Nassau with Kids.

[Riffle6]

Good Morning!

 

We are taking a 5 days cruise on Carnival to the Bahamas.

Our Ports of Call are: Key West & Nassau.

 

Hubby & I have been to Key West before, so no worries there!

 

My concern is Nassau. We've never been & have no idea of what to expect.

 

My concerns:

*Stroller for 4 year old? Or skip bringing one?

*Free beaches that are great for families?

*What to do with the older kids: 18, 15, & 11?

*People to people with our family of 6? Doable? Will the kids enjoy it?

*Great places for Souvenirs?

 

We want to have a great family trip with as little disharmony as possible. (Can't necessarily please everyone ;) But we want it to be an enjoyable experience.

What should our expectations be?

 

Not interested in paying for beaches, or Atlantis. Way too pricey for our clan.

We are interested in Blue Lagoon though. :D

 

Any insight on Nassau, docking, etc, is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!! :)

[Prinycesa07]

Following. We're also going to Nassau in April with a 3&4 yr old. We've been there 3 times now & have yet to find anything we've enjoyed but we haven't looked much. We just get off the ship, hit the straw market, walk around a bit & come back to the ship so id be interested in ideas as well. I hear they have a nice zoo?

 

As far as stroller I'm debating the same. My daughter will be 4.5 & I know she won't need it. She hasn't needed it the past 2 cruises. My son will be 3 & I'm debating bringing it for him. He most likely won't sit when he sees her walking but the kid is a bolter. She's always walked nicely with us. He runs everywhere. Maybe a leash? (No debates please). I dunno just hate to have to bring it to not use it.

[mjkacmom]

Do a daypass at a hotel (Melia bought the Sheraton).

[cruisewithbaby]

I'm going to suggest the Pirate Museum. You can walk to it from the ship. It is very nice and has a good gift shop too. We walked to the queen Victoria statue (ask anyone and they will tell you where it is and then go right and walk about 3 blocks to the pirate museum. It is two floors and you can leave your stroller behind the desk if you bring it. They have real artifacts found from pirates etc . You can also walk to the queens staircase but not too exciting for teens I would think. The library is also very near and you can walk to it, pretty sure it used to be a jail!

 

 

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[megann831]

we have an excursion booked through Carnival to Balmoral beach. It's a private beach, you go on a little boat ride to get there, so it's supposed to be safe and no one really bothers you. My daughter will have just turned 4 and my son will be be almost 2. If we have time and feel comfortable, I guess we might use the stroller around the straw market for my son, but I wouldn't drag it to the beach, it's easier just to hold him then try to get a stroller around the sand.

[nivek82]

Stroller depends how far and how much your kid likes being in one. Our DD doesn't like it but it helps going quickly off the ship and walking farther out. The free beach is about a 10 minute walk to the right of the port so a stroller helps us there

 

If you just want to stay close there is a fountain in an open area by senior frogs that the kids can play in. We found our dd likes that better than the beach and every time we have been there no one else knows it's there. There are also bathrooms right there too (in this open park not part of senior frogs)

[Prinycesa07]

Stroller depends how far and how much your kid likes being in one. Our DD doesn't like it but it helps going quickly off the ship and walking farther out. The free beach is about a 10 minute walk to the right of the port so a stroller helps us there

 

If you just want to stay close there is a fountain in an open area by senior frogs that the kids can play in. We found our dd likes that better than the beach and every time we have been there no one else knows it's there. There are also bathrooms right there too (in this open park not part of senior frogs)

 

Wow that's interesting. Never knew that was there. We will be looking for this next time. It's in a public park?

[nivek82]

Yes but it's more just the fountain and some sitting areas (and bathrooms) that is close to the ships. The public beach is a few blocks down the road.

[Prinycesa07]

Cool, thanks. We did go to the beach once, we weren't fans of it. Going to look for this fountain in April.

[sailinglisa]

The Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre... http://www.ardastra.com Have to see the Flamingos march......a lot to see and do for the family.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I really liked the excursion to the Atlantis. There are swimming areas for the four year old, an aquarium and, a beach, a place you can watch the dolphins frolic. It is a huge complex and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A stroller is a must- lots of walking.

 

In Key West- the beaches aren't terribly great. It a nice place to stroll, shop, get a drink, etc. I'd probably leave the four year old on board with the youth staff.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Nassau. go to the beach ...

