Bahamas Excursions Advice

[WDWDarling]

Hi everyone. A few questions for the experienced cruisers out there.

My DH and I are planning a 4 night cruise on the Dream for May 2017. Standard itinerary of Bahamas and Castaway Cay. I've been on one cruise before (DCL Wonder in 2008) and this will be the first for my DH.

Question 1: Should we just stay on the boat for the Bahamas port day? My DH doesn't want to stay on the ship since he's never been to the Bahamas but after reading the Unofficial Guide to DCL's comments on the increase in crime at the port it's made me a little nervous.

I realize this is a very popular cruise port and that we would probably be fine booking a Disney excursion and using common sense/travel safety tips but I'm open to experiences/opinions.

Question 2: If we do choose to book an excursion - any recommendations? My DH husband would really like to see Atlantis and I have to say I'm the sucker that would like to do the shallow-water dolphin experience (although the price makes me cringe a little) so I was thinking maybe one of the combo excursion options?

This will probably be the only cruise we go on for a few years and I want make sure we have a good experience so my DH will want to do another one . Any thoughts/opinions are much appreciated!

 

[docdebbi]

Hi everyone. A few questions for the experienced cruisers out there.

My DH and I are planning a 4 night cruise on the Dream for May 2017. Standard itinerary of Bahamas and Castaway Cay. I've been on one cruise before (DCL Wonder in 2008) and this will be the first for my DH.

Question 1: Should we just stay on the boat for the Bahamas port day? My DH doesn't want to stay on the ship since he's never been to the Bahamas but after reading the Unofficial Guide to DCL's comments on the increase in crime at the port it's made me a little nervous.

I realize this is a very popular cruise port and that we would probably be fine booking a Disney excursion and using common sense/travel safety tips but I'm open to experiences/opinions.

Question 2: If we do choose to book an excursion - any recommendations? My DH husband would really like to see Atlantis and I have to say I'm the sucker that would like to do the shallow-water dolphin experience (although the price makes me cringe a little) so I was thinking maybe one of the combo excursion options?

This will probably be the only cruise we go on for a few years and I want make sure we have a good experience so my DH will want to do another one . Any thoughts/opinions are much appreciated!

OMG- first, I can't answer your questions, but will be anxious to see them

BUT, we are taking our first Disney cruise, 4 nights on the Dream to the Bahamas in May 2017.
May 8 to be exact..........are we on the same cruise?

how funny would that be?

 

[WDWDarling]

@docdebbi Darn it, missed you by one week! We're departing May 15th. Doing a few days in WDW beforehand because I can't stand being that close and not going.

I've been once before but I was in high school and my dad planned everything so I feel like it's my first time all over again.

Hopefully we get some good advice .

We're very close to the year mark so Happy planning!

 

[Hakunamatata]

Interested as well. June 2017 cruise. We are thinking about doing one of the Atlantis excursions.

 

[Megan Kelly]

We will be cruising on May 15, 2017 as well!! My husband and I went to Atlantis on our first cruise in 2014, and we had a blast! The price is crazy, but if you can swing it, aquaventure (the water park) is so fun!! As long as both of you enjoy thrilling water slides I would say go for it. You can also walk over to the beach from there if you need a break from the slides. But, we just got off the dream on Friday and stayed on the ship for our Nassau day and loved that as well. It was very quiet! You can't go wrong either way.

 

[belledream]

Don't be afraid! Nassau is filled with cruise tourists on port days, and as you'll be there during daytime hours, you'll be just fine. We wandered off around Nassau with no port adventures booked, but we did walk through the Atlantis Resort and it was magnificent. We ended up lounging on a public beach for the entire afternoon and it was lovely. Sure, you have to be street smart, be a good pedestrian, politely say no to anyone trying to sell you stuff - they'll leave you alone if you're kind and firm about it.

We felt the same nervousness when we got off at Cozumel on a different cruise. We explored around for a few hours, then headed back to a pretty empty ship. Can't go wrong either way, but I do recommend exploring Nassau while you're there. Taxi/boat rides are very convenient and we traveled with other tourists in both.

