Nassau - like it or not?

[Islandbuoy]

It's a good place to spend a few days on a pretty beach, but noty good for 1/2 day from cruise ship.

 

I'd vote for a day @ HMC both outbound & inbound!!!! OR as we do take the southern route!!!

[leafs97]

We've always enjoyed our trip to Nassau (3 times now) ... We were there for 1/2 day during the March 20-27 sailing of the Westerdam. We took a taxi to the beach on Paradise Island, walked the full length of the beach, went swimming for about an hour near the coral reef at the end of the beach, and then came back to the ship.

[blackbird71]

It is one step up from San Juan that I hate.

[Time2sail]

We went into the market place (and other shops) once in Nassau--that was enough and will not go back. We just are not shoppers.

 

It is a good destination for an inexpensive cruise from where we live. We usually take the ship's excursion(s) and snorkel for the day. We never go out at night nor do we enjoy Paradise Island. If you like casinos, then you would probably like it there. The ships usually spend a day at their own private island and they are beautiful and not crowded.

 

As far as spending a half day there, it really would not give us time to take an snorkeling excursion so we would just stay on the ship.

[gizmo]

I didn't vote, since I have to clarify my answer.

 

I would not mind going there for a full day. Many of Hal's cruises only stop for a 1/2 day. The half day is not worth it.

[waterrats]

I have not been there and will not be there again this year. We were supposed to go last September but Hurricane Jeanne kept us away. I have not met anyone that has truly enjoyed their visit there but according to this poll, I should at least give it a chance if I end up there some day.

[marco]

I have to agree with "Gizmo". Nassau is a beautiful island, but these 1/2 day stops does not allow sufficent time to see and do much more than the straw market. Either go and stay for the day, or go to an "out island" . I think because of it's proximity to Fla, it's perfectly distanced so that if the ship need to "kill" 5-6 hours, they go to Nassau. Folks see an itinerary with an addtional port of call and they may see that as more appealing than an additional day at sea.

[CDRMark]

For any of you jarheads not on active duty, Nassau is the site of the first US Marine Corps amphibious operation...in 1777.

 

They came, they took a small fort, they stumbled around a while trying to decide whether to take the island, and then they just went home instead.

We did name a ship after it though. USS Nassau LHA-4.

Love Nassau (ship and port)and have been there often, but never on a cruise ship. If I could not dive or dine at Greycliff, i would probly opt to remain onboard.

Cheers

MarkB

[Himself]

I have been there a couple of times. I would not mind going back again, even if it is just to walk around a little bit.

 

Himself

[knarf]

Hi, We've been to Nassau 2 times and this summer will make 3. The first time (2years ago) we got off the ship and walked all over town-I walked my wife's legs off. We went everwhere in town , up to the Queen's staircase, up to the fort(lookout tower) back to the dock. The second time we walked over to the strawmarket spent some time there looking around. We then caught the local jitney(bus) to Cable Beach. Locals on the bus as well as visitors. The cost was $1.00 each for the 3 or 4 mile ride.Nice ride along the coast. Got off at the Wyndam Hotel and Casino. Went into the casino for awhile then went out and sat on their beach ,then caught the bus back to town. Plan on doing the same this summer-Straw Market-Cable Beach-the casino and the beach. I am 65 and wife is 55 . We encountered NO problems at all. Sincerely, Knarf(Frank backwards)

[steviek49]

Actually if you like the beach, aquariums, 5 star hotels and wonderful pools and waterslides taking a short ride to Atlantis is a great way to spend a day in Nassau, especially if you have kids.

If you are in port long enough I always recommend making a reservation at the Comfort Suites, Paradise island. Generally you can book a room there anywhere from $125-200 per day for up to 4 people. Booking at Comfort Suites gives you FULL access to everything in Atlantis. We have spent alot more money for lesser excursions on other islands!

