What to do in NASSAU, ST. THOMAS, & TORTOLA?

[Cruisermom2nick]

Also we did the Land and Sea excursion with NCL for Tortola and really enjoyed it! :)

More info here-

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/terrfific-tortola-land-and-sea.html

[hladygirl]

In Tortola take the ships excursion to jost van dyke. You will not be disappointed. It is the best excursion we have ever taken. We will be repeating it for the third time our next Caribbean cruise we have booked.

[SailLaVie]

We did Blackbeard's Castle in St. Thomas earlier this month and we loved it. The website said they were closed the day we were there but we took a chance and took a taxi there. It turns out they were open. Tour was great, and we spend the rest of our time at the 1829 Bar at the bottom of the castle. The bartender, Johnny, was friendly and personable and the bar had a cool breeze and very tasty drinks. :)

 

 

I'm sure my son would think it was a cool place to visit. Thank you :)

[SailLaVie]

when we did Virgin Gorda we were one of the first ship excursions to arrive. we were able to walk thru the caves without crowds. coming back was more crowded. you can just walk one way and exit at the other end, but we came to see the caves so we wanted to go round trip. there is a nice beach on both ends of the caves. its nice to do once, we wouldnt go again. while very interesting, it wasnt as cavey or large as we envisioned.

 

 

Thank you for an honest review. I'll definitely talk it over with my son, but I do think I'm leaning more towards Jost Van Dyke ;)

[SailLaVie]

We kept it simple when we went to those ports. We paid for tours with the people waiting at the port. The most we paid for was $25 for a 2-3 hour tour. We hit Lindbergh Beach in St Thomas for a couple hours. Also spent a little time shopping. We had people in our group that didn't want to snorkel etc and I wanted to see the islands more than anything.

 

 

I definitely like simple. I usually like to try and arrange something not through the cruiseline, as they simply charge too much! Thanks! :)

[czimm]

In St Thomas we always book a tour through Godfrey. This time we are just using him for private transport to Mountain Top for a delicious banana daiquiri and the amazing view, and then off to my happy place - Coki Beach. Beautiful beach with excellent snorkeling.

[SailLaVie]

the first few blocks of nassau are definitely trashy. not a good image. i havent been further than that but i've read about the beaches you can spend 30 to a lot more and they say they are great. so if you want the beach u should be ok

 

the staircase and other historical things are supposedly good. we spent 2 or 3 hours buying tshirts and got back on board. was hot as heck there. how do people stand it in summer when we died in december

 

 

It's too bad they don't clean that part up, you would think with all the tourists coming through, it would be the first thing they'd want to make look nice. :confused: I think we definitely want the beach, but I have to check with my son. For all I know, he could meet up with some people his own age, and bugger off on me. LOL

 

Never heard of the staircase? Will have to check it out. I don't know how people handle that heat either. I'm good with 20 C! Thanks for the info. :)

[mar1060]

In Nassau we took a 10 min. Cab ride to the Melia Resort (Cable beach) and got a day pass. Beautiful beach, 3 pools and included lunch. We also shopped near the pier and felt perfectly safe. No problems at all.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[SailLaVie]

I am not a Nassau fan and have read negative articles, embassy warnings, travel advisories, and the like for years. I have only done one excursion there and usually I have taken a taxi to Atlantis for lunch.

 

It really boils down to the fact that I don't see the beauty in this city and I am not comfortable there.

 

I do like/enjoy the Atantis. I spent a land vacation there and never left their property. Employees there advised against leaving the property due to crime but I just attributed that to the likely hood they wanted you to stay there and spend your vacation dollars :-)

 

I'm fully aware crime is everywhere, including my hometown. I still travel and try to stay informed as to where I am traveling. I avoid certain things/areas but, of course, there's no guarantees.

 

Here's one of many articles regarding crime info in Nassau. No, I won't rent a jet ski there, nor use an ATM! No, I am not paranoid, but it's a known problem in many articles that I have read in recent years. http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2016/07/articles/caribbean-islands/us-embassy-issues-warning-about-crime-in-nassau/

 

 

I've heard of a lot of crime in Nassau as well. I'm hoping that with the amount of people mingling around the area, we are okay to walk the 10 mins or so it takes to get to the Hilton. Seems pretty straightforward to get there. If my spidey sense starts to tingle, we'll just jump in a cab. Hopefully cabs are okay? :confused: Thank you for the information.

