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Nassau - what to do: walking distance, best beach, local tours etc?


kculater
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I love Nassau. I usually head to Junkanoo Beach and utilize the water toys, jetski's, paddle boarding, kayaks, banana boat, etc. We also enjoyed the shopping, I have never gone to Atlantis because its seems like too much money. I would rather stay at the resort on vacation then spend my day there cruising.

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Has anyone ever done this tour??

We did this tour in Sept. 2016. We found it to be an interesting way to see highlights of Nassau and not be a long tour. The guide was informative and it was in an air conditioned van.

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We did this tour in Sept. 2016. We found it to be an interesting way to see highlights of Nassau and not be a long tour. The guide was informative and it was in an air conditioned van.

 

 

Thank you for the info. I think we are going to try it.

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Has anyone ever done this tour??

 

Yes, I just did it on May 21, 2017. I liked the tour. It was quick and since the ship got there early (7:00 am) and left early (2:00 pm), I felt it was perfect for the amount of time we had at the port (shops and other places didn't open until 10). It is about a 3 hour tour. We had time after the tour to walk around and shop before getting back on the ship by the all abroad time - 1:30 pm. The tour guided pointed out other buildings as we toured around like the Embassy's, Hospitals etc. I liked the rum cake at the rum cake factory. The Queen's Staircase you can walk down them and if you are unable to walk, they will drive you down to the end so you can get out and see from bottom looking up. I enjoyed the pina colada they gave us to taste at John Watling's Rum Distillery. I didn't get off at the Chocolate stop, those that did were back in 3 minutes. They said no samples were given and the chocolate was very expensive for a tiny piece of chocolate. They might want to consider eliminating that stop. Our driver was great, I wished I remembered his name. He did trivia about Nassau on the van and those that got the question right he gave them a rum cake as a prize. I definitely recommend this tour for anyone who is interested.

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Is it safe to go out walking/exploring on your own? Looking at the prior posts and map and that looks like an interesting way to explore Nassau.

 

I didn't walk around on my own but I saw several people walking and exploring around on their own to some of the places I stopped at on the tour I did.

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Yes, I just did it on May 21, 2017. I liked the tour. It was quick and since the ship got there early (7:00 am) and left early (2:00 pm), I felt it was perfect for the amount of time we had at the port (shops and other places didn't open until 10). It is about a 3 hour tour. We had time after the tour to walk around and shop before getting back on the ship by the all abroad time - 1:30 pm. The tour guided pointed out other buildings as we toured around like the Embassy's, Hospitals etc. I liked the rum cake at the rum cake factory. The Queen's Staircase you can walk down them and if you are unable to walk, they will drive you down to the end so you can get out and see from bottom looking up. I enjoyed the pina colada they gave us to taste at John Watling's Rum Distillery. I didn't get off at the Chocolate stop, those that did were back in 3 minutes. They said no samples were given and the chocolate was very expensive for a tiny piece of chocolate. They might want to consider eliminating that stop. Our driver was great, I wished I remembered his name. He did trivia about Nassau on the van and those that got the question right he gave them a rum cake as a prize. I definitely recommend this tour for anyone who is interested.

 

 

Thank you.....that helps alot. Having not done many cruises I'm pretty new to this, and not sure what tour companies to trust. I thought it would be a good way to explore the Island in a short amount of time.

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As someone deep in pirate history, I've been to the Pirates of Nassau Museum on both me cruises. I like it, its a fun little museum, and there's some useful info if you've just seen the "Hollywood Version" of pirates...

 

The last cruise we went on we met a couple that said they hopped in a cab and went to Atlantis to explore. I don't know how much of it you get to see, but it's cheaper than paying for an excursion. We may do that in a few weeks since I've never been over there in the three times I've been in Nassau. There is also a pirate museum (since I'll have my two kids) in walking distance from the pier that we'll check out.

 

 

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As someone deep in pirate history, I've been to the Pirates of Nassau Museum on both me cruises. I like it, its a fun little museum, and there's some useful info if you've just seen the "Hollywood Version" of pirates...

 

 

We took our six kids there when we stopped at Nassau in 2014. They were 13, 11, 9, 8, 3, & 1 at the time. Except for one dark room that startled my 3 year old they enjoyed the museum visit. My husband and I also liked it a great deal. Being the Mom I had been a bit worried they'd glamorize pirates at the museum, but that was not the case. It was history-oriented and rather well appointed. Our tour guide was decked out in costume. It was a comfortable walk from the ship for our brood. We also stopped at Junkanoo beach. We had not planned to and had no swim gear, but the water was so gorgeous we let the kids splash around and swim clothed. The walk back gave them time to dry out.

 

Junkanoo is on the top of my list for January's stop.

 

 

 

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We did the Tru Bahamian Food Tour last time in Nassau and absolutely loved it. Now, I am a foodie of course but it was really a nice way to enjoy some Bahamian Food. There is some walking involved but you get a break every time you are somewhere to eat. https://www.trubahamianfoodtours.com/

 

This looks like it would be fun. I just booked it for our Escape sailing! Thanks :D

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We took our six kids there when we stopped at Nassau in 2014. They were 13' date=' 11, 9, 8, 3, & 1 at the time. Except for one dark room that startled my 3 year old they enjoyed the museum visit. My husband and I also liked it a great deal. Being the Mom I had been a bit worried they'd glamorize pirates at the museum, but that was not the case. It was history-oriented and rather well appointed. Our tour guide was decked out in costume. It was a comfortable walk from the ship for our brood. We also stopped at Junkanoo beach. We had not planned to and had no swim gear, but the water was so gorgeous we let the kids splash around and swim clothed. The walk back gave them time to dry out.

 

Junkanoo is on the top of my list for January's stop.

 

 

 

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What was the cost of the museum? We are taking the kids in November and planning on doing Junkanoo for sure but museum sounds fun too

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What was the cost of the museum? We are taking the kids in November and planning on doing Junkanoo for sure but museum sounds fun too

 

 

 

Website says $13/adult & $6.50/kid.

Not cheap, but it was a good fit for what we were looking for. We were on DCL Magic and we were only looking for the kind of outing that would only use up a few hours.

 

 

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Any other thoughts about walking around solo? I'm cruising solo, but would prefer to do my own thing. Sounds like the tours are very brief stops at lots of places. I like the idea of the walking tour at my own pace.

 

 

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46c526006ec0525e04502cae823d39a6.jpg

 

We just got back from Nassau and took this independent walking tour. We chose certain spots...It was about a 2-3 hr walk . Started by walking to the Queens Staircase and Fort Fincastle. Then walked west on Duke St saw the Government House towards Graycliff where there are the cigars and chocolates. We then took the tour at John Watlings Distillary-nice stop for a little history and cool drink. Then we walked back onto Bay St. towards the ship and walked through straw market - which was a little overwhelming for us. Our last stop was at Pirate Republic Brewery for a taste of beer and some good food.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

What a fun and useful thread. We have the less-than-optimal 7-2 slot. So we are going to sleep-in a bit then do a walking tour similar to the ones posted. I will have a 13&14 year old with me so we are (for once) going to play it by ear. We will walk around a bit, maybe visit the Pirate Museum, maybe visit the straw market if they want to, maybe hit Junkaroo beach to just see it, and for lunch we will either hike over to The Fish Fry or try the Bearded Clam.

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We hit Junkanoo beach early (around 9) and it was wonderful and quiet. Tons of fish swimming around us, and it didn't get busy until 12. By then, the number and types of fish were less than earlier in the day, but the party on the beach was hopping .

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We hit Junkanoo beach early (around 9) and it was wonderful and quiet. Tons of fish swimming around us, and it didn't get busy until 12. By then, the number and types of fish were less than earlier in the day, but the party on the beach was hopping .

That is cool and good to know if you get there early you can see fish

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The last time we were in Nassau, Hubby and I rented a scooter and drove about 15-20 mins down to a place called the Poop Deck, It was quiet and had an awesome private beach and amazing conch fritters and daiquiri's. I'm headed back in Sept but it's just my sister and I and I'm not sure If we should try to cab it to the Poop deck or try some of these other suggestions.

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Just got back. We pretty much did everything, but only for a short amount of time. We walked from the cruise port to the straw market (less than 5 minutes) and then continued walking to Junkanoo Beach. I was not overly impressed with Junkanoo. It seemed really small and crowded. We then took a cab to cabbage beach (really nice but larger waves). We kept out heads down and told a couple people no when we first arrived and we were left alone. We walked what felt like 1-2 miles (probably not that far) down to the Atlantis. We actually just walked past security and could see some lakes/sharks. The path we took eventually led to the casino (which was a dead end for us). Cab to Cabbage beach was $4 per person if you did a shared ride or about $20 for a private ride.

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Love the map, thank you. This is a little off topic,but I was wondering if you can buy bags of Cuban coffee in Nassau. We just got back from a Cuba cruise on Royal Carribean in June. Purchased a couple of bags of Cuban coffee and are now kicking ourselves we didn't fill a suitcase with it. I know you can buy Cuban cigars and rum in Nassau but anyoneone know if you can buy coffee?

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I found this tour. It is inexpensive and quick. If you want to get off the ship for a little bit. If I don't do my own thing, I might do this one.

 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Nassau/Fun-Run-Nassau-and-Paradise-island-Tour/d420-16383P1

 

Looks like a great tour with great reviews. This may be exactly the tour I may purchase. For the price, it looks like a steal. Thanks for that link!

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A couple years ago, I took a water taxi over to Atlantis for $5 plus tip and purchased a Aquarium pass for $35 now 49 and was able to walk all over Atlantis without a problem. Came back to port in a taxi and went to the flee market.

 

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They no longer let you walk all over.

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