Baha Bay, Margaritaville- excursion or taxi

[irun5k]

Will be in Nassau in March- was considering staying on the ship but Margaritaville and Baha Bay both look like options my family would enjoy.

 

Option 1: Margaritaville would be on our own as there are no official excursions (Allure of the Seas).  I have not been to the redesigned Nassau port yet but the idea of an official taxi stand inside the port area sounds much nicer than the chaos that I would see years ago with the old port setup.

 

Baha Bay on the other hand could be done as an excursion or a taxi + resort pass.  

 

So, Option 2: The ships excursion is slightly more (~$10 pp) but includes transportation and a limited lunch whereas the resort pass does not.  However I 

have read older reviews saying a good chunk of our day with the ship's excursion will be tied up waiting for the excursion to depart the ship, waiting on a bus, etc.

 

Option 3: If we go direct with a taxi I presume we could save some time and would be in control of our own schedule.  Otherwise from a value standpoint it seems like a wash... excursion might come out slightly cheaper when we factor transportation and lunch for 4, but not cheap enough to make it a deciding factor.

 

Any thoughts or recent experiences that might amplify one option over the other if we decide not to stay on the ship?  We are in port from 7 - 3PM.  I had trouble finding information about when we could check in with our day pass to both resorts- does anyone know?   I've also heard traffic can be bad getting to Baha Mar whereas Margaritaville is walking distance (though we'd likely still take a cab.)

 

 

[sammyg425]

Just did Margarittaville last week and my two kids (7 and 10) enjoyed it. Easily walkable from the port. With traffic around the port, taking a taxi may take longer than walking. There are only a couple of water slides and a fun lazy river (plus beach access and flowrider); Baha Mar will have more to do if that matters to your family. We arrived at 10 and all the prime loungers were taken, so I would suggest getting there earlier; I think they open at 8 AM. 

[irun5k]

1 minute ago, sammyg425 said:

There are only a couple of water slides and a fun lazy river (plus beach access and flowrider); Baha Mar will have more to do if that matters to your family.

Thank you, I watched a couple more videos on Margaritaville and made this realization.  I thought there were more water slides actually... my kids are 9 and 16 so Margaritaville might not offer a lot of bang for our buck especially since we'll be at Coco Cay the day prior enjoying the pool, beach, etc. for free.

 

So I think I'm leaning toward one of my two ways to get to Baha Mar, or perhaps just checking out the new port area and then return to ship.  

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, irun5k said:

Thank you, I watched a couple more videos on Margaritaville and made this realization.  I thought there were more water slides actually... my kids are 9 and 16 so Margaritaville might not offer a lot of bang for our buck especially since we'll be at Coco Cay the day prior enjoying the pool, beach, etc. for free.

 

So I think I'm leaning toward one of my two ways to get to Baha Mar, or perhaps just checking out the new port area and then return to ship.  

Taxi or jitney would be easy, I don’t think you care allowed on the beach if you’re not a guest.

[CarolRoy]

On 2/26/2024 at 1:34 PM, sammyg425 said:

; Baha Mar will have more to do if that matters to your family. We arrived at 10 and all the prime loungers were taken, so I would suggest getting there earlier; I think they open at 8 AM. 

What was the cost for the resort pass at Baha Mar?  Only been to the casino there via jitney last year.

[blue_water]

On 2/28/2024 at 2:11 PM, CarolRoy said:

What was the cost for the resort pass at Baha Mar?  Only been to the casino there via jitney last year.

There is no day pass for the Baha Mar Resort (no beach or resort pool access)

There is a day pass for the Baha Bay Water Park. $160/adult, $65/ child (under48”).

https://prod-b2c-bmr.vivaticket.com/tickets.html

You can enjoy the casino and some restaurants at the resort with or without the Baha Bay pass……

Edited February 29 by blue_water

[CarolRoy]

Thanks for the info.  We have been to Baha Mar casino when we were on the last cruise.  I didn't think they had resort passes for the beach or pool.  

[blue_water]

On 2/29/2024 at 9:58 PM, CarolRoy said:

Thanks for the info.  We have been to Baha Mar casino when we were on the last cruise.  I didn't think they had resort passes for the beach or pool.  

Just info for anyone following! 😉