[SailLaVie]

As we were walking through the port area of Nassau I had a woman yank my hair insisting to braid it. If she had been trying to get my attention I missed her because I was holding my 2 year old and shuffling along with the crowd. So when she yanked my hair it sent a wave of panic over me, and made me very uncomfortable. My husband brought us right back to the ship after that happened!

Blue lagoon is an excursion with NCL, I think you take a boat ride to an island and have a beach day, there's dolphins, etc. It sounded like something my 5 year old would have loved but I missed out by waiting. Happy sailing, I know you'll have a wonderful time!

 

 

Wow! I'd be taken aback by that, and probably come up swinging. I will definitely be on full alert if we end up going anywhere in Nassau. Thanks so much for your help. :)

[SailLaVie]

In Nassau the distillery is a short walk and lots of fun! :) I blogged about it below-

 

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/07/nifty-nassau-activity-visit-john.html

 

Thanks for the info ;)

[Driberif1]

Since this will be our (mine and my adult son's) first time in any of these ports, it would be so appreciated if you could share some ideas with me. I am not interested in snorkeling or seeing any animals in captivity.

 

I have read so many people say they hate Nassau and they just stay on the ship. I read that they have a day pass at the Hilton in Nassau, maybe that would be a good place to go?

 

Do you ever feel unsafe in any of these ports? Any areas to avoid? Any and all tips are welcome. :)

 

 

It looks like you have had a few suggestions and I am close to what most are saying, I think it will depend on your level of adventure you want, St. Thomas we really enjoyed the ziplining, it was extremely safe and lots of fun, Maagens Bay or St. John is very nice also for more relaxing day. Nassau I would highly recommend Atlantis, we are all adults but still had a great time at the waterpark and the private beach. Tortola is the3 tough one, we just went to the baths a few months ago and it was really nice but it was beyond crowded! Hundreds and hundreds of people lined up constantly. (If you look beyond NCL's excursions you can take a private excursion that will take you up to the beach and avoid a 30 minute drive and hike to get there! Boats can not go all the way to the beach but they can stop at the ropes and you swim a few feet in and avoid the mess)

[SailLaVie]

The Sightseeing tour is popular in St. Thomas- I wrote about our experience here-

 

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/search?q=st+thomas

 

 

I think we are more interested in just lazing around on a beach ;)

[SailLaVie]

Also we did the Land and Sea excursion with NCL for Tortola and really enjoyed it! :)

More info here-

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/terrfific-tortola-land-and-sea.html

 

Thanks again, you've been very helpful :)

[SailLaVie]

In Tortola take the ships excursion to jost van dyke. You will not be disappointed. It is the best excursion we have ever taken. We will be repeating it for the third time our next Caribbean cruise we have booked.

 

I'm pretty sure JVD is where we'll head, but I've read that it's very easy to get to yourself by taxi and return ferry? At half the cost. So, I don't know? :eek:

[SailLaVie]

In St Thomas we always book a tour through Godfrey. This time we are just using him for private transport to Mountain Top for a delicious banana daiquiri and the amazing view, and then off to my happy place - Coki Beach. Beautiful beach with excellent snorkeling.

 

 

Sounds like you've got it all planned. I love that! Thanks for the advice. :)

[SailLaVie]

In Nassau we took a 10 min. Cab ride to the Melia Resort (Cable beach) and got a day pass. Beautiful beach, 3 pools and included lunch. We also shopped near the pier and felt perfectly safe. No problems at all.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Would you say it was better than the Hilton? I like the idea of the Hilton because it's a recognizable chain and it's very close to the port. Do you remember the cost? TIA :)

[SailLaVie]

It looks like you have had a few suggestions and I am close to what most are saying, I think it will depend on your level of adventure you want, St. Thomas we really enjoyed the ziplining, it was extremely safe and lots of fun, Maagens Bay or St. John is very nice also for more relaxing day. Nassau I would highly recommend Atlantis, we are all adults but still had a great time at the waterpark and the private beach. Tortola is the3 tough one, we just went to the baths a few months ago and it was really nice but it was beyond crowded! Hundreds and hundreds of people lined up constantly. (If you look beyond NCL's excursions you can take a private excursion that will take you up to the beach and avoid a 30 minute drive and hike to get there! Boats can not go all the way to the beach but they can stop at the ropes and you swim a few feet in and avoid the mess)

