punch... It's fun for adults; I don't think kids are even allowed on it. Beyond the rum, it's a nice tour of the harbor, and they take you to a little island (I think there's a Sandals resort on the island) to hang out on the beach for a bit. I don't see it on the list that DCL offers, though.

Snorkling -- my sisters and I did this when we were younger... It was on an island (don't remember the name) that was used to film Gilligan's Island -- very cool! It was a lot of fun, even though I had a hard time getting used to snorkling. (I was a swimmer, so I was trained not to breathe IN under water!)

Historic Nassau tour -- *yawn* My dad made us go when we were little. It might be a bit more interesting now, but back then, it was "Another old fort?? C'mon, Dad, we're near a beach!"

If DCL offers something at the Pirate Museum, don't do it. My sister says it sucks. But then, she majored in history, with an emphasis in Europe and Latin America. She says it's "totally inaccurate!"

[Elliot'sDragon]

Take the tour of Atlantis because it's there.
Otherwise, why leave a multi-million cruise ship to walk in slums?
I live in NYC and thought I was crazy when I got off the boat and went into town. It was like walking around the South Bronx.

[Dave Marx]

We did the Discover Atlantis tour, too. It includes a tour of the resort's extensive aquarium, and they show you the shops and casino, too (they do hope you'll stay the day and lose your shirt). You can easily do the same thing on your own, though - just pay for your own taxi/water taxi, and pay admission to the Atlantis aquarium.

Personally, I like walking 'round Nassau town (Jennifer is nowhere near as comfy there as I am, though). While the blocks closest to the pier are seedy and filled with too many locals hustling their piece of the tourist trade, if you head inland a block or two more there are many attractive, historic buildings and sights to see.

Downtown Nassau is nothing like the South Bronx. The streets are clean, the buildings are in good repair, there are very few residences (most folks live over the hill, outside of the port) and while you'll occasionally run into a panhandler posing as a tour guide, this isn't a high crime, drug-ridden slum community. This is the capital of the Bahamas. It's a mixture of shops, restaurants, museums, historic sites, a few residences, government buildings, banks, and other business offices. Visitors walking around a strange city can feel insecure, so it's a good idea to go with a couple of companions.

[All Ears]

Thanks so much for all the various information. We watched a little travel video (by National Geographic) that showed a bit of Nassau -- which really got us excited about exploring a bit. I think Atlantis sounds intriguing, but then just "touring" a bit on our own sounds enticing as well.
Thanks, again. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Michelle
P.S. Dave,
Thank you for moving my thread. I must have had a little lapse there and dropped it somewhere. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] But thanks for the move. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[iloverags2]

We've done the Caribbean Queen Snorkel boat excursion and love it. Great snorkeling, and one of the less expensive of the excursions. If you're not much into snorkeling, just walking around Nassau is great. We always take a few hours to do this, and have a great time hitting the smaller shops off the beaten path.

Enjoy whatever you choose to do! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[maggiemay]

My daughter and I have done the Blue Lagoon excursion twice. The first time without the Dolphin encounter, and the second time, with. We thoroughly enjoyed it both times.
The 1st time, the water was calm and the time relaxing on the beach was just what we needed.
The 2nd time, the water was extremely choppy and the ocean side of the island was off limits, due to undertoe. Thank goodness we had booked the Dolphin encounter. We loved it to the max! I can not say enough good things about the encounter.
Included in the price was towels, transportation to and from, the dolphin encounter, lunch, and non-alcoholic fruit punch, and of course free reign of the island. The food was delicious, and the people were friendly. I would definitely do it again.
The plus side is that if you take the earlier shuttle(2pm?), you can still have enough time to wander the streets of Nassau, and do some serious shopping. Best of both worlds, I'd say!