cherylc40

Hi, My husband and I are going on a three night cruise with our kids- 10 & 17 in April. We want to make the most of this short trip. We are stopping at Nassau one day and Coco Cay one day. Which are the best snorkeling excursions? Can we see The Atlantis without buying a pass? Do we pay for entertainment or food on Coco Cay? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

kadao

It's been a couple years, but we did that cruise. There is the straw market at Nassau where you can bargain for stuff. You can walk into the town more or take an excursion. We took a Catamaran and snorkel excursion which was sooo much fun! The snorkeling was great, lots of fish. It was beautiful. You have to pay for the Atlantis thing. Coco Cay is a very small island owned by the cruise line. You basically go to the beach (get there as early as possible if you want a hammock. Otherwise there are chairs or you can sit on a towel which you bring with you.) You can snorkel there - I think it's around $10.00 a person. My kids liked it because you can snorkel around a small airplane wreck, but you have to walk a long way in the water, over rough rocks, to get very deep. There is a huge barbeque at no cost. After a short walk there are several booths that sell souveniers. It was very relaxing.

PumpkinEater

Best advice for Nassau - take a taxi to Paradise Island and have him drop you at the Hotel thats just south of the Atlantis. Walk around behind and tip the pool boy $25 for some beach chairs and towels. You can use their clothes changing rooms and showers. The beach is beautiful and not crowded. After a couple of hours, walk next door to the Atlantis, go in the Casino entrance and walk straight to the back of the hotel. There is a stairway down one flight - go out the back door and wander around the grounds. You will see caves, acquariums, gardens, etc. Stop by the outdoor restaurant/bar and have a cocktail. Go back inside and walk thru the casino and all the shops. Hop a taxi back to the ship and you'll have had a great, inexpensive day in Nassau.

Peter

aqusis

The food on Coco Cay is free, drinks you pay for just like on the ship. Lemonade, water, fruit punch, iced tea free. Not sure what you mean by 'entertainment'. The lounge chairs, hammocks, beaches etc are at no charge. No charge to snorkle but you'll need to rent equipment if you don't have your own. If you have your own you do have to rent a vest-$6 per day-on your SeaPass. There is Snorkle Shack to the left when you get off the tender that can fix you up with what you need. We went to Atlantis and walked around the ships, casino, and some of the aquarium but there were guards everywhere stopping people that did not have the 'guest only' wrist bands on. You can pay $25 to tour The Dig which is their major aquarium but you can't use their pool, water slides etc. I do know some folks got access to the beach in other areas and walked up to the Atlantis area and were not chased off but you cannot access the beach through the hotel itself. Are you going on the Sovereign of the Seas? That was our first cruise and was wonderful. A smaller, older ship but beautiful and just right for us. It's still a favorite. You'll have a fabulous time!

Hold

Enjoy your first cruise Cheryl. A 3 day is a good way to start (cruising). Just enough to let you see what cruising is all about.
Others have done a good job of answering your questions, so I won't add any more. Hope you like the cruise so much that you'll get addicted like so many of the rest of us and go again and again.

Bon Voyage!