Nassau shore excursions...

[Dsnygirl]

Do most people book through Disney for the shore excursions, or do some of you guys go through private charter companies?

I've heard the private companies can be a lot cheaper, but the excursion we'd be interested in (Atlantis, doing the whole tour, water park, beach thing...) seems to be something Atlantis has special agreements w/ Disney and RC for.

Has anybody been able to do an Atlantis excursion w/o booking through Disney, or are there other excursions people have tried and like really well through private companies?

:thanks:

[TammiMcMan]

The cheapest way to do Atlantis on your own, is trying to book a day room at the Comfort Inn. The room will include up to 4 wristbands, that will get your family into the pool, aquarium and on the beach. The resort does this all the time, so you just need to call and check on availability. You want to specifically ask for a "day room".

[tinkman]

Went in early march this year for the 3-day cruise. Doing it again in December. Nassau? Never again. The ship could be sinking and I still wouldn't get off at Nassau. Dank, dirty third world, high price flea market. :ack: Took the Atlantis tour--ripped off. Next trip, staying on the ship, relaxing & enjoying the drink specials.

[Ed]

If I'm reading that correctly - I might be wrong - I think Tinkman might be saying that he doesn't care for Nassau. ;) :D

Personally, having been there a few times, we look on it as a "been there, done that" destination, and we stay onboard the ship to enjoy the relatively uncrowded facilities and unwind.

That said, I'm certain there are many worthwhile and enjoyable excursions available; let's see what others come up with.

[BrerGnat]

You can book through outside tour companies, but I wouldn't be in any hurry to do that after what happened on Nassau last year with those tour groups that were mugged...

Plus, when you book through an outside company, you are at THEIR mercy to make sure you get back to the ship on time. If you don't, oh well. If you book through Disney, and something happens during the tour (bus/car breakdown, or whatever), the ship WILL NOT LEAVE WITHOUT YOU. That's some comfort worth paying a bit extra for, IMO.

If we were going to Nassau, we'd also be interested in doing the waterpark there. Honestly, though, I'd just book it through DCL, regardless of the cost. I like having the safety net...

[Dsnygirl]

Thanks for the insight... I've gotten similar reactions from many people re: Nassau, which is just too bad, really... but at least I know what to expect!!

We were thinking of just staying on the ship, as others have mentioned, but the lure of Atlantis is probably worth at least a one-time look, and our girls would LOVE the waterpark & aquarium.

I like the idea of the Comfort Inn, except that it doesn't sound like it includes the waterpark -- just the pool. :(

As far as the peace of mind of booking through Disney, I tend to agree... the cost is a bit steep, but not a whole lot more than what we'd pay for a day at a waterpark if there were other ammenities included there, as well.

So -- that said.... I think you guys helped me make up my mind...

Now -- has anyone actually done this tour?? (The one including the waterpark...)

[MidnTPK]

Went in early march this year for the 3-day cruise. Doing it again in December. Nassau? Never again. The ship could be sinking and I still wouldn't get off at Nassau. Dank, dirty third world, high price flea market. :ack: Took the Atlantis tour--ripped off. Next trip, staying on the ship, relaxing & enjoying the drink specials.

Nassau is just like most other Caribbean port cities. I won't defend the downtown, but will say that you can't expect anything much different in other places.

I'd also agree that the Discover Atlantis tour is pretty silly. A money-grab to get cruise passenger dollars who don't know any better. A great analogy would be paying to get into the Magic Kingdom, but not being allowed to go into Fantasyland, and not being allowed to ride any of the rides.

The thing to do in Nassau is to go on some sea-focused excursion, or visit Atlantis. Atlantis is a true world-class resort, with a level of theme-ing and excitement on par with Disney World. Although the day pass that gives you full access is expensive, it's still cheaper than a discrete trip to Atlantis (I should know - I visit Atlantis annually).

[TammiMcMan]

I like the idea of the Comfort Inn, except that it doesn't sound like it includes the waterpark -- just the pool. :(
Sorry if I made it sound that way. My reference to "pool" meant all of the water activities. You'd be a guest of the resort, so everything is available to you.

[MidnTPK]

I like the idea of the Comfort Inn, except that it doesn't sound like it includes the waterpark -- just the pool.
I can confirm that guests of the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island have full access to Alantis and its water features, rides, and beaches. When I've stayed in my timeshare, I've had family stay at the CS and take part in all the fun that is Atlantis.

[#1disneyfan]

We booked our excursions through DCL. It may be more $$ but in the long run you may be better off. Not only are you sure that you will be at your destination on time and back to the boat in time for your departure, but if there is cancellations due to weather DCL refunds the $$. We booked the Dolphin excursion in Nassau and parasailing at Castaway Cay. The day we were in Nassau the weather was pretty nasty in the AM. All departures to Atlantis for water activities were cancelled, but ours was the only dolphin encounter that went on as planned. We were very excited! As for parasailing, we also had bad weather and high winds that day. All boating, parasailing and those type activities were cancelled and we received full refund for that.

As for Nassau, if for some reason you end up with no plans, def stay on board. We thought after our excursion with the dolphins we would check out the sights in Nassau. And I agree with the above poster, very dirty, flea market type environment. Don't get me wrong, love a good flea market, but it was gross! And duty-free, I'd rather pay the sales tax!! My DD must have been approached about 12 times to braid her hair. She was so freaked out we decided to head back to the boat much earlier than expected. We purchased nothing off the boat that day, and enjoyed the boat the rest of the afternoon.

I hope you enjoy your cruise and whatever excursion you decide.

[Dsnygirl]

Just wanted to add a note back to my post --

For anyone considering the Nassau Atlantis excursion that includes the waterpark, definitely consider what some of the other posters in this thread suggested -- booking a room at the Comfort Inn on your own and then heading over to Atlantis.

I've spoken with SO many people over the last few weeks while I researched this, and not a single person had a bad experience doing this.

Many just booked an actual room online with them (not a "day room" for $300 but an actual room, usually somewhere between $200 and $250) for the day they were going to be in Nassau - they took a taxi to the CI, checked in and out at the same time, walked over to Atlantis, spent the day and grabbed a taxi from there back to the ship at the same time they knew the Disney excursion was heading back.

The savings were substantial -- for our family to do the DCL Atlantis waterpark excursion, it would be over $600. (2 adults, 1 child at adult pricing, 1 child at children's pricing) To instead pay closer to $200 at the CI is TOTALLY worth having to use a taxi for an extra $16 in my book!

The only downside I can see in this is if the weather were to turn at the last minute and you had to cxl your CI reservation b/c the ship wasn't going to dock at Nassau, or weather in Nassau would keep you from wanting to head out to a waterpark... I'm not sure what their cancellation timing is, esp. if it was only within a day or two of arrival. Definitely something worth checking out, but hopefully wouldn't be an issue!

Thanks for all the tips -- keep 'em coming!