 

[EOD K9]

Hi All. I've been on 5 cruises with DCL to the Bahamas. On our first cruise the wife and I went to Atlantis and did the "Discover Atlantis" tour which is just a walking tour then time to wander around certain areas. Atlantis is very nice. The next one we just stayed on the boat. The last three we just wandered around Bay Street and shopped and bought some rum cake. If you are on a Disney sponsored tour, you'll be fine. When we wandered around the last few times, we kept out of the side alleys and I kept my head on a swivel watching my surroundings.
In June 2017 we are going on a 5 nighter double dipper and we plan on doing the shallow water dolphin excursion. I'm already saving now so it wont be that bad. If I may also suggest, get a Disney Visa, you'd be surprised how fast you earn "Disney Dollars' that you can use towards your onboard cruise account. It adds up quick and can be a great help. Enjoy!

 

[FlyTriPacer]

We've been on two DCL cruises in the past (3-night & 4-night) and have done excursions through Disney both times. The first time we went to Ardastra Gardens and the second time we did the semi-submersible trip. Neither of these were terribly expensive and we enjoyed both. My wife and I did a 2-night cruise years ago and did a snorkeling excursion that was nice. This August we're doing another 4-night on DCL and plan to explore on our own and do the pirate museum. I think you'll enjoy the port!

 

[216bruce]

Atlantis is very nice, very "Vegas" in a lot of ways, so if you enjoy that sort of thing by all means check it out. Our favorite Disney excursion is to go to "Blue Lagoon". Beautiful place, nice beach area and if you are interested, do an 'encounter' with a dolphin or a sea lion. We chose a sea lion and it was a blast. It's something that you don't get an opportunity to do very often. As far as Nassau goes...if you're a first-time cruiser or haven't been out of the States before, Nassau is a bit of a change of pace. Stay near popular areas and you'll be fine but watch out for pickpockets (same as any travel destination). We've always found on our cruises that the Disney endorsed excursions are safe as can be.

 

[Master Yoda]

Like most have said, you should be just fine if you are on a Disney tour and just use your brain. The people that get in trouble are the ones that go on their own to Senior Frog's, have 16 margaritas and end up either missing the boat or wind up in the wrong area of town.

I have done the Atlantis tour a number of years ago and loved it. We will most likely be doing that same tour again on our next cruise in 2017.

We have also gone one our own to the straw market. I would rather let a random stranger perform dental surgery on me than do that again.

 

[216bruce]

Like most have said, you should be just fine if you are on a Disney tour and just use your brain. The people that get in trouble are the ones that go on their own to Senior Frog's, have 16 margaritas and end up either missing the boat or wind up in the wrong area of town.

I have done the Atlantis tour a number of years ago and loved it. We will most likely be doing that same tour again on our next cruise in 2017.

We have also gone one our own to the straw market. I would rather let a random stranger perform dental surgery on me than do that again.

Yeah...Straw Market....our first cruise (and our first trip away from the US) was in 2003 and our daughter was terrified at the place. We weren't expecting the relentless hair braiders, sellers of 'stuff', and general in-your-face aggressive selling by vendors there. Quite eye-opening and somewhat intimidating if you aren't used to it or expecting it. It wasn't dangerous and in retrospect, it's pretty typical of places like that even in Europe and especially in Turkey, which was waaaay over the top. Just be prepared for 'different'.

 

[Master Yoda]

Yeah...Straw Market....our first cruise (and our first trip away from the US) was in 2003 and our daughter was terrified at the place. We weren't expecting the relentless hair braiders, sellers of 'stuff', and general in-your-face aggressive selling by vendors there. Quite eye-opening and somewhat intimidating if you aren't used to it or expecting it. It wasn't dangerous and in retrospect, it's pretty typical of places like that even in Europe and especially in Turkey, which was waaaay over the top. Just be prepared for 'different'.

It was nuts when we went there. I felt like a guinea pig at a used car salesman training seminar after that trip. To make matters worse, Senior Frog's...not all that special. The only pay off was a picture of my wife's very short friend barely measuring up to the "You must be this tall to drink" sign out front.