[wwforever11]

So, I have been to Nassau on 3 different cruises, only because it has worked out with the cruiseships and dates that we have our cruises booked for. We are not big fans. It is a big industrial when you arrive, so not the prettiest port. And, the shopping near the port is a bit sketchy. We survived the Straw Market, however, at times I thought we might be murdered. :eek:

 

With that in mind...this time we decided to do the Blue Lagoon Sea Lion Encounter and LOVED IT. You are taken to the Blue Lagoon Beach on a double decker boat on approximately 30 minute ride to the island. A few different excursions are available....the Sea Lions, Dolphins, or just the Beach. Most opted for the Dolphins, but the Sea Lions were fantastic. I have to say though that the excursion for four of us was approx $450. Crazy! The beach was nice and it was a beautiful day. There is an area of the beach which has a bunch of inflatables (on the water trampolines, slides, activity areas). I think this area was an additional $15-20 charge/per person. This island reminded me of a lower end Castaway Cay. I would definately recommend it to others. They had a bar and eatting area which was good.

 

Good luck in your planning! Let me know if you want any pics of Blue Lagoon Island/beach.

[Mack2]

The Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre... www.ardastra.com Have to see the Flamingos march......a lot to see and do for the family.

 

I, too, am a big fan of Ardastra Gardens.

 

The Marching Flamingos walk freely around the Zoo before and after the show. So we had opportunities to see them up close.

 

 

Additionally, there's times when you can feed apples to the Lorie Parrots

 

 

 

My kids love it... it's a lot of fun.

 

 

 

 

The first time we were there, we took a cab there and just missed the Flamingo show... but the trainer let the kids in for a photo op.

 

We've made such good memories there.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Mack2

[geegee1]

...

My concerns:

*Stroller for 4 year old? Or skip bringing one?

*Free beaches that are great for families?

...

 

We bring the stroller for our 5 yo. Just makes it a lot easier to get through the port when there is a rush of people trying to get into/out of the ship area.

 

The beach next to Atlantis is nice. Just bring some snacks and drinks with you

[PrincessCatarina]

I am thinking of signing up for a shore excursion to the Atlantis with a 3-year-old (Allure of the Seas). I know the cruise lines often use vans or minibuses on the islands. Any experiences with a tour operator in Nassau requiring a child's car seat? I would think it is not required if adults do not have to wear seat belts either.

[NJfoodie]

It's been a few years since we took DS1 who was 15m old at the time to Nassau so my info may be a bit outdated (2010?). I would highly recommend checking the port of call board as well for more info.

 

Junkanoo beach is the free beach that is in walking distance of the cruise terminal. It's about a 10-15 minute walk. Depending on when you go, it may not be particularly well maintained (off-season). We went in May and it looked nice enough to us. We walked over and looked around but we already did a beach day the day before so DH didn't want to spend another day baking. Another option is that there are several hotels at which you can get a day pass to use their pools and any beach property they have - British colonial hilton was within walking distance of the port.

 

For private tours, check with your tour operator if arrangements can be made for a car seat. We booked a private tour of the city and they provided a carseat for DS. I had requested it when I booked it. When the van came, they didn't have the car seat, we explained again that it was reserved in advance, so they had someone come out to the meeting point to deliver the car seat. I don't know if it's legally required to use carseats, but given DS's age/size, I would not have done the trip without one!

[akcruz]

Another vote for Ardastra Gardens/zoo. Even my then teen/early 20's enjoyed it very much. It is not what you would find in the states, but pretty impressive and you can make it as much of a day as you want.

 

We took a taxi to the zoo, went down the hill to the fish fry for lunch and then walked back. It is a bit of a walk, but along the water. If you decide to try that the stroller would be a must.

[AJI2596]

Go yourself to Atlantis. Much cheaper then through the excursion. My kids liked the Pirate Museum. It's fine to bring a stroller:)

 

 

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[MomofTheBoy]

My DS and I will be there in November the day he turns 4! From everyone's response it looks like we'll do the zoo then hang out at the beach! What more would a 4 year old want (besides chicken nuggets and ice cream).

[geegee1]

We just did BCH again with our now 5 and 8 yo's. They both loved it. Highly recommend it for families who want a quiet day at the beach or pool.

[RSLeesburg]

We just did BCH again with our now 5 and 8 yo's. They both loved it. Highly recommend it for families who want a quiet day at the beach or pool.

 

 

We were debating on BCH, Melia, or Wyndham. I like that BCH is so close.

 

 

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[momto2js]

We had a great time hanging out on an empty ship in Nassau. We got off on the frist trip, the second trip we skipped it. Best port day ever.

 

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[Matt&Carolyn]

We did the British Colonial Hilton 2 years ago - our kids, then about 3 and 5, LOVED it. We did pay some to go, but part of that fee went to our lunch and I think the kids were pretty cheap or free? We still use the water bottles they received when we got in. :) It was REALLY nice to just walk there, and we were able to shop a bit on our way back.

[tinkerbell1984]

We walked to the free public beach. It was really easy just leave the port area and walk right along the sidewalk until you get there. Wear watershoes. It isn't the nicest beach by a long shot. But the kids had fun. You can see the ships and we watched one pull in. You can buy a chair for like $10.

 

 

 

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