please help plan our Bahamas ports!

Our ship is scheduled to stop in Nassau and Freeport in February of 2014 and I am absolutely stymied as to what we want to do there as we've never been to either port.

Most other new ports we've visited, I've had a good idea of what we wanted to do at each one well beforehand, after extensive research on my part. Despite countless hours spent here and elsewhere, this time I just cannot figure out what I want to do in these ports.

For reference there will be me (30s), DH (40s) and DD (10). The ship will be in Nassau from 11am-8pm and in Freeport from 7am-3:30pm. We like snorkeling and time spent on NICE beaches - but these port times seem kind of crummy for these?? Definitely not interested in what seems to be an extremely overpriced Atlantis, unless someone here presents a convincing argument of why this is a must-see. Not interested in shopping or bar hopping. We love history and interesting museums but would prefer a beach excursion if we can swing it, after all we will be in the Caribbean! :cool:

Just about all tours seem to have mixed reviews on here, Trip Advisor, and the Carnival website - nothing that jumps out as really awesome that would be up our alley. Given the parameters I laid out above, any recommendations you would have for us for our Bahamas pit stops would be AWESOME.

Thanks!

I know (of) Viola Swamp. She and I were really good "friends" way back when. Thanks for keeping her alive for the next generation.

Renee

I know (of) Viola Swamp. She and I were really good "friends" way back when. Thanks for keeping her alive for the next generation.

 

Renee

Thanks. Such a great character! :)

Okay I have narrowed it down to either Paradise Cove/Deadman's Reef OR Pat and Diane's on Freeport.

Nassau is still TBD.

Any tips would be welcome!

I recommend Blue Lagoon. If you want a beach day that is a great place and they also do the dolphin encounter. I would book directly through BL though because it is much cheaper.

Now, I am going to be doing a segway tour in April when I go. I'll report back on how I liked it.

After much research and debate, we plan to do Deadman's Reef the next time we're in Freeport. Last time I was in the Bahamas was November 2010. At that time, some of the water activities were canceled because of high winds so we just spent the day lazily in Lucaya. It was okay for me but my kids had a nice time. We also did Atlantis thru Comfort Suites. That was the highlight of my trip. It was so much cheaper to book on your own; I got a good deal thru one of the online travel sites and it was a 1/3 of what Carnival was charging. We plan to go back to Atlantis during our next cruise. We also enjoyed the food and service at Oh Andros at the Fish Fry.

Thank you both for weighing in! :)

How exactly did you book the Day at the Atlantis thru Comfort Suites during your cruise? I will be on teh Carnival Magic March 10 , 1013..

After much research and debate, we plan to do Deadman's Reef the next time we're in Freeport. Last time I was in the Bahamas was November 2010. At that time, some of the water activities were canceled because of high winds so we just spent the day lazily in Lucaya. It was okay for me but my kids had a nice time. We also did Atlantis thru Comfort Suites. That was the highlight of my trip. It was so much cheaper to book on your own; I got a good deal thru one of the online travel sites and it was a 1/3 of what Carnival was charging. We plan to go back to Atlantis during our next cruise. We also enjoyed the food and service at Oh Andros at the Fish Fry.

We are in a similar situation-DH and I are mid 30s, 2 kids age 10 and 7. It sounds like we have similar interests to your family and we will be in Nassau and Freeport this summer.

We are strongly considering a kayak tour in Freeport, either through Carnival in the National park, or a kayak/snorkel tour through Calabash Eco-tours.

In Nassau we are considering snorkeling or a beach day, but like you, can't decide which option to go with. Blue Lagoon looks great, and we have considered the Hilton for a day pass.

I'll be watching this thread for ideas as we begin to narrow down our options:)

How exactly did you book the Day at the Atlantis thru Comfort Suites during your cruise? I will be on teh Carnival Magic March 10 , 1013..

In 2010 I booked thru hotels dot com. This time I'm using book it but have a few concerns. The rate was great but in reading the comments from other traveler it seems like you have to pay extra charges when you get to the hotel (but it's still lower than other rates I've seen). In 2010, I did not have anything additional to pay. Everything was included in my online rate. But we'll see. You can google Comfort Suites and find good rates too.