pands

Does anyone know if the pools (or even one pool) at Sandals is heated?

If you are going to be in Nassau all day, you might want to consider a day trip out to Rose Island via Sandy Toes excursions. We're booked for an upcoming trip in May. I've been there a couple of times and they have a beautiful stretch of beach. The tour leaves at 10 am and returns at 3:30 pm.

My husband and I did this when we were on a cruise that substituted Freeport for Grand Turk a couple of years ago. We had a good time. The food was good and the drinks were tasty. The use of snorkel gear and maybe non motorized water sports, was included. The pool was a little cool but I we were there in January. We didn't have any trouble finding a lounge chair but they do have a section roped off for the guests that are staying on the property. It was a nice day and we would go back.

Depending on how much you want to spend, the Sandy Toes excursion to Rose Island would work with your time frame. We've done this a couple of times and have had a blast. https://www.sandytoesbahamas.com

Depending on how long you will be in port, I would consider booking an excursion with Sandy Toes. They have a day trip to Rose Island that's fun. I have done this tour twice and will be headed back this coming May. https://www.sandytoesbahamas.com

I've been following the Glory Waterworks upgrade since we will be sailing on her in May. From what I've read, the new Waterworks won't actually be completed during dry dock but is expected to be done by March 25th. I can't wait to see pictures and find out exactly what they've added.

About three years ago, I chartered with 7 Seas Charters for our group of 8 and could not have been happier. The price was very reasonable and they were very flexible. We were picked up right at the pier (transportation to and from the boat was included). It was raining when we arrived and they gave us the option of cancelling. We opted to do the tour and had a great day. Originally we weren't going to stop at the stingray sandbar but then decided to do so the day we got there since a couple of our friends had never done it. The snorkeling site was great and to top it off we spend the last part of our day at Starfish beach. Who knew playing with starfish could be so fun. At any rate, I would not hesitate to use them again and hope they are free for our visit in Grand Cayman in May. If you have more specific questions, just let me know.

From everything I've read, Amber Cove is a great place to kick back and have a relaxing fun in the sun day without breaking the bank. Keep in mind, though, that there is not a beach area at the port. If you really want beach you'll need to look at excursions away from the port.

I am also looking for a resort to spend the day at in Nassau for an upcoming cruise. One thing to consider, February can be kind of brisk in the Bahamas. Depending on how well you do with cool water, you might not be comfortable swimming in the ocean at that time of year. With that in mind, I am looking for a place that has a heated pool. If anyone has information about heated pools in Nassau that would be great. I will be researching more this week and will post anything I find out.

We've used MJS Transportation several times and they were great. We try to allow a good time cushion to get to the cruise port but I don't think it's ever taken us longer than 30 minutes. The state of Florida has done a lot of road construction between these two cities and by the POM so that it's a much faster trip.

Finally, I realize everyone has a different comfort level with travel plans but flying in the day of your cruise is really not that big of a deal. We've always done just that and never had a problem. Happy cruising.

Yea, I will be in Nassau in early December and had hoped to do Sandy Toes but can't because we are on the same type of port schedule and just won't be back in time. At this point there's a ship's tour (Carnival) that does a snorkel excursion out to Rose Island that we're considering or looking to get a day pass at either Breezes or Sandals. I'll be watching this post to see if you get a lead on anything else we might want to consider. Since we are also beach/snorkeling people, I've enjoyed reading your reviews and seeing the pictures you post. For us, vacations are almost always about the beach/snorkeling because we just don't get that here in Columbus.

I would vote for Sandy Toes if you have the time. You don't really need to stay overnight to do this but do need to have a long day in port. Unlike some tours that are flexible for cruise passengers, they have a fixed schedule so you need to make sure your port hours fall within their schedule.

