The Lollipop Road

Posts Tagged ‘nassau’

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

We recently named one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas as the most family friendly port in North America. In short, we love the fact that there are plenty of activities within walking distance or a short (inexpensive) taxi ride away, which make this a great port stop when it isn’t too crowded. Having visited on 2010’s busiest day (over 17,000 passengers in port), however, I can attest to the chaos that can take over this historic port. So, if you have a choice, check the port schedule in advance and try to avoid the crowds.

There are sometimes dozens of shore excursion choices and quite frankly it can be a daunting task to find one that works for your family. Having ported in Nassau countless times, we have our old favorites and our “we wish the kids were older” list. We’ve taken the best of both and put them together to make our list of the most family friendly excursions in Nassau.

Family Favorites

Blue Lagoon Island – A private island retreat located about 20-minutes by boat from Paradise Island, Blue Lagoon Island is ideal for young and old alike. You can enjoy a simple beach experience in the sheltered lagoon, relax in a hammock, enjoy a BBQ lunch, take a short hike, enjoy the limited watersports or participate in a dolphin or sea lion encounter (no minimum age for encounter). Easy.  $$-$$$  Ideal for all ages.

Atlantis Aquaventure – Expensive, but absolutely amazing, the Atlantis Aquaventure waterpark offers waterslides, pools, river rides and rock climbing. Younger kids can enjoy one of three water playgrounds while older kids can splash down a river or zoom down one of several waterslides. Dolphin and sea lion encounters are also available at Atlantis (4 years and up). Easy – Moderate.  $$$-$$$$  Ideal for all ages.

Money Saver Tip: Rent a room at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island and admission into Atlantis Aquaventure is free!

Power Snorkeling – An adventure like you’ve never experienced before – this isn’t your average snorkeling tour. Trade in your fins for a personal water scooter that will propel you through the water (just like in National Treasure) at a whopping 3 mph! You’ll cover more area and get to see more underwater action. When you’re done, you can relax onboard your awaiting double deck catamaran before returning back to shore. Moderate.  $$  Must be 12 years of age.

Close to the Pier

British Colonial Hilton Beach Pass – About a 10-minute walk from the pier you’ll find a quiet stretch of white sandy beach where you can relax and frolic in the ocean. Your beach pass includes access to their pool as well as a food and beverage credit voucher. Kayaks and snorkeling gear are complimentary. Stroller friendly.  $  Ideal for all ages.

Nassau Walking Tour – Pick-up a map from you Port Lecturer onboard or from the information desk in the cruise terminal building. Highlights include the Nassau Pirate Museum ($12 – under 4 is free), Queen’s Staircase, Fort Fincastle, Fort Charlotte and plenty of shopping along the way. Stroller friendly (but challenging at times).  Free – except as noted.  Ideal for all ages.

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Disclosure

On one of our visits to Nassau earlier this year we ventured out to the Pirates of Nassau Museum in downtown Nassau. An easy three block walk from the cruise terminal, the museum is conveniently located near the British Colonial Hilton at the corner of King and George Streets. The walk and museum are stroller friendly so long as you can make a few fancy maneuvers and have a partner for some heavy lifting on and off curbs and up and down a few stairs (there is a lift in the main part of the museum).

At a hefty $12 admission fee for adults and a more reasonable $6 for kids 4-17, this museum is a bit overpriced for what you get. As you enter, the mood is set by the dark, spooky atmosphere and a life sized pirate ship that acts as the first backdrop for the self-guided tour through the history of pirating in the Bahamas. Again, the museum is very dark, so a little light won’t hurt if you have young kids or want to read the placards without straining.

Winding through the museum will take less than 30 minutes. Each “room” showcases a piece of pirate life, life onboard a pirate ship and pirating history in and around Nassau. The highlight of the tour is a pitch dark curtained room with a pirate show (highlighted by lightning and the obligatory moaning) that might scare younger kids – although our four year old thought it was cool. The self-guided tour ends in a small room exhibiting a few artifacts from the era.

For kids under the age of 6, the best part of the entire museum just might be the courtyard. With a stockade, larger than life pirate and cannons to climb on, the kids spent as much time here as they did in the entire museum. There are tables where you rest and have a small snack and restrooms are conveniently located nearby. Making your way to the small gift you’ll find a disappointing and pricey selection of “piratefinalia”.

