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A free Nassau shore excursion - April 8, 2006

zydecocruiser

By zydecocruiser,
in Bahamas

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bguppies

bguppies

Posted
Posted
Thanks for the link. I think we'll take a jitney to Fort Fincastle, and walk back as well. I like walking down a hill better than up it. LOL. When are you going?

The #10 Jitney runs from downtown to the Cable Beach resorts and PAST Ardastra Gardens and Fort Charlotte.

 

I don't think there is a jitney that runs from the pier area just a few blocks up to Fort Fincastle. (you would have to ask Scubagirl to be sure)

 

Other numbered jitneys run to other parts of the island.

 

Remember they are mass transit for the workers on the island to get to and from their jobs and homes.

 

The #10's route just happens to be very convienient for cruisers to get them to cable beach.

 

Bill

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umpalumpa14588

umpalumpa14588

Posted
Posted

Thank you! Maybe we should just keep in simple and walk it all. Shouldn't take too long...

I'm sure the answer is here somewhere, but what if we were to decide to check out Atlantis. How would we get there and from where? Looks like everything else is pretty close to the dock, right? (ie: walking tour to Fort Fincastle & back, Senior Frogs, excursions, etc.)

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bguppies

bguppies

Posted
Posted
Thank you! Maybe we should just keep in simple and walk it all. Shouldn't take too long...

I'm sure the answer is here somewhere, but what if we were to decide to check out Atlantis. How would we get there and from where? Looks like everything else is pretty close to the dock, right? (ie: walking tour to Fort Fincastle & back, Senior Frogs, excursions, etc.)

The tour that is described at the begininng of this thread took my wife and I around 2 hours each time we did it this past year.

We are both around 40. (me slightly over and my wife significantly under. ;) )

We are in decent shape, but not gym rats or exercise regulary.

 

We had no problems with the minor uphill portion of the tour. (the majority of it is downhill after the Queen's Staricase/Fort Fincastle)

 

The one thing I will advise, is that it does get very hot, so bring some water with you.

 

This past trip to Nassau (less than a month ago) we skipped the walking tour (since we were in port a shorter time) and checked out the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo and loved the place.

The Marching Flamingo show was pretty interesting, but getting to feed the Lorry Parrots was amazing.

I had 2-3 on my hat, 2-3 on each arm and occasionaly one on my back.

MY Wife took a ton of pictures and I had a blast feeding them for 45 minutes or so.

 

As for Atlantis, alot of suggestions would depend on what time you will be in port.

 

Our first two trips we were on the Sensation and were in Nassau from 7AM until 7AM the next morning.

So we did the walking tour, first thing in the morning, right at 7AM-9 or 10AM, while it was cooler (it was still hot by 10AM), then went to the British Colonial Hilton, paid $15 each for their wonderful daypass to use their pool and beach for the day.

Then we made the arduous :D 15 minute walk from our BCH poolside loungers, back to our cabin on the Sensation.

Showered, changed, ate dinner, then headed out and caught a cab to Atlantis.

The cab cost us $5 per person, each way. (they will wait until they fill the van up or close to it)

The Mall area (Versace, etc.) and Casino are free to visitors all day.

After 6PM (when we were there, sometimes, it is a bit later in season) the guards at the entrance to the Digs Aquarium go home and you can enter it for free.

During the day it costs $29 per person. (which to us, wouldn't be worth it. It was nice for free though)

 

I would strongely advise if your ship is in port late (like the Sensation and Celebration are) definitely do Atlantis in the evening.

 

Bill

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umpalumpa14588

umpalumpa14588

Posted
Posted

Yes, that is something we have been trying to decide. I didn't think $29 was worth it either, but we too are going on the Sensation, and will be there from 7a-6a, so thank you!

 

Another question- I just logged into my Carnival account, and next to Nassau, it says "add excursion", but the only one they are showing is the Atlatis Aquaventure. Any idea why I can select this one all of a sudden but none of the others are showing up?

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bguppies

bguppies

Posted
Posted

I know we came back around 11PM.

 

I'm sure with the casino there, you shouldn't have any problem catching a cab into the wee hours.

They have taxi stands at various spots.

I'm sure you could ask when you arrive, just to be sure.

 

Bill

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FAMILY FUN

FAMILY FUN

Posted
Posted

Thanks so much for the pics and also for all the valuable information everyone has provided. This is our first cruise and I am one of those people that wants to do as much as possible. I think, after seeing the pictures, that we will try the walking tour, first thing in the morning and then head to our room at Comfort Suites, so we can get the most out of our day at Atlantis. We will head back to the ship for dinner (more then likely) and then maybe back in town, but maybe not. Since it's our first cruise, you don't want to miss out on the stuff on the ship, but you want to explore the ports too. No wonder so many people go on so many cruises!

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navybaby1113

navybaby1113

Posted
Posted

We're going to Nassau in March and we'll be there from 8am to 10pm. I'm going to talk to my boyfriend about this, but I think we'll do the walking tour as soon as we get there, then take some time for lunch, and then head to Ft. Charlotte and Ardastra gardens.

 

Thanks so much for posting this.

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Travelitis

Travelitis

Posted
Posted

Absolutely brilliant post! Thank you for this information. We're Nassau snobs - detest the port to the point we'd decided it was Atlantis or staying on the ship. No more! You've convinced me that this is really what we need to do. We live so close to Disney that why would we want to spend the $$$ on Atlantis? I really appreciate you taking the time to post this, Zydeco.