My son and I did this tour a couple of years ago. It was fantastic. The reef we went to was amazing. There was a family who didn't have much experience and weren't all that comfortable in the water. One of the crew members ended up pull them around on floats so they could have a good snorkeling experience. We didn't do the beach break part, just the snorkeling but I kind of wished we had. During snorkeling another crew member caught a couple of lobsters...they were going to take them and serve them to those doing the beach break/lunch. Overall we had a great time and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Then there are those of us who always fly in on the day of our cruises and have never had a problem. Having a direct flight is always good, less chance of getting delayed while waiting for a connection. At any rate, you would be getting in plenty early on this flight especially, as others have mentioned, since the cruise port is so close to the airport. If this is your best option and you can be fine with it, go for it. If it is out of your comfort zone and there are other options, it's probably better to come in a day before your cruise.

We've used MJS Transportation several times and had great service. I believe they charge $15 pp and drive newer Mercedes vans. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

I had a stop in Freeport a couple of years ago and my son and I did a snorkeling tour with Pat & Diane (http://www.snorkelingbahamas.com/). The reef they took us to was amazing. It was one of the best snorkeling trips I've ever been on. The ocean was a little choppy the day we were there but even with that, I am looking for a cruise that stops there just so I can do this tour again.

If you have enough time, I definitely recommend Sandy Toes. This excursion take you out to Rose Island for a half day. The island is beautiful. Snorkeling is available and lunch is included. I was considering going back this December but our ship leaves at 4 and so we won't have enough time to get back to the ship. Guess I'll be looking at other options. If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them.

Just got back a couple of weeks ago from our cruise and we went to Maya Key. There is a full service bar with lots of fun drink combinations. The ones listed on the special board were $6 with others at $7 or $8. I'm not sure how much beer was. The drinks were very tasty. One of our group got a long island iced tea and it was strong enough that she only needed one.

We just got back from our cruise and visited Maya Key while we were in Roatan. I suspect that a big part of your experience hinges on how many ships are in port with you. That being said, we were the only ship in port when we were there and we had a fantastic time. There were probably less than 100 people total on the island. We had snorkeled at the two previous stops so didn't include that with our tour with the thought that anyone who wanted to snorkel could just rent equipment there. As it was, after the rough waters of Belize the day before none of us did snorkel but honestly we didn't miss it . The animals were a lot of fun and yes, some of us did go in with the monkeys which was a blast. The lunch they served was delicious. I ended up giving most of my fish away to my grown kids because it was so good and hey that's what Mom's do but the staff were nice enough to let me have some of my own. After lunch we ended up lounging in the pool for a good part of the afternoon. We would definitely go back.

We are just back from our cruise which included a stop and Grand Cayman and also wanted a snorkel only tour. Since there were 8 of us we just ended up booking a private excursion. It was great because we had total flexibility as to where we wanted to go and how long to stay at each stop. I had checked with about 10 operators including Fat Fish, EW Banks, Charter Cayman, Acquarius, 7 Seas Charters, and Capt. Crosby. Most of them included transportation to and from their boat but a few didn't so be sure to check if you go this route.

We ended up using 7 Seas Charters and had a great time. The funny thing was that we didn't plan on stopping at Stringray City but changed our minds the day we arrived since we had two newbies with us. The change was no problem for the Captain and he kept in mind our request for a short stop. We then went snorkeling at Coral Gardens very close by. It was with out a doubt the best snorkeling of our trip. Capt. Shaun was right in the water with us pointing things out and making sure everyone was OK. He uses this area frequently so the fish know it is dinner time when he's in the water. He gave many of us food for the fish so they were literally eating out of our hands. After we finished with snorkeling we headed to Starfish point. Who knew you could have so much fun playing with starfish for 30 minutes. The cost $650 for close to 5 hours and included transportation, water, soda, punch, sandwiches, and equipment. We also gave him a generous tip for making our day so much fun. Hope this helps...let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

Actually, the dispensers serve both soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt.

Depending how many are in your group you might want to look into a private charter that way you can go and do exactly what you want. We are a family of 8 and I just booked a private charter for snorkeling and Starfish Point. There are also a few Jet ski trips that just do snorkeling.