Just a few questions :)

[krysteen83]

Hi all! I am taking my family on RCI Monarch of the Seas on 5/7/12 (4 night). I have been on a cruise before when I was a teenager but because of weather we never made it to port. And this time I am taking my DH, our 15 yr, 8yr children, and my mother :eek: I have a couple of questions, thanks in advance for helping me out!

1. Should we bring our own snorkel gear for Coco Cay? (Trying to keep costs down!)

 

2. At Nassau we would like to sightsee Atlantis and the Dig (not the beach or anything at atlantis), tour the pirate museum, and check out the straw market. So my idea is: to buy the tickets for Atlantis through the ship for 1 pm. When we get up that morning, eat, head to the straw market, be back on ship in time to leave for Atlantis, when Atlantis is over take a cab to pirate museum, and cab back to ship. Is that a good plan or am I cutting it too close?

 

3. I have prepaid tips, and whatever excusions we do I will also pre-pay. We don't really drink (especially at those prices!) but I will be buying the soda cards for the kids. Any idea how much I should budget per person? Not crazy about using my debit card for s&s either since I've read they put a hold on it. Will my cash be ok in my room safe?

 

Thanks:)

[LittleMissMagic]

1) Absolutely, you can bring your own snorkel gear - that will save you a good bit.

 

2) The straw market is very close to the ship (I'd say a 15 min walk), so I don't think you're cutting it too close for your excursion, as long as you don't plan on spending a long time shopping.

 

3) Always budget more than you plan to spend - if you've prepaid all of your tip, excursions, and soda cards, I'd say budget $100/person for spending money. Cash is important - make sure you have small bills for the straw market - in fact, I recommend carrying all $1s (to the market)! :D Also, you'll want to have small bills so you can tip your porter and other people when you find necessary. Your cash should be absolutely fine in the safe, but note that the safes on the Monarch are in rooms on the 8th floor and above (I believe, from what I have read on the boards).

 

Have a great cruise! :)

[Cigar King]

Just one thing to add...Atlantis is huge, you may not have enough to time to see it, and the other things on your list. After all, you don't want the other passengers waving bye bye to you because you missed the boat.

[PattyG12]

While you can bring your own snorkle equipment, the last time I was there, they insisted I rent a vest from them. I believe it was $10 but still .....

 

Have a good time!!

[Familygoboston]

I think your Bahamas itinerary is really aggressive, given how huge Atlantis is! Is the 1 PM the absolute latest one offered by RCI?

 

Here is my idea, do the straw market and Pirate museum in the AM (the pirate museum is pretty quick, but fun, there are a few interactive type exhibits where the kids can dress up and jump around on the ship, but you'll move through pretty quickly I think) If you plan about an hour or so for both museum and market, plus an hour to go back and forth (3 AM hours), you could get back to the pier to meet your late tour. You won't need to reboard, and I'd plan not to, maybe bring snacks ashore, or buy something in Nassau...just go back to the pier area and meet the guide for your Atlantis excursion. That way you can enjoy every last possible moment at Atlantis and the guides will be responsible for meeting the ship on time.

 

I'm like you and like to pack things in too;), but to maximize your time, one trip into town will make it go smoother IMO!

 

Have fun with your family...sounds like a great trip!:D

[Emeripsni]

Do the pirate museum and then straw market combined - they are fairly close and taking 2 cab trips would eat up time and $$ since you are trying to keep costs down. Note: they are just a 15 minute walk from the ship.

 

Just a suggestion: Sounds like you are trying to pack a bunch into one day - especially for a family of five ranging from kids to a grandparent. You may want to slow it down a bit and avoid some stress.

[cb at sea]

You really don't NEED an excursion thru the ship to go to Atlantis....all of the public areas of the hotel are open to everyone, and you can get tickets to the "Dig" at the hotel. A short cab ride will get you there and back.

[Clarea]

While you can bring your own snorkle equipment, the last time I was there, they insisted I rent a vest from them. I believe it was $10 but still .....

 

Have a good time!!

You are correct, they do require a vest to snorkel. The last time I was there the cost was $6. However, you can also bring your own vest.

[ryano]

Just one thing to add...Atlantis is huge, you may not have enough to time to see it, and the other things on your list. After all, you don't want the other passengers waving bye bye to you because you missed the boat.

 

The good thing is, the Monarch doesnt sail out of Nassau until almost midnight :) On the 4 nighter Im pretty sure it gets there early in the morning.

 

PLENTY of time to take in Atlantis and do everything else IMO

[LittleMissMagic]

You really don't NEED an excursion thru the ship to go to Atlantis....all of the public areas of the hotel are open to everyone, and you can get tickets to the "Dig" at the hotel. A short cab ride will get you there and back.

 

Actually, that's no longer true. They now have security guards at all of the entrances and you must have some sort of day pass or tour to even enter the property (except for the casino/restaurants - but you cannot just explore the resort on your own). We were able to visit Atlantis on our own in 2004, but sadly, things have changed.

[CaroleSS]

Kyrsteen,

Something you may wish to think about is some type of pre-paid credit card for your s&s account. That way your won't have to worry about using your debit card and the hold won't matter. You can fill out your travel information with CASH as the payment type, then change it prior to sailing when you purchase the card.

 

Here is a link to the taxi rates if you are interested

http://www.bahamas-travel.info/taxi_fares.htm

 

I have also read that to get into Atlantis you have to have purchased a day pass. You can purchase them there.....$39 for the Dig and the preditor lagoon.

 

Wew are on the same cruise, but there are 9 of us! :eek:

[krysteen83]

Thank you everyone! I am glad to know that bringing cash it will be safe. My room is on deck 8, so I am hoping it will have a safe in the closet. And since the ship doesn't leave Nassau until midnight I will do the straw market + pirate museum together, and that way we can enjoy Atlantis without worrying or rushing!

[Scotty G]

While you can bring your own snorkle equipment, the last time I was there, they insisted I rent a vest from them. I believe it was $10 but still .....

 

Have a good time!!

DW brings her own vest with the rest of her snorkel gear.

 

Also, The Pirate Museum was in a serious fire last year. http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17979&Itemid=27

[krysteen83]

Wait...What? So there is no Pirate Museum at all? How Horrible! And why is Royal Caribbean trying to sell me an excursion there?

[MonaCK]

Wait...What? So there is no Pirate Museum at all? How Horrible! And why is Royal Caribbean trying to sell me an excursion there?

 

Don't bother with the ships excursion there. I don't know if it's open or not, but last year we went on our own, and it was less money to just buy our tickets at the door.

[LookingForward2]

yes, if you do a little reading on the ports of call boards, you will find that doing most excursions on your own is your best bet - especially for Nassau. last year when we visited atlantis on our own in the evening, we walked right into the dig without anyone saying we had to pay anything.

i think the suggestions of doing the straw market and museum in the morning are right on. enjoy you trip!