Booked a cruise to the Bahamas - need ideas

[Hammer]

Ok, will do. I didn't really want to fly out that early. Boarding time for the ship is 4:30 pm and all the flights that will put us in Miami on time leave between 5 and 6 and get to Miami anywhere from 9:30 and noon. I figured we'd go ahead and get there at 9:30 and have some time in Miami before we board.

Unless you already have all your itinerary booked and set, it is always advisable to get to the port city one day in advance in case of delays. When we went, we had a boarding time of 4:00, at that time the plane was still in Miami, and it was 9:00 before we boarded the flight and was 2:00 when we got to our room in Miami. Just a FYI.

That's something that I hadn't thought of. If I book excursions through the cruise line, will they provide transportation to the excursion?

The excursions that book through the cruise line are a bit more expensive, but they are pretty good. We went through the cruise line because of the being left behind thing. WE may be adventurous next time and book our own. But for a first time cruiser, that would be suggested.

 

[gregkl]

Okay, got some info for you;
With your cruise you are just as well booking through the cruise line. Blue Lagoon is fun if you interested; find it on bahamasbluelagoon.com and that one you can do direct.

In Atlantis, unless you book through the ship, you will only get access to the casino.

In Nassau, if you are into the beach, take a cab or water taxi to Cabbage Beach. Or just take a walking tour. Practice your negotiating skills at the straw market. As above, buy some booze if you are into it.

The Keys is best done on your own. I mentioned earlier; rent bikes, ride around, hit one of the off Duval street eating places. Or if you need more excitement check out what the ship offers.

 

[wagyu52]

My wife's parents have taken us on numerous Royal Caribbean cruises. They are excellent, never had a bad trip. I would recommend Atlantis and then some shopping. I found Nassau to be a dirty hole of a town, be careful.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

My wife's parents have taken us on numerous Royal Caribbean cruises. They are excellent, never had a bad trip. I would recommend Atlantis and then some shopping. I found Nassau to be a dirty hole of a town, be careful.

If there's any chance that you can't make the next trip... May I go in your stead?



Two of my college roommates are from Williamsport. We're practically family anyhow....

-J-

 

[hornadylnl]

Well, our flight got bumped back to a later time so we were able to change it to the day before. We'll stay the night in Miami and then get on the ship in the morning. We're going to be booking our excursions in the next few days. I think we're going to do the dolphin swim and water park in Nassau. It looks like the tours will all be taking place while we're doing that. Will we be able to see the castles and such on our own in the afternoon and evening?

I think we'll just do the snorkeling in Cocoa Cay and do the snuba and bus tour in Key West.
We'll do the bus tour of Miami as well.

What would be a great seafood restaraunt in Nassau?

 

[hoosierdoc]

See if you can stay with gunman41 or whatever his username is that lives in Miami and bragged about all the rain he got during our drought. He owes IN one after all that

Enjoy the trip. I'm envious for sure. I've never been unhappy while floating on water south of Georgia

 

[gregkl]

Well, our flight got bumped back to a later time so we were able to change it to the day before. We'll stay the night in Miami and then get on the ship in the morning. We're going to be booking our excursions in the next few days. I think we're going to do the dolphin swim and water park in Nassau. It looks like the tours will all be taking place while we're doing that. Will we be able to see the castles and such on our own in the afternoon and evening?

I think we'll just do the snorkeling in Cocoa Cay and do the snuba and bus tour in Key West.
We'll do the bus tour of Miami as well.

What would be a great seafood restaraunt in Nassau?

Sounds like a great trip!

 

[Hammer]

Well, our flight got bumped back to a later time so we were able to change it to the day before. We'll stay the night in Miami and then get on the ship in the morning. We're going to be booking our excursions in the next few days. I think we're going to do the dolphin swim and water park in Nassau. It looks like the tours will all be taking place while we're doing that. Will we be able to see the castles and such on our own in the afternoon and evening?

I think we'll just do the snorkeling in Cocoa Cay and do the snuba and bus tour in Key West.
We'll do the bus tour of Miami as well.

What would be a great seafood restaraunt in Nassau?

I think that getting to Miami early is a great thing. It is always suggested to do that.

We done the island retreat that had the dolphin swim thing, but did not do the dolphin thing. It's OK at best. After your swim the island is more geared to families with kids, rather than couples, we left early and went shopping in the city market and ate Conch at Senior Frogs which is right at the pier to the right of the city market. When we go next time we will be going to Atlantis. Everybody that went there was raving about it.

Map link to the Blue Lagoon https://maps.google.com/?ll=25.098269,-77.268305&spn=0.006102,0.009645&t=h&z=17


Snorkeling is amazing, we went in Freetown and had a blast!! But be sure to bring sun screen and apply it to your back and your legs. Trust me on this.

If you do SCUBA, you will need your certification before hand. I can get you in touch with a certified instructor if you want to go that route.

If you like Rum, the Tortuga rum factory in in Nassau and has the best Rums ever. The rum cakes are the bomb.

