Bahamas Beaches

[chuckhale]

Going on Liberty in a few weeks. Don't want to spend a ton on excursions. Just want to go to the beach with the (5) kids for the day. What are best options for group for 7 for the beach in Nassau or Freeport?

[bury me at sea]

We enjoy Cabbage Beach in Nassau.  No restrooms that we saw.  Lovely, uncrowded beach, short taxi ride from port.  Loungers and umbrellas available to rent.  Drinks available.

 

It's really beautiful, but a bit of a climb to and from.  People (such as I) who have trouble walking far or on inclines might be uncomfortable getting up and over the sand hill.

[OCruisers]

12 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

We enjoy Cabbage Beach in Nassau.  No restrooms that we saw.  Lovely, uncrowded beach, short taxi ride from port.  Loungers and umbrellas available to rent.  Drinks available.

 

It's really beautiful, but a bit of a climb to and from.  People (such as I) who have trouble walking far or on inclines might be uncomfortable getting up and over the sand hill.

 

Thanks ... That's very good info for those with mobility issues.  

[bury me at sea]

1 hour ago, OCruisers said:

 

Thanks ... That's very good info for those with mobility issues.  

You're welcome.  I don't want to discourage people from going there.  It is lovely and we had a great time.  My family all returned the second time we were in Nassau, but I chose not to join them.

[Squadleader]

We've been to Cabbage Beach and my children liked it. That day it had good surf, which the kids wanted. 

 

Cabbage Beach is also on Paradise Island which is only accessible to Nassau by a toll bridge. As we all know, Nassau can have its issues with crime, so locals always told me things were nicer on Paradise Island because the tolls made it cost something to get over there, but the bridge also limits the access to a single point, which makes it easier to identify criminals, which they naturally don't like.

 

The short distance to the ships and the low cost of a cab from the ships, and the toll bridge, makes me want to always go to Cabbage Beach when in Nassau.

 

We mostly cruise for the beautiful beaches, warm weather, and warm water, so we always look for a nice beach on port days.

[scubagirrl]

Having lived in Nassau I've never heard such a thing   Cabbage beach has been the sight of many unsolved crimes.   Locals and tourists alike.   The 2x I've been accosted and robbed have been at marina village ,,which is part of Atlantis.  

Nassau and cable beach are just as safe during daylight.    Be aware no matter where u go.

 

[Squadleader]

Scubagirrl, your point is well taken. Alcohol and nighttime multiply the odds of a crime happening. But this thread made me do a little Googling, and you're right, there are reports of sexual assaults on Cabbage Beach and Cable Beach, some perpetrated by jetski operators in daylight. That would never even have occurred to me. Here's the link.

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2019/03/articles/caribbean-islands/u-s-and-bahamas-battle-over-crime-statistics/

 

I've also read Jim Walker the maritime lawyer out of Miami who works with that website, has said his firm gets more than half their complaints from clients affected by crime in the Bahamas. 

 

Even my sister on her honeymoon in Nassau almost 40 years ago, had a guy on a moped grab her purse one evening, near the straw market. Her husband knocked the guy off the moped, got the purse back, but then the crowd that drew, started to get ugly, and they had to high tail it out of there.

 

Despite all this, the risk of crime is low, if someone does everything they can to lower the risk by staying with other people, not getting impaired through alcohol, and not going to high risk areas or doing high risk activities like being out at night, alone, with strangers, or some new friend you just met, or messing with drugs or alcohol.

 

We get off the ship, head to a beach during the day, enjoy a few hours, then get back on the ship. That's maximizing the experience of the island and what it has to offer, while minimizing the risk of something bad ruining our visit. 

 

There're lots of adventuresome people though, who don't use these limits. They want to immerse themselves in the island, which is nice, but it also comes with additional risks. We each get to decide what we want, and how much extra risk we're willing to bear to get it. 

 

I don't want to be negative here, we've got to realize over 20 million people a year cruise. The odds of a problem are incredibly small if someone uses common sense. 

 

It is interesting to note though, that even Jim Walker says the odds of a sexual assault are actually higher on the ship itself than in Nassau. 

 

I always stress to my daughters that they need to stick together, especially at night on the ship. Never, ever let yourself be in a situation where you're alone with a crewmember or passenger. That if you get drunk, you're very vulnerable to bad actors, whether they be crew or other passengers. And if you do much reading, you'll know most of the domestic abuse horror stories you read about ships sometimes, is almost always going to be alcohol-fueled. 

[OCruisers]

8 hours ago, scubagirrl said:

Having lived in Nassau I've never heard such a thing   Cabbage beach has been the sight of many unsolved crimes.   Locals and tourists alike.   The 2x I've been accosted and robbed have been at marina village ,,which is part of Atlantis.  

Nassau and cable beach are just as safe during daylight.    Be aware no matter where u go.

 

 

We are very fortunate "scubagirrl" takes her time to post on Cruise Critic.

Her posts are always updated and very accurate ... and to be totally trusted.  

[InitialD]

In freeport we've done a couple different beaches. We did a shuttle to Port Lucaya/Our Lucaya. It's a good choice if you want somewhere with shopping nearby. Also we did a taxi to Taino beach which was nice. There's a restaurant there with bathrooms what whatnot.

[KPookey]

Initial D

I have limited time in Freeport.  I’m sailing on the Pride.  So far, I hate the excursion options.  I think we are there 7-1 pm.  Can I get to Taino beach via ferry and back between 8-11 fairly easily?  Do you have any other suggestions of a beach close to the port, I don’t want to go too far on our own.  Thanks 

[chuckhale]

7 hours ago, InitialD said:

In freeport we've done a couple different beaches. We did a shuttle to Port Lucaya/Our Lucaya. It's a good choice if you want somewhere with shopping nearby. Also we did a taxi to Taino beach which was nice. There's a restaurant there with bathrooms what whatnot.

This looks like what we are looking at. So, now logistially, how do we get to the beach from the ship? 

Also, we were searching online for options and saw something regarding day passes to the Grand Lucayan. Is that a thing? It said to just show up there, but we would feel better if we knew that was a solid option. We have 5 kids <10, so we need a place where they can go  (and by go, I mean go). We also need beach chairs, etc. 

For Nassau, it looks like we are going to take the bus to Saunders Beach. Apparently there is a gas station where we could get snacks and drinks if we needed and a playground in case the kids get tired of the sand and sea. But we have 2 weeks to research all of this and get our plans nailed down.

 

[InitialD]

If you go to either Our Lucaya or Taino beach you can get a taxi van right at the port. They will be lined up and a supervisor will direct you to one. Both places are easy to get a taxi back. It’s not as cheap as some places but not outrageous. Both have bathrooms I believe. It’s been a couple years since we went to Taino and the restaurant there was damaged in a hurricane but I think reopened- chech before you go. 

[royal girl]

Can't you take a water taxi near the Straw Market to Paradise Island and then walk to Cabbage Beach?  I'm trying to remember how we got there on our last Bahama cruise!    Then I remember coming back all the taxis/buses were lined up right outside of the path from the beach to go back to the ship. 

[CruisinCrow]

21 minutes ago, royal girl said:

Can't you take a water taxi near the Straw Market to Paradise Island and then walk to Cabbage Beach?  I'm trying to remember how we got there on our last Bahama cruise!    Then I remember coming back all the taxis/buses were lined up right outside of the path from the beach to go back to the ship. 

 

Yes, you can but it's much quicker (and the same price) to take a regular taxi.  You'll probably share a tax van with people doing to Atlantis.

[royal girl]

Good to know!  Thanks!