What to do in Nassau, Bahamas?

[blondi_21]

We're gona be in Nassau from 7am-2pm. We wanted to do something cus that our 16 month old son would enjoy. I think the Atlantis is a waste of money cus we cant really do much for a toddler except the pool. Which we could do at the ship. Is there anything else that we could do in Nassau besides the beach?

[beachchick]

I wanted to address the topic of cruise ship pools. Unless you are on a Disney ship or one of the Royal Caribbean Freedom or Oasis class ships, the pools onboard will not be an option for your 16-m/o. There are very, very few pools or water play areas of any kind of cruise ships that allow non-potty trained youngsters (and actually, anyone who is incontinent) in the pools. Swim diapers are not acceptable either. It's because of CDC regulations governing cruise ship pools, which are small (so low volume of water) and generally treated salt water (not highly chemicaled fresh water). On the ships that have baby pools or baby splash zones, the areas are set up with special and separate filtration from the rest of the pools/water play areas and generally only swim diapered children are allowed in them.

 

You will hear about all the parents who break the rules, usually knowingly under the assumption that the rules are stupid or that their child won't cause a problem or that it's not "fair" or any number of excuses, but they are taking a risk with the health of their child and of everyone else in the pools. I am absolutely not saying you would be one of those parents. I just want you to realize that when you read posts about "all the swim diapered children in the pools, so we went ahead and brought our baby into the pool too," you are hearing about parents who broke the rules and are proud of it for some reason. Often the deck/pool patrol will insist that parents remove their swim diapered child (or in some cases, infants who aren't wearing diapers at all--even yuckier), but sometimes the crew members take the attitude of "We can't do anything about it and won't enforce the health regulations."

 

What many parents of non-trained toddlers do is bring a teeny, tiny blow up pool that they can use on their balcony or on deck. They can be easily filled with a few inches of water and, as long as they are out of the way and not a hazard to others in any way, the cruisel lines generally allow. The water must be drained into one of the deck drains, not emptied onto the deck or dumped into one of the pools. Generally parents report having no problems with it.

 

I'm sorry I can't help with your Nassau time. Maybe a day pass at the Sheraton that some members have mentioned? It's far less costly than Atlantis and would allow your little one to have some pool time.

 

Have fun!

 

beachchick

[blondi_21]

I have never cruised before especially with a toddler. My TA obviously has and said that it was okay to do so.

[LisaT91403]

Which cruise line/ship are you on? Maybe it's one that has a kiddie swim area.

[beachchick]

They're on Carnival, which doesn't have any baby pools or splash areas--At least, not at this time.

 

beachchick

[sandytoes03]

OP--There's always Ardastra Gardens and Zoo. The Flamingo show is kind of cool. There are excursions that go here, or you can get a cab. You can walk around the Straw Market too, which would not require a cab or any transportation. But honestly, I would head to a beach. Probably not Atlantis, but another less expensive resort, maybe? Check out the British Colonial Hilton. You can get day passes there and it's within walking distance of the pier.

[MamaParrotHead]

I have never cruised before especially with a toddler. My TA obviously has and said that it was okay to do so.

 

That's part of the problem in taking advice from someone who's trying to sell you something. ;)

[beachchick]

I have never cruised before especially with a toddler. My TA obviously has and said that it was okay to do so.

 

It absolutely is not. Maybe your TA only cruised on Disney and/or the few RCI ships that have the special swim diaper allowed pool/water play areas. Even so, a TA should know the correct health regulations and not give you incorrect information. There's no excuse for a TA who is selling a cruise not to know that kind of detail. I'm sorry, but on Carnival the only swim diapered children you'll see in any pools are there in defiance of the CDC's very reasonable health regulations.

