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Things to do at Nassau and Key West


cruiser7056
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We are sailing on the Breeze in late November. Going to Key West, Freeport and Nassau. I have read on the board that there is nothing within walking distance at Freeport so an excursion is about the only way to see anything. Can someone tell me if any shops or anything to do around the Ports at Key West and Nassau. Was thinking about just walking around instead of an excursion, but would like to see the beach. Thanks for any information

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You will have no problem walking around in Key West. Duval Street is very close to the cruise terminal and has all the usual tourist activities. The Old Town Trolley operates in KW and is a decent way to see the town. In Nassau there is a beach and business district within walking distance to the pier. Be careful not to venture to far off the main street or away from the group. The U.S. State Department has active warnings for Nassau due to crimes committed against tourist. In Freeport there is a tourist village and beach at the pier and cabs are easy to get if want to go on a tour. You may want to visit the port of call thread for more detailed information about what to do. Enjoy your cruise.

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In Nassau as mentioned before there is a beach and shopping area within walking distance of the port and it is easy to find. When we were there last year we decided to take a tour with a registered guide. When finished we eventually ended up at the beach area as mentioned (he dropped us off there at our request). The tour was fantastic and went to areas that other tours were unable to access....very informative and worth the $$. The beach started to get very crowded due to the amount of cruise ships in port that day, they really packed everyone in there. Overall, great tour and we still had a great time on the beach.

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we usually take the water taxi over to Paradise Island and go to a little hidden place called the green parrot. You can also walk around on that side, plenty of shops and there are some public beaches also. we then walk back over the double bridges and stop at the sister bar, the green parrot. we have done this a few times and never had any issues. KW is a blast, Freeport is OK. the best time we ever had there was the brewery tour. they really took care of us.

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We are sailing on the Breeze in late November. Going to Key West, Freeport and Nassau. I have read on the board that there is nothing within walking distance at Freeport so an excursion is about the only way to see anything. Can someone tell me if any shops or anything to do around the Ports at Key West and Nassau. Was thinking about just walking around instead of an excursion, but would like to see the beach. Thanks for any information

 

I recommend the hop on off trolley in Key West. You can ride it to the Southern most point. Hemingway house is also worth a visit as well as the butterfly museum though it is expensive. Key West is a great place for strolling and shopping though we have never done the beach there. I think this is a great stop.

 

Nassau is very different - crowded, much more poor, and can have what some would consider pushy vendors by American standards. If you are from a big city, then there will be less culture shock than if you have no experience with such crowds etc. Below is a picture I snagged off the web just to give you an idea - fill it full of people and you have a classic market. It is just a ways down from the pier and across the street. About a mile further you will find Junkanoo beach - still within site of the cruise ship. Good local food at the far end called Arwak Cay. But as others have said, there are many other beach options that can be easily researched on the ports of call boards.

 

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When i was in Nassau earlier this month on the Sunshine i did a tour provided by Tyrone Wilson. It is an amazing tour and has good reviews on various sites. you can book it on tripadvisor or viator. here is the tripadvisor page:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductDetail-g147416-d11462928-Nassau_Shore_Excursion_Island_Highlights_Sightseeing_Tour-Nassau_New_Providence_Island_Bahamas.html

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DH and I did a trolley tour of Key West and it was very interesting and fun. Later, we walked around and had a drink in Sloppy Joe's Bar (Hemingway's hangout). We were surprised, and somewhat appalled, at the seemingly hundreds of cheesy t-shirt shops.

We've been to Nassau about 20 times and we used to shop on Bay Street, then started to take a taxi to Cable Beach to play in a casino there. It seemed to be open and then closed, so never sure if it was open or not. Now, we take a taxi to Atlantis to play in the casino. Have never done an excursion in Nassau.

The port in Freeport is about 10 miles from anywhere interesting. We take a taxi to Lucaya to shop, have lunch and then, you guessed it, play in the casino.

