4night with 1yr and 3yr old

[imajmommy]

I am new here and this will be our first DCL, we are doing the 4 night cruise stopping in Nassau. Can anyone give me suggestions or ideas on what would be good to do with a 1yr old and a 3yr old girls? Also this is our first vacation at all with kids so I am wondering how you handle the taxi or bus thing - do you just put the kids on your lap and pray for the best?

[Tink276]

We just got back Sun. from our 3 night DCL with a stop in Nassau & Castaway. I have a 4 & 7 yr. old! I heard mixed messages before going to Nassau, but here is my opinion! Unless you are willing to put out the cost of going to the Atlantis Waterpark, do not get off the ship!! My entire family was miserable. People trying to get your money left & right!! We took the water taxi to Paradise Island to get to a public beach "Cabbage Beach". It took us almost an hour just to get over to it!! No signs, you just have to ask people or find a map! It was pretty, but all the resident people made it miserable b/c they were all trying to sell you something (chair, umbrella, drink, necklace, etc.)! All we wanted to do is relax on the beach!! We were told by several people not to even get off the ship, but we didn't want to get all the way to Nassau & regret not getting off! My husband & I both agree we will not get off there any more!! There is so much to do on the ship that the kids will enjoy! Castaway was great! Just get off the ship & relax! It's truly an extension of Disney! I'm not too sure about Flounder's Reef(2 & under), but as far as the Oceaneer's Club, my kids absolutely loved it!! They cried everytime they had to leave!! Hope this helps, but if you have any more questions just ask!!

[Donald_Quackers]

I got off at Nassau, but I was doing the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter.

I had a fantastic time and no in your face shoving of stuff, just an explanation of the video/picture packages they sell for the encounter.

I got a photo and, later, had a mousepad with my picture sent to me.

Highly recommend picking up a Passporter guide. It helped me a lot, as this was my first cruise!

[TammiMcMan]

Locals don't typically bother you if you're on an excursion. The same cannot be said if you are travelling on your own. It can be very intimidating. My kids are much older and they do like to shop, so we've gotten off the ship for a short time after breakfast and then right back on again. There's just so much to do on the ship and quite a few people do get off, so the pool area is quite nice for an afternoon of swimming.

[MidnTPK]

I generally agree with the other recommendations, but as someone who visits Nassau annually, I felt compelled to respond.

There's not much to Nassau for kids the ages you have. Nassau is mostly about shopping. If they were older, there's the so-so pirate museum and the Astrada Gardens which have a Flamingo show that the 3 year old might like. But these are both pretty silly, and not very special.

Unless you are willing to put out the cost of going to the Atlantis Waterpark, do not get off the ship!!
If you really want to leave the ship and see Atlantis, you could take the ferry/water taxi over to Paradise Island and go into the public parts of Atlantis. In the free public areas, the kids would probably enjoy the big fish in the aquarium (a part of which can be viewed from the public areas). And you can walk through the marina village sopping area and around the marina which has some of the biggest luxury yachts you'll ever see.

People trying to get your money left & right!! .... It was pretty, but all the resident people made it miserable b/c they were all trying to sell you something (chair, umbrella, drink, necklace, etc.)!

A pleasant 'no thank you' with a smile is all I've ever needed to indicate I wasn't interested. Lots of people feign interest thinking it's rude not to even look. This is not the case. If there's no-way you'll be buying something, the vendors quickly ignore you and look for people who are actually shopping.

Lots of people forget that Nassau is another country with a distinct culture. Like many cultures elsewhere in the world, hawking products and drawing attention to try and sell something in a public place is not rude....it's the way they do business. Unlike our suburban-shopping-mall-commerce hidden-behind-glass (except free samples in the food court) open markets are the way things are done.

[imajmommy]

thank you all SO much for your advice - I think we will just stay on the boat - after thinking it over our vacation IS the cruise/boat not Nassau, looking at it that may makes me feel less guilty not getting off the boat. thanks!

[BedknobsandBroomsticks]

our son was 3, DD's were 5 and 8. We did not get off the boat in Nassau and never regretted it. The kids "mickey" pool can be very busy on the "at sea" days. When you are in port many people! get off the boat and the pool is practically empty. We enjoyed that day on the ship the best because the crowds were lower. :mickey: