Going to Nassau with our 14mo. Please help with some questions

We will be in Nassau on Nov 27th with our 14mo son and can't figure out what we should do. We are wanting to go to the Sheraton since they have a bigger beach and larger pool area, but I'm afraid they will be full and turn us away. I checked the cruise port schedule and there will be 5 ships in port that day with the first 3 arriving at 8am, ours at noon and the last ship after ours.

My son is just getting to the point where he's walking pretty well on his own, but he's still not quick so there's no worry about him running off if he's down on the ground. He's also a very relaxed child so he doesn't do well with chaos. Do you think we would be better off going to the British Colonial Hilton where it is a more relaxed atmosphere?

He's never seen sand or the ocean before so we are looking forward to spending as much of the day as we can at the beach with him since it will be new and he will want to explore and play. The reason we chose to go to a resort over Junkano beach is because we would feel more secure in a more controlled environment and they have waiters who will help get food and drinks to us so we don't have to wrestle with little man while we wait in line. We also wanted a place with clean bathrooms since we will have to change clothes and diapers/swim diapers throughout the day.

Do any of you have any other suggestions on things to do with a toddler in Nassau? I've been trying to use the Ports of Call section, but nobody seems to respond when you mention a toddler in your post. :rolleyes:

Thank you in advance for any info!

Well, he'll see PLENTY of ocean just getting to Nassau!!! I think a beach day is perfect for that age! Very young kids don't give a fig about "touring" or other "points of interest"! A day where he can splash and play in the sand is just about perfect.

I can't help you with your choice of hotel.....any way you can call and reserve in advance? If all else fails, there are public beaches.....but they won't have a pool, if that's important.

Well, he'll see PLENTY of ocean just getting to Nassau!!! I think a beach day is perfect for that age! Very young kids don't give a fig about "touring" or other "points of interest"! A day where he can splash and play in the sand is just about perfect.

 

I can't help you with your choice of hotel.....any way you can call and reserve in advance? If all else fails, there are public beaches.....but they won't have a pool, if that's important.

One of the resorts only allows people to purchase day passes on the day of and the other can be booked early on one of the excursion sites, but it's twice as much per person which may be worth it because over half of the price of a day pass is given back to you as a food and drink voucher to use for lunch.

As for the pool thing, it doesn't matter because he won't be going in the pool. I may be one of the few parents who think this way, but I don't feel comfortable putting my baby in a pool in a swim diaper and him going potty in his diaper. It's just gross for anyone else who gets in the pool.

Thank you for easing my mind and making me feel better about taking him to a beach. I've been worried and debating even doing it because I wasn't sure if he may like it. I never paid attention to smaller children when I would go to the beach when I was younger so I couldn't remember if I've seen them have fun or being miserable.

You can reserve a day room at the Sheraton for $100 ahead of time. All of my kids LOVE the beach, but one didn't like it at all when he was a toddler. Found this out during a week long beach vacation! :eek:

You also might want to try Junkanoo, just in case he hates the sand. With 2 of you and only 1 child, I think you can manage having 1 of you get food and drink (I have 5 kids, and always managed with just the 2 of us, even when they were little).

we are doing nassau for first time and our daughter will be 19 months. she has not been a beach either. we are doing the dolphin encounter with her she LOVES animals so this will be great and she's free under a certain age. then we will spend time at the blue lagoon area as well. i did a ton of research and this seemed to be the best deal for us to do something with her and also enjoy the area. atlantis was too expensive and reviews weren't that great. atlantis is great if traveling there directly for sure! just my opinion.

Thank you for the info everyone! I'm still trying to decide between the free beach and going to a resort. My biggest worry now is having a clean place to change his diapers and having a place to rinse him and change his clothes so he doesn't have to travel back to the ship covered in sand. I thought I was finally getting the hang of taking him out for long periods, but throwing sand and water in the mix has me worried.

Have you considered getting a room at Atlantis for the day. We did it some years ago and it was cheaper than a day pass through the cruise ship plus youngest a room to change in. Also I think the hotel in front of Atlantis (forgot the name) is a little cheaper but still gives you access to Atlantis.

I would definitely check pricing and availability.

Have you considered getting a room at Atlantis for the day. We did it some years ago and it was cheaper than a day pass through the cruise ship plus youngest a room to change in. Also I think the hotel in front of Atlantis (forgot the name) is a little cheaper but still gives you access to Atlantis.

 

I would definitely check pricing and availability.

Yeah, we have considered it, but we are in port from noon-8pm and from what I've read it gets dark around 4:30 so that would be too expensive for us to do for 3-4 hours of play time. That is definately what we will do if we are ever in port with more daytime hours in the future.

Yeah, we have considered it, but we are in port from noon-8pm and from what I've read it gets dark around 4:30 so that would be too expensive for us to do for 3-4 hours of play time. That is definately what we will do if we are ever in port with more daytime hours in the future.

Although we've payed for a room at CS for the use of Atlantis, I'd never pay that to bring a toddler! The place is huge, and most of the slides have height restrictions. We actually left a 4, 4, and 6 year old on the ship with the grandparents, and took our older kids, to be able to really enjoy it.

Again, if you just want a beach, go to the free one (it's close to the port - I've had sandy kids with me for more than an hour drive in the car - no biggie), if you want to splurge on a room, do the Sheraton for $100 - hundreds less than Atlantis. The beach at Atlantis can be rough - last time we were there, we couldn't go into the water (which was fine - we were there for the slides).

?? Sunset in Nassau is no earlier than 5:20 pm.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=173&month=12&year=2012&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1

Thank you for the info everyone! I'm still trying to decide between the free beach and going to a resort. My biggest worry now is having a clean place to change his diapers and having a place to rinse him and change his clothes so he doesn't have to travel back to the ship covered in sand. I thought I was finally getting the hang of taking him out for long periods, but throwing sand and water in the mix has me worried.

I wouldn't worry about it. We're doing free beach day at one port, just walking around on the other, unless the beach is a huge hit. We'll bring snacks from ship and water. We'll go back for lunch/nap anyway or leave after lunch/nap (she currently. A few hours or less is more than enough time at the beach for a toddler.

If you get there at noon, then just go to the beach after nap time/lunch. Eat lunch on the ship and bring boxed cereal and water. This way lo is rested and fed. You won't have to worry about food or waiting in lines.

Most have outdoor showers or bathrooms. If not, take him the water, remove swim diaper, carry him out with a clean towel and put clean/sand free diaper on. Shower once back on ship.

My kid has never dirtied a swim diaper though (odd, she's never gone in the tub either). I'd do it differently if she were dirty.

We're staying at a beach resort in FL for four days before our cruise and I'm planning that sand will be part of the deal. :) I did read that baby powder is good to use to get the sand off of skin while at the beach. I don't know if it works, but I'm planning on bringing some, especially to try to clean hands before eating anything. DD is only 20 months and we've never had her play in sand yet - hopefully she likes it or we're going to be looking for a lot of alternative activities. I wouldn't worry too much about getting sandy before going back to the ship. If you don't want the sand in your room (and who does) you could go to the pool showers and rinse off before going to the room. Good luck. One way or another you'll figure it out and have a great time.

?? Sunset in Nassau is no earlier than 5:20 pm.

 

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=173&month=12&year=2012&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1

I got that time frame from Scubagirl on the Bahamas boards and she lives in Nassau so I figured it was probably true. But sunset is not what I'm worried about. It's price and accessibility. Thank you for the link!

Thank you Carnivalgirl and travelhound! You've both helped ease my mind a little more. This is the first time travelling with little man and I've been freaking out since we decided to bring him along.