 

[216bruce]

It was nuts when we went there. I felt like a guinea pig at a used car salesman training seminar after that trip. To make matters worse, Senior Frog's...not all that special. The only pay off was a picture of my wife's very short friend barely measuring up to the "You must be this tall to drink" sign out front.

On our Med cruise in Turkey (which Disney has since eliminated as a port) we were dumped off after a very pleasant shore excursion at the entry to an indoor market. You HAD to 'run the gauntlet' through the place to get back to the ship. After about five minutes and about as many times being grabbed or confronted by extremely aggressive vendors we literally ran out of the place and were genuinely shaken by the experience. It remains the only negative experience we've ever had associated with a Disney Cruise and we are on our 9th after next summer in the British Isles. We still avoid markets for the most part after that. The 'guinea pig at a used car salesman training seminar' analogy is spot-on!

 

[Master Yoda]

On our Med cruise in Turkey (which Disney has since eliminated as a port) we were dumped off after a very pleasant shore excursion at the entry to an indoor market. You HAD to 'run the gauntlet' through the place to get back to the ship. After about five minutes and about as many times being grabbed or confronted by extremely aggressive vendors we literally ran out of the place and were genuinely shaken by the experience. It remains the only negative experience we've ever had associated with a Disney Cruise and we are on our 9th after next summer in the British Isles. We still avoid markets for the most part after that. The 'guinea pig at a used car salesman training seminar' analogy is spot-on!

We got a little of that when we did our excursion to the Tulum ruins at Cozumel. It was no where near as bad as the straw market or what you dealt with in Turkey, but it kept us out of going into all but one store.

The store we went into was like the Mexican version of Stuckey's. It was packed full of cheesy gifts and I absolutely loved the place. We dropped about $100 there.

 

[216bruce]

We got a little of that when we did our excursion to the Tulum ruins at Cozumel. It was no where near as bad as the straw market or what you dealt with in Turkey, but it kept us out of going into all but one store.

The store we went into was like the Mexican version of Stuckey's. It was packed full of cheesy gifts and I absolutely loved the place. We dropped about $100 there.

And the markets in London were, well, very British, very civilized and....yeah. spent a ton.

 

[WDWDarling]

Interested as well. June 2017 cruise. We are thinking about doing one of the Atlantis excursions.

Yay for cruise planning! Hopefully May & June make for good sailing months .

We will be cruising on May 15, 2017 as well!! My husband and I went to Atlantis on our first cruise in 2014, and we had a blast! The price is crazy, but if you can swing it, aquaventure (the water park) is so fun!! As long as both of you enjoy thrilling water slides I would say go for it. You can also walk over to the beach from there if you need a break from the slides. But, we just got off the dream on Friday and stayed on the ship for our Nassau day and loved that as well. It was very quiet! You can't go wrong either way.

Ahhh cruise buddies!!! We're really leaning towards to the shallow water dolphin + half-day aquaventure package and you're right, the price is crazy but we know this will probably be the only cruise we do for a few years so we want to make the most of it. Glad to hear good things on both options though! Happy planning .

Don't be afraid! Nassau is filled with cruise tourists on port days, and as you'll be there during daytime hours, you'll be just fine. We wandered off around Nassau with no port adventures booked, but we did walk through the Atlantis Resort and it was magnificent. We ended up lounging on a public beach for the entire afternoon and it was lovely. Sure, you have to be street smart, be a good pedestrian, politely say no to anyone trying to sell you stuff - they'll leave you alone if you're kind and firm about it.

We felt the same nervousness when we got off at Cozumel on a different cruise. We explored around for a few hours, then headed back to a pretty empty ship. Can't go wrong either way, but I do recommend exploring Nassau while you're there. Taxi/boat rides are very convenient and we traveled with other tourists in both.

Thank you for the reassurance - glad to hear you guys had a good experience. I feel like it would be a shame to not get off the boat since my DH has never been and Atlantis does look really awesome! I remember reading about the Cozumel detour on your trip report (kinda feel like a creeper saying that ) and you guys handled that really well - I would have been a nervous wreck with the itinerary change but I guess that's something to mentally prepare for as we can't control the weather. Thank you for the response!

