What to do in Nassau?

[michelle-nh]

Most of the cruises out of New York (the only port other than Boston within driving distance) go to Nassau. On the one and only cruise we've been on we went to Nassau. The aggressive vendors were annoying, we took a short bus tour, and spent the rest of the day walking around. It was "okay" but we don't really have any great desire to go back.  But it is still tempting, since a cruise from NY would be so "easy" for us. 

 

Can anyone convince us? What is fun and exciting to do in Nassau?

 

If it helps...We aren't people who will just camp out on a beach all day in the sun, but a beach with a bar, entertainment, opportunities to socialize would be fun. My DH would enjoy snorkeling, I could take it or leave it. We love exploring and experiencing the culture of places. We are active and enjoy kayaking, ATVs, etc.

[vacationlover_mn]

We were hesitant to leave the ship in Nassau, since we’ve been there before and didn’t love it.  After a bunch of research, we decided to book an excursion to Pearl Island, since it sounds so relaxing and pretty 🙂

 

Since it sounds like you want more activity than just laying in the sun... maybe look into a day pass at one of the resorts?  There is lots of info online.  We almost booked one, but decided we wanted “tropical island” instead 🙂

Edited January 27, 2019 by vacationlover_mn

[Tigergenesis]

Definitely book an excursion and get away from the port.  While we will always walk about around ports, we always get out of there and do an excursion or tour (usually with a private company and not the ship).  Our last visit to Nassau we booked an excursion at Blue Lagoon.  We did the Sea Lion encounter and enjoyed that very much.  They have others to choose from as well as beach activities and snorkeling.  Previous cruises we have gone snorkeling with Stuarts Cove.  

[cruiseapril]

We liked the Blue Lagoon and the Melia.  There are many options at both.

[pacruise804]

I've seen good reviews for a food tour.  If we return to Nassau that is something we will probably try.

[blueridgemama]

There is a review for the Tru Bahamian Food Tours somewhere on this thread. The reviewer had very positive things to say.

[michelle-nh]

Thanks everyone! Blue Lagoon sounds perfect for us, I'll check that out. A food tour might be fun for a future cruise. I'm a member of a professional association that is doing a cruise conference this September (yay!!) and the main port stop is Nassau, so I was mainly asking for that day. But in the future, I can easily imagine us cruising out of NYC when we need a quick getaway, so knowing we have options in Nassau definitely helps. 

[Ogtubbx3]

On 1/28/2019 at 4:21 PM, michelle-nh said:

Thanks everyone! Blue Lagoon sounds perfect for us, I'll check that out. A food tour might be fun for a future cruise. I'm a member of a professional association that is doing a cruise conference this September (yay!!) and the main port stop is Nassau, so I was mainly asking for that day. But in the future, I can easily imagine us cruising out of NYC when we need a quick getaway, so knowing we have options in Nassau definitely helps. 

We were just at Blue Lagoon and loved it! You can check out my review, very detailed!

[blueridgemama]

Look into Clinton Heritage National park. Majestic Tours has a tour to the park or you can go on your own.

Edited January 30, 2019 by blueridgemama

[CruisinCrow]

On 1/28/2019 at 4:21 PM, michelle-nh said:

Thanks everyone! Blue Lagoon sounds perfect for us, I'll check that out. A food tour might be fun for a future cruise. I'm a member of a professional association that is doing a cruise conference this September (yay!!) and the main port stop is Nassau, so I was mainly asking for that day. But in the future, I can easily imagine us cruising out of NYC when we need a quick getaway, so knowing we have options in Nassau definitely helps. 

 

The food tour review was mine.  Here's a link, if you're interested.  Most of our cruises seem to end up in Nassau too and it's always nice to have some ideas for future visits.    Since you said you liked experiencing the culture of a place, this is a great way to do it.