Is this too much for one day?

[melanie1877]

Hi,

I am travelling on the Carnival Pride this May (2-9) with my 3yo son. In Nassau, we are booked on the Blue Lagoon beach excursion with Carnival that runs from 11:30 to 4:30. I thought that since our ship doesn't leave Nassau until 10pm, that after our excursion, we would be able to quickly change, head to the straw market to do some light shopping, and then head over to check out the public spaces in the Atlantis. Afterwards, if time allowed, I would love to be able to eat dinner in an authentic Bahamian restaurant, and still be back at the ship by 9 - 9:15. Can this be done, or am I planning too ambitious of an itinerary with a 3yo in tow? (I was planning on bringing his stroller so that he could nap at the straw market, while we do our shopping)

[Berk987]

Nov 08 (7 months, 2 year and 4, 4) - Eurodam

Nov 09 (1.5, 3, 5, 5) - Westerdam

Dec 10 (2.5, 4, 6, 6) - Niew Amsterdam

In my own personal opinion, waaaaaaayyyyyyy too much going on. I would do 2 of those events and relax the rest of the time with the kids.

It will be hot, maybe humid and it is too much for a toddler.

[lalocajub]

Yes, for me it seems too much too for a 3 year old kid, I wen to the last cruise with my family and my kids were exhausted all the time, I do not know if beacause of the weather...but they were always tired!

[reallyitsmema]

I think you are trying to schedule too much. Your child is going to be tired after a day at the beach so trying to schedule a lot after that could lead to meltdowns. Personally, I would skip the straw market. I am not sure your stroller will even make it down the aisles since they cram so many vendors in there. It was a very hot, crowded experience and I didn't find anything worth buying.

 

Maybe head back to the ship and get showered and grab a quick bite then head over to Atlantis and walk through the shops. This way your son will have all that sunscreen and sand off of him and be fed and happy and you can just poke around for a little bit before heading back for the night.

[Grannycb]

The restaurants are on island time. It takes a long time to be served, eat and get the check. I'd skip that part of the plan completely.

[cb at sea]

Too much, even without a small child!

 

I'd do the excursion, check out the straw market on the way back to the ship (you do NOT need to change clothes to do that!), go to the ship, change, eat, then head to Atlantis....it's a pretty hotel...you can even gamble a bit (but not with a child!!!)

[melanie1877]

Thanks for all the help, guys!! I think we will definately skip the dinner. Don't want to miss the ship because of slow service at a restaurant! You guys are all so knowledgable, it's really helpful to have a place like this to come for help!:)

[Kerry's Girls]

I don't know about your specific plans, having never been there, but I have really found that one of the secrets to successful travel with toddlers is having reasonable expecations of them. I demand excellent behavior from my twins, but I know it wouldn't be fair for me to expect good manners if I've created a situation where they're over-tired.

 

The stroller has worked for me for naps on the go, allowing me to be out all day. The best plan for me is usually to be very flexible about how much we'll be able to do and to finish up/take a nap before whining begins.

 

Best,

Mia

[sjmarante]

Hi,

I am travelling on the Carnival Pride this May (2-9) with my 3yo son. In Nassau, we are booked on the Blue Lagoon beach excursion with Carnival that runs from 11:30 to 4:30. I thought that since our ship doesn't leave Nassau until 10pm, that after our excursion, we would be able to quickly change, head to the straw market to do some light shopping, and then head over to check out the public spaces in the Atlantis. Afterwards, if time allowed, I would love to be able to eat dinner in an authentic Bahamian restaurant, and still be back at the ship by 9 - 9:15. Can this be done, or am I planning too ambitious of an itinerary with a 3yo in tow? (I was planning on bringing his stroller so that he could nap at the straw market, while we do our shopping)

 

Just giving my oppinion, I love to do a lot in ports and get a lot out of my days in another country. I would think, as long as you give your 3 year old a nap at the straw market, he/she should stay awake for later events. ( In know this from experience) Remember, you could always drop your child off at the Kid's Camp. Enjoy your Cruise!

[imsulin]

Hi,

I am travelling on the Carnival Pride this May (2-9) with my 3yo son. In Nassau, we are booked on the Blue Lagoon beach excursion with Carnival that runs from 11:30 to 4:30. I thought that since our ship doesn't leave Nassau until 10pm, that after our excursion, we would be able to quickly change, head to the straw market to do some light shopping, and then head over to check out the public spaces in the Atlantis. Afterwards, if time allowed, I would love to be able to eat dinner in an authentic Bahamian restaurant, and still be back at the ship by 9 - 9:15. Can this be done, or am I planning too ambitious of an itinerary with a 3yo in tow? (I was planning on bringing his stroller so that he could nap at the straw market, while we do our shopping)

 

