We are going on our first cruise at the end of the month with our 4 year old son. I've been reading about Nassau here and other boards and it's not sounding so wonderful. Is it worth it to get off the boat and take a look around? We're only going on a 3 day and would like to take advantage of some of the ship activities as well. My husband would like to do the pirate tour but it sounds like a hokey tourist thing to me.
We thought about 1/2 day in Nassau and then on the ship to do stuff but I don't know if we can get our son into the kids club mid-day.
Any advice would be great
thanks so much!

You could take cab to a beach, walk around shops downtown. Of course the pirate thing is touristy - they are not real pirates - but Disney is touristy too and lots of people have lots of fun there. Advantage of Nassau is that ship is docked, so you don't need to bother with tenders to get off - so it is easy to get off, walk around a little and then get back on.

Go to the straw market in Nassau. This is a must when you visit here. You turn right when you get off the pier and walk down to it. They expect you to bargain and laugh at people who pay what they're asking. Nothing is marked so you must ask then bargain, always counter with at least 1/2 of what they say. And you can take a carriage ride around Nassau. Your 4 year old would enjoy that. The carrages are as soon as you get off the pier. You can take a water taxi from the pier to Atlantis and pay a fortune to go to their fantastic aquariun, watch people lose LOTS of money in their casino and think you can still use their beach. I'd go for the carriage ride then straw market then back to ship.Nothing will happen on the ship while you are in port.

I would not take my 4 yr old to the straw market. It is a covered market, in a bldg. w/no airconditioning, just open in the front and back. The aisles are very very narrow, the stalls open right onto the narrow aisles (you don't walk into the stalls), the merchandise is practically on top of you as you walk through the narrow aisles, and it can get crowded. THe merchandise goes "up" high in the stalls (they use hooks to get the purses down for you). All of that, plus the heat this time of year, would make a 4 yr old very cranky I think. We were there in April and the Straw Market was very warm then.

Another take on bonnie's comments - there is not much in the straw market that would interest a small kid and my kids would have hated the crowds and heat (but some would not mind). Casinos will generally not allow young kids in and I do not believe you can use beach at Atlantis without paying a lot - but there are other beaches open.
The carriage ride might be fun, though.

We are not cruise experts (have only been on 4) but sometimes if the port is not of interest to us it is more fun to stay on the ship - much less crowded, pools are almost empty if port is one where people are likely to go to beach. Have no idea about availability of child care on port days - a concern you mentioned.

If your cruise is the standard 3 day cruise with a stop at some private island then your son will likely have the most fun doing beach and water activities on that day.

Get off the ship, take or wear your swimsuit and your towels. Take a cab to Atlantis, pay the entrance fee to The Dig and take the tour. I took my 8 year old there last year and she loved it. But, we didn't have our suits with us and there is a lovely public beach, good for swimming not too far from Atlantis. Before you get out of the cab, ask the cab driver to point you in the right direction to get to the public beach from Atlantis. It is a walkable distance. I'm not sure about your ship, but sometimes in port, they don't fill the pools and there is THAT much going on that makes it worth missing a good little beach.

It's been some time since we were in Nassau (not on a cruise), but we found lots to do. Ardastra Park (?spelling) was great with many species of monkeys and water fowl we'd never seen, and the Flamingo show was certainly something to see! A group of these beautiful birds marching about in a small arena, reversing and actually following commands. The macaws were so colorful and some were tame. The park itself is very nice with lots of tropical foliage.

We also thought the aquarium was well worth an hour or two. Spotlessly clean, many very well done exhibits and the area that allowed us to observe creatures in the ocean was interesting. Very nice gift shop.

We enjoyed walking through the Straw Market. I bought some beautiful straw angels for our Christmas tree. It was amazing seeing the array of different things made from straw.

The Queen's Staircase was pretty neglected when we were there, but has been restored and is certainly unique. There is an old fort with the cannons still in place.

I should think most of these would appeal to a child. We had our pictures taken with the Flamingos. Your boy might like to do that.

When you dock, there is a hotel with a lovely beach within sight. Purchase a day pass from the hotel (I think it is $10-15) and spend the day at the beach. They also have a pool, and eating/drinking bars. You could even go back to the ship for lunch if you so desired.

We always buy a day pass to Sandals when in Nassau. We enjoy the kid free atmosphere and the chance to enjoy some water sports and beach.

There are similar options for those with kids but I cannot recommend any as I have no experience with them.

So, how much is the Day Pass, and how far is it freom the pier? Thanks!

$100 per person and includes everything. A much better bargain than most excursions IMO.