This is Probably why Seaside is skipping Nassau, More will follow

Turks instead of Freeport!

Sidari.... I earlier posted Freeport too...then retracted after looking at the itinerary on another cruise site. Which did show Nassau??? I was going on what Nikki said. So I have to assume what you and Nikki said is correct!! Then I realized the itinerary's on those sights were old. Sea scanner show Freeport on 2/23.... So the change to Grand Turk was not due to Nassau!

???? The US is under Travel advisory (from other countries). Well if thats the case.... there is no hope anywhere LOL

There's no travel advisory for the US from Canada.

However some Canadian dual nationals have had problems crossing the border. Most school boards etc have banned US trips because of the possibility 1 or 2 kids might get turned away at the border. British citizens have also been affected and presumably other Europeans too.

There's no travel advisory for the US from Canada.

However Canadians with dual nationality with countries on trumps banned list have had problems crossing the border. Most school boards etc have banned US trips because of the possibility 1 or 2 kids might get turned away at the border. British citizens have also been affected and presumably other Europeans too.

Thanks for the clarification!

...Evidently, we are in the minority. So many walk off the ship in Nassau, walk through 3-4 tee shirt shops, and claim that there is nothing to see here! Lots to do in Nassau.

Ive been in Nassau more times that I can count (on cruise ships, on land vacations, as well as for work), and I’ve done everything on your list. Yes I keep going there, but not because I consider it a great destination with lots to do but either a) because work is forcing me, b) because it’s hard to avoid this port on short itineraries as well as on many Eastern itineraries or c) because I only had a few days to take a short getaway and Nassau was just convenient for that vacation length.

But Nassau is far from being in my preferred list of destinations. And it’s not because of safety concerns or because of a lack of things to do, but frankly it’s because it lacks the welcome feel, warmth and customer service the so many other neighboring destinations provide.

Nassau is, on most days, overrun with both cruise passengers and land vacationers. I think that locals have become numb and uninterested in providing a better experience, partly because they know that tourists will keep coming anyway, and partly because they’ve become overwhelmed with the sheer number of visitors that they receive. There’s no incentive to go out of their way for their tourists industry simply because they don’t have to .

I believe that if tourism in Nassau ever started to suffer, to the point where visitor numbers dropped dramatically and the livelihood of locals was threatened, it would prompt them to develop a new appreciation for the tourism industry in this island which in turn would trigger a better overall experience for tourists.

Until then, Nassau will continue providing a mediocre tourism experience fueled by its convenient location more than by what this place could potentially provide.

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I agree!!! Sorta hoping they replace Nassau with Grand Turk on our 3/24 cruise!!

Hoping they do it for my 3/31 cruise. Grand Turk is wonderful!

We enjoyed a stroll up to John Watling last year the best value rum tasting ever!

 

 

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Greetings

Just there just over 1 week ago. We also walked to John Watling. Lovely place and very nice rum. Had no problems at all. We have also ridden the local buses to the the Daiquiri Shack down by Cable Beach and never had issues.

Good Sailing

Tom

When I read this post I contacted MSC Uk who forwarded my email to their ops dept and they came back with no change to itinerary of my two week cruise starting 24/3 and Nassau still in

Just got back yesterday, Grand Turk where you get off ship beautiful beach yes, but nothing to do!!!!

We only found out about change of port day we boarded so no time for research.

There was a Carnival Ship next to us.

As people disembarked an announcement came up that a few of the tours had been cancelled.

We didn’t arrive till around 12 and with the queue to get off we lost over an hour then.

We managed to find a spot on the beach to put towels and sunbathe for a while and the beach was packed!

After lunch at Margaritaville we had a walk around the shops then got back on board.

Give me Nassau any day!

But we weren’t going there anyway!

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When I read this post I contacted MSC Uk who forwarded my email to their ops dept and they came back with no change to itinerary of my two week cruise starting 24/3 and Nassau still in

There seems to be just a couple of weeks in April when Nassau is substituted, we have one booked for 2019 with Costa maya instead, also April 7 this year is the same.

There seems to be just a couple of weeks in April when Nassau is substituted, we have one booked for 2019 with Costa maya instead, also April 7 this year is the same.

Maybe the size of the ship and other scheduled ships in port?

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We were on the "Divina" a couple of weeks ago. We didn't get off the ship whilst in Nassau. For us, the best time to be on the ship is when most everyone else isn't........especially in Nassau!

I don't understand why everyone thinks Nassau is such a bad stop. Nassau is probably safer than the cities you live in and much more beautiful. Get out and see the city and stop being snobs and you'll have a great time. I don't think most people understand that this is how they make there money by selling stuff to tourists, so if they seem like they are being pushy just realize that they are just trying to feed there families. I don't get it, Nassau is such a beautiful place and most of you think you are to good to get off the ship in Nassau...

I don't understand why everyone thinks Nassau is such a bad stop. Nassau is probably safer than the cities you live in and much more beautiful. Get out and see the city and stop being snobs and you'll have a great time. I don't think most people understand that this is how they make there money by selling stuff to tourists, so if they seem like they are being pushy just realize that they are just trying to feed there families. I don't get it, Nassau is such a beautiful place and most of you think you are to good to get off the ship in Nassau...

When the US State Department issues a violent crime warning for a particular area, in this case Nassau, it has nothing to do with people being snobs!

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When the US State Department issues a violent crime warning for a particular area, in this case Nassau, it has nothing to do with people being snobs!

