Blackbeard's Cay SAND FLEAS????

[SheilaL56]

Can anyone tell me about Blackbeard's Cay Beach Break excursion in Nassau? I read some rave reviews but then read something else about very bad sand fleas making it horrendous for some. Anyone have any update on this?

[scubagirrl]

Can anyone tell me about Blackbeard's Cay Beach Break excursion in Nassau? I read some rave reviews but then read something else about very bad sand fleas making it horrendous for some. Anyone have any update on this?

 

There was a problem about 2 seasons ago.. but it's been taken care of.

 

The only problem with mosquitos in under the pine trees (in the brush).. you'll need some deet. The beach itself is just fine.

 

I was there 3 weeks ago..

[SheilaL56]

Thank you Scuba! appreciate the reply, I think we will book it then!

[SheilaL56]

If we book this and want to leave early, is there a way we can do that? There is a boat that takes us there and there are 6 ships in port that day, I was told it was a private island and so we had to stay the duration of the tour. Anyone know about this?

[scubagirrl]

If we book this and want to leave early, is there a way we can do that? There is a boat that takes us there and there are 6 ships in port that day, I was told it was a private island and so we had to stay the duration of the tour. Anyone know about this?

 

You have to come and go with the boat you come on. You will be given an ID bracelet.. without the proper colored bracelet, you won't be allowed on another tours boat.

 

Tours are owned by different private companies..not blackbeards Cay or the cruiseline. So it's unlikely you'll get a free ride back to to the ship from a competitor.

[SheilaL56]

thanks! Think we will pass since we want to be back by 5pm!

[scubagirrl]

thanks! Think we will pass since we want to be back by 5pm!

 

Most tours are back at the dock by 4:30pm. Check your time schedule.

[Melbearco]

There are definitely fleas here!!!! Just returned from a RCCL Majesty of the Sea cruise and took that excursion. Shortly after returning my husband started itching all over and welts started appearing all over his body (over 100). He went to see the "doctor" on board who told him it was an allergic reaction, drew blood, stuck an IV in his arm and sent him on his way with a $600.00 bill. Next day when things were not better he returned to the doctor who then proceeded to give him antibiotics and calamine lotion. I also had quite a few welts on my body and the itching is unbearable. As soon as we got home I googled Blackbeard's Cay and found blogs dating back for a few years discussing just this problem and that RCCL is aware of it. This is a disgrace!!!!!:mad:

[scubagirrl]

There are definitely fleas here!!!! Just returned from a RCCL Majesty of the Sea cruise and took that excursion. Shortly after returning my husband started itching all over and welts started appearing all over his body (over 100). He went to see the "doctor" on board who told him it was an allergic reaction, drew blood, stuck an IV in his arm and sent him on his way with a $600.00 bill. Next day when things were not better he returned to the doctor who then proceeded to give him antibiotics and calamine lotion. I also had quite a few welts on my body and the itching is unbearable. As soon as we got home I googled Blackbeard's Cay and found blogs dating back for a few years discussing just this problem and that RCCL is aware of it. This is a disgrace!!!!!:mad:

 

And you're sure this is from sand fleas? I was at Blackbeards last week and had no problem with bugs or bites. I oftentimes take my friends or guests to the island and haven't had a problem in the last year or so.

 

If you venture into the under brush, or wooded pathways, then yes, there are bugs in the bushes.. but I haven't had a problem on the beach in over a year.

 

You will find no-seeum's in the early morning and at dusk along any grassy area. It's suggested that you use skin so soft around your ankles if you walk thru the grass.

[CARMNRICO]

Sorry Scubagirl but there is definitely something at Blackbeards and we only did the beach and stingrays. My husband said he was seeing little black things on him the whole day. I didn't notice it but when we went back to the ship we saw what appears to be misquito bites everywhere. Oh, and we just got back. Was there on Nov. 11th.

[Lyncoya]

I was there last Saturday 11/15/08. There are definetly sand fleas there. I am currently covered in bites right now. My back, my arms and legs. My girlfriend was bitten too. They are DEFINETLY there!!! Take repellant. The beach was awesome though!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!!

[Lyncoya]

The bartender gave us skin-so-soft, but it didn't work. She was the one who informed us that they were sand fleas. We originally thought it was the sand that was causing us to itch. Then I noticed the little black critters. Everyone doesn't have the same reaction though, because my husband was bitten, but it didn't cause any problems the next day, like mine did.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

We were also there 11/15/08 . We went on the Yellowbird Party Boat & had the best time. It was the highlight of our trip but we did see fleas. Thanks to comments on Cruise Critic, I was prepared. Everybody was using my bug spray & it worked great. NO BITES!

[riggins]

Hi guys- We're just back from a cruise w/a stop in Nassau for Thanksgiving. We spent the day (about 10:30-2:00) on Blackbeard's Cay. We applied bug spray just in case and didn't have any problems with bites. When we first arrived, I thought I felt a few bites, but it may have been psychological! So, I reapplied the bug spray, just in case. I almost cancelled our excursion after reading this thread, but I'm glad we didn't.

 

Best Wishes

Leslie

[bills blasters]

We are thinking of doing blackbeards cay in Jan. Can you tell me something about the place. Are there nice restrooms and changing rooms there. Also, was it crowded when you were there. How was the snorkeling.

We have two 7 years olds in our group that want to do the treasure hunt. Did you see anything about that.

Any info would be appreciated.

claudia

[Macy2]

We will arrive in Nassau at noon on a Friday in April. Our cruiseline (MSC) does not sell Blackbeards as an excursion. Does anyone know how to book the stingray and/or treasure hunt without going thru the cruiseline? I tried e-mailing Blackbeards directly, but never got a response.

