Dancyalien

8 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Excursions in Costa Maya are generally related to Maya ruins and some beach breaks.

The easiest and least expensive way to enjoy Costa Maya is to take the tram from port down to the malecon in Mahahual.

For younger kids, Blue Kay has been a better spot than those further down the malecon.  As all the beach clubs are effectively closed now with no ships in port, I'm not sure what or where the best places to go may be when they reopen.

 

Some links to better beach clubs:

https://beachbreakcostamaya.com/blue-kay-mahahual/

http://www.sandalsandskis.com/

https://www.yayabeachclub.com/

https://costamaya.com/tour/la-pitaya/

https://www.malecon21.com/beach-club

 

There's a water park right outside the port complex. You don't need an excursion t go there and there are areas for smaller children.

https://maya-park.com/activities/about-maya-park/

 

Some cruisers like to stay inside the port complex.  There's a swim with the dolphins that you can watch and a tour of the aviary .

https://costamaya.com/experiences/

 

Thank you so much... This was so helpful. How would you get to the Mayan park? Can you walk or do you need a taxi? Any idea about the cost is?

Also when you say that the dolphin swim is in the port complex does that mean it's in walking distance?

My husband and I havent been on a cruise since 2014 and I cant believe how much the prices have gone up on excursions. This is the first cruise we are taking with our 4 year old and I'm having trouble finding an excursion he can go on. Most say 8 years or older.

Any suggestions? I'm open to independent tours as well.

Just back from my Disney cruise with my DH. Both of us are in our mid-20's and we were looking for something different to do on this trip to Nassau. None of the excursions were really thrilling us so we decided to book something independently.

First of all, I was shocked that I was able to book this tour 2 nights before we were scheduled to set sail. Our ship was scheduled to dock at 9:00am so I emailed the company to request a 10:am start, instead of 9:30am. They were fine with this request, so we proceeded to book.

We also had a rocky start for our Nassau ATV Tour. Our ship was supposed to dock at 9:00am; however we didn't clear customs until about 10:00am. It also starting raining as soon as we pulled into port. My DH and I ran through the rain frantically looking for the fountain as it was already after the start time of our tour. When we found the fountain we waited and waited, but nobody showed up. We asked a few other tour operaters, but nobody seemed to be able to help us. So I decided to wait by the fountain, while my DH went to call the company using the number on the reservation.

When he called my DH was told that due to the rain they had pushed our tour to 1:00. They said since we weren't leaving till 7pm it shouldn't be a problem. How we were to know this without calling I have no idea.

Anyway, my DH and I used the time to shop in Nassau and made sure to be in front of the fountain promptly at 1pm. The ATV company picked us up promptly and brought us to their office.

After the rocky start our tour was off to smooth riding. The ATV's were very easy to operate as they were automatic's. Although we were driving through the crazy Nassau traffic I felt safe with our guide. I will tell you after this experience, I would never rent a car or scooter in Nassau on my own. The only way to do it is with a guide, IMO.

The tour lasted 2 1/2 hours and we saw many points of interest while driving including some houses of the upper and middle class, very different feel of Nassau from where the ship docks. We also stopped at the following locations: Fort Fincastle, Fort Charlotte, The Caves. I never knew that their were caves in Nassau. We actually walked right inside the caves and took many pictures. At Fort Fincastle their were many vendors our selling their goods. If you like to shop you can get some good deals here. Towels, key chains, picture frames, t-shirts, dresses, etc. Don't forget to haggle!!!

When all was through, my DH and I had a great time. As my DH put it, "it was a fun and unique way to tour the island." We both felt it was well worth the cost. ($80 per double riders, $90 per single riders)

Some Suggestions:

1) If your old enough to drive, pay the extra money to ride your own ATV.

2) Be sure to bring your confirmation AND some change with you as you will probably have to call the company when you arrive at the fountain. There are many pay phones around.

3) Everyone knows were the fountain is, JUST ASK!

Thanks for the info about the ATV tour. This tour sounds like a lot of fun. My DH and I are going to give it a try. We are arriving in Nassau on April 7th. Surprisingly, I emailed them last night to book and they still had availability. I'll post my review when we return.....

I have a silly question... I just got the ncl credit card. How can I check how many points I have? I know I can multiply my monthly purchases to figure it out, but does it say it anywhere? I havent gotten my first statement yet, and I don't see it online.

Thanks,

Anyone have a NCL Dawn model they would be willing to sell??? Im looking for the $25-$35 one.

If interested, or know where I can get one please email me at Dancyalien@aol.com