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A quick addendum to my earlier post. I think Key West has three different Trolley/HOHO services. You might give some thought to signing up for Key West area groupons. It has been 3 or 4 years since I went to Key West but I purchased my tickets in this manner. Also they all have a website to compare prices and pre-purchase tickets.

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Key West is one of my favorite places. Things I recommend - the Hemingway House with its 6-toed cats, Harry Truman's Little White House, just walking up and down Duval Street, getting picture taken in front of the buoy at the southernmost point in the US, and eating anything with key lime in it.

 

Roz

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Key West is one of my favorite places. Things I recommend - the Hemingway House with its 6-toed cats, Harry Truman's Little White House, just walking up and down Duval Street, getting picture taken in front of the buoy at the southernmost point in the US, and eating anything with key lime in it.

 

Roz

 

If you're going to go to Hemmingway House, the lighthouse is almost right across the street. There is a small museum with that has some history. You can climb to the top and get some really nice views from up there. I don't remember it costing much either.

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Key West is a very walkable, safe port. As others have mentioned, the trolley is a great way to jump on an off. I've been to KW several times and one memorable thing is Mel Fisher's museum which is close to where the ship docks. There is a lot of history to see there, and they also have a lot of information and souvenirs from the shipwrecked Atocha.

 

I usually stay on the ship at Freeport. That's a great day to enjoy the ship. Freeport is a very industrial port with little to do in the port area.

 

You didn't mention what your interests are, but many cruisers (that have usually been to Nassau more times than they can count) either stay on the ship or catch a cab to the casino or beach at Paradise Island.

 

Hope you have a great cruise.

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We are sailing on the Breeze in late November. Going to Key West, Freeport and Nassau. I have read on the board that there is nothing within walking distance at Freeport so an excursion is about the only way to see anything. Can someone tell me if any shops or anything to do around the Ports at Key West and Nassau. Was thinking about just walking around instead of an excursion, but would like to see the beach. Thanks for any information

 

You can take a short taxi/shuttle in to town in Freeport where there's a very decent beach. ;)

In the cruise terminal area in Freeport there is a bit of vendor shopping and a Senor Frogs.

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The time we stopped in Key West it was a substitute for a port we had to miss due to weather. So we had nothing planned; I hadn't done any research. We got off the ship and started following other people who were walking. We ended up at the beach where the southernmost point marker is. We went snorkeling there. It wasn't very good, but it was the first time my sons got to see what snorkeling was, and they thought it was very cool. They were 13,12 and 10 at the time. The thing is it was a short walk, and we passed all the sights others have mentioned, so if you just feel like walking, you really don't need to be worrying about trolleys.

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As to Nassau- a day pass at the beautiful British Colonial Hilton is an option. It is in town and near shopping and has a pool and small beach. Very convenient. For a bigger beach, Cable Beach is good with lots of resorts, but requires a bus or taxi ride.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Key West is a great walking town, Hemingway House with the cats is a treat, walk down to the southern most point, walk back past all the art galleries, there is a great museum for sunken treasure, and of course getting a piece of Key Lime Pie somewhere is mandatory,

 

Do a beach day in Nassau. We liked Melia, they have the beach, a small snorkeling reef and two huge hot tubs and three pools, one with a swim up bar, the other two are beautifully waterscaped. We took the Jitney bus, make sure you have the correct change, they don't give money back. I ended up giving the driver a 10, told her it was the best trip in the Bahamas, and keep the change.:cool:

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Things we've done in Nassau, all of which I would recommend:

 

Scuba diving: Stuarts Cove

Quick walk to the beach: Junkanoo Beach

Beach day pass: Breezes

Lunch in the "Fish Fry"...about a 15-20 walk from the ship along West Bay St. Restaurants specializing in all things conch.

Walking tour with a bit of history and authentic Bahamian food: Tru Bahamian Food Tours.

 

A lot of cruisers dismiss Nassau as a "throwaway" port, but we've found quite a few nice things to do there.

 

Have fun.

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