What to do in NASSAU, ST. THOMAS, & TORTOLA?

[mjkacmom]

Would you say it was better than the Hilton? I like the idea of the Hilton because it's a recognizable chain and it's very close to the port. Do you remember the cost? TIA :)

 

Melia is nicer, much better beach, nicer pools, we had a great taxi driver who was more like a tour guide. You can also take a bus, $1.50 pp?

[tumblew467]

I guess I have a different take on Nassau. THere are a lot of folks who say stay on the ship, that it is a dump. I believe all ports are unique in their own way.

I have been to Nassau 3 times and each time I was able to find something to do or see.

We did the walk down the main st and window shopped. We did the Atlantis adventure one year by booking thru the hotel near by. Another time we did Ardrasta zoo, and then went to John Watling's Distillery. Also went to Graycliff and did the chocolate factory tour and watched them make cigars there.

Our 1 trip I hired cheryl ferguson taxi and they did a 4 hour tour all around nassau and took us to the historical sites, beaches, forts, watched how they get conch and ate a raw one, and went to the famous arawak cay fish fry.

For authentic souvenirs- . I did a ton of research on these boards for souvenirs. What I read was that not many cruisers were fond of the straw market. I found this lovely place called Bahama art and handicraft. All items are made by local artists and crafters. It is in a restored Bahamian house on Shirley street. They have straw work, shellwork, paintings, jewelry and woodcraft to name a few. I purchased hand painted christmas ornaments and a handmade Junkaboo ornament made out of straw for a remembrance of my trip .You can google them or they do have a facebook page as well. I wanted to support local artists .So if you want authentic craft this is the place to go.

 

So I guess what I am saying is that if you research enough about a port you will find nice things to do.

[skeeter195]

Definitely want to go to JVD in Tortola

 

If you want to go to JVD I would book ASAP if I were you. It sells out almost every trip. Last year on the Gem we were very lucky that the concierge was able to squeeze the 4 of us(there was only 1 spot left) on the 2nd trip of the day to JVD. The website showed sold out so we inquired in the waiting lounge before we even got on the ship on embarkation day.

 

It was definitely one of the best excursions we ever took. I think what made it so great was the fact that it was so simple and such a laid back beach with nothing to care about.

[luckyinpa]

one cool thing about straw market is they weave your name into the basket. as my gfs child has NOTHING ever with her unique name, this will likely be her only personalized thing she gets in a very long time .

 

she wont ever have a license plate on her bike, pencil with her name or anything.

[Bonobochick]

Thanks for the advice. I think I've got it mostly figured out now. Definitely want to go to JVD in Tortola. While I'd like to see the Baths, I don't want the crowds and just really need to relax. Pretty sure we'll go to the Hilton in Nassau, as Atlantis just doesn't interest me. And probably Magens Bay in St. Thomas. Sounds perfectly relaxing to me. :)

 

I'm not sure how crowded the baths are as I've yet to make it to Virgin Gorda whenever the cruise I'm on docks in Tortola but I went Jost Van Dyke 2 weeks ago and it was pretty crowded. I had a blast regardless... I just wanted to say that it also definitely isn't crowd-free.

[janetz]

This is a GREAT excursion in St. Thomas

http://www.usvisailing.com/daysails.html :)

[SailLaVie]

The first time I went to Nassau we walked to Senior Frog's for lunch amd drinks. It is a touristy chain restutaunt but a lively atmosphere. We took a taxi over to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Blue Lagoon island where we did the sea lion excursion. We loved the excursion so much! Fun experience! Then we took the ferry back and walked around Atlantis to check it out. We toured the aquarium. We felt that the aquarium wasn't worth the cost personally. We walked around the shops outside of Atlantis, browsing and shopping. Then we took a taxi back over to the ship. We had a good day for sure.

 

The second time in Nassau we wandered into the town and walked to Graycliff's cigar and candy shop to check them out. Then walked to the rum distillery. We took a short self guided tour of the facility and then did a rum tasting. Then we walked to junkanoo where we hung out, swam, had lunch from a hut, got a massage from a hut before walking back to the ship. We had a good time that day as well.

 

I think Nassau is what you make of it.