 

[WDWDarling]

Hi All. I've been on 5 cruises with DCL to the Bahamas. On our first cruise the wife and I went to Atlantis and did the "Discover Atlantis" tour which is just a walking tour then time to wander around certain areas. Atlantis is very nice. The next one we just stayed on the boat. The last three we just wandered around Bay Street and shopped and bought some rum cake. If you are on a Disney sponsored tour, you'll be fine. When we wandered around the last few times, we kept out of the side alleys and I kept my head on a swivel watching my surroundings.
In June 2017 we are going on a 5 nighter double dipper and we plan on doing the shallow water dolphin excursion. I'm already saving now so it wont be that bad. If I may also suggest, get a Disney Visa, you'd be surprised how fast you earn "Disney Dollars' that you can use towards your onboard cruise account. It adds up quick and can be a great help. Enjoy!

Thanks for the response @EOD K9! Glad to hear that your experiences have been positive thus far - totally agree on being aware of your surroundings. My DH always picks on me whenever we travel because I'm hyper aware of what's going on around us but you just never know unfortunately.

That double dipper sounds so awesome!!! Definitely makes getting off the first cruise not as sad! Is it the same itinerary for both or will you be going to different ports?

Oh yes, we've been saving for a little while now as this is our 5 year wedding anniversary trip and we wanted to make it a good one . We don't have the Disney Visa yet but are very close to getting one as i think it would be worth it for the trips we have planned over the next few years. Thanks again!

 

[WDWDarling]

We've been on two DCL cruises in the past (3-night & 4-night) and have done excursions through Disney both times. The first time we went to Ardastra Gardens and the second time we did the semi-submersible trip. Neither of these were terribly expensive and we enjoyed both. My wife and I did a 2-night cruise years ago and did a snorkeling excursion that was nice. This August we're doing another 4-night on DCL and plan to explore on our own and do the pirate museum. I think you'll enjoy the port!

Glad to hear you had positive experiences! I'll definitely have to look into those excursions because I don't know too much about them at this point but a more reasonable price point is always a good thing. Yay for your upcoming trip - August is not too far away! Thanks for the response .

 

[WDWDarling]

Atlantis is very nice, very "Vegas" in a lot of ways, so if you enjoy that sort of thing by all means check it out. Our favorite Disney excursion is to go to "Blue Lagoon". Beautiful place, nice beach area and if you are interested, do an 'encounter' with a dolphin or a sea lion. We chose a sea lion and it was a blast. It's something that you don't get an opportunity to do very often. As far as Nassau goes...if you're a first-time cruiser or haven't been out of the States before, Nassau is a bit of a change of pace. Stay near popular areas and you'll be fine but watch out for pickpockets (same as any travel destination). We've always found on our cruises that the Disney endorsed excursions are safe as can be.

Thanks for the response @216bruce! I think my DH and I want to see Atlantis at least once to say we've done it and I agree on the sea lion/dolphin encounters as you definitely don't get to do something like that everyday. I've read Blue Lagoon is really nice so I definitely need to check into that some more too. Decisions, decisions .

It sounds like you've had some awesome cruises so far (except that story about the market on your Mediterranean cruise - so sorry you guys had to go through that) and have more to come! Happy planning !

 

[WDWDarling]

Like most have said, you should be just fine if you are on a Disney tour and just use your brain. The people that get in trouble are the ones that go on their own to Senior Frog's, have 16 margaritas and end up either missing the boat or wind up in the wrong area of town.

I have done the Atlantis tour a number of years ago and loved it. We will most likely be doing that same tour again on our next cruise in 2017.

We have also gone one our own to the straw market. I would rather let a random stranger perform dental surgery on me than do that again.

@Master Yoda - totally agree, being on vacation isn't a free pass to act crazy and lose all sense of reason. Glad to hear you had a good experience at Atlantis and have another cruise to look forward to!

OMG the straw market! I experienced that on the first cruise I went on in 2008 and HATED it. I was in high school and not prepared for it at all. Thankfully I was with my dad and he was able navigate us efficiently but I am totally fine to never do that again.