Nassau - Stay on ship or disembark?

[kristenb87]

Hi Everyone! My husband and I will be on the Navigator in May. One of stops is in Nassau from 8am to 9pm. We have been to Nassau numerous times and are considering just taking advantage of having a less crowded ship to enjoy for the day. However, I was curious if anyone has found anything fun to do in Nassau (not part of the typical shore excursions offered by RCCL) that would make it worth getting off the ship. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have!

[Clarea]

We enjoyed this:  https://www.trubahamianfoodtours.com/

 

Recommended to us by Carol (Merion Mom), thanks again Carol!

 

 

 

[BNBR]

Cheryls Bahamas Taxi and Tours.  If you have never done a private tour, worth doing.  Have them show you as much as possible.  Visit the Fish Fry, go to Ardastra Gardens Zoo, etc. 

[Frick_&_Frack]

I enjoyed a tour that was a Flight Simulator.  It was amazing!  (yes, a jet simulator).  It was a tour on Anthem for the 3/15 sailing, not sure if it's still offered - or you may be able to deal with the vendor directly.  I thought it was something totally awesome to do (as I've been to Nassau a lot).

[mongo59r]

Planning to stay on the ship for our upcoming stop in Nassau. However, on previous stops we have enjoyed a day pass at the British Colonial Hilton and Blue Lagoon. YMMV.........

[Cru1s1ng2009]

we usually stay on board and get spa specials that day. If you are like most cruisers, you've seen it all in Nassau.

[vacationlover_mn]

We have grown tired of Nassau... however, someone recommended Pearl Island, and we loved it!  Very relaxing and pretty 🙂. (And, supposedly, Eddie Murphy’s used to own in :))

[Skippers]

We take a cab to the Sandals resort and enjoy the day there - check it out online - not sure how much a day pass is now but we make arrangements before we sail.  It is a beautiful spot with their own private island.

[BNBR]

16 minutes ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

 If you are like most cruisers, you've seen it all in Nassau.

 

Virtually no cruiser has "seen it all" in Nassau, let alone most of Nassau.

[FLACRUISER99]

Just now, BNBR said:

 

Virtually no cruiser has "seen it all" in Nassau, let alone most of Nassau.

Yes Nassau is Port with many options

 I always can find something new to do.

[blueridgemama]

17 minutes ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

we usually stay on board and get spa specials that day. If you are like most cruisers, you've seen it all in Nassau.

 

There are so many things to do and see in Nassau that I just don't get the jaded views of so many cruisers. I am one of the  "like most cruisers" and I still find different things to do and most definitely have not seen it all. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with staying on the ship if that is your choice.

[BNBR]

10 minutes ago, FLACRUISER99 said:

Yes Nassau is Port with many options

 I always can find something new to do.

 

Exactly.  Cruise lines have upwards of 50 excursions alone.  So most cruisers have supposedly "done them all" - right.  And that's just the cruise line sponsored excursions.  There are hundreds of others, resorts, islands, tours, beaches, etc. etc.

 

And then, once you've "done it all" - after hundreds of things to do, supposedly none of them were worth doing twice....  Lol.

 

Nothing wrong with staying on the ship, I enjoy ship days too when in port sometimes, but the anti-Nassau stuff is just silliness.

[alfaeric]

Just did the wine lunch a Greycliff.  Not cheap, but REALLY good, and you get to tour their 200,000 bottle wine cellar.  While there, we noticed a table of people who had cooking aprons on- so apparently you can do a cooking thing there, too.

 

When we go next year (which I'm sure we will sometime), we plan on celebrating our 25th anniversary year by having a wine around a 1995 something. Let the chef go wild.

 

So many things to do.

[HLR]

I'm also a 

2 hours ago, BNBR said:

Cheryls Bahamas Taxi and Tours.  If you have never done a private tour, worth doing.  Have them show you as much as possible.  Visit the Fish Fry, go to Ardastra Gardens Zoo, etc. 

 

I am also a big fan of Ardastra Zoo. Two hours would do it for sure. It isn't far away...jitney or cab, we even walked once. They have a flamingo show and though not a big place once you start exploring...it's bigger than you think. They have a lot of large birds just walking around the place and a few big cats [not just walking around the place]. $18 to get in last summer. 

[mek]

I enjoy Senor Frogs in Nassau.  I aways go for lunch/drinks - they have delicious freshly made guacamole.

