Disney Dream - Bahamas stop - skip it?

[vtwep]

Hi,

First time cruise coming up in October. Very excited!

I've been reading here and other sites, and while I'm sure there are positive experiences, I'm reading a lot of negative related to the Bahamas day. It seems that some places should be completely avoided, beaches close to the ship are hit or miss depending on the day/cleanliness, and the excursions that sound "good" are quite expensive.

I'm leaning to just staying on board, but at the same time, that makes me feel like we're missing something. Would it be strange to do our first cruise and the only time we get off the ship is at CC? Is it as bad as it sounds? Should I just suck it up and pick an excursion that sounds fun and go for it?

I know everyone has to form their own opinions, but some of the sites I'm reviewing almost make the Bahamas stop sound a bit "scary"?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi,

First time cruise coming up in October. Very excited!

I've been reading here and other sites, and while I'm sure there are positive experiences, I'm reading a lot of negative related to the Bahamas day. It seems that some places should be completely avoided, beaches close to the ship are hit or miss depending on the day/cleanliness, and the excursions that sound "good" are quite expensive.

I'm leaning to just staying on board, but at the same time, that makes me feel like we're missing something. Would it be strange to do our first cruise and the only time we get off the ship is at CC? Is it as bad as it sounds? Should I just suck it up and pick an excursion that sounds fun and go for it?

I know everyone has to form their own opinions, but some of the sites I'm reviewing almost make the Bahamas stop sound a bit "scary"?

As much as I don't care for Nassau, I advise everyone to get off at least the first time they are in any port. I mean, you're traveling the world to see the world, right?

If you're concerned about safety, I'd suggest some sort of short city tour arranged through the cruise line for the first time. But, if you find an excursion that really excites you, go for it.

 

[chrisrunty]

Blue Lagoon is fantastic!

 

[dmunsil]

We liked Ardastra Gardens & Zoo. Small, but nice. I'd just take a cab there and back, rather than the tour the ship offers. It's only 10 minutes away, max.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

There is NOTHING on Nassau outside of the Atlantis and to explore the ship and have a no wait aqua duck was amazing lol

 

[cmph]

I understand where you're coming from. I felt the same concerns, after reading so many negative things. But I have to say, I fall into the category of folks who didn't think Nassau was nearly as bad as some make it out to be, at least the portion I saw of it. I knew my kids wouldn't want to leave the ship very long, so we did the semi-sub excursion. We were escorted off the ship by a CM directly to a tour guide, who walked us down the pier to our ferry. It was only a couple minutes walk, so we really saw little (other than the Carnival ship parked next to us!). However, when the excursion was over, the ferry dropped us at the far end of the straw market, so we did have to walk through it to get back to the ship. I'm sure that was on purpose! Nothing we saw was startling or made us nervous. Granted, DH and I went to college in downtown Baltimore, so we're not unfamiliar with older cities, but nothing provoked the slightest negative reaction from our kids, either. I didn't find the vendors aggressive; in fact, they generally ignored us.

We really liked the semi-sub excursion, btw. The ferry to the semi-sub was narrated, so we heard about the famous people's mansions along the water (and the guide was very amusing in talking about all of it). The semi-sub experience was really neat - we drove around to a few different reefs, saw a nurse shark, sea turtles, barracuda, other tropical fish. It's a tightly controlled area, no fishing, and the guide for that portion was also very knowledgeable. I'm glad we did it, esp since I knew we wouldn't be snorkeling this trip, and that we saw what we saw of Nassau. Not worth it to us for shopping reasons - I wouldn't go to the straw market for that. But I'm glad we took the time to see a part of the world we'd never been to and interact with some locals!

 

[mevelandry]

Do I think Nassau is bad? Yes.

We went off the cruiseship to buy rum cakes once. The buildings are in a bad shape and have bars on their windows. It's humid and it smells bad. It looks dirty. The horses they use for carriage look like they are starving (skin and bones). Very pushy vendors. Weird people watching you when you walk on the streets. Also, lots of bad drivers. We do not feel safe there.

But during our last cruise, we have decided to try an excursion to Blue Lagoon. We did not have to go inside Nassau to get to Blue Lagoon. They brought the group directly to the boat. It's a nice and sometimes bumpy ride to get to the island. They play music. It's fun. The island itself had just been hit by hurricane Matthew but some parts of it were untouched. It was amazing... So beautiful. We had a good time. I can imagine that they recovered from the hurricane and it is probably back in shape now.

They dropped us inside Nassau,it was a two minutes walk back to the "Welcome Center" where a guard checked our passports and cruise cards (KTTW)... We hated those two minutes but the next thing we knew, we were back on the ship. So it wasn't as bad as our first "visit".

Although we loved Blue Lagoon we chose to stay on the ship during our next cruise.

I watched videos from Atlantis and it looks fine but not worth the price they ask for. Blue Lagoon is more my type... It's the only place I would go back if the family really insisted on getting off the ship.

