Need help with Nassau

[brendapap]

Going on a Carnival Cruise in October with my sister and her family. They have never been on a cruise. I just want to show them some basics. No excursions. Would like to take them to Atlantis Hotel just to see it. (no water park) Then would like to go to the Public beach next to Atlantis and ten head back and do some shopping. Its been awhile since I have been there. Years. Need help please, Is there still a public beach next to Atlantis? If so what's the name of the beach? Do we take a taxi from cruise port to beach/Atlantis? We are a party of 6, anyone know how much a person? Is there still a straw market near the port. If not where to shop. Thank you.

[LBumb]

Good questions 

[navy60wife]

On 6/7/2019 at 12:15 PM, brendapap said:

Going on a Carnival Cruise in October with my sister and her family. They have never been on a cruise. I just want to show them some basics. No excursions. Would like to take them to Atlantis Hotel just to see it. (no water park) Then would like to go to the Public beach next to Atlantis and ten head back and do some shopping. Its been awhile since I have been there. Years. Need help please, Is there still a public beach next to Atlantis? If so what's the name of the beach? Do we take a taxi from cruise port to beach/Atlantis? We are a party of 6, anyone know how much a person? Is there still a straw market near the port. If not where to shop. Thank you.

Keep reading in this forum topic, you will find many of the answers to your questions there.  Just in case.  The straw market, you can walk easily from cruise port.  The free beach by Atlantis has no facilities is called Cabbage beach.  I do not know if you cab just wonder the facilities at Atlantis. Never heard of that.  

[mjkacmom]

13 hours ago, navy60wife said:

Keep reading in this forum topic, you will find many of the answers to your questions there.  Just in case.  The straw market, you can walk easily from cruise port.  The free beach by Atlantis has no facilities is called Cabbage beach.  I do not know if you cab just wonder the facilities at Atlantis. Never heard of that.  

You can’t wander at Atlantis.

[CruisinCrow]

A shared taxi van to Atlantis is $5 a person.  You won't be able to see much there other than the casino though.  The beach next to Atlantis is called Cabbage Beach and to get to the public entrance, you'll need to exit Atlantis and head to the left, passing the RIU hotel.  Yes, the straw market is still open and there are also some nice little kiosk shops in the terminal area.  I prefer the terminal shops over the straw market.   Some sell some nice locally made items, things made out of conch shells, artwork, soaps.

[yoolykeme]

The only thing that you will see when you go to Atlantis is the Marina, which is a collection of tourist trap shops and some nice yachts that are docked, and the public part of the aquarium that is inside the hotel, which is a decent attraction. The casino is unremarkable, and that's about it.

 

 When you walk out of the cruise port and you see a bunch of touts trying to get you in to a cab, as mentioned, shared vans are $5 per person to Atlantis. There's also the option of the water taxi which takes you closer to the Marina entrance, which I probly would prefer. That way you can walk through the Marina, enter into the hotel and see the aquarium, and then exit the front of the hotel and go back to the port where the straw market is.

 

 

[scubagirrl]

You can not view the aquarium during the day without a paid pass.   YOu can't even go down to that level from the lobby without being stopped by security.   After 7pm, the light's are dimmed and you can stroll thru the aquarium without a pass. 

[yoolykeme]

Are we talking about the same thing?  Downstairs from the main lobby are the fish displays.  You can walk through the cave-like area and see the fish and lobsters.  In the middle is a gift shop.   This has always been open for me to walk through, and I've done it like 8 times, both on cruise days and when I've flown to Nassau, and I've never stayed at Atlantis.  

[scubagirrl]

You are not supposed to enter this area if you are not a guest or a pass holder.  You may not have been noticed, but it is NOT open to the public.   Daytime pass for this aquarium is $49 for adults.  $39 for kids.

[scpirate]

7 hours ago, yoolykeme said:

Are we talking about the same thing?  Downstairs from the main lobby are the fish displays.  You can walk through the cave-like area and see the fish and lobsters.  In the middle is a gift shop.   This has always been open for me to walk through, and I've done it like 8 times, both on cruise days and when I've flown to Nassau, and I've never stayed at Atlantis.  

I've seen it twice too by going on a 2 hour city tour we pick up in port.

[scubagirrl]

41 minutes ago, scpirate said:

I've seen it twice too by going on a 2 hour city tour we pick up in port.

It's part of the tour.   You paid for the tour, correct?

[yoolykeme]

well, in that case, I've been going to the aquarium for free for the last 8 years lol.