 

 

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I'm referring to all the people who say they never get off the ship here or they wish they would not stop here because of the crime etc, not the violent crime warning. I've seen it first hand in the Bahamas how some cruise ship passengers treat the locals like they are beneath them.

I don't understand why everyone thinks Nassau is such a bad stop. Nassau is probably safer than the cities you live in and much more beautiful. Get out and see the city and stop being snobs and you'll have a great time. I don't think most people understand that this is how they make there money by selling stuff to tourists, so if they seem like they are being pushy just realize that they are just trying to feed there families. I don't get it, Nassau is such a beautiful place and most of you think you are to good to get off the ship in Nassau...

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Been to Nassau countless times. These days we get off, stroll down the main strip to Señor Frogs, have a drink or four, eat nachos and head back to the ship. We’ve done everything that’s ever appealed to us, so it’s not a big deal if we miss it.

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I would love to see them trade Jamaica and Nassau for something else.

Keep Nassau, but definitely dump Jamaica

Safe sailing

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But they were originally scheduled for Freeport not Nassau. This week and next week is technically shown as a 14 day cruise. I believe Freeport was scheduled during 1st week so not to duplicate ports (other than Miami) for those on the 14 day itinerary.

Oy vey.

We did the 14 day cruise. The first week we went to Nassau, Jamaica, Cozumel and Grand Caymen. The second week we went to St. Thomas, Antigua and Grand Turk (replaced Freeport).

We usually skip getting off the ship in Nassau....not because we fear for our safety but because we have been there, done that, many times.

We just docked in Ocho Rios and took a tour to the Bamboo Beach Club and had a VERY nice time.

Sidari.... I earlier posted Freeport too...then retracted after looking at the itinerary on another cruise site. Which did show Nassau??? I was going on what Nikki said. So I have to assume what you and Nikki said is correct!! Then I realized the itinerary's on those sights were old. Sea scanner show Freeport on 2/23.... So the change to Grand Turk was not due to Nassau!

No it was not. Nassau was not planned for that week, only the previous week. We were told that Grand Turk became available so we would be going there instead of Freeport. We were VERY happy about that.

We don’t mind Nassau at all.

In fact we were in Nassau twice last week on two separate cruises! First on the NCL Sky last Weds which turned into an overnight because they cancelled the Great Stirrup Cay stop due to high winds preventing the tendering process.

We were right back there again last Saturday on the Carnival Victory this time with a scheduled overnight in port.

On Weds we visited the relatively new Pirate Republic micro-brewery just a couple blocks from port and took their $14 brewery tour. It was an outstanding experience with the tour guide dressed in full pirate attire who gave us an in depth review of the pirate history of the islands followed by a very thorough and scientific description of their beer making process. The tour even included a large soft pretzel and a flight of their beers at the end! Well worth the money and lots of fun! We even took our friends back there on Saturday when we returned!

We walked to Junkanoo beach and enjoyed fresh conch salad and whole red snapper at Trip Advisor 5 star rated Crab & Ting on the beach. Again we brought our friends there on Saturday and Ms Sue remembered us and gave us the royal treatment!

After the beach we walked up to the Watling Rum Distillery for a tour and tastings and ventured our way back past Graycliff Chocolate Factory.

We think that there’s plenty to do on the island and we’re scheduled to be back there in Sept on the MSC Seaside! This time we hope to check out the pirate museum and the winery.

We don’t mind Nassau at all.

 

In fact we were in Nassau twice last week on two separate cruises! First on the NCL Sky last Weds which turned into an overnight because they cancelled the Great Stirrup Cay stop due to high winds preventing the tendering process.

 

We were right back there again last Saturday on the Carnival Victory this time with a scheduled overnight in port.

 

On Weds we visited the relatively new Pirate Republic micro-brewery just a couple blocks from port and took their $14 brewery tour. It was an outstanding experience with the tour guide dressed in full pirate attire who gave us an in depth review of the pirate history of the islands followed by a very thorough and scientific description of their beer making process. The tour even included a large soft pretzel and a flight of their beers at the end! Well worth the money and lots of fun! We even took our friends back there on Saturday when we returned!

 

We walked to Junkanoo beach and enjoyed fresh conch salad and whole red snapper at Trip Advisor 5 star rated Crab & Ting on the beach. Again we brought our friends there on Saturday and Ms Sue remembered us and gave us the royal treatment!

 

After the beach we walked up to the Watling Rum Distillery for a tour and tastings and ventured our way back past Graycliff Chocolate Factory.

 

We think that there’s plenty to do on the island and we’re scheduled to be back there in Sept on the MSC Seaside! This time we hope to check out the pirate museum and the winery.

Jealous!!!

We enjoyed our visit to John Watling and would also have enjoyed the new brewery!

Hopefully next time!

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On Seaside right now, we were informed yesterday by letter, no Nassau stop due to weather conditions affecting route and that ship would sail around rough seas. We actually spoke with the captain a little over an hour ago and weather was reinterated. I would expect some choppy seas at some point.

Many folks from Ireland, UK and Europe due to unusual weather conditions there missed ship yesterday and will meet up with the ship in St. Thomas on Tuesday.

I didn't even know they were skipping Nassau.

 

If they are, I doubt they're doing it because of this warning.

 

Are they still going to Jamaica?

We didn't skp Nassau when we were on Seaside sailing 2/10, (although DH and I stayed onboard). We exchanged Grand Turk for Freeport the next week!

And yes, we went to Jamaica....no issues at all!