In port 1-7...what to do?

[Cruise life]

I decided to have some fun with my pictures and put together a slideshow with video from two separate visits to Nassau. In the beginning you will see the Horse drawn carriage tour with our guide Omar from our June 2013 visit. We had three generations (8 people) and didn't want to do a lengthy walking tour with kids and seniors. It was very cloudy that day, rained some in the morning, so we opted to do this tour last minute because the carriages are covered and we would be dry! How's that for why we picked a tour? Anyway, Omar and the other drivers were trying to drum up business and when I recognized Omar's name from, you guessed it, right here on CC, I jumped at the chance to take the tour. The big-name guide books claim this tour is the most nostalgic and historically accurate way to see Nassau and we all agreed. Although we didn't see everything you see on a walking tour, we saw a lot of the downtown area of Nassau. This tour took about an hour and then we headed to the Hilton for the day pass and departure point for the Blue Hole Watersports snorkeling.

There are a couple of transition slides, one of Senor Frogs entrance in the morning before it gets packed, and one of Junkanoo beach taken in January 2011 which starts the second group of pics from our visit to Ardastra Zoo and Gardens.

We travelled without children to the zoo and walked both ways, stopping at the beach which was pretty much deserted both times. As you can tell, we had bright clear skies in January for that visit, but much too cold to enjoy water or beach activities. There are two videos in this section so turn your speakers up for that to hear the audio over the slideshow soundtrack. These are two years old from an older camera, but they are not too bad. The flamingo show is obviously the main attraction of this zoo. I believe there are 300 species of animals at the zoo, but hundreds of plants which create a beautiful natural area in which to view the exhibits. Hope you enjoy and this helps you plan your Nassau vacation.

Chris

 

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a63794d44457a4d6a493d0d0a&blogview=true

[KroozFoolz]

Thanks for sharing!

[lovebelle]

Normally when I go to Nassau I get a day pass to the Sheraton. This trip it doesnt make much sense since we are in port from 1-7pm and the day pass is usually only good until 5pm. So with debark and travel time we will only be able to enjoy the resort for 3hrs max.

 

So what else can I do. I'll be with my 1yr old so, ideally would like somewhere I can relax a bit and enjoy the water. I considered the Hilton because its closer, but not sure of the hours or if it will be worth it. Any suggestions?

[jnc411]

Thanks, great pics. Son and Daughter in law going soon, will enjoy seeing your ,smilebox

Cori

[SteelerCruiser]

skip the day passes and head over to Junkanoo beach for a few hours......it is a free public beach and located just past Hilton

[lovebelle]

skip the day passes and head over to Junkanoo beach for a few hours......it is a free public beach and located just past Hilton

 

Thats something to consider. Thanks :)

[Getting out there]

Great video! Thanks!

How much for the horse and buggy? Will it take us to Ardastra Gardens? That's where we want to go and looks like a fun way to get there.

Did you feed the parrots? That's what we want to do.

[redfantum]

Thanks for the post! We recently had a land vacation in Paradise Island, and while we have seen Nassau, we didn't get to Ardastra Gardens. So now we are cruising and don't want to spend a fortune on excursions to see things we've already seen (Atlantis, straw market, etc.) This looks like the ticket!

[Cruise life]

Great video! Thanks!

How much for the horse and buggy? Will it take us to Ardastra Gardens? That's where we want to go and looks like a fun way to get there.

Did you feed the parrots? That's what we want to do.

 

We paid ten pp for the horse tour. It does not go to the zoo, but it is walking distance from the ships for most people, takes about 30-45 minutes depending on how much sightseeing you do along the way (you have to pass Junkanoo beach and it's worth some photos at the very least). Thanks and hope you have fun, and no, I don't remember feeding the parrots there, but I have done that in Nashville and it was great!

[Cruise life]

Thanks for the post! We recently had a land vacation in Paradise Island, and while we have seen Nassau, we didn't get to Ardastra Gardens. So now we are cruising and don't want to spend a fortune on excursions to see things we've already seen (Atlantis, straw market, etc.) This looks like the ticket!

 

Thank you. I have seen a lot of posts about the zoo, but no pictures and I remember reading about how cool the flamingo show was there which we had done a couple years ago. Glad someone found it helpful!

[Cruise life]

Just a note for anyone reading this for the first time; the title of this thread is Nassau Horse Carriage Tour and Ardastra Zoo reviews with video links. I have no idea how it was retitled.

Chris

[Cruise life]

Normally when I go to Nassau I get a day pass to the Sheraton. This trip it doesnt make much sense since we are in port from 1-7pm and the day pass is usually only good until 5pm. So with debark and travel time we will only be able to enjoy the resort for 3hrs max.

 

So what else can I do. I'll be with my 1yr old so, ideally would like somewhere I can relax a bit and enjoy the water. I considered the Hilton because its closer, but not sure of the hours or if it will be worth it. Any suggestions?

 

Looks like our two threads became intertwined somehow....maybe I should repost mine with a new title...not sure what to do after notifying the site at this point. Happy it's back on the Bahamas board. Maybe you want to repost yours so you get more ideas. We are in the same situation Nov, but there in the morning. I think we may go to the Pirate Museum, very close walking distance and we will have two kids. I would go to Junakanoo beach and hope it's warm if you want to play in the sand on the cheap. There is a picture of Junkanoo beach in my photobook link about. Have fun!!

[Cruise life]

above, not about...hope this helps. One other thing, when we travelled with our boys when they were smaller, we brought lightweight umbrella strollers so they didn't struggle with the walking. You can get to the beach via sidewalk, but you may want a stroller for your lo.