Mermaidhair

Hi there! I emailed Melia directly and they stated that passes can only be bought through them and not in advance, so I am not sure how legit the other "sites" are. We are going in January. Here is what i was sent, i hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Melia Nassau Beach All-Inclusive.

Our day passes can be purchased once you arrive on property at the front desk registration area from 9am - 5pm daily. They are not all-inclusive and cannot be purchased in advance. The cost is $45.00 per adult (age 12+) and $25.00 per child (age 2-11).

Please be advised lounge chairs, pools, resorts day activities and use of towels are included in your day pass rate. Snorkel mask and other non-motorized water sports are also included but based on availability.

Presently, we are offering a promotion on day passes, where the adults will receive a free Starbucks beverage with each adult day pass purchase.

To get to our resort from the cruise port, we suggest taking bus #10 public bus as it is very convenient and a bus stop is located three (3) minutes away from the cruise dock and just at the foot of our resort for $1.25 per person/trip. They run every 15 mins and takes about 15-20 minute each way from 6am-6:45pm daily. Otherwise, taxis are always available from dock for approximately $20 double occupancy and $4 additional per adult.

In regards to food and beverage options, we have an a-la-carte ocean front grille as well as a full lunch buffet you can purchase on property.

Kindly note that day pass information is subject to change without notice.

Should you need more information, please reach out to us again.

Hi, for any of you that are cruising Elation once her drydock is complete will you please come back here?? I think she is getting new doors and would love to know if they are metal. I want to know if I can take magnets for the door. I'm pretty sure that the original doors are not metal. Thanks in advance for your help!!

I'm curious about this as well! We go In January for our first cruise and I am trying to figure out how to do our door decor :) thanks for posting this!!

Are you asking how much additional you will need beyond your cruise fare or how much actual CASH you will need for a 5-day cruise? If you are asking about money beyond the cruise fare then consider

 

• Daily service charges $13 x 5 persons x 5 days = $325
  
• Luggage handling at the port = $10
  
• Are you going to buy any additional beverages (soft drinks, specialty coffee, bottled water, etc) - I would estimate $2-$3 for each non-alcoholic and $8 per alcoholic for a drink. Let's say Mom & Dad each have 2 alcoholic drinks each over the course of the trip and each family member has one soft drink/specialty coffee per day. It is easy now to say, oh we won't drink that much, but you have very few ports are you going to be able to resist and just drink the included beverages of tea, drip coffee, fountain water and milk? If you go with the conservative that is $100 right there.
  
• Bingo sounds like a fun distraction, but it is meant to be a money maker. The cards are expensive and the games are over fast, so don't expect that this will be a cheap easy way to fill your afternoon. Packages start in the $25 range and only go up from there. How many are going to play. Let's just assume mom and dad each play one package - $50
  
• Will you be gambling at all? Let's assume Mom & Dad aren't big gamblers. Lot's of people just say, "Oh I will just play $20 in the slots" Again Mom & Dad only - $40
  
• Will you need a definite shady spot while at Half Moon Cay or are you okay with potentially not finding a shady spot and having to rent a clam shell. The shady spots go quick! - $25
  
• What are you going to do in Nassau. You can walk off the ship and hit several touristy shops and let each person spend $10 a piece on a souvenir. Are you going to eat off the ship or are you going to head back for before lunch? Nassau is one of my least favorite ports, but if it was one of only two stops then I would at least get off and find some conch fritters. Souvenirs and lunch - $100
  
• Are you driving or flying to the port? I am going to assume you have already factored in airfare, but if driving you will need to add parking at the port. I am not sure what the port parking fee is in your area, but let's say $10 a day or if you are flying you will need transport from/to the port so either way- $50
  
• There always seems to be other money maker things out there - hair wraps for girls, paint a piece of pottery, etc - 20
  
• Will you family do the Dr. Suess character breakfast? - $25
  
• Pictures Here is a money suck. Let's be conservative and say you get just a few - $50
  

Cruises can be deceptively expensive. Nothing I mentioned above is an excursion and all are optional, accept the daily service charge. For a family of 5 who was pretty conservative onboard would still be spending nearly $800. Take out the pre-paid gratuities and it is still almost $500. You need to ask how much willpower you will have (and have to tell your kids no) to avoid the above items

NolaTravelGirl thank you for all of the detail/hypotheticals! It really does put it in perspective so we know what to expect. There are several on here I thought of already but just as many that I didn't consider. I guess it'll be time to start writing out what we want to spend for the optional stuff and what we don't want to. I am definitely glad that we already paid for gratuities in advance as well. If there is any other thing you can think of, I welcome your comments! Thanks again

Not sure how it works on every cruise line but on RC last year it was cheaper to get digital prints and they give you a USB drive than having pictures printed on the ship. Then we just took the USB drive to Walmart

 

 

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oh i wish they offered digital on Carnival. That would be a great option for sure!

I have a question-so do you have to pay for the beach day at blue lagoon, or just the ferry? We don't need the activities they offer, just would like to go spend the day at the beach relax and perhaps buy some snacks and drinks

We are going to the Princess Cays in January, so I am curious too! Hopefully some been there done that cruisers will have some feedback :) good luck!

Thank you everyone for the tips! It sounds like the photos are definitely overpriced, although I am a sucker for photo memories so we will see if I end up caving lol. We went ahead and paid for FTTF and also paid gratuities in advance. I am a fan for paying for anything we can in advance! We are cruising on the Elation for this first time in January!

My estimate;

Sightseeing for 5 at 2 ports - $150

Cheesy souvenirs for the kids (3) - $30

Bingo for two (1x) - $90

Some (4) photos - $80

Hey Tina, thanks for the estimates? It at least gives me an idea to build from since I have no clue for the cost of things on the ship. Random: How did you like MSC, family friendly? quality?

Kinda tough to estimate those costs. I can tell you if you're referring to on-ship photography those can get very pricey. You can buy a single photo to a package of photos and the cost will be on your final bill and charged to your credit card on the last day.

 

While in port you've got the cash vs. credit card option to consider. Cash can be lost/stolen and credit card will have to pay the currency exchange rate. Be sure to notify your credit card company of what ports you will be in so they won't flag the card as stolen. At the very least do take cash for small purchases while in port. Me and the DW will each carry some to lessen the chances of loss and leave the balance in our room's safe.

 

Enjoy your first cruise and welcome to cruise critic!

Good points, thank you! Each of us carrying some cash sounds like a good option, well, at least the adults carrying the cash ;p

It will really depend on your spending habits and buying preferences. On some ports, you may need to spend for transport like taxi to get to where you want if walking is not possible. You can also avoid places that have entrance fees. So you can choose how to spend your time in port.

Suggest you post on the specific Bahamas Port Of Call Forum to get an idea on which places to visit and the corresponding costs, if any.

 

 

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Easyboy, thank you for your suggestions I will definitely look into the threads for my specific ports of travel :)

So, we are going on a cruise for the first time (myself, husband, and 3 Kids that will be 4,10,and 6). I have no idea how much to set aside! We don’t really drink, and we aren’t purchasing excursions for this first time cruising. Really looking to sightsee a bit at ports or beach it (Nassau and princess cays), buy some cheesy souvenirs for the kids, maybe some bingo, and some photos for memories. Hoping the seasoned cruisers can give me some idea. I want to keep it simple this first time and see what it’s all about!! Thank you so much for your help!! And if you want to add in some tips for each port we would appreciate that as well. Thank you!