Anyway, I recommend Blue Lagoon.

 

[WDWJDS]

I suppose everyone will have a different perspective. I have been to Nassau dozens of times (I was just there on Monday).

To be bluntly honest, I feel like those people who have grown up in or around a culturally diverse inner city (like myself) are completely fine with spending time in downtown Nassau. On Monday, my family got off the ship, got a cab to the Paradise Island ferry terminal, and did the Blue Lagoon dolphin swim excursion. Yup, there were pushy cabbies vying for our business - didn't make us feel uncomfortable.

When we were finished at BL, we explored downtown a little, including the straw market. Yup, they were pushy, but it was no big deal to ME.

On prior visits, I have jumped on the #10 bus to one of the Cable Beach hotels (cheap fare, quick drive, riding with the locals) and never had an issue.

I grew up in Philly, worked in NYC and spent years taking public transportation (bus and subway). My perspective is probably very different from someone who has spent his/her life in the suburbs, does not take public transportation and whose "downtown" area is populated by people who look and live like they do.

If you want a beach day, there's no reason to avoid the beautiful blue Nassau water and beaches. If you want to buy some jewelry and liquor, by all means get off the ship! If you just want to walk around and browse, it may not be the best town to do that.
And that's all I'm gonna say about that!

 

[csgarner2015]

My husband and I went in April 2015 on the Dream. We had heard the same thing about Nassau, so we didn't book any excursions (plus there weren't many that sounded interesting that we could afford). However, we did venture off the ship to explore the shopping area (sticking strictly to the map provided by Disney). Yes, the streets are fairly dirty. There are cabs lining the roads with drivers trying to get your business, as well as pushy vendors (especially in the port area right when you get off the ship). However, I'm glad we did get off the ship to experience another country and culture that we had never experienced before. The shops weren't bad at all and we didn't feel like anyone was too pushy inside. We spent the morning in town before heading back to the ship, and it was nice to have the ship less crowded at lunch and in the early afternoon. If you have young kids and don't want to purchase an expensive excursion, you might want to consider skipping as they would probably enjoy spending the day on the ship. But if you don't have kids, we thought it was worth exploring on our own at least once, if for no other reason than just to say we did. We just couldn't travel to another country and not actually step foot in that country, even if only for a few hours.

Also, if you go to the shopping seminar on the ship the day before, they give you some coupons and freebies. I got two free necklaces and a pair of earrings at one of the jewelry stores.

 

[annej]

We visited Nassau and had heard all the "stuff" but decided to get off and experience it anyway. They are very pushy in the straw market but a polite no seemed to do the trick. We had a nice day walking the main street and shopping. We did not fell threatened in any way. I am glad we got off and experienced it. I will probably get off again just for a bit. I don't like to fly so we cruise to experience other parts of the world. Stick to the main street and populated areas - as you would in any city - and you should be fine. Some of the architecture is lovely if run down. Give it a try you may be surprised and if it is not for you the ship is right there and you can return quickly.

 

[sexyrx]

I agree that Nassau "downtown" is not much to see or do but Bahamas has beautiful beaches! If you want a beach experience without the Atlantis price tag look into other Resort for a Day options. Hilton Nassau is a quick 10 minute walk from the port (although I would not swim at that beach, very close to port so the water didn't seem "clean" and sand was dangerous for kids as we saw broken glass there). For our cruise in April we are going to book a day at the Melia so the kids can enjoy the beach and the pools there.

 

[vtwep]

Thanks for the replies and info on your experiences! Much appreciated. This will help us decide as we continue researching the cruise in general.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

@sexyrx How far is the Melia, do you know? Do you know if they have a day package like the Hilton does?

 

[dmunsil]

The Melia is about a 15 minute drive down Bay street. You could conceivably walk it, but it would be a loooooong walk, and I'm not sure there are sidewalks all the way. The Melia does sell day passes in person. I don't know of any place to buy them online. Last I checked it was $35 adults/$25 children for just access, or $55 adults/$40 children with lunch included. That was maybe 16 months ago that I last called them, and we didn't end up going, so I don't have a first-hand report on the place.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

@dmunsil Thank you so much. I was really wanting to just walk around Nassau just for a bit since we''ve never been there but stay on the ship most of the day. Then I thought about the Hilton but didn't want to pay for the food package. So then I read about Junkanoo beach and how it's free, but the reviews are really all over the place, I'm guessing it is hit or miss with crowds. Now really not sure what to do.

 

[WDWJDS]

@dmunsil Thank you so much. I was really wanting to just walk around Nassau just for a bit since we''ve never been there but stay on the ship most of the day. Then I thought about the Hilton but didn't want to pay for the food package. So then I read about Junkanoo beach and how it's free, but the reviews are really all over the place, I'm guessing it is hit or miss with crowds. Now really not sure what to do.