 

I'm sorry if I sound harsh. It is not directed at you, but rather at your TA and at all the parents who break the rules. Aside from causing health risks and angering other passengers, when there is an accident that pool must be completely drained, cleaned, and refilled. The process can take an entire day. Imagine a hot day at sea with one of the main pools out of service because someone was careless or selfish. It's happened many times and, believe me, the other passengers were not pleased (to put it mildly). Of course urine is not really the issue. It's the poo. While swim diapers can contain "solid" pieces, they cannot contain the bacteria, viruses, etc. In large heavily treated pools on land, you've got both volume of water and chemical help on your side. And even in those large pools and water facilities on land, there are outbreaks of various illnesses every year. Cruise ship pools are neither high volume nor heavily treated, so the risk is much, much higher.

 

The CDC has put these regulations in place to protect all of us, young and old alike. Though they can seem a bother, they really are important. I'm so sorry that your TA gave you incorrect information and I hope you have a wonderful cruise anyway.

 

beachchick

[sandytoes03]

It absolutely is not. Maybe your TA only cruised on Disney and/or the few RCI ships that have the special swim diaper allowed pool/water play areas. Even so, a TA should know the correct health regulations and not give you incorrect information. There's no excuse for a TA who is selling a cruise not to know that kind of detail. I'm sorry, but on Carnival the only swim diapered children you'll see in any pools are there in defiance of the CDC's very reasonable health regulations.

 

I'm sorry if I sound harsh. It is not directed at you, but rather at your TA and at all the parents who break the rules. Aside from causing health risks and angering other passengers, when there is an accident that pool must be completely drained, cleaned, and refilled. The process can take an entire day. Imagine a hot day at sea with one of the main pools out of service because someone was careless or selfish. It's happened many times and, believe me, the other passengers were not pleased (to put it mildly). Of course urine is not really the issue. It's the poo. While swim diapers can contain "solid" pieces, they cannot contain the bacteria, viruses, etc. In large heavily treated pools on land, you've got both volume of water and chemical help on your side. And even in those large pools and water facilities on land, there are outbreaks of various illnesses every year. Cruise ship pools are neither high volume nor heavily treated, so the risk is much, much higher.

 

The CDC has put these regulations in place to protect all of us, young and old alike. Though they can seem a bother, they really are important. I'm so sorry that your TA gave you incorrect information and I hope you have a wonderful cruise anyway.

 

beachchick

 

 

I get your point, but I have to wonder if these sorts of lectures have driven off the OP. The OP asked about activities to do in Nassau, not all this.

 

It's the responsibility of the cruise line to make their rules/policies known and enforced.

[jole]

We'll be there in 2 weeks! We plan on taking the kids (2 & 5) to Atlantis on the water taxi and walk to the aquarium to see the fish. I'll wail till we get there to decide if we will pay to go into the aquarium or just look at the fish that you can see from the lobby area. I figure that's a big enough adventure for them for one day at that age and really cheap too (if we don't pay to see more fish)

[AJI2596]

LOVE Nassau!! We are going to the Atlantis. It is def not a waste of money. At the Atlantis you can swim in the pools with your child not like on the ship.

 

Also they have soo many fish, tunnels, the beach!! It is fantastic!!! I would rec going there!

 

I can't wait to bring my kids there!:D

[LisaT91403]

Does anyone know how much it costs to:

 

- take a water taxi to Atlantis (can you go directly from the port?)

 

- use the pools, aquarium, etc. at Atlantis?

 

Thanks.

[LisaT91403]

Does anyone know how much it costs to:

 

- take a water taxi to Atlantis (can you go directly from the port?)

 

- use the pools, aquarium, etc. at Atlantis?

 

Thanks.

 

Nevermind...I found my answers on the Bahamas board :-)

[jole]

Upon further research it appears that you can no longer see ANY fish from the lobby :( Too bad would have been a fun activity.

 

Thank goodness for this board that I was able to learn that before we went. I was just there in January so I wouldn't have had any reason to believe it had changed!

[beachchick]

I get your point, but I have to wonder if these sorts of lectures have driven off the OP. The OP asked about activities to do in Nassau, not all this.

