Nassau, Bahamas
Looking forward off the balcony, we had an unobstructed view of Atlantis. With six hotels surrounding a 141 acre water feature, this resort has options from standard hotel to high dollar suites. Though we have been in port many times, I have never been to the resort. Day passes, as a ship tour, are well over $100 for a day (actually about 4 hours). I would love to visit on a land based visit one day to experience the slides and espeicially the Marine Habitat. One slide I will NOT be trying, is the "Leap of Faith"... a 60 foot, near perpendicular drop!!! Can you imagine?!?
Nassau is always a busy port. Every time we visit, the slips are full. This day was no diffeent... five ships all lined up. While having breakfast, we could see two Carnival and two Disney. Considering thousands upon thousands of cruisers would be flooding the port, we were in no hurry to get off the ship. So guess where we went... yep, The Vibe! Bailey's and coffee...sunshine...and peaceful with everyone gone!
Like Falmouth, Nassau has it's own Marketplace just off the ship. It is very hectic. I suppose it's good if you want to buy a few trinkets and not see any of the culture. It is a safe, protected area. In our psst visits, Nassau did not impress us as it was very dirty. We planned to get off the ship to touch land but had no plans to venture out of the gated area.
After skimming the Marketplace wares, we were at the gates that led to the town. First thing we noticed... it was much cleaner. It appeared thst Nassau put work into fixing up the town. So, we decided to venture out. We walked the streets and found it to be surprisingly charming. Of course, lots of shopping, which doesn't interest us. I'm guessing this seaside location would be fun to visit when there aren't hordes of people crowding the streets!
It felt good to walk around the town. We passed some "hard sell" store workers... and I find it impossible to ignore them. My husband continues walking so I can say that I need to catch up with him! This tree lined area had many restaurants and a hotel or two. The big attraction was just beyond this photo... Senor Frogs. That place gets packed! They offer free internet, which is the immmediate attraction, but once inside it is crazy chaos.
Along the shoreline of the cruise port, is a guy selling conch shells. He has been in basically the same spot every time we've been there. Sometimes he makes conch salad... last time we visited, he charged us $10 for a bowl. It was incredible...but he charged a local girl $5 so it soured me a bit. Next visit, I may buy a conch shell since I lost mine in the flood. I' got it while living in Hawaii about 25 years ago.
Finally back inside the gates... after a little issue. Every port we visit says to take ship key card and photo ID. Never once have we been asked for the photo ID but we always bring one... except this day! I brought mine but Barry forgot his. He actually asked me before we left the ship but I reminded him we have never needed it. So, when the port authorities required a photo ID, I ran back to the ship, got his ID and returned. As we walked back to the ship, we passed this fishing boat. It caught my eye... looks like it's had a busy life! Love the ropes...
On a side note, this was our final stop on the 7 day cruise. One of my friends went out exploring for the day with her son... while crossing a street, she almost got hit by a speeding bus. Val put her hand up to push herself away and thought she sprained it. As it turns out, it was broken and required surgery. Make sure you are cautious while in port... drivers seem to get frustrated with the crowds and do not necessarily yield to pedestrians!