Here are some options

http://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/what-to-do/day-passes/

 

[dmunsil]

@dmunsil Thank you so much. I was really wanting to just walk around Nassau just for a bit since we''ve never been there but stay on the ship most of the day. Then I thought about the Hilton but didn't want to pay for the food package. So then I read about Junkanoo beach and how it's free, but the reviews are really all over the place, I'm guessing it is hit or miss with crowds. Now really not sure what to do.

Walking around on and near Bay Street is going to be fine, if you're at all used to the chaos and busy-ness of a city. You'll see some run-down buildings and so forth, and maybe one or more people will try to sell you something, but really it's pretty tame. I found Ocho Rios in Jamaica to be much more stressful than Nassau, and even then I didn't feel unsafe, just constantly distracted by people accosting me to try to sell something. But I'm a 6'2" heavyset man, so maybe my experience isn't representative. And I never visited Nassau with small children; our kids were teenagers on our first visit.

The walk to Junkanoo is pretty short and easy, and you'll walk right past the Hilton, so you can take a look at both and see what appeals to you. If you don't like the look of Junkanoo and don't want to pay for the Hilton, you can walk up a few blocks and work your way back along Bay Street and see the shops. We didn't find the shopping that exciting, but we didn't really need a fancy watch, designer handbag or tanzanite jewelry.

The only thing in Nassau we've done more than once is Ardastra gardens. Really, it's pretty nice, and definitely a calm oasis relative to the tourist district. It's small, but the flamingo show is fun and they do have some unusual animals.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I was not impressed by Nassau and I couldn't wait to get back onto the ship. I had a local vendor follow me through the entire marketplace screaming in my ear about paying x dollars so he could take me in his "limousine" to see the Island. I simply ignored him but he continued to press me until I stopped and told him to stop following me. The streets were dirty and everything looked shady to me to the point where I felt unsafe.

I hopped in a taxi to check out Atlantis. I didn't realize you had to purchase a pass to literally just walk around and see the resort. They have people/security at entrances asking for wristbands or room keys like it's The White House. The only thing available to non-paying guests is the casino...go figure. Atlantis has the perfect opportunity to showcase their resort to potential future guests. Atlantis is part of the Marriott family and I am a member, so naturally I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype but I couldn't really tour anything. I'll stick with Aulani.

I'm going on a DCL cruise next week and we have a stop in Nassau. I'm staying on the ship this time around. I think everyone (especially first-time cruisers) should experience each port at least once but try to find a reputable tour guide and/or excursion because I wouldn't trust the locals off the street. Travel in groups, stay together and push through the vendor area as quickly as you can.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

@WDWJDS Oh, my goodness, THANK YOU! ! ! What more could I possibly need to know. This is an enormous help! @dmunsil Yes, thank you. We've lived /worked in Phila for years and the kids have all visited Manhatten/ Times Square /Rockefeller Center many times so we're good with navigating cities and accompanying sights. My girls love the beach, so if.we're near it, we gotta go. Lol. I just didn't want any crazy early or complicated excursions as we normally do. So this info is all fantastic, thank you all.

 

[Jennifer Mattson]

I understand where you're coming from. I felt the same concerns, after reading so many negative things. But I have to say, I fall into the category of folks who didn't think Nassau was nearly as bad as some make it out to be, at least the portion I saw of it. I knew my kids wouldn't want to leave the ship very long, so we did the semi-sub excursion. We were escorted off the ship by a CM directly to a tour guide, who walked us down the pier to our ferry. It was only a couple minutes walk, so we really saw little (other than the Carnival ship parked next to us!). However, when the excursion was over, the ferry dropped us at the far end of the straw market, so we did have to walk through it to get back to the ship. I'm sure that was on purpose! Nothing we saw was startling or made us nervous. Granted, DH and I went to college in downtown Baltimore, so we're not unfamiliar with older cities, but nothing provoked the slightest negative reaction from our kids, either. I didn't find the vendors aggressive; in fact, they generally ignored us.

We really liked the semi-sub excursion, btw. The ferry to the semi-sub was narrated, so we heard about the famous people's mansions along the water (and the guide was very amusing in talking about all of it). The semi-sub experience was really neat - we drove around to a few different reefs, saw a nerf shark, sea turtles, barracuda, other tropical fish. It's a tightly controlled area, no fishing, and the guide for that portion was also very knowledgeable. I'm glad we did it, esp since I knew we wouldn't be snorkeling this trip, and that we saw what we saw of Nassau. Not worth it to us for shopping reasons - I wouldn't go to the straw market for that. But I'm glad we took the time to see a part of the world we'd never been to and interact with some locals!

We also did this excursion on our first cruise with the Dream last May and really, really enjoyed it. Agree with everything you said and I agree, the drop off was on purpose. But we got a couple of shaved ices for the kids (9 & 13), coconut drinks for us, and bought some conch shell horns and rum cakes, shot glasses at the pier shops. My kids loved the semi-sub and so did hubby and I - very enjoyable excursion for the price.