 

It's the responsibility of the cruise line to make their rules/policies known and enforced.

 

I'm sorry you feel that way, but the OP said specifically that they weren't going to worry about pools in Nassau because their 16 month old could swim in the pools on the ship. I thought and still think it was important to let them know the regulations. When the OP replied that the TA had said it was okay, I assumed (probably shouldn't) that they were going to go by what the TA said.

 

But the fact is that many people, parents and non-parents alike, do not understand why non potty trained children (and any incontinent passengers) are not allowed in most cruise ship pools and they often do not realize what a big deal it is when a pool needs to be drained and cleaned.

 

I also think that knowing the pools won't be available on the ship might make the OP reconsider finding some swim time in Nassau or at other ports.

 

beachchick

[blondi_21]

Is it okay for the kiddie pool? We went to a pool park few hrs away and they allowed swim diapers in their kiddo pool.

[Mack2]

Is it okay for the kiddie pool? We went to a pool park few hrs away and they allowed swim diapers in their kiddo pool.

 

There's a big difference between land-based pools and pools aboard cruise ships.

 

It's the chemicals.

 

Land-based pools are allowed to chlorinate the pools liberally to combat bacteria where the pools on cruise ships aren't allowed the luxury. Most ships (aside from the super huge ones) have a filtering system, but don't have the types of systems that would allow for chlorine.

 

The problem at sea is that it's environmentally unfriendly to discharge the chemicals into the ocean (weird, isn't it?) So the ships drain the pools daily and the pools are mostly salt water based.

 

Swim diapers keep solid waste in, but really, they're like tea bags. I'm sure there are people, both adults, teens, children, and toddlers that leave urine, food, beer, and pina coladas in the pool water aboard ships, but fecal matter is also a major concern.

Swim diapers still allow water to mix with the fecal matter, and the bacteria in the feces can still leak into the pool water.... which cannot be chlorinated on most cruise ships.

 

Mix that with the warm Caribbean sun, and you have a significant health risk.

Nobody wants to be quarantined to their rooms because of rampant diarrhea. It's bad enough people don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom, and head right back for the buffet line.

 

We all have families with children in the Family Cruises board and we all understand how we want to let our children experience the most out of a cruise vacation, but we still have to consider the other folks on the cruise and make responsible decisions regarding swimmie "tea bags".

 

 

I remember on our Disney cruises, the Mickey Pool (the one shaped like Mickey's head attached to the water slide) was closed for most of the day on the Sea Days because of high fecal bacteria levels. They'd close the pool, drain it, and "cast members" in yellow jumpsuits would scrub the thing down. It was disappointing, but that was the ONLY way for them to deal with "poopie" issues. Last thing they'd want is all the children using the water slide pool to have infections of some sort.

[blondi_21]

There's a big difference between land-based pools and pools aboard cruise ships.

 

It's the chemicals.

 

Land-based pools are allowed to chlorinate the pools liberally to combat bacteria where the pools on cruise ships aren't allowed the luxury. Most ships (aside from the super huge ones) have a filtering system, but don't have the types of systems that would allow for chlorine.

 

The problem at sea is that it's environmentally unfriendly to discharge the chemicals into the ocean (weird, isn't it?) So the ships drain the pools daily and the pools are mostly salt water based.

 

Swim diapers keep solid waste in, but really, they're like tea bags. I'm sure there are people, both adults, teens, children, and toddlers that leave urine, food, beer, and pina coladas in the pool water aboard ships, but fecal matter is also a major concern.

Swim diapers still allow water to mix with the fecal matter, and the bacteria in the feces can still leak into the pool water.... which cannot be chlorinated on most cruise ships.

 

Mix that with the warm Caribbean sun, and you have a significant health risk.

Nobody wants to be quarantined to their rooms because of rampant diarrhea. It's bad enough people don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom, and head right back for the buffet line.

