4-night Cruise to Nassau with Small Children... Worth Booking a Shore Excursion?

[lklgoodman]

Really.. I did not know you can request for your own private/semi-private table... thank you so much! Also, how old is your kid? Just not sure how they’ll do just “cooped up” inside the ship for 4 straight days that’s why we’re thinking of just walking around the port... but unsure if it’s “safe” enough to just walk around especially with our young children unless we book a shore excursion

Our dd is 11 now, but she was 8 when we stayed on the ship on that cruise. She went on her first cruise to Alaska a few days after she turned 6 yrs old, so the same age as your oldest. She loved being on the ship, especially the kids club. I don't think you will feel "cooped up" while on the ship. I'm guessing you will be on the Dream? We haven't been on the Dream, but have been on the Fantasy several times, they are basically the same ships. The mini golf is a lot of fun and little kid friendly. There's shuffleboard on deck 4(I think deck 4). There's Nemo's splash pad for little ones, it's covered so you don't have to worry about sunburns. The Fantasy (and I'm guessing also the Dream)also has another splash pad area. There's a large basketball area that you can let your little ones run wild on if there's no big people on it. Sometimes they have kid dance parties in the atrium. Plenty of opportunities for kids to burn off energy if you want. And there's a channel of nothing but old style Mickey cartoons on the cabin tv for when you need a little calm time. Even if you don't need a wake up time, call for one on your cabin phone, a certain mouse will be calling to wish you a good day(my dd still does this at 11 yrs old). And the room service cookies are MUCH better than the ones in Cabanas.

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

My suggestion for a brief young-kid-friendly Nassau excursion: we did the Seaworld Explorer semi-sub tour in Nassau when the young MacSpiffs were six and nine years old. Both of them loved it, and there were lots of much younger kids on board who also had a great time. We all loved the boat ride out through Nassau harbor, and then once we were on board and cruising the coral reef we saw all kinds of fish, starfish, turtles, sharks, plant life, you name it. Everyone had their own window seat and our guide was great with the kids; she was really knowledgeable, and answered all of their questions very patiently. Even the littlest of the preschoolers were fascinated. Posting pictures here, but my camera wasn't up to the job. Anyway, we had a few minutes after the tour to hang out on deck before catching our ride back to the port and then before we knew it we were back on board. The whole trip only took a few hours -- perfect if you have young ones in your party.

If you do decide to stay on board in Nassau, be aware that fewer people are getting off there these days. There's lots to do on the ship, but don't expect uncrowded pools; they're not too bad in the morning but it won't be long before they're only a little less crowded than your average sea day. IMHO, if you haven't been to/through Nassau, it's worth at least one visit.

 

[Melissa S]

Junkanoo Beach is close by and great for small kids. We walked there during one of our times in Nassau. It was nice to get off the ship for a couple hours and then back on for a late lunch.

Went on the Atlantis aquarium excursion several years ago when our daughter was 2 and thought it was a massive waste of time and money.

 

[StarSeven7]

A lot of people here will tell you that Nassau is not safe and not nice but we’ve vacationed there twice for a week at a time (so not on a cruise) and we went downtown plenty of times with lots of young children and we never once felt unsafe. The straw market is fun and we just enjoyed walking around and shopping in Nassau. Some of our group went to the pirate museum and the kids enjoyed it. We went to Ardastra Gardens which is a small zoo and they do a flamingo parade and the kids loved it. The first time we went we all went to the aquarium at Atlantis and it was a lot of fun. There’s lots to see and do in Nassau so I would never just stay on the ship!

 

[Frozen2014]

We did Blue Lagoon excursion our first time in Nassau and quite enjoyed the day. I would only book through excursion though as you need to take the ferry to get there (and we had limited time).

 

[ahain]

... can you just walk around the port without getting mugged?

Absolutely. Just stay to the main tourist streets and, as always, be mindful of your surroundings, keep track of your purse/valuables, don't wear flashy jewelry, etc. and you will be fine.

 

[Garyjames220]

Absolutely. Just stay to the main tourist streets and, as always, be mindful of your surroundings, keep track of your purse/valuables, don't wear flashy jewelry, etc. and you will be fine.

would it be ok to have my dcl lanyard round my neck, technically that cost me thousands to get that

 

[klug_bug2010]

While I feel like Nassau is worth while to visit, especially Atlantis, it's almost a vacation in itself. DH and I stayed at a hotel on the Atlantis property back in 2013, and we had such a great time that we vowed to take our kids one day. Fast forward to 2016, we took our then 5 & 9 yr old girls on a 4 day Disney cruise that stopped at the Bahamas. We did the outrageously priced Atlantis water park thing, and was very disappointed. Just not enough time, too many people, etc. With young ones, I would stay on the ship, and if you feel like you want to take in The Bahamas, do it on an independent vacation so that you have a few days to relax and take it all in.

 

[mevelandry]

Family of 4, first time cruisers and first time here - should we stay in the ship at Nassau port (since shorter cruise so less crowded when ship is docked to avail of the pools, etc.) BUT, if we’re already there and haven’t been there (Nassau) before, are we missing out if we don’t book any shore excursion? We’ll have a preschooler and first grader with us. Thank you in advance!

