We're booked!

[blondietink]

Finally booked our first Disney cruise! :D Disney Wonder December 3rd - 7th. Really looking forward to all of the Christmas activities/decorations and the pirate party. Also the ports we have never been to of Key West , Castaway Cay and Nassau. After 4 long cruises with Carnival we have actually never been to Nassau. From what I understand, I shouldn't expect much there.

 

Now, if only Disney World will come out with a free dining promotion either before or after our cruise, we will be happy campers!

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Finally booked our first Disney cruise! :D Disney Wonder December 3rd - 7th. Really looking forward to all of the Christmas activities/decorations and the pirate party. Also the ports we have never been to of Key West , Castaway Cay and Nassau. After 4 long cruises with Carnival we have actually never been to Nassau. From what I understand, I shouldn't expect much there.

 

Now, if only Disney World will come out with a free dining promotion either before or after our cruise, we will be happy campers!

 

Congrats, I think nice ports, key west is easy to walk around,

[moki'smommy]

Given your dates, free dining is a possibility. Enjoy the Wonder!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Finally booked our first Disney cruise! :D Disney Wonder December 3rd - 7th. Really looking forward to all of the Christmas activities/decorations and the pirate party. Also the ports we have never been to of Key West , Castaway Cay and Nassau. After 4 long cruises with Carnival we have actually never been to Nassau. From what I understand, I shouldn't expect much there.

 

Now, if only Disney World will come out with a free dining promotion either before or after our cruise, we will be happy campers!

 

 

 

Don't be too down on Nassau. There are some great excursions there and lots to do within walking distance. Plenty of great shopping if you like to shop too. Nassau has spent lots of money the last few years remodeling the buildings by the pier. I admit they are not as fancy looking as many islands, how ever when we cruise we go to see different cultures not fancy buildings.

 

Some of the people seem aggressive to sell you stuff if you haven't experienced that before and that does offend many people. It takes some getting use to. For us its a different culture and we enjoy a different experience than we get here at home. That's one thing we love about the different islands.

They are not nearly as aggressive as they use to be. Just say No Thanks and walk on. They will then ask the next person if they need a taxi or want their hair braided.

 

Other ports are cleaner and nicer to look at but that doesn't mean Nassau isn't much of a port. Look at the excursions and find something that sounds good and go for it. We have found the people there to be very nice.

 

Have a Magical cruise!!

[CELTICGIRLCRUISER]

You should try Nassau at least once, sometimes we get off sometimes we stay on. It isn't as scary as some folks make out. It certainly isn't our favourite destination but if no excursion planned we normally get off every second trip, just wander around, maybe grab a cocktail, check emails, pick up a couple of souvenirs and get back on board.

[moki'smommy]

In Nassau, it really depends on what you want. If you want a beach for a day, Cable Beach and Cabbage Beach are 15 minutes walking or 5 minutes in a cab. They adjoin the Hilton hotel beach, and there are plenty of vendors who are happy to rent or sell you whatever you want. There is no charge to toss your towel/blanket and sit on the sand. It's a little too far to walk with all your "beach stuff", at least for us.

 

Straw market--is now an inside building. Very little resemblance to the old straw market. You must walk thru the building to exit the port, so you aren't going to miss it if you get off the ship.

 

The locals are quite aggressive. This bothers me less since I no longer have young children. I DID NOT like them reaching out and touching my daughter! We find that they are actually getting worse about wanting to braid your hair or sell you junk. Early on, DCL had worked with the government to keep them from bothering guests; now....well, it is what it is.

 

Crime and theft are everywhere (I mean in every city). Be street smart. I don't think Nassau is particularly worse, just that it exists. It is better than in some ports and worse than in others.

 

That said...we normally don't choose cruises that go to Nassau, and if we do, we typically enjoy the ship or get off for only a brief time.

[blondietink]

Thanks everyone.

 

We are used to traveling in countries with aggressive people. Last cruise we were in LaRomana, DR and it was crazy, but fun. We had been to the DR before and knew how to deal with them.

 

We had read about the beach where the Hilton is. So, I hear you saying the beach is free, we would just have to pay for chairs if we want them on that beach or a nearby beach. Hilton has a day rate if we want to use their facilities? Are there beach vendors?

[moki'smommy]

Thanks everyone.

 

We are used to traveling in countries with aggressive people. Last cruise we were in LaRomana, DR and it was crazy, but fun. We had been to the DR before and knew how to deal with them.

 

We had read about the beach where the Hilton is. So, I hear you saying the beach is free, we would just have to pay for chairs if we want them on that beach or a nearby beach. Hilton has a day rate if we want to use their facilities? Are there beach vendors?

 

Yes, the Hilton has a day rate. BUT the beach right next to the Hilton is totally free. Yes, there are vendors who will rent chairs, umbrellas, etc. as well as selling food and if there isn't a cab waiting, they'll call one for you. What you won't get with the beach is a room and a place to shower and you can't use the hotel's pool....but you have that back at the ship, right?

[blondietink]

Yes' date=' the Hilton has a day rate. BUT the beach right next to the Hilton is totally free. Yes, there are vendors who will rent chairs, umbrellas, etc. as well as selling food and if there isn't a cab waiting, they'll call one for you. What you won't get with the beach is a room and a place to shower and you can't use the hotel's pool....but you have that back at the ship, right?[/quote']

 

We are not inclined to pay for use of a beach in front of a hotel when the same beach next door is free. I am also not inclined to use a pool, when the ocean is right there. Can always shower off back at the ship. Since we have 2nd seating dining, there will be plenty of time to get ready for dinner.

[moki'smommy]

We are not inclined to pay for use of a beach in front of a hotel when the same beach next door is free. I am also not inclined to use a pool, when the ocean is right there. Can always shower off back at the ship. Since we have 2nd seating dining, there will be plenty of time to get ready for dinner.

 

I'm totally with you...but there are some who feel otherwise. The other point is that if you plan to go to the beach and the weather is not suitable, you aren't stuck with a pre-booked hotel reservation.

[carolwoodpr]

We heard there wasn't much to do in Nassau but I wanted to go to the Straw Market and my husband wanted a place with WiFi. So we started at Starbucks which had very poor Wifi. We finished our coffees and left.

 

Next we went to the Straw Market. Being indoor was nice. We enjoyed it there and made a few purchases. We next headed to the Hilton to check out their beach for future trips if we decided to pay for that experience. The pool and beach area were nice and we might consider that next time.

 

Finally we walked to the Junkanoo beach and checked it out. It wasn't very crowded but again, we didn't stay.

 

We did a lot considering we had planned on staying on the ship.

[moki'smommy]

Junkanoo beach is another free beach--sorry, no personal experience with that one.