 

We all have families with children in the Family Cruises board and we all understand how we want to let our children experience the most out of a cruise vacation, but we still have to consider the other folks on the cruise and make responsible decisions regarding swimmie "tea bags".

 

 

I remember on our Disney cruises, the Mickey Pool (the one shaped like Mickey's head attached to the water slide) was closed for most of the day on the Sea Days because of high fecal bacteria levels. They'd close the pool, drain it, and "cast members" in yellow jumpsuits would scrub the thing down. It was disappointing, but that was the ONLY way for them to deal with "poopie" issues. Last thing they'd want is all the children using the water slide pool to have infections of some sort.

 

 

 

I wont be going to the actual pool but I was thinking a kiddie pool would be okay cus it doesnt have much water. But I heard that the water in the pools on the ship are from the ocean and its salt water. Is that true?

[sailinglisa]

Even kiddies pools are off limits to those people (small children, adults, etc.) who are diapered because they cannot control their bowel movements. They are salt water and do not have a seperate filtration system from the rest of the pools. The only ships that have seperate, specially filtrated pool areas for the diapered set are Disney (one of the ears of Mickey's pool) and the Freedom and Oasis class of Royal Caribean ships (Freedom, Liberty, Independence, Oasis and Allure of the Seas.)

[gerif]

I wont be going to the actual pool but I was thinking a kiddie pool would be okay cus it doesnt have much water. But I heard that the water in the pools on the ship are from the ocean and its salt water. Is that true?

 

ESPECIALLY kiddie pools. Ecoli from a soiled diaper can make an adult stick but can kill a small child. That's why it is considered that parents who ignore the no non-potty trained babies in the pools rule are really quite selfish. Your TA was wrong to have lied to you. Bring a small blow-up pool as has been suggested by others in the know. And, yes, you are correct, most of the pools are salt water and not heavily chlorinated.

[blondi_21]

ESPECIALLY kiddie pools. Ecoli from a soiled diaper can make an adult stick but can kill a small child. That's why it is considered that parents who ignore the no non-potty trained babies in the pools rule are really quite selfish. Your TA was wrong to have lied to you. Bring a small blow-up pool as has been suggested by others in the know. And, yes, you are correct, most of the pools are salt water and not heavily chlorinated.

 

 

My TA has small children of their own. So no he didnt like bout it.

[gerif]

My TA has small children of their own. So no he didnt like bout it.

 

OK, then - so he is just grossly misinformed and not very good at his job - how about that?

[Mack2]

My TA has small children of their own. So no he didnt like bout it.

 

I'd just like to remind everyone that Blondi_21 came to the Family Cruises sub-board for advice. We all offered some advice regarding the use of pools with swim diapers, and while it's generally frowned upon, it's sometimes not enforced by the cruise lines.

 

It leaves us with the moral dilemma on whether it's the responsible thing to do to abide by the rules.

 

I hope blondi heeds our advice while on their family vacation regardless of what the TA mentioned when selling his package. A lot of experienced cruisers truly understand the health risks associated with cruise ship pools and swim diapers and I know we have seen new cruisers come to the boards asking for inflatable pool advice for their toddlers.

 

The pools aboard the ships, in general, can be quite gnarly when you think about it. With half-eaten food items smushed on the pool deck, people stepping in them, then stepping into the pool, alcohol spilled, sugary mixed drinks lathering the sides... people not using the restrooms or washing their hands.... the pools can be really gross. Frankly, I'd be apprehensive to throw a toddler into the stew (we did Disney when the kids were in swimmies) because their immune systems are more susceptible to bacteria.

Nothing like letting the kids go to a pool and getting Coxsackie Virus infections... which can happen anywhere.

 

Fecal matter just adds another wonderful variable into the mess.

 

 

As for Nassau.... I really love Ardastra Gardens... feeding the lorie parrots is really cool! And we lucked out meeting Joe, the flamingo trainer, who let the kids meet the flamingos.