Blue Lagoon and Fort Charlotte Nassau Question

[cruise_gal21]

Hey Everyone! I was wondering if we leave Blue Lagoon at 2pm would it be possible to do a quick tour of Fort Charlotte before our All-Aboard time at 4:30pm? Also, how far of a walk is it to Fort Charlotte? I understand taxis don't take you directly there but drop you off at the Fish Fry for some reason. Thanks for the help! Leaving in one week! :D

[tikib]

Hey Everyone! I was wondering if we leave Blue Lagoon at 2pm would it be possible to do a quick tour of Fort Charlotte before our All-Aboard time at 4:30pm? Also, how far of a walk is it to Fort Charlotte? I understand taxis don't take you directly there but drop you off at the Fish Fry for some reason. Thanks for the help! Leaving in one week! :D

 

An independent taxi will take you to Fort Charlotte. Jitney's stop at the Fish Fry. Fort Charlotte is just across the street from the Fish Fry.

 

To get back from Fort Charlotte, hop on the jitney heading back to town. (opposite side of the street from the fort). They come along every few minutes.

 

I mentioned independent taxi's because mose cabs downtown like to pile passengers into a van and charge shuttle prices. It's not easy to find one that wants to take 2-3 people a couple of blocks and lose their place in the queue.

 

If you get a cab from the Ferry terminal, you'll be fine. They will take you anywhere you want. ($11 for 2 ppl to Fort Charlotte, $3 for ea. add'l person. If your disembark the ferry downtown near the port, a cab will be harder to find. You might want to walk outside the gate towards the wharf to find one willing to take you only a couple of blocks.

 

The #10 jitney will drop you at the base of the Fort on Bay Street.. A short walk up the incline to the fort.

[cruise_gal21]

An independent taxi will take you to Fort Charlotte. Jitney's stop at the Fish Fry. Fort Charlotte is just across the street from the Fish Fry.

 

To get back from Fort Charlotte, hop on the jitney heading back to town. (opposite side of the street from the fort). They come along every few minutes.

 

I mentioned independent taxi's because mose cabs downtown like to pile passengers into a van and charge shuttle prices. It's not easy to find one that wants to take 2-3 people a couple of blocks and lose their place in the queue.

 

If you get a cab from the Ferry terminal, you'll be fine. They will take you anywhere you want. ($11 for 2 ppl to Fort Charlotte, $3 for ea. add'l person. If your disembark the ferry downtown near the port, a cab will be harder to find. You might want to walk outside the gate towards the wharf to find one willing to take you only a couple of blocks.

 

The #10 jitney will drop you at the base of the Fort on Bay Street.. A short walk up the incline to the fort.

 

Thank you for the reply! My worst fear is missing the ship, but since it seems that taxis and jitneys are readily available to and from the fort we should be good. My plan is to leave the fort at 4pm and be back on board at 4:30pm, with the ship leaving at 5pm. Thank again!

[tikib]

Thank you for the reply! My worst fear is missing the ship, but since it seems that taxis and jitneys are readily available to and from the fort we should be good. My plan is to leave the fort at 4pm and be back on board at 4:30pm, with the ship leaving at 5pm. Thank again!

 

Keep in mind that this time of day is rush hour.. a few extra minutes may be prudent.

[cruise_gal21]

Keep in mind that this time of day is rush hour.. a few extra minutes may be prudent.

 

Ah, I almost forgot that. And the port schedule is busy that day. Thank you for reminding me. I think we will do our best to be on the 1pm ferry back to Paradise Island and then we'll for sure be in the clear :D

 

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[CruisinCrow]

I don't think you will have time. If you leave Blue Lagoon, you won't bet back to town until at least 2:30.

 

Instead of messing with traffic, why don't you walk up to Fort Fincastle instead?

[cruise_gal21]

I don't think you will have time. If you leave Blue Lagoon, you won't bet back to town until at least 2:30.

 

Instead of messing with traffic, why don't you walk up to Fort Fincastle instead?

 

Is Fort Fincastle within reasonable walking distance for my almost 4yr old DD? How long of a walk is it? She isn't very fast, and complains after about 15 or 20 mins of walking anywhere :rolleyes: Regardless, a taxi will have to drop us back off onto Nassau from Paradise Island, unless the ferry brings us back. I'm not very clear on how that works either. I've read conflicting reviews. Some say the ferry takes you back to Paradise Island, and others say that it takes you back to the wharf.

 

I'm starting to get worried about the whole deal now to be honest. This part of the trip was supposed to be for DH. His fishing excursion we were going to book at HMC is no longer available for purchase because Carnival stopped doing that excursion about 2 months ago for some reason. Now he's got nothing to look forward to. The Dolphin Encounter is for DD and he hates the beach so HMC is not really his thing either.

 

I feel bad that we got stuck with the 10:30 Encounter time and have to find something to do for almost 2 hours before hand since the ship is docking at 8am. Yet, I'm afraid to go to the fort before the Encounter because I definitely don't want DD to miss it, not to mention the money we paid we wouldn't get back. I definitely need help on this one :(

[CruisinCrow]

Don't worry - you will love Blue Lagoon.

 

Just because the ship docks at 8 doesn't mean you have to get off then. Sleep in a little, enjoy a leisurely breakfast (maybe in the main dining room). It's vacation - relax! :)

 

We did the 10:30 dolphin encounter also and ended up coming back on the 2 o'clock ferry. We could have made the 1 o'clock ferry but didn't want to rush. The 2 o'clock ferry gave us plenty of time to buy our pictures, have a snack, and walk around the island to see the sea lions. Just play it by ear when you get there.

 

Fort Fincastle might be a long walk for a 4-year old since it is uphill. You could take a taxi from the port (or directly from the ferry terminal, if that's where you're dropped off) and then walk back afterwards.

 

I haven't been to HMC in years, but at Coco Cay we did a jet ski excursion. That was a lot of fun, especially for my husband since he got to go fast. :) Maybe your DH would enjoy something like that.

[CruisinCrow]

I looked on Google Maps and Fort Fincastle is about a 0.7 mile (or 15 minute) walk. But it is uphill so you'll probably want to taxi there. Walking back to the ship will be much easier.

[cruise_gal21]

I looked on Google Maps and Fort Fincastle is about a 0.7 mile (or 15 minute) walk. But it is uphill so you'll probably want to taxi there. Walking back to the ship will be much easier.

 

Thank you so much for all the info and for the suggestions. I think if we do go to a fort, depending on time, it will definitely be Fincastle since it's so close to the wharf. DH didn't want to do any of the other excursions at HMC, of course jet skis weren't an option or he may have liked that one lol. I'm hoping when I get on the ship that the excursion desk can tell me why they no longer have deep sea fishing available online. Maybe they are only selling it from the ship or on shore, kinda like they do for clamshells, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

The cruise was not DH's idea, I've been wanting to do one for 4yrs now and he finally caved and said yes. But he is not excited in the least bit. He's looking forward to time off work, but really is not thrilled with the idea of what the ship offers or the ports. It's our first cruise though, so maybe he'll learn to love it. My mind is already made up that I will enjoy it no matter what happens :D Thanks again and will be doing some research into Fort Fincastle.

[CruisinCrow]

Oh, that is frustrating. Hopefully your DH will decide he loves cruising and you will both be hooked. :)