Ardastra Gardens and City Tour--Nassau Excursion

[092306]

Has anyone done this excursion through Carnvial or gone to the zoo on your own? Just wondering if its worthwhile to do with a 2 yr old and if it's easy to do on your own with bus/taxi or if through the ship is the best bet.

[akcruz]

We did Ardastra this past June on our own and would recommend so that you can go at your own pace with the 2 year old. The zoo is really quite something. They have a flamingo show, larakeet feeding, and petting zoo. We got there before the cruise tour and stayed a bit longer. Getting there by taxi is real easy, getting back you may need them to call a cab for you, or we walked about half a mile down to the main road right by the fish fry and had lunch before heading back to the ship.

 

Check out the ports of call board to find out more specifics on Ardastra and Nassau.

 

Oh and we had teens with us that enjoyed, let them reconnect with their younger years!

[Showtune]

We did it on our own with our 2.5 year old and he loved it, especially the flamingos (see below)! We walked there (a little over a mile, stopped at the fish fry for lunch on the way). There's also a public bus that can take you back into town or the zoo will happily call a cab for you.

 

I think the only reason I'd recommend the cruise line tour was if you had reservations about navigating the city on your own or didn't feel safe with taxis/ buses/ walking. The "City Tour" portion of that excursion is unlikely to be of interest to the 2 year old.

 

[cb at sea]

Almost everything is cheaper and easier to do on your own....folks who know no better are the excursion bookers. They are the folks who didn't do their research!

 

Some time intensive or far-reaching activities may be best if done through the ship, but that's a real rarity.

 

Unless you are planning on doing something very far from the ship, read up on your ports...it's easy to DIY!...especially in the Caribbean!

[092306]

We did it on our own with our 2.5 year old and he loved it, especially the flamingos (see below)! We walked there (a little over a mile, stopped at the fish fry for lunch on the way). There's also a public bus that can take you back into town or the zoo will happily call a cab for you.

 

I think the only reason I'd recommend the cruise line tour was if you had reservations about navigating the city on your own or didn't feel safe with taxis/ buses/ walking. The "City Tour" portion of that excursion is unlikely to be of interest to the 2 year old.

 

 

i love that picture, so cute! How was the walk there? I've read it's about 1.5 miles which isn't bad. Rather not bring a car seat for a taxi. We did a walking tour of Nassau before and found some sketchy areas. Did you find it to be a safe walk? Thanks!

[Showtune]

i love that picture, so cute! How was the walk there? I've read it's about 1.5 miles which isn't bad. Rather not bring a car seat for a taxi. We did a walking tour of Nassau before and found some sketchy areas. Did you find it to be a safe walk? Thanks!

 

Thanks! He still talks about it all these months later whenever we come across a picture of a flamingo.

 

We did not find the walk difficult, although it was hot, even in January. We had DS in the ERGO. You walk through town for a few blocks and pass the Straw Market, then continue along the coast, passing some beaches, the fort, and the Arawak Cay fish fry. The road was very busy with cars, but there were sidewalks the whole way. When you get to the street with the zoo, you do have to cross the main road and then walk up the hill into a residential area for about 1 block. We encountered folks hawking the Arawak Cay restaurants, but almost no other pedestrians. There was lots of detailed information on how to get there in the Nassau port of call board here on CC.

[092306]

Thanks for the info! Looks like a lot of fun for a little one.

[Mack2]

I really like Ardastra.

 

There are two things the kids look forward to there... The flamingos

 

 

 

And feeding the lorie parrots

 

 

 

First time we went, we took a taxi... didn't put our daughter in a car seat (she was about 3 in the first picture). We took the risk our parents took back in the 70s... but we figured 1.5 miles... meh... it was safe enough.

 

We missed the flamingo show, but got to interact with the flamingos regardless. Additionally, the lorie parrot feeding... way cool.

My kids figured out that if you quietly walk up to the flamingos for a picture, they'll start preening your head.

 

 

 

edit:

bring Purell