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davethomasowns

davethomasowns

Posted
Posted
The tour that is described at the begininng of this thread took my wife and I around 2 hours each time we did it this past year.

We are both around 40. (me slightly over and my wife significantly under. ;) )

We are in decent shape, but not gym rats or exercise regulary.

 

We had no problems with the minor uphill portion of the tour. (the majority of it is downhill after the Queen's Staricase/Fort Fincastle)

 

The one thing I will advise, is that it does get very hot, so bring some water with you.

 

This past trip to Nassau (less than a month ago) we skipped the walking tour (since we were in port a shorter time) and checked out the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo and loved the place.

The Marching Flamingo show was pretty interesting, but getting to feed the Lorry Parrots was amazing.

I had 2-3 on my hat, 2-3 on each arm and occasionaly one on my back.

MY Wife took a ton of pictures and I had a blast feeding them for 45 minutes or so.

 

As for Atlantis, alot of suggestions would depend on what time you will be in port.

 

Our first two trips we were on the Sensation and were in Nassau from 7AM until 7AM the next morning.

So we did the walking tour, first thing in the morning, right at 7AM-9 or 10AM, while it was cooler (it was still hot by 10AM), then went to the British Colonial Hilton, paid $15 each for their wonderful daypass to use their pool and beach for the day.

Then we made the arduous :D 15 minute walk from our BCH poolside loungers, back to our cabin on the Sensation.

Showered, changed, ate dinner, then headed out and caught a cab to Atlantis.

The cab cost us $5 per person, each way. (they will wait until they fill the van up or close to it)

The Mall area (Versace, etc.) and Casino are free to visitors all day.

After 6PM (when we were there, sometimes, it is a bit later in season) the guards at the entrance to the Digs Aquarium go home and you can enter it for free.

During the day it costs $29 per person. (which to us, wouldn't be worth it. It was nice for free though)

 

I would strongely advise if your ship is in port late (like the Sensation and Celebration are) definitely do Atlantis in the evening.

 

Bill

 

So the tour that the OP did can be done in 2 hours?

 

Me and my girlfriend will be in Nassau off of the Sensation from 7am-6am. Do you think it's posssible to get off the boat, spend 2-3 doing the OP's walking tour, then head over to Atlantis and check out the Digs, casino, maybe just go look at the beach, and then head back to the boat?

 

I think that would be really fun so let me know if you guys think it would be easy to pull of!

 

Shane Arsenault

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NCTribeFan

NCTribeFan

Posted
Posted

I had fully intended to do the entire walking tour when we were there in December.

 

What we ended up doing was walking up to the Fort, down the Queen's Staircase, and then just meandered back down to the main shopping area. Stopped and had a frappucino at Starbucks, wandered through the Straw Market, sat on the wall and watched the Celebration back into her spot, then strolled on back to the ship.

 

2468109210102755439S425x425Q85.jpg

 

2765509740102755439S425x425Q85.jpg

 

2347977110102755439S425x425Q85.jpg

 

Now, I wish we'd done a more "organized" walk. Maybe when we return in December.

 

Personally, I just don't understand people that cruise to a tropical island and then stay on the ship. And I just shake my head when I read the posts about "there's nothing to do."

 

Of course there are things to do! With the resources available on these boards, how could anyone decide they've seen it all and done it all?

 

People spend thousands of dollars to cruise and go to islands, and then get all upset when the locals want to earn a little money from them. Just walk past the vendors outside the port building and say "No, thank you," and keep walking, if you aren't interested.

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davethomasowns

davethomasowns

Posted
Posted

Anybody able to answer my question in my previous post? Just anxious to figure it out! :D

 

"So the tour that the OP did can be done in 2 hours?

 

Me and my girlfriend will be in Nassau off of the Sensation from 7am-6am. Do you think it's posssible to get off the boat, spend 2-3 doing the OP's walking tour, then head over to Atlantis and check out the Digs, casino, maybe just go look at the beach, and then head back to the boat?

 

I think that would be really fun so let me know if you guys think it would be easy to pull of!

 

Shane Arsenault"

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Snorkel2Much

Snorkel2Much

Posted
Posted
Anybody able to answer my question in my previous post? Just anxious to figure it out! :D

 

"So the tour that the OP did can be done in 2 hours?

 

Me and my girlfriend will be in Nassau off of the Sensation from 7am-6am. Do you think it's posssible to get off the boat, spend 2-3 doing the OP's walking tour, then head over to Atlantis and check out the Digs, casino, maybe just go look at the beach, and then head back to the boat?

 

I think that would be really fun so let me know if you guys think it would be easy to pull of!

 

Shane Arsenault"

As long as neither of you have any mobility restrictions, that is a great plan and very "doable". Have fun!

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Snorkel2Much

Snorkel2Much

Posted
Posted
We're both very healthy 21-year-old college students. We could definitly do it at a fast pace, but I still wanted to make sure it was doable in around the 2-3 hours like pointed out.

 

Thanks!

Shane Arsenault

You won't need to rush, I was just thinking along the lines of crutches, wheelchairs, etc. slowing you down. Relax and have fun, you're on vacation!

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