flygirlmare

We are a three generation family of 9 who used Cheryl Bahamas Taxi and Tours in June for a private 4 hour tour. We were provided with excellent service and were able to customize our tour to please everyone. Our tour guide Craig had a menu in the van for a restaurant at Arawak Cay. He called in our lunch order, so that it was ready when we arrived. That saved our precious tour time! Do plan a visit to Ardastra Zoo and feed the Lory Parrots; it's an experience you won't forget. We've been there twice.

If you go for a sandwich at Cafe Promenade, get two. The ratio of meat to bread is seriously off. Use the meat from the second sandwich to make one good sandwich. The refrigerated desserts were very good.

Take a taxi to Ardastra Zoo. They've got a flamingo show and you can feed the Lory Parrots, which the kids will love -- and you'll love the pictures you take of them feeding the birds. You can get the zoo staff to call for a taxi when you're ready to leave -- or arrange with the taxi driver to pick you up. Google the zoo to check it out. We've been on cruises with our grandchildren twice with stops in Nassau (3 years ago & just got back in June), and we took them there both times.

... there is no delete key. I didn't mean to add this

I'm sorry.... it was $80 per hour for the 15 person van/driver/beverages -- times 4 hours = $320 plus tip. Then the admission to Ardastra Zoo and the Fort were extra. Add on the tip to the driver, tip to guide at Queens Staircase, and tip to tour guide at the fort, it came out to $68 per person, and there were 8 of us. For a private 4 hour customized tour, I think it was a great deal.

$30 per hour... and we chose 4 hours. Admission to Ardastra Zoo ($18 for adults and $9 for children) and Ft. Charlotte (cheap... I think less than $5 each & tip to tour guide) was additional. Tour company also provided beverages and frozen ice pops for the kids. There were 9 of us and it was no more expensive than a ship excursion would have been for all of us -- plus we got to see & do exactly what we wanted to -- and we determined when we wanted to leave and go to the next location.

Nice zoo & definitely worth your trip. You'll both enjoy the flamingo show and feeding the Lory Parrots is something not to be missed AT ANY AGE! We've gone by taxi & they were nice enough to call a taxi for us when we were ready to leave. You can also make arrangements with your taxi driver to come back at a specific time. I'd tell the driver to come back in 2 or 2 1/2 hours, and that should be fine.

Better than a ship's tour, our family of 9 used Cheryl's Bahamas Taxi & Tours for a private tour in their air conditioned van. We customized our itinerary to see the sights that WE wanted to see, and the driver was ready when WE wanted to leave. It cost about what it would cost for the ship's tour, except that it was customized, just for us. Read about it at: www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147416-d3746669-r589745380-Cheryl_s_Bahamas_Taxi_and_Private_Tours-Nassau_New_Providence_Island_Bahamas.html

My review is called 4 hour private tour.

Can fresh cut flowers be brought back onto the ship in Nassau?

Forgive me for asking, but on the River Wallace & Altun Ha excursion, are there sufficient rest room stops?

We sailed Freedom on Valentine's Day. Found RCI skimpy on staff; 2 servers in MDR versus 3 servers on Carnival Sunshine (June 2015); towel animals 3 nights out of 7 and 7 nights out of 7 on Carnival; not enough staff picking up dirty dishes from tables in buffet, Sorrento's, and Cafe Promenade; one night no entertainment; lack of food available outside by the pool (except ice cream) - Carnival has pizza, Mexican Blue Iguana, and Guy's burgers on pool deck. Meals were good but not memorable. Linen carts and vacuum left in hallway throughout the cruise. I thought RCI was upscale from Carnival -- not in my book. Sailed 4 times on Carnival & always satisfied; we're going back to The Fun Ships of Carnival.

Used Happy Hour Shuttle from Sanford Int'l Airport to Cocoa Beach and then after cruise from cruiseport to Orlando Int'l Airport. Service was reliably prompt in nice clean vehicles. I would recommend them without hesitation.

We were on the same cruise celebrating our 40th anniversary with our children & grandchildren. Did the Dolphin Experience in Freeport and loved it. It was non-threatening for grandchildren and enjoyed by all. Took a taxi to Ardastra Zoo. Adults & kids loved feeding the Lory parrots, seeing the free roaming flamingoes, and other unique animals and birds. Not a huge zoo, but plenty for a few hours entertainment. They will call you a taxi when you're done there. We also went to the Pirate Museum which was a little expensive, but fun.

Ocean Plaza was our favorite evening spot on the ship... don't miss it for evening Karaoke. We were also entertained by a live Latin band there.

Good to know... Cucina del Capitan and JiJi at the back of the ship make omelets in the morning. Lines aren't long -- and breakfast is made to order!

9 of us took a 5 night on the Sunshine, got off on the 19th. It did NOT feel more crowded than any other cruise we've taken (this was our 6th) except for the Lido Beach Pool on sea day. We even found lounge chairs in the Splash Zone waterpark area on sea day. Loved the more modern look of the ship. The Ocean Plaza area was our favorite feature for listening to live music, karaoke, enjoying our special anniversary cake, etc. Loads of tables & chairs. We'd definitely cruise on the Sunshine again. Just a word of caution: 2 of our rooms were supposed to have TRUNDLE BEDS (Deck 8) but they brought in roll away folding beds which were fine for kids, but would have been horrible for an adult. Carnival needs to advertise these rooms correctly!

SpacePort Transport is reliable,friendly, accommodating, with fair pricing... We are a 3 generation family of 9 from NC who used SpacePort Transport from Orlando Airport to Cocoa Beach, next day to Port Canaveral Cruise Port, then post-cruise to Kennedy Space Center & 5 hours later, back to the Orlando Airport. Jerry & Cari included a grocery store stop on the way to our hotel and accommodated us with an unplanned stop for more diapers on the way to the Space Center. Their shuttle van pulls a locked trailer for luggage, which they held for us while we were at the Space Center. They have multiple size vans, based on group size. We had the largest van and were seated very comfortably. I highly recommend SpacePort Transport with Jerry & Cari (husband & wife team). Your transportation needs will be in good hands.

thanks to all who responded... we sail on Sunday and are very excited. Renewing our wedding vows of 40 YEARS!

Are the room safes all keypad or are there still magnetic strip ones (I hate those!)

Going on the Sunshine in 2 weeks.... is the electrical outlet in the cabin 2 or 3 prong? I suppose they're the same on all the ships, so I'd appreciate an answer from anyone who knows. Need to plug several devices in and want to make sure my power strip will work - thanks!

Does The Warehouse video arcade use Sign & Sail card for the games?

Thanks to both of you for responding!

Would like to fill plastic containers w/ice from the ship to keep our sealed bottles of water cold in insulated bag when we're in Nassau. Can we get off the ship with the ice, since it's not "food?"

Where is the grocery store near the cruise port? I've read in other posts that there is one nearby. Also can anyone recommend any local items to buy there - besides the coconut tea - to bring back to dog sitter and to a coworker? Thanks!

Thanks Canadian Dee... I'll definitely use the email. I want the two story dining room at the back of the ship, which I believe is the Sunset. We've celebrating our 40th anniversary & taking our adult kids & 4 grandchildren -- and I think the larger dining room would have the bigger impact for the grandkids. I don't want to leave anything to chance, so I'll send the email. I appreciate your help!

Canadian Dee mentioned emailing the maitre d of the Sunshine. Anyone know the email address? I tried calling Carnival's 800 number and they said he doesn't have email. I'd like the Sunset dining room, the larger one at the back of the ship, instead of the Sunrise. Thanks!

can children be in Red Frog when the musicians are playing?