New Member, New to Cruising, Need Help!

First time posting here in Cruisecritic! Name is Cory.

My wife and I will be taking our very first cruise at the end of July. We will be going on Carnival Valor and hitting Half Moon Cay, Nassau, and Freeport.

I have a couple of ideas on what I want/would like to do and I just need some guidance from all of you.

First and foremost, I want to have fun!

First stop is going to be Half Moon Cay.. I plan on doing the Jet Skis there and just hanging out on the beach all day really.

Anything here worth doing? I understand there will be a buffet provided on the island?

Next stop is Nassau.

This is the place I am having trouble with planning.

I heard Junkanoo beach was worth going to but then I was reading about Cabbage Beach and Cable Beach. From what I understand, its best to take a water taxi to Paradise Island (which I think sounds like a lot of fun) and the Water Taxi's are near Senor Frogs close to the port?

I also want to see Queens Staircase, which I know is in the opposite direction of Junkanoo Beach.

So help me out here with Nassau... I want to explore, drink, play in the water, and soak up the sun and just relax and have fun... point me in the right direction :)

Last stop will be Freeport. I have heard from a friend that I HAVE to go to Banana Bay café and then go out onto whatever beach is right there.

Basically, I know that being on a cruise, you don't have all day to explore around, so I want to make sure that I hit the spots that are worth it at each island.

What do you guys recommend? My wife and I are 27 and would love to explore new things and just have a great time.

Welcome home fellow cruiser. I'm doing research on what to do in Nassau besides tiki bar in jukano which I hear it is pretty fun and according to reviews on trip advisor it is the number one thing to do. Perhaps after I propose to my girlfriend we will do that. I did read where the queens steps is pretty lame and it is kind of a waste of time if you don't have much of it. You can see it in a couple of minutes. Perhaps y'all like to take pics, then it maybe worth your time. hope it helps some.

First time posting here in Cruisecritic! Name is Cory

Last stop will be Freeport. I have heard from a friend that I HAVE to go to Banana Bay café and then go out onto whatever beach is right there.

 

Basically, I know that being on a cruise, you don't have all day to explore around, so I want to make sure that I hit the spots that are worth it at each island.

 

What do you guys recommend? My wife and I are 27 and would love to explore new things and just have a great time.

Banana Bay looks beautiful but it may be hard to get there on the cruise. Most of the taxi vans aren't headed that way. I researched this once and the real problem would be trying to get a taxi back. Maybe rent a car if you want to go there. A tour to Lucayan NP would get you to Gold Rock Beach which is even prettier.

Van taxis can get you to Port Lucaya and the beach there, or Taino beach pretty cheaply.

You may want to search the Bahamas forum for walking tour Nassau. There are some pretty good ideas for do it yourself walking tours which would cover Queen's Staircase and get you to Junkanoo beach too.

First time posting here in Cruisecritic! Name is Cory.

My wife and I will be taking our very first cruise at the end of July. We will be going on Carnival Valor and hitting Half Moon Cay, Nassau, and Freeport.

 

I have a couple of ideas on what I want/would like to do and I just need some guidance from all of you.

 

First and foremost, I want to have fun!

 

First stop is going to be Half Moon Cay.. I plan on doing the Jet Skis there and just hanging out on the beach all day really.

Anything here worth doing? I understand there will be a buffet provided on the island?

Next stop is Nassau.

This is the place I am having trouble with planning.

I heard Junkanoo beach was worth going to but then I was reading about Cabbage Beach and Cable Beach. From what I understand, its best to take a water taxi to Paradise Island (which I think sounds like a lot of fun) and the Water Taxi's are near Senor Frogs close to the port?

I also want to see Queens Staircase, which I know is in the opposite direction of Junkanoo Beach.

So help me out here with Nassau... I want to explore, drink, play in the water, and soak up the sun and just relax and have fun... point me in the right direction :)

Last stop will be Freeport. I have heard from a friend that I HAVE to go to Banana Bay café and then go out onto whatever beach is right there.

 

Basically, I know that being on a cruise, you don't have all day to explore around, so I want to make sure that I hit the spots that are worth it at each island.

 

What do you guys recommend? My wife and I are 27 and would love to explore new things and just have a great time.

How much time do you have in Nassau?

If it's short, I would go directly to Junkanoo Beach. Clear water, soft sand, FREE, nearby, and a little Spring Break Party all rolled into one.

Longer time - Cable Beach or Cabbage Beach. There aren't any restrooms at these two like there are at Junkanoo. There also will not be as many people and it should cost less than $20 roundtrip for two.

Really long time - Blue Lagoon beach day. There is a ferry that takes you out to the island, but it only goes at certain times. Look at their website to see when and how much $$$$.

We enjoy Cable Beach in Nassau- one can get a day pass at a resort. Very nice beach.

(The Melia and Breezes are 2 of the resorts there.) See websites.

We also enjoy the British Colonial Hilton near the pier. See website.

We find Cabbage Beach a bit rough compared to Cable.

Have fun planning your cruise.

How much time do you have in Nassau?

 

If it's short, I would go directly to Junkanoo Beach. Clear water, soft sand, FREE, nearby, and a little Spring Break Party all rolled into one.

 

Longer time - Cable Beach or Cabbage Beach. There aren't any restrooms at these two like there are at Junkanoo. There also will not be as many people and it should cost less than $20 roundtrip for two.

 

Really long time - Blue Lagoon beach day. There is a ferry that takes you out to the island, but it only goes at certain times. Look at their website to see when and how much $$$$.

One day in Nassau... Thinking about hitting up Queens Staircase first and then walking over to Junkanoo and probably spending the rest of the day over there... any cool eating places right at Junkanoo worth eating at?

Nassau- check out my post from this other thread. It may meet your needs.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=48708207&postcount=11

Hi Cory,

I have only visited Half Moon Cay once, but once was enough to make me addicted. The water is beautiful clear, turquoise and the sand is like powder. We rented a cabana while there, but we were also cruising with another couple. We just spent the entire day on the beach and primarily in the water. The buffet lunch is provided by the ship, a lot to offer and tasty bbq foods.

In Nassau we went to blue lagoon for the sea lion encounter. That was a great experience and a lot of fun. We also explored the dig (aquarium at Atlantis). We went after 6pm when the guard was off duty so we did not have to pay. Had we paid I would have been disappointed in my opinion. We played a bit in the casino since we were there and went to Senor Frog's for some drinks. I would recommend blue lagoon if the timing works.

Nassau- check out my post from this other thread. It may meet your needs.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=48708207&postcount=11

Sqiffynimrod, thank you so much! Love the links. I'm thinking of a self-guided walking tour of Nassau. This helps a lot.