Blue Lagoon vs Pearl Island

[awestover89]

So we usually just stay on the ship in Nassau, but for our upcoming cruise next week I was considering doing either Pearl Island or Blue Lagoon. PI we can do a VIP Cabana for $480 or just the beach day for $208. BL has more options, ranging from about $94 for the stingrays and beach day, up to $500 for the VIP dolphins and beach day (and several price points between the two.

 

Not sure if either is worth visiting, or if we should continue our tradition of staying on the ship. If one or both are worth giving a try, which of the two would you recommend?

[sail2day]

I have the same issue.

 

Leaving on the Edge on the 20th of this month.

 

 

[MamatoJack]

I had planned to stay on the ship next time I was in Nassau but it's been so long since I've cruised that now I booked Blue Lagoon, it had some decent reviews and was a good price. I just got the beach day with lunch. Don't go until May (cannot wait...) so no review before you go 🙂 but do post which you decide on and if it was worth it. 

[awestover89]

Ultimately decided to book the VIP Cabana for 2 at Pearl Island. My thoughts going into that decision:

 

• This is a birthday cruise, so the idea of a VIP cabana sounded nice as a celebration
• We usually travel with friends, not often it's just the two of us, and since it's a 2 person cabana, now seemed like a good time
• Reviews online regularly repeated that people like the food at Pearl Island more than Blue Lagoon
• PI is 5 hours, vs 4 hours at BL
• At BL, I'd probably be most interested in either the dolphin swim or sea lion encounter, and I can do both of those in the Florida Keys, so less of a push to try it in the Bahamas

[mjrich73]

We just booked the Pearl Island private cabana excursion. It was $299 for 2 people (We are on the Carnival Dream) Very excited 😁

Edited February 20, 2022 by mjrich73

[1kaper]

On 2/20/2022 at 4:08 PM, mjrich73 said:

We just booked the Pearl Island private cabana excursion. It was $299 for 2 people (We are on the Carnival Dream) Very excited 😁

When are you sailing?  We are doing the Dream at the end of March. 

[bye-seaya]

We took the Blue Lagoon ship excursion this past November. We booked the VIP beach pass. Here is a recap of our experience and then you can decide if it’s a good option for you. 

We waited in a very long, slow line just off the ship for our tickets. This took approximately 30-40 min. The staff from BL seemed very disorganized, but people were patient for the most part. 

We were then loaded into a boat - packed shoulder to shoulder, no social distancing and some guests refusing to wear their masks even though it was required. 

Once at the BL those with VIP wrist bands walked to our designated beach down a winding path and we were handed a rum punch of sorts. 

The beach was crowded as a good number of people opted for VIP. The other beaches at BL had only a handful of people. 

The buffet lunch served was delicious and the service very good. The weather was a bit too cool for swimming and the waves were rough. So only 2 people went in the water. 

When seeing the dolphins in captivity - it was quite sad to see them circling around and around their small pens waiting to come out or be fed. There were 3 baby dolphins that I could see . I was told there were 26+ dolphins  in total that were bred in captivity for the purpose of performing. They didn’t take In rescue dolphins due to risk of disease. I left feeling really sad and disappointed that the cruise line endorsed this type of “entertainment”. 

So all in all - the water was pretty, the food good, the logistics getting there not so much and the treatment of beautiful sea animals not something I can feel good about.

 

[mjrich73]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:29 AM, 1kaper said:

When are you sailing?  We are doing the Dream at the end of March. 

We are on the March 26th sailing.  Is that the cruise you are booked on?

[1kaper]

On 2/26/2022 at 12:54 PM, mjrich73 said:

We are on the March 26th sailing.  Is that the cruise you are booked on?

Yes. It's sold out now. 

Edited February 28, 2022 by 1kaper

[CityGrrl]

Did anyone make it to Pearl Island? Were you satisfied? Thrilled? Disappointed?

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[home-mom]

We went this week.  Initially disappointed, but it got better as the island emptied.  Booked through Royal and the person meeting us was late, the boat left without our group, we had to wait for another one, in the sun on the pier, it cost us over an hour of our time.  (There were 5 ships in port that day.)  We arrived at Pearl Island after 2 pm and the island was packed.  No where to sit.  It eventually cleared out after 3 pm and we were able to find chairs and go in the water.  Chairs were easier to find far from the water. We ate lunch - meh - but I know food is subjective.  It almost emptied at 4 pm because a tour left to swim with pigs.  We left about 5:30.  We did talk to shore excursions when we returned and they said they were aware of the issues at the pier that morning and did offer a 30% refund.

[Classynfun1]

On 2/15/2022 at 10:26 PM, awestover89 said:

Ultimately decided to book the VIP Cabana for 2 at Pearl Island. My thoughts going into that decision:

 

• This is a birthday cruise, so the idea of a VIP cabana sounded nice as a celebration
• We usually travel with friends, not often it's just the two of us, and since it's a 2 person cabana, now seemed like a good time
• Reviews online regularly repeated that people like the food at Pearl Island more than Blue Lagoon
• PI is 5 hours, vs 4 hours at BL
• At BL, I'd probably be most interested in either the dolphin swim or sea lion encounter, and I can do both of those in the Florida Keys, so less of a push to try it in the Bahamas

How was the Pearl Island VIP Cabana tour? I know if was awhile ago, but would you book it again?