 

Thank you for the information. I think it's what you make of it too. :)

[SailLaVie]

For those who like to just wing it at the port and pick up a tour or taxi there, it may work well for you.

 

In my opinion, it depends on the port and country. In some countries, I would never take that chance with someone that I know nothing about. When I first visited Egypt, I had an Egyptian friend tell me that there was a scam where taxi drivers were taking people to the desert instead of downtown Cairo, raping the women and stealing all their valuables. Some people died.

 

It may work if you want to go to a beach and snorkel, etc., but if you have more to see, and want a full day tour, I would much rather know the firm and their rating on TripAdvisor.

 

For some ports where the sights to see require a reservation, it is almost a must to do a tour.

 

 

I agree, in some places, I would never take a chance too.

[SailLaVie]

Melia is nicer, much better beach, nicer pools, we had a great taxi driver who was more like a tour guide. You can also take a bus, $1.50 pp?

 

 

Awesome, I'll check it out. Thanks! :):)

[SailLaVie]

I guess I have a different take on Nassau. THere are a lot of folks who say stay on the ship, that it is a dump. I believe all ports are unique in their own way.

I have been to Nassau 3 times and each time I was able to find something to do or see.

We did the walk down the main st and window shopped. We did the Atlantis adventure one year by booking thru the hotel near by. Another time we did Ardrasta zoo, and then went to John Watling's Distillery. Also went to Graycliff and did the chocolate factory tour and watched them make cigars there.

Our 1 trip I hired cheryl ferguson taxi and they did a 4 hour tour all around nassau and took us to the historical sites, beaches, forts, watched how they get conch and ate a raw one, and went to the famous arawak cay fish fry.

For authentic souvenirs- . I did a ton of research on these boards for souvenirs. What I read was that not many cruisers were fond of the straw market. I found this lovely place called Bahama art and handicraft. All items are made by local artists and crafters. It is in a restored Bahamian house on Shirley street. They have straw work, shellwork, paintings, jewelry and woodcraft to name a few. I purchased hand painted christmas ornaments and a handmade Junkaboo ornament made out of straw for a remembrance of my trip .You can google them or they do have a facebook page as well. I wanted to support local artists .So if you want authentic craft this is the place to go.

 

So I guess what I am saying is that if you research enough about a port you will find nice things to do.

 

 

Sounds like you've had a lot of fun in Nassau :) Thanks!

[SailLaVie]

Definitely want to go to JVD in Tortola

 

If you want to go to JVD I would book ASAP if I were you. It sells out almost every trip. Last year on the Gem we were very lucky that the concierge was able to squeeze the 4 of us(there was only 1 spot left) on the 2nd trip of the day to JVD. The website showed sold out so we inquired in the waiting lounge before we even got on the ship on embarkation day.

 

It was definitely one of the best excursions we ever took. I think what made it so great was the fact that it was so simple and such a laid back beach with nothing to care about.

 

 

I want to do it a lot, but my son thinks it's too expensive for what you get. I'm still debating :confused:

[SailLaVie]

one cool thing about straw market is they weave your name into the basket. as my gfs child has NOTHING ever with her unique name, this will likely be her only personalized thing she gets in a very long time .

 

she wont ever have a license plate on her bike, pencil with her name or anything.

 

 

That's a cool idea, thanks. :)

[SailLaVie]

I'm not sure how crowded the baths are as I've yet to make it to Virgin Gorda whenever the cruise I'm on docks in Tortola but I went Jost Van Dyke 2 weeks ago and it was pretty crowded. I had a blast regardless... I just wanted to say that it also definitely isn't crowd-free.

 

 

How crowded was crowded? :eek:

[SailLaVie]

This is a GREAT excursion in St. Thomas

http://www.usvisailing.com/daysails.html :)

 

 

 

Thanks, it looks like fun :)

[mar1060]

I've not been to the Hilton, so can't compare the two. Melia was really beautiful and might have cost $70 pp including lunch and drink.

 

 

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[SailLaVie]

I've not been to the Hilton, so can't compare the two. Melia was really beautiful and might have cost $70 pp including lunch and drink.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I couldn't find anything on their website about cruise ship day passes. :(

[mrscox712]

Stumbled upon the pirate republic brewery in Nassau last time. It was great. A short walk from the ship. My husband and I went there for a couple drinks and went back to the ship for lunch. Nassau is very different from your first two stops.