 

[hornadylnl]

I'm looking at snuba for Key West. It's a hose with a tank floating at the surface. No certs are required. If we do the dolphin thing, it's supposed to take 6 hours and we should be done by 3:00. That'll leave about 8 hours til we have to get back on the ship. I figure we'll go check out the market, eat at a nice seafood place, and check out the nightlife.

I'm not really understanding the Atlantis thing. It looks like a Vegas'y resort. The aquarium stuff looks cool but if I'm in Nassau, I want to see the things I can only see at Nassau.

 

[Hammer]

Be careful venturing out on your own. YOu will get lots of people begging you to rent a scooter or take a tour with them when you hit land. We ate at Senior Frogs, and liked it, very upbeat and great service, but there are probably better places if you look. If you like Beer, try the Kalik gold, very high alcohol content.

Take a look at Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

 

[hornadylnl]

Did any of you guys happen to take the hop on/off bus tour of Miami after you got off the cruise ship? They will store your luggage for pickup at Bayside bus terminal while you go on the tour. If you're flying out that day, they transfer your luggage to the airport for you to pick up there and provide shuttles from noon to 5. If you aren't flying out that day, you pick up your luggage and have to get to the hotel by cab or whatever. We'll be flying out the next day so I'm wondering how late they will hold your luggage. I'd like to hang out at Bayside or South Beach and eat dinner there somewhere. I'm wondering if they will hold your luggage past 5 so we don't have to take a cab to the hotel and then get a cab to go back to Bayside.

 

[Hammer]

WE did not take the bus tour, but we did stay at the Hilton before the cruise and opted for a package that included transportation to the port.

South beach is nice but VERY expensive. If you get the chance, eat at Joe's Stone Crab in south beach. But any place in the Art Deco district has great food.

 

[hornadylnl]

WE did not take the bus tour, but we did stay at the Hilton before the cruise and opted for a package that included transportation to the port.

South beach is nice but VERY expensive. If you get the chance, eat at

in south beach. But any place in the Art Deco district has great food.

I've always wanted to eat at a Joes. We'll try it out. Our hotel is near the airport and provides a shuttle to the airport and the pier.

 

[femurphy77]

Be sure and go by Mangos on South Beach. A great bar that has some excellent reggae bands!! We havd more fun in a few hours in South Beach than we did in the whole week on the boat. Can't wait to go back to Mangos!!

MANGOS TROPICAL CAFE | MOBILE SITE

 

[Ahgo]

The kayak excursion is good, but we liked the snorkeling. The water is crystal clear for photos and they fix you rum punch for the ride back. Have fun.

 

[jdmack79]

If your looking for a fantastic meal try The Fish Fry. It is filled with locals and has a few tourists too. Any place locals eat at is better than the restaurants that cater to the cruise ship herds near the docks. It is reasonably priced (~$20 a meal), within walking distance of the boat, and is in a safe area.

Andros (The Fish Fry), Nassau - Restaurant Reviews - TripAdvisor

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&...=bHvbUJHZOeTe2QX92IHADQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAA

 

[hornadylnl]

My wife and I sat down and went through the excursions this afternoon and booked what we wanted.

Nassau:
Sightseeing & Ardastra Gardens - Supposed to see the castles, stairway and gardens in the morning

Atlantis Dolphin Cay - Deep Water Swim - We're supposed to get 30 minutes of swim time with dolphins with a water powered scooter that we can dive with as well. Get all day access to the private beach and a tour of the ruins lagoon and dig. That starts at 1:30 and is supposed to last 4 hours or so. After that, we plan to find a nice restaurant to eat and check out the nightlife for the rest of the night.

Cocoa Cay:

Snorkeling and Nature Walk. We may do the jet ski tour but have to book that on the ship.

Key West:

CityView Hop On- Hop Off with Butterfly and Nature Conservatory - My understanding of this is that it's basically an all day bus pass. We'll do this in the morning.

Snuba of Key West - This starts at 1:00 and is supposed to be a 3 hour trip. I tried to line this up when I went to Keys 3 years ago but couldn't find any outfitters that offered it.

Miami:

Hop On, Hop Off Miami City Tour with Airport Drop-Off (MIA) - We're staying the night in Miami that night so we won't be taking the shuttle to the airport. I'm hoping that we can keep our luggage stored with this tour til 8pm or so. That way we can hang out at Bayside, eat or whatever instead of having to get a taxi to take our luggage to the hotel and then have to take a taxi to go back out.

For the excursions we booked, it's just shy of $1100.

 

[hornadylnl]

I'm not sure if I've ever had conch so I definitely will try it. Are the fritters fried? There's almost no seafood that I don't like.

 

[jdmack79]

The place that I linked to has both fresh raw conch salad and fried fritters. They are phenomenal. I have had both and would order them again. I am a fan of their cracked conch, lobster, and grouper. I always go there when I'm in Nassau.

 

[hornadylnl]

More questions.

How much cash should I bring? I'm guessing any shopping and dining on Nassau, I'll want cash. I imagine the markets and food joints take US dollars?