[Scrumpy]

Nassau and Paradise Island were not our cup of tea. It depends what you want to do. We enjoyed the sea life at Atlantis (while wondering if it wasn't somehow inhumane) and had a great meal and a couple of mediocre ones. I wish we'd spent more time in Nassau proper, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there again. It was, for us, too much like just going to Florida and the casino seemed to have more than its fair share of pretentious wannabes. It really depends on your tastes and expectations. We had high hopes for that trip and were mostly disappointed. Too many American tourists and we, stupidly, didn't expect that. The best part was renting a jet-ski and circling Paradise Island. Kind of a long trip around, but it got pretty exciting as the sea is rough around one end. It was worth it to check out some of the yachts.

Scrumpy

[MizzCard]

If the itinerary takes me there, I obviously have no choice....but I do have a choice whether to stay on board the ship...which I would gladly do!

[ryansmemom]

For Chimera and myself it's a day onboard. We spent our honeymoon in Nassau in 1967 and it was a very different place. When we returned after 30 years we were quite taken aback. So what else is new? Things change, but this change was drastic.

 

The Bay Street we remembered was a very clean street with traditional stores with large windows and regular doors, each with it's own matching green awning. The streets were immaculately kept. They were clean and in excellent repair. The straw market was a lovely sprawling open air market. The government buildings with their statues were pristine. We remembered walking along the wharf where fishing boats were tied up. It was truly a lovely place to shop and spend time.

 

We took a ship sponsered tour of all of the sights we remembered from our honeymoon. Of course Fort Fincastle and the Queen's staircase were still there along with many of the other attractions, but it was different.

 

Today, Nassau is a run down island with nothing to attract us, except some nostalgia, perhaps. Frankly, we prefer our memories.

 

It was not a total paradise back then. One of the most remarkable sights were the homes. Gated mansions were right next to slums. Back then there seemed to be two levels of society, the very wealthy and the very poor.

 

Paradise Island was just being developed. They had just changed the name. Nassau was a high class, upscale vacation spot and we felt we were way over our heads.

 

We were very young. We were idealistic. We had never travelled before and had never been outside the United States. This was our first time on an airplane. We were very green.

 

It was interesting to compare the photographs we took back then with the photographs we took on that cruise. We deliberately revisited the same places and tried our best to duplicate the pictures, albiet 30 years apart. It made for an interesting album.

 

Now, we stay on the ship. We would definitly prefer a day at sea, however, Nassau being on the itinerary will not preclude our booking a particular cruise.

 

Linda

[anngie]

I dislike Nassau very much. Everything there is overpriced and for the most part the locals are unfriendly. I never understood their attitude toward tourists. That is where the majority of their revenue comes from.

The only positive thing that I can say about Nassau is that the port is prettier than Freeport. If we have to go there on a cruiseship we just stay onboard and enjoy watching the boaters go by.

[bas7]

Was on the April 9th sailing of the Zuiderdam. Our last stop before Fort Lauderdale was Nassau. Wasn't going to get off of the ship until I noticed a Hebrew Temple listed on the back side of the map they give us on ship. Being Jewish, I'm always interested in seeing temples, especially on foreign soil, and churches too. No-one, but no-one knew of this temple, not even the police officers that I asked. Spent an hour trying to locate it, and finally went into a shop on the street where it was supposedly located, and was told by the shopkeeper that they remembered it, and said it had been closed. Oh well. I did however make it to Elizabeth Street, and the 66 Steps, where I took a couple of pictures, and made my way back to the beautiful Zuiderdam. Nassau seemed a bit too chaotic (drivers, including the horse and buggies, nearly got run down by one of them, probably my fault though), and noisy for my tastes. However, I can now say that I've been there, but don't choose to return, unless it's on an itinerary, and I would then stay aboard ship. No, I take that back. The poster who suggested the water taxi ride, and seeing all those ships, would definately turn me on. Other than that, I too would much prefer to see HMC on the outbound, and again on the inbound, as another poster stated.

 

Best,

 

As always,

 

Bruce

 

 

Volendam, December 16th, 2004

Zuiderdam, April 9th, 2005

[hogwildcruzers]

It is always nice to see new places but if I could have my wish it would be to have a second day at HMC, althought Nassau has alot to offer I would rather spend time and stay at the Atlantis for a couple of days and not have only a few hours off a cruise ship.