For a family with young kids (under the age of 6) or teens, this museum isn’t going to be the highlight of your trip to Nasaau. For those in between, it is a good (albeit pricey) way to spend a hot or rainy afternoon. Set your expectations low and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9AM-6PM and Sunday 9AM-Noon. Be sure to check their website for holiday closures before heading out.

Disclosure

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Probably one of the biggest boons for the cruise line is selling shore excursions. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve purchased them in the past too, but now we’re on our own most of the time. There are two major reasons that passengers book tours from the cruise line. One is convenience. The cruise line will arrange all of your transportation, activities and food (if applicable). You don’t have to worry about any of the logistics. You also don’t have to worry about getting lost, being subject to unscrupulous tour operators (although this too is debatable) or missing the ship. If a ship sponsored tour is late, the ship will wait; whereas if you are late, you’re out of luck.

The second reason is that passengers don’t realize that the cruise line marks up the cost of tours by as much as 30-40%. Case in point, yesterday, while in Nassau, we went to Blue Lagoon Island for the Beach Tour. The cruise line offers this tour with lunch for $75.95. This includes your day pass to the beach, lunch, transportation to and from the ship and a free rum punch on the return ferry. Compare this with a cost of $49 per person by booking direct with the tour operator and adding transportation a la carte. Now, there is no rum punch on the return ferry and you have to brave the taxis, but for a savings of $26.95 a person, I think it’s worth it. Booking on your own, you’re also not tied to the tour leaders schedule; which can be an important factor when you have kids.

By constructing your own tour, you can sometimes go to places that aren’t even offered by the cruise line. For example, on Monday we rented a car in Freeport to drive over to Lucayan National Park. There are some great little trails, caves and the crown jewel of all beaches in the Bahamas…Gold Rock Beach. The cruise line offers excursions to other beaches (the cheapest was $158 for our family-not including lunch), but they aren’t Gold Rock and we only spent $138 including a fantastic lunch.

We will be posting destination articles on both of these locations, so keep an eye out for them if you intend to cruise to the Bahamas.

Now, this wasn’t without its risk. They drive on the left side of the road in the Bahamas…no problem for me as I’ve done it many times before. You also have to be good with directions as it is 30 miles away…again, no problem, I had a navigator. Finally, you are responsible for returning on time. We were required to be onboard by 4:30 PM and we were returning the car at 4:20 PM; I may have actually been the last person to board. So, you have to feel confident that you can be in charge and still enjoy your excursion. Clearly, it isn’t for everyone, but it does provide an active family with a whole lot of flexibility, not to mention a whole lot of cost savings.

Now that I’ve convinced you to try it on your own, make sure that it is actually cheaper. Last year (in Alaska) we reserved two of our tours through the cruise line. The reason was quite simple – they were close enough in price that it didn’t make a difference. In that event, you should always go through the cruise line. Tours that are cost competitive tend to be those dubbed as “City Tours” or specific publicly offered services where there are no transport or other add-ons required. For example, the Duck Tour in Ketchikan (you’ve seen these vehicle/boats) was offered for the same exact price as you could buy direct as there was no complexity in putting the tour together. The aerial tramway in Juneau is another good example. City tours are often the same way and therefore competitively priced. On rare occasions, you may even find that the cruise lines offerings are cheaper!

More complex tours that require transportation and meal add-ons or that are to out of the way destinations are likely to have a higher mark-up. Book directly whenever it makes sense. If you have to book through a tour operator, be sure to look for reviews (Cruise Critic Boards is a good place to do this) or verify that the company is reputable (BBB, Chamber of Commerce or Tourist Board are good places to start). Confirm all prices in advance and understand all cancellation penalties. Get everything in writing and use a credit card for any deposits or advance payments so if you have a problem later you can always dispute the charge.

For families, going it on their own can mean a greater deal of flexibility, cost savings and a tour that suits them – not something that isn’t tailored (or sensitive) to families needs. Be practical and do your research. Most of all, do what feels comfortable to you…and enjoy your vacation!

Do you have any other examples? Have a question about a particular port or tour? I’ll answer all of your questions…just ask!

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

Disclosure