 

 

Thank you for the reply. I know my son would like some adventure, but he's also terrified of heights, so maybe a beach would be best. LOL I'm not keen on Atlantis at all, the last two times we hit a waterpark, I felt sick and just lay in the shade while my family had fun. I'm also not keen on the crowds at The Baths, and am sure we will do Jost Van Dyke in Tortola. :)

[luckyinpa]

It's too bad they don't clean that part up, you would think with all the tourists coming through, it would be the first thing they'd want to make look nice. :confused: I think we definitely want the beach, but I have to check with my son. For all I know, he could meet up with some people his own age, and bugger off on me. LOL

 

Never heard of the staircase? Will have to check it out. I don't know how people handle that heat either. I'm good with 20 C! Thanks for the info. :)

 

http://www.bahamas.com/vendor/queens-staircase

[SailLaVie]

http://www.bahamas.com/vendor/queens-staircase

 

 

Thanks! Looks interesting :)

[Cruising...our happy place]

Good question. We love St. Thomas. We like Magen's Bay (we get there early) and St John's (Trunk Bay). In Tortola, we like Virgin Gorda (not everyone will like climbing in tight spaces....) and Jost Van Dyke. I share some of the negative sentiments about Nassau. I wish NCL went to their private island (GSC) vs. Nassau. We have stayed on the ship many times or gone to Atlantis. I think we may try the Hilton next time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[SailLaVie]

Good question. We love St. Thomas. We like Magen's Bay (we get there early) and St John's (Trunk Bay). In Tortola, we like Virgin Gorda (not everyone will like climbing in tight spaces....) and Jost Van Dyke. I share some of the negative sentiments about Nassau. I wish NCL went to their private island (GSC) vs. Nassau. We have stayed on the ship many times or gone to Atlantis. I think we may try the Hilton next time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I've got it mostly figured out now. Definitely want to go to JVD in Tortola. While I'd like to see the Baths, I don't want the crowds and just really need to relax. Pretty sure we'll go to the Hilton in Nassau, as Atlantis just doesn't interest me. And probably Magens Bay in St. Thomas. Sounds perfectly relaxing to me. :)

[tweetylori]

We did Blackbeard's Castle in St. Thomas earlier this month and we loved it. The website said they were closed the day we were there but we took a chance and took a taxi there. It turns out they were open. Tour was great, and we spend the rest of our time at the 1829 Bar at the bottom of the castle. The bartender, Johnny, was friendly and personable and the bar had a cool breeze and very tasty drinks. :)

 

I'm not the one who asked the question but am very interested in the answers as we have a cruise coming up with some of these ports. THIS sounds perfect for US...thank you!

[mandyc3383]

The first time I went to Nassau we walked to Senior Frog's for lunch amd drinks. It is a touristy chain restutaunt but a lively atmosphere. We took a taxi over to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Blue Lagoon island where we did the sea lion excursion. We loved the excursion so much! Fun experience! Then we took the ferry back and walked around Atlantis to check it out. We toured the aquarium. We felt that the aquarium wasn't worth the cost personally. We walked around the shops outside of Atlantis, browsing and shopping. Then we took a taxi back over to the ship. We had a good day for sure.

 

The second time in Nassau we wandered into the town and walked to Graycliff's cigar and candy shop to check them out. Then walked to the rum distillery. We took a short self guided tour of the facility and then did a rum tasting. Then we walked to junkanoo where we hung out, swam, had lunch from a hut, got a massage from a hut before walking back to the ship. We had a good time that day as well.

 

I think Nassau is what you make of it.

Edited January 20, 2017 by mandyc3383

[4774Papa]

For those who like to just wing it at the port and pick up a tour or taxi there, it may work well for you.

 

In my opinion, it depends on the port and country. In some countries, I would never take that chance with someone that I know nothing about. When I first visited Egypt, I had an Egyptian friend tell me that there was a scam where taxi drivers were taking people to the desert instead of downtown Cairo, raping the women and stealing all their valuables. Some people died.

 

It may work if you want to go to a beach and snorkel, etc., but if you have more to see, and want a full day tour, I would much rather know the firm and their rating on TripAdvisor.

 

For some ports where the sights to see require a reservation, it is almost a must to do a tour.