[fireflygal]

Would go back to Nassau/Paradise Island in a flash! Never stayed in Nassau, always stayed on Paradise Island. First trip was by cruise ship on the Rotterdam in 1979; return trip aboard the Oceanic in 1981. Spent two vacations a year on Paradise Island since 1982 at what is now the Atlantis. It is truly a beautiful island and we never had a reason to cross the bridge except to drive back to the airport. Bit pricey though! As we are slot players, we get a players special casino rate for the room and it makes it affordable, even with the gambling. The only problem is the cost of food, it is very costly. Still less the cost of a 7 day cruise in an "S" suite.

[shmily]

Hi all,

Just returned from a wonderful week on the Zuiderdam with our last port being in Nassau. There were 3 other ships docked by the time we got there so lots of people in port. We found the shops to be crowded, overpriced, with unfriendly merchants. The jewelry stores were quite a lot higher than similar ones in St. Thomas. The straw market can only be described as scary. It's extremely narrow between the rows of merchandise. The tables are packed so full of "stuff" that you can't begin to even start to look for something. The merchants pounce on you if you hesitate at their booths and there is no air circulation in it so it's like a sauna. Since the two excursions we were interested in were sold out long before the cruise even started, we were forced to make the most out of the situation. Our salvation....Senor Frogs! It is literally 10 yards away from the straw market and a highlight of our cruise by far. We spent about 3.5 hours there laughing, drinking, eating, dancing on bars and in congo lines. The staff is friendly, fun and always ready to get in on the action. They had a DJ and MC who went around from table to table getting the whole crowd involved. It was the most fun you can have with complete strangers. I HIGHLY recommend it as a way to pass the day until you can leave port. If it weren't for Senor Frogs, I would give Nassau two HUGE thumbs down vote. Bring us back for a second day on HMC and we would have been happy campers.

Chris:D

[Ray-Barbara]

We were there last month and did not enjoy it. The shops were high priced, the traffic was busy, the taxi cab drivers were pushy, and the town had a smell to it. We walked around for a couple of hours and then went back on ship. We could have gone to Atlantis but are not gamblers.

Ray

[vicocala]

This will be my first visit. Since I live in Florida the beaches and shopping per se wouldn't attract me that much. We do have an excursion planned in October, the "Seaworld Explorer Semi-Submersible". Has anyone taken it before?

 

I would prefer to snorkle but the DW is not much for being active so this was the best way to see the reefs and get her to tag along too.

[shmily]

The only thing that saved us from thinking Nassau was a total washout on our cruise last week was a 3.5 hr stay at Senor Frog's. It is literally right next door to the straw market with a gorgeous view of the harbor. We had a table on the terrace which we took full advantage of. Great food, great entertainment, and lots of fun drinks made for a great day there despite the fact that we were in Nassau.

 

Happy cruising...

~Chris

[Bodger]

I am astonished that nobody has mentioned Adastra Gardens and the "world famous marching flamingos". It was part of the tour on our first cruise (boy were we novices). We have been to Nassau three times.

 

They tell you how the birds have been trained to march on command and have been doing this for forty years, and they have performed for the Queen. My wife says I am a cynic when I suggest that it was just a guy chasing these poor birds around in a circle with a stick! It was interesting from the point of view of having a good story to tell if nothing else.

 

I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Nassau again, but I would get off of the ship to go for a walk. I would rather go to HMC.

 

Bodger

[heartofamerica]

The first time I was in Nassau, we did a snorkle adventure that was nice, but rather long. This time, I just wanted to return to a place I saw on the tour bus during the first trip. Being in Public Health, I got a hoot out of this sign on the side of their public health building.

 

http://halfass.com/images/rubbers.jpg

[HAL92]

Nassau is too much of a "touristy" port. There are too many ships docked there every day, and it is always very crowded and there isn't much to do there. I'd rather go to HMC inbound and outbound rather than go to Nassau. The 3-day Nassau cruises from Miami also clog the port, making for a very hectic port and city.