 

 

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[SailLaVie]

Stumbled upon the pirate republic brewery in Nassau last time. It was great. A short walk from the ship. My husband and I went there for a couple drinks and went back to the ship for lunch. Nassau is very different from your first two stops.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

In what way do you mean very different? :)

[tumblew467]

I couldn't find anything on their website about cruise ship day passes. :(

 

Yes there site is not the friendliest to find the day passes but here is the link.

 

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/bahamas/british-colonial-hilton-nassau-NASHIHH/attractions/index.html

 

just scroll down to In and Around Town and you will see the Cruise ship day pass.

 

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/bahamas/british-colonial-hilton-nassau-NASHIHH/attractions/cruiseship-info.html

Edited January 22, 2017 by tumblew467

[mrscox712]

In what way do you mean very different? :)

 

Hmm... I felt Saint Thomas and Tortola were natural beauties. The snorkeling and sightseeing were breathtaking (It was my 4th cruise, so it's not a regular thing for me...yet!). Nassau is a tourist city. You can just walk off the boat and find shopping, tours, restaurants, bars, the straw market, cabs waiting to take you around, etc.

 

When I went on the Getaway 2 years ago, I did a catamaran/snorkel excursion in St. Thomas, the Baths in Tortola, and just walked off the boat in Nassau. I had done a lot of research before hand (thanks Cruise Critic!) and felt 100% content with my choices. I hope this helps!

[gamblinmon]

check the forums for info on the Melia= we went & thought it was beautiful!

we did not buy a day pass ahead of time, we bought once we arrived.

You can email then directly for information.

[bethclayton]

We absolutely loved the VI Cat, which took us to Turtle Cove for snorkeling at St. Thomas. Afterwards, my daughter and I took a taxi to Morningstar Beach and just relaxed. In Tortola, we did the snorkeling trip of The Caves, which took us to Norman Island afterwards- Norman Island is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. I truly still day dream about it every day. Both excursions (minus the taxi ride to Morningstar beach) were booked through NCL. In Nassau, my daughter and I did Melia- it was gorgeous but the crowd was a bit rough around the edges and the taxi ride was a bit sketchy. I was just in Nassau again the other day with a friend and we got day passes to the British Colonial Hilton, which is in walking distance. I liked that better since we were in full control of when we returned (since that excursion was not through NCL), and there was almost no one there but us. It was definitely not as beautiful as Melia, but more peaceful and less stressful for us. Neither of our Nassau excursions were through NCL.

[SailLaVie]

Yes there site is not the friendliest to find the day passes but here is the link.

 

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/bahamas/british-colonial-hilton-nassau-NASHIHH/attractions/index.html

 

just scroll down to In and Around Town and you will see the Cruise ship day pass.

 

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/bahamas/british-colonial-hilton-nassau-NASHIHH/attractions/cruiseship-info.html

 

 

 

Thank you. I had found the Hilton one, it was the Melia property I couldn't find. :)

[SailLaVie]

Hmm... I felt Saint Thomas and Tortola were natural beauties. The snorkeling and sightseeing were breathtaking (It was my 4th cruise, so it's not a regular thing for me...yet!). Nassau is a tourist city. You can just walk off the boat and find shopping, tours, restaurants, bars, the straw market, cabs waiting to take you around, etc.

 

When I went on the Getaway 2 years ago, I did a catamaran/snorkel excursion in St. Thomas, the Baths in Tortola, and just walked off the boat in Nassau. I had done a lot of research before hand (thanks Cruise Critic!) and felt 100% content with my choices. I hope this helps!

 

 

I gotcha! Thanks for clarifying it for me. I am definitely doing JVD in Tortola, it looks too good to pass up. I think just getting off the ship in Nassau and playing it by ear might be best. We could wander to The Hilton and see what it's like if we want to go swimming. :)

[SailLaVie]

check the forums for info on the Melia= we went & thought it was beautiful!

we did not buy a day pass ahead of time, we bought once we arrived.

You can email then directly for information.

 

 

That's a good idea! Thank you :) The Melia does look bigger than the Hilton!