[2Long2NxtCrz]

We were there for our first time in November.  I was having trouble finding what I wanted to do and didn't have anything booked when we arrived.  We were the first ship in port, which helped, and we and another couple got off the ship pretty quickly and walked straight to Junkanoo beach.  It's a public beach, but there's a restaurant and bar there where you can rent loungers and umbrellas and they provide lounger side service.  We were the first to arrive and it did get crowded by the time we decided to pack up, but we had a great day of swimming and lounging.  Hubby even rented a snorkel and ventured further out.

 

After that we had plenty of time so walked to the John Watling distillery and joined a free tour.  We stopped at the tea place on the way and by Graycliffe in the store because by then we didn't have time for a tour.  We walked around, got a tiny bit lost, then made our way back to the port where we blitzed through the shops and bought myself a giant, sparkly pineapple beach bag.  😄

 

I'd definitely do it again!  There were plenty of food and drink on the beach and even though there were five ships (FIVE!) in port it wasn't over crowded to me.  And it was inexpensive.

[stevogator]

5 hours ago, Skippers said:

We take a cab to the Sandals resort and enjoy the day there - check it out online - not sure how much a day pass is now but we make arrangements before we sail.  It is a beautiful spot with their own private island.

We do this as well, you get all the drinks and food for $110 pp, much better IMO than any other excursion.

[kristenb87]

Thank you so much everyone! You have given us several ideas for our stop in Nassau (many I would never have thought about). I appreciate all of you taking the time to respond!! 

[cruisegirl1]

 We will often take the number 10 city bus to cable beach and have a delicious and refreshing drink (or two) at the daiquiri shack.   

 

 

enjoy. 

M

[ElectricBallroom]

21 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

Same. I did this last month and really enjoyed it, 

 

We enjoyed this:  https://www.trubahamianfoodtours.com/

 

Recommended to us by Carol (Merion Mom), thanks again Carol!

 

 

 

 

[Cru1s1ng2009]

18 hours ago, HLR said:

I'm also a 

 

I am also a big fan of Ardastra Zoo. Two hours would do it for sure. It isn't far away...jitney or cab, we even walked once. They have a flamingo show and though not a big place once you start exploring...it's bigger than you think. They have a lot of large birds just walking around the place and a few big cats [not just walking around the place]. $18 to get in last summer. 

 

YES! I forgot about this zoo. It was our very first excursion at Nassau.

 

You all are right, there is plenty to do on the island.

[zdad59]

We were in Nassau again in February.  Like the OP, its not a port we enjoy a lot.    We got up a little late, strolled the ship for a bit and relaxed.   After lunch we got off the ship and took a cab over the Paradise Lake.   Its the lake near Atlantis, and all the big super yachts dock there.    It was fun to stroll that area for a while and look at the multimillion  dollar yachts.    Some of the crews were out, and they were quite friendly.   Wouldn't say who was on board but had some nice details about their vessel.   After about an hour, we headed back to the ship and relaxed in the solarium.   All in all, a very relaxing day.

 

As others have noted there are plenty of things to do, if that interests you.   For us, Nassau is a great day to be lazy.

[onthewater51]

We were in Nassau in February and honestly we had low expectations.  My wife and I were there in the mid 90's and really disliked it at that time. It was dirty and seemed little to do.

 

However, we loved it this time. It was clean, people were friendly and not at all pushy.  We just did a short walk from the pier and wandered around town all afternoon.  Nassau gets a bad rep and I'm sure its like any place else in this world, it depends on where you venture.  As for the area and town close to the pier, absolutely wonderful

 

Have a safe, fun trip.

Bob

[Tapi]

I've been to Nassau more times than I can count, and I will admit to becoming a "Nassau hater". However, on our last cruise, we took a private boat to Rose Island through Bay West Adventures. After swimming in the ocean with huge turtles and taking a scenic boat ride along Cable Beach and Paradise Island, we spent the rest of the afternoon at an absolutely beautiful and deserted beach. Literally, not another human being or sign of civilization anywhere in sight. White sand, crystal clear water, and a beach stretching as far as our eyes could see. That experience has been, not only the best I've ever enjoyed in Nassau, but one of my most memorable days aboard any cruise I've taken. I've gone from "Nassau hater" to "Nassau lover" after our last visit. 

[springfire]

Having been to Nassau so many times, our last trip was by far the best.  We learned from another cruiser about this wonderful hidden gem, the Primeval Forest National Park.  It is a small wonderful tropical forest with many sink holes, with a walking path of about 1/2 mile long.  We arranged the trip with three other couples and had a wonderful guided tour.  You would not believe that you are in Nassau.