bahamas shore excursions

[bkworm]

Hi, just booked our first cruise, a four night on Carnival Fantasy to the Bahamas. Does anyone have any suggestions for shore excursions in Nassau and Freeport?

Tried this question on another board and got no responses. Am hoping that this site is as friendly as it claims.

Thanks so much

[JoeyandDavid]

Hey Bkworm, first and foremost Welcome to Cruise Crazies!!

And Congratulations of booking your first cruise.. Make sure you post it in our Meeting Hall section so we can all wish you a "Bon Voyage".

Unfortunately I personally don’t have the answer for you , but rest assured some of our other members will be checking in shortly to interject their preferences for your destinations.

[bkworm]

Wow, good morning. What a quick response. Thanks for the welcome, it's the first I've gotten on three boards.

[cruisetarp]

Hi Bkworm and welcome to Cruise Crazies. If you could tell us what you are looking for in excursions, we could help you. Are you looking for snorkeling, beaches, just touring or more adventurous experiences. We did the Americas Cup Racing regatta in Nassau and it was great. We have been to Freeport twice and did not do much other than shopping although we heard rave reviews about the dolphin swim.

Give us an idea what you are looking for.

[DaCruzNut]

Hi, and welcome aboard!

There are a few things to do in Nassau.

You can take a walking tour of the town and see the water tower, Queen's Staircase, Government House, etc. It's about a 2-3 mile walk and takes about 2 hours.

You can take a cab, or the #10 Jitney, to Crytal Palace at Cable Beach. Lots of shopping,sightseeing and a very friendly casino (unlike Atlantis).

You can visit Paradise Island. Take the Water Taxi, at the dock, and NOT a regular taxi. It cost the same, and it's a much nicer ride.

Unfortunately, there's really not much to do on Grand Bahama Island (Freeport/Port Lucaya/etc;) sonce Garden of the Groves closed for renovations... You can shop at the International Bazaar or gamble in the Casino. Me? I stay on the ship....

[Tut]

Hi Bkworm. Welcome to Cruise Crazies board. You'll find out soon that "Crazies" isn't a misnomer...

To try to answer your questions, when we go to the Bahamas and Freeport we try something different every time. We've been 3 times, plus we stayed in Nassau for a few days and took a "bus" (the natives mode of transportation which can take 5 minutes to an hour - depending on how many people want to ride it - they wait for customers) to Freeport.

The one thing you have to remember about the island is that no one is in any hurry. They have all the time in the world and figure you do to.

What we did the first time is snorkeling, which we loved. It was our first experience and we were hooked. The next time we did the Dolphin Experience, which in our opinion, was not worth the price. At least 8 years ago. Someone may have had a more recent experience and they might have changed how they do it so it might be better now.

By our third time, we just went snorkeling then rented a couple of scooters and toured the island. Bear in mind that they drive on the left side of the road but the natives are very tolerant of the tourists and know when they see people on scooters, they need to be careful. But you do have to remember to drive on the left. We saw areas that tour buses don't take you.

We're not pre-arranged sight seeing people so we always have more fun going out on our own. The beaches are magnificant and one of the hotels lets you rent chairs for $5.00 (back then) and use their beach.

We've done the glass bottom boat but the water was real murky and we really couldn't see much. We also parasailed, which was wonderful. I'm afraid of heights and it took my husband quite a while to convince me to go up but it was fabulous. Way up in the sky, you hear nothing but the wind whooshing past your ears and you can see for miles. The people who do this are professionals so they know what you're doing. It's done off a raft (you get there by boat) and you really don't get wet. That's the best way to do it as opposed to starting from shore.

Touring the market is very interesting. We usually do that just before we're due to get back on the ship.

Whatever you do, you'll have a great time because going on a cruise is never as great as the first time. You can go on plenty of cruises but the first one is always the special one.

I know you'll have a great time and hope that I've helped you a little. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them. If I can't, I know there are other people on this board who can.

Again, WELCOME TO CRUISE CRAZIES

[GottaCruz]

Welcome aboard, bkworm. It's great to see you posting . Hope to see you hanging out here with us on a regular basis.

First of all, congratulations on booking your first cruise. You will love it. We sail to the Bahamas frequently. On the rare occasions that I have been able to get hubby off the ship, we did the Atlantis tour , which we enjoyed, although the walk up the hill was a little much . Next time, we'll make other arrangements to get there. However, the place was amazing. We've also done the glass bottom boat , which was an enjoyable boat ride but a bit disappointing in what we saw, or didn't see. Even when hubby stays on the ship, the kids and I usually do the straw market to bring back a few souvenirs for the kids' friends.

Remember to post your cruise dates to our CruiseCrazies calendar and to add it to our "Meeting Hall".

Again, bkworm, Welcome aboard. We're glad to have you as a member of our CruiseCrazies family.

[bkworm]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are looking for walking tours and had heard that the Dolphin thing was good.

I love this board, you are all so great.

[JoeyandDavid]

you know we are only as good as the people that participate! Look forward to your contributions.. :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

[Mebert]

Welcome, bkworm.

Nassau also has loads of larger vans at the pier. Drivers usually solicit groups to go on tours of the island. You will pay far less than you do on the ship. I got a great tour of the island, including Paradise Island for about $12 per person. That was in 2004. With gasoline prices being what they are today it may be a little more now. Our driver's name was "Mac Daddy." I know that sounds a little wierd but he took us to places that the regular tour buses didn't go. He even asked if there were certain sites we wanted to see. Most of the people in our vehicle wanted to see how the regular people lived. He was very glad to accommodate. He also showed us the two major hospitals on the island, one private where for an exorbitant fee one can get good care and then the public hospital where he claimed there are long waits for treatment.

Keep in mind that you have time constraints and must report back to the ship on time. If you do an independent tour and are late for the ship, the captain will not wait for you.