[scubagirrl]

We will arrive in Nassau at noon on a Friday in April. Our cruiseline (MSC) does not sell Blackbeards as an excursion. Does anyone know how to book the stingray and/or treasure hunt without going thru the cruiseline? I tried e-mailing Blackbeards directly, but never got a response.

 

Contact the Yellowbird for their schedule - you can add the stingrays and treasure hunt when you get there.

 

United Cruises Ltd.

242 322-1340

 

You can also check with Sea Island Adventure. They no longer go to Rose Island as the website states.. my last trip with them was to Blackbeards.

 

Sea Island Adventure

Tel (242) 325-3910 ·

e-mail: seaisle@bahamas.net.bs

Of course, things may change by April, so please check again before your trip. Blackbeards Cay does not have a boat at this time that goes to the island with tourists. The boats are private vendors.

[Macy2]

Thanks for the info & links Scuba Girl.

[riggins]

We are thinking of doing blackbeards cay in Jan. Can you tell me something about the place. Are there nice restrooms and changing rooms there. Also, was it crowded when you were there. How was the snorkeling.

We have two 7 years olds in our group that want to do the treasure hunt. Did you see anything about that.

Any info would be appreciated.

claudia

 

Our trip included a 5 and 7 year old and they really enjoyed it. There are bathrooms that were clean and a reasonable place to change. We got to snorkel with the stingrays and then feed them, which was a lot of fun. Other than the stingrays, there really wasn't much to see with the snorkel gear. We got lunch, which was included with our excursion. They had burgers, hotdogs, and pizza. It was cooked in a covered area with several picnic tables around. The food was adequate - nothing to get excited about, but it was certainly edible. They also had a gift shop, a bar, first aid building and hair braiders. No one was too pushy with their sales. The beach area was really nice, but the shore was a little rocky. The kids complained a little about the rocks and the cold water.

 

We were on the excursion through DCL and arrived in the late morning. We were the only group there, and I'd estimate that there were only 30-45 people, so it wasn't crowded at all. There were plenty of beach loungers to go around. Our boat arrived to take us back to the dock at about 2:00. It was full of passengers arriving on a Carnival excusion. There were A LOT more people on the Carnival excursion than on the DCL one. Also, at 2:00, the Yellowbird arrived, also full of people. I'd estimate that at least 100-150 people got off those 2 boats. Since we left, I'm not sure just how crowded it was, but I can't imagine it was as pleasant or quiet as it was when we were there.

 

I didn't see anything about the treasure hunt, so I can't comment on that. But all in all, we thought it was a really nice excursion.

[scubagirrl]

Hi guys- We're just back from a cruise w/a stop in Nassau for Thanksgiving. We spent the day (about 10:30-2:00) on Blackbeard's Cay. We applied bug spray just in case and didn't have any problems with bites. When we first arrived, I thought I felt a few bites, but it may have been psychological! So, I reapplied the bug spray, just in case. I almost cancelled our excursion after reading this thread, but I'm glad we didn't.

 

Best Wishes

Leslie

 

For those of you who are interested (or reluctant - due to the bug issues). I spoke to the manager of the island, who is a friend of mine, and told him about your concerns. He said that they were aware of the complaints and have taken care of it.

 

The island gets sprayed regularly, and sometimes the weather is so that it needs to be done more often. He'll keep on top of the issue.

 

This is NOT the same issue that they had years ago. This is just natural insect problems.

[emilyrachael]

Are there many places to sit in the shade at Blackbeard's Cay? I'm looking at this excursion through RCL and was wondering if there's anywhere to get out of the sun.

[paradise4me]

We were there 12/6/08. There were definately sand fleas big time. We sprayed bug spray on us and it was no problem after that. One of the best excursions we have been on.

[newlu]

Hi,

 

Am thinking of booking this through Carnival, we are in Nassau from 7:00am - 2:00pm only, I guess if we get off early we can enjoy 3 hours of beach time? Will it be cold end of January? Just wondering if its worth it.

Thanks

newlu

[mysticmoonshine]

Just returned from weekend cruise on RCL Monarch of the Seas. We did this excursion and yes, there are tons of sand fleas. The stingray portion was AWESOME but afterwards when it was time to relax I could not escape these darn things. I have bites EVERYWHERE!!! I asked 3 people working on the island about it and they directed me to the grill area where there was a giant size bottle of skin so soft. That did not help at all. The nice bartender offered me some hand sanitizer becasue she said they did not like the smell. That did not work either. So, I spent the remainder of my day trying to hide from these things. I was not alone either...there was a line at the skin so soft bottle. Needless to say I am covered with bites that itch like crazy!

 

I did voice my concern at the guest relations desk on the ship which does nothing....the girl behind the counter said the only thing I could do was to fill out the survey card and write my concern on there. Which I did.

 

So, overall...the stingray part of the experience was great. The beach experience was BAD....I would not choose this excursion again...not worth the agony afterwards. If you do go....BRING BUGSPRAY and you might be ok.

[Dukegirl5577]

Uh-oh! I just booked this because DH is totally intrigued by swimming with stingrays. Might need to rethink it.

 

I'll be there in March...will sand fleas be a problem then?

 

Of course, I wasn't really planning to spend the time relaxing on the beach, as we'll be at the private island the next day to do that. So I was planning to spend the time in the water.

 

How short is the stingray portion? Can you stay in the water to snorkel after that until it's time to go back? Is there much to see snorkeling?

 

If I book this through the cruiseline, it's a 3-hr tour, starting at 9 am. Is the morning too cold in March? Would I be better off going through a private company later in the day, or will the venue be too crowded in the afternoon?

 

Any advice is welcome!