It's difficult for one person to navigate the aisles at the Straw Market, let alone holding the hand of a 3-year old! Even if you bring a stroller and put him in it, it could be difficult. These aisles are very cramped and narrow, and in some places you have to walk sideways. Believe me - it is really crowded and very noisy! It is definitely not a "leisurely stroll"! There will be hundreds of people from different ships there. The Straw Market is a long walk from your ship, but the pavement is stroller-friendly. You have to go through the Bahamian "security" - including shopping booths - just to get into Nassau proper. Going to see the "public areas" of the Atlantis Hotel would involve a taxi/van ride over the bridge to Paradise Island - and back, since your tour to the Blue Lagoon will drop you off at the pier. I think that the Blue Lagoon Tour (5 hours long), and wonderful, will wipe all of you out. Sand, sun, and sea water tends to do that. Rather than heading to the ship for a quick change of clothes, I think you'll all be wanting a nap in a cool (A/C) cabin! Eating live conch from its shell is authentic Bahamian food. Every place I've eaten in Nassau offers cheeseburgers and fries and fried fish. I think you're trying to plan waaaaaaay too much! Do the great tour, and then play it by ear. Your ship will NOT be the only one in Nassau. If this is your first cruise, plan for less, and not more. More enjoyable, especially if this is your first cruise.

[jam82]

I will say that your plan sounds like a day that I would plan with my three year old. It might be a little bit much, but only you know you child. How is he if you keep him going all day at home? For us, it would just depend on the day and we would play the later part by ear.

 

The Carnival Blue Lagoon excursion is a great thing to do with him. You will all love it. If you really want to see Atlantis, check into taking the ferry back to paradise island from Blue Lagoon and then a taxi from paradise island to the ship. If you miss out on Atlantis you really aren't missing much aside from crowds. Atlantis is NOT stroller friendly. There are stairs everywhere and the ramps are not always by the stairs.

 

One thing to check would be if the straw market is open after 5:00pm. Depending on the crowds a stroller might be difficult, but it is totally possible. When we were there last month, it seems to me that they were closing down about 5:00pm.

[dalitos]

Hi,

I am travelling on the Carnival Pride this May (2-9) with my 3yo son. In Nassau, we are booked on the Blue Lagoon beach excursion with Carnival that runs from 11:30 to 4:30. I thought that since our ship doesn't leave Nassau until 10pm, that after our excursion, we would be able to quickly change, head to the straw market to do some light shopping, and then head over to check out the public spaces in the Atlantis. Afterwards, if time allowed, I would love to be able to eat dinner in an authentic Bahamian restaurant, and still be back at the ship by 9 - 9:15. Can this be done, or am I planning too ambitious of an itinerary with a 3yo in tow? (I was planning on bringing his stroller so that he could nap at the straw market, while we do our shopping)

 

With a stroller than he can sleep on, no problem! I mean it is a lot to do, and yes your kid will be exhausted by the end of the day.. but if he's used to sleeping in the stroller and will fall asleep there, then it's doable (maybe 'no problem' was a bit too much). We've done Manhattan and Barcelona with our 1 year old, and I mean leaving the hotel in the morning (7-8 AM) and not coming back until evening (6-7 PM), maybe with a quick shower and change of clothes in between. We are going on a cruise with him soon, and as long as we have his stroller + a few basics (food, water, sunblock, diapers, etc), we'll be out for the day.

[melanie1877]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! I guess we'll just play it by ear, and keep going until we get close to meltdown mode. He's done full days like this with me before, and sometimes it was no problem, other times he was a bear! Guess we'll just take a "wait and see what happens" attitude.

Thanks again for all your help!

[drblue]

Hi,

I am travelling on the Carnival Pride this May (2-9) with my 3yo son. In Nassau, we are booked on the Blue Lagoon beach excursion with Carnival that runs from 11:30 to 4:30. I thought that since our ship doesn't leave Nassau until 10pm, that after our excursion, we would be able to quickly change, head to the straw market to do some light shopping, and then head over to check out the public spaces in the Atlantis. Afterwards, if time allowed, I would love to be able to eat dinner in an authentic Bahamian restaurant, and still be back at the ship by 9 - 9:15. Can this be done, or am I planning too ambitious of an itinerary with a 3yo in tow? (I was planning on bringing his stroller so that he could nap at the straw market, while we do our shopping)

We are travellin with our 3 year old now to many locations, both cruises and land vacations. The items you described are WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY too much for a 3 year old on a single day. My suggestion: cut it in half. Give your child a chance to actually enjoy the day; give him some playing time to run around on his own. That will tire him out, and maybe you can enjoy a quite dinner. Those are hard to come by sometimes.

 

One of hte worst mistakes we have made on our travels is to try to accomplish too much on a single day, especially on cruises. We forgot to take it slow and actually enjoy the pace of life of the places we were visiting. I assure you that Bahamians do not live life in such a hurry.

 

Most of all, enjoy your vacation. Always plan on something fun for your child.

[Trendy00bett]

I have some ideas for your quest for Bahamas local food. You can always grab a bite at atlantis, which will be expensive:

 

Bimini Road - Marina Village in Atlantis

THE Bahamian experience - live music with island fare (conch bar, tamarind glazed pork chop and mojo marinated chicken).

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_6007914_save-bahamas-restaurants-food-plans.html

 

Or, you can go to Sr. Frogs (this might be more for grabbing local drinks) but a couple people from my cruise went there and had the time of their life dancing in congo lines and sipping local drinks. I am sure they have food there. it is right in the port.