With young kids, I would stay on the ship.

 

[mevelandry]

Think it’s more like 150-200. It was ludicrous.

Is it me or the prices of excursions in Nassau really went up recently? I've been checking for prices for Blue Lagoon for a girls trip in 2020 and it seems to be that it used to be much cheaper.

 

[tcufrog]

Both times we’ve been to Nassau we went to Blue Lagoon and loved it. It’s much more laid back than Atlantis and we like how low key the beach is. The sand is softer next to shore than it is at Castaway Cay and the water has a little bit of movement which is fun but not enough to be dangerous or scare kids. The first time we went my younger son was 4 (he’s 8 now) we did the dolphin encounter and he still remembers the name of the dolphin and talks about him. The second time (this week) we did the sea lion encounter which was fun too. You don’t have to do an animal encounter though.

 

[fredandkell]

I haven’t read through all the previous responses so forgive me if this is a duplicate, but you can leave your kids on the ship and then just you and your husband go do something in Nassau if that would be easier.
ETA: leave them in the kids club on the ship, not just roaming by themselves

 

[Capt_BJ]

I heard not a lot of sidewalks available outside the port area though - did you find this to be true from the Pirate Museum?

The museum is in the main downtown area so in 'sidewalk country' ... that's why it is a good trip for young'ns ... you're only gonna walk a few blocks ....
http://www.piratesofnassau.com/

 

[Intr3pid]

Forget the town. Head to the Atlantis Waterpark (one of the best in this part of the world) or to the Blue Lagoon.

You can also DIY the water park using the Comfort Suites trick (google it).

 

[spiders]

We did the Adastra Zoo excursion and city tour. I don't know if we would do it again but it was worth doing once. If you've never been to Nassau then I would get off the ship just to say you saw it. Have you really been to Nassau if you never stepped off the ship?

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I would leave the kids in the kids club and go ashore.

 

[Mrs_dee]

My suggestion for a brief young-kid-friendly Nassau excursion: we did the Seaworld Explorer semi-sub tour in Nassau when the young MacSpiffs were six and nine years old. Both of them loved it, and there were lots of much younger kids on board who also had a great time. We all loved the boat ride out through Nassau harbor, and then once we were on board and cruising the coral reef we saw all kinds of fish, starfish, turtles, sharks, plant life, you name it. Everyone had their own window seat and our guide was great with the kids; she was really knowledgeable, and answered all of their questions very patiently. Even the littlest of the preschoolers were fascinated. Posting pictures here, but my camera wasn't up to the job. Anyway, we had a few minutes after the tour to hang out on deck before catching our ride back to the port and then before we knew it we were back on board. The whole trip only took a few hours -- perfect if you have young ones in your party.

If you do decide to stay on board in Nassau, be aware that fewer people are getting off there these days. There's lots to do on the ship, but don't expect uncrowded pools; they're not too bad in the morning but it won't be long before they're only a little less crowded than your average sea day. IMHO, if you haven't been to/through Nassau, it's worth at least one visit.

View attachment 445167

That’s a good point... thank you for sharing! I’ll look into it, hopefully it’s not too pricey

 

[Mrs_dee]

Junkanoo Beach is close by and great for small kids. We walked there during one of our times in Nassau. It was nice to get off the ship for a couple hours and then back on for a late lunch.

Went on the Atlantis aquarium excursion several years ago when our daughter was 2 and thought it was a massive waste of time and money.

How soon can you get off the ship, do you recall?

 

[Mrs_dee]

Our dd is 11 now, but she was 8 when we stayed on the ship on that cruise. She went on her first cruise to Alaska a few days after she turned 6 yrs old, so the same age as your oldest. She loved being on the ship, especially the kids club. I don't think you will feel "cooped up" while on the ship. I'm guessing you will be on the Dream? We haven't been on the Dream, but have been on the Fantasy several times, they are basically the same ships. The mini golf is a lot of fun and little kid friendly. There's shuffleboard on deck 4(I think deck 4). There's Nemo's splash pad for little ones, it's covered so you don't have to worry about sunburns. The Fantasy (and I'm guessing also the Dream)also has another splash pad area. There's a large basketball area that you can let your little ones run wild on if there's no big people on it. Sometimes they have kid dance parties in the atrium. Plenty of opportunities for kids to burn off energy if you want. And there's a channel of nothing but old style Mickey cartoons on the cabin tv for when you need a little calm time. Even if you don't need a wake up time, call for one on your cabin phone, a certain mouse will be calling to wish you a good day(my dd still does this at 11 yrs old). And the room service cookies are MUCH better than the ones in Cabanas.

We’ll actually be on the Magic, starting out on a smaller ship so we don’t feel overwhelmed right away lol. Plus, my daughter loves Rapunzel (new Rapunzel restaurant on the Magic) and my son loves Captain America so hopefully he pays a visit during Marvel Training Academy at the Kids’ Club. Hopefully we also have some of the activities you mentioned above! Thanks

 

[Mrs_dee]

My family of 4 has either been placed at our own table or been at a table with another family of 4.

How far in advance did you call Disney to make this request and it just so happen that there’s only 8 people total in your table?