disney cruise shore excursions nassau

Nassau, Bahamas: Disney Cruise Shore Excursions

On a 3 or 4-night Disney Cruise, the first stop is at Nassau, Bahamas. Nassau is the largest city in the chain of islands that was actually home to the real Pirates of the Caribbean.

This island is one of the most beautiful places in the world. When your Disney Cruise ship pulls up the dock, you can jump off and tour the historic island from the bay, swim with sea lions, or tour the amazing Atlantis Resort on the aptly named Paradise Island.

Nassau is both the most modern and historic city in the Caribbean. It was actually burned to the ground in 1684 (yes, you read that right, 1684), rebuilt, and expanded through the years. In 1713 it was proclaimed a “pirate republic” because of the pirates that inhabited the town. Nassau is located on New Providence Island. It is the capital and center of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Atlantis, Paradise Island

The biggest attraction in Nassau is the Atlantis Resort which is located on Paradise Island. Atlantis is the largest casino in the area but it’s also much, much more. At Atlantis, there are over 1,000 hotel rooms, a water park, and the largest open-air marine habitat, including a swim with the dolphin’s experience.

At Atlantis, you can playa world championship golf course, experience some of the most incredible water slides you’ve ever imagined, try to identify the 50,000 species in the marine habitat, or just party the day and night away at one of the clubs that are almost everywhere.

Since there isn’t a casino on the cruise ship, you might want to spend some time in the 100,000-square-foot casino.

Shore Excursions

You only spend a few hours in Nassau, so shore excursions are limited. You can always jump off the ship and grab a bicycle, scooter or taxi and make up your own shore excursion. (Be very careful, there are lots of reports of crime around the docks.)

Disney offers the following excursions –

• Blue Lagoon Sea Lion Encounter
• Discover Atlantis
• Nassau Harbor Cruise
• Graycliff Wine and Cheese tasting

(There is a lot of fine print for Disney Shore Excursions.)

Book Your Cruise

Ready to book your Disney Cruise? Dad wants to help. Bop over to Dad’s Destinations to Travel page and fill out the simple form and before you know it you will be swimming in the beautiful water of Nassau Bahamas, the same water that the pirates of the Caribbean.

Dad’s Destinations to Travel page

Dad’s bottom line.

Nassau, Bahamas, is a beautiful and historic place to visit (yes, Dad and Mrs. Mom were there about 30 years ago). Don’t stray from the beaten paths and be very careful if you strike out on your own.

Disney Shore excursions offer the best of Nassau. Check them out.

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Disney Cruise Nassau Bahamas Review and Tips

As Disney travel bloggers we thought we were pretty prepared for our very first cruise on the Disney Wonder. We did tons of research, looked at loads of pins, studied the checklists and after months of prep truly believed we were completely ready to maximize the best trip ever in a very short 5 days. Here are all our Disney Cruise Nassau Bahamas Tips.

We even researched  Disney’s Private Island and booked snorkeling, biking, and inner tubes.  Little did we know there happened to be whole areas of the cruising lifestyle that were completely foreign to us! And while we have shared some tips for beginners, and  what to do if you need a break from the kids or are just traveling with friends, we were completely unaware that many people just STAY ON THE BOAT! In fact, it seemed only newbie travelers actually disembark at the port of call in some destinations. Who knew? This however didn’t deter us from making the attempt to disembark at Nassau and throw caution to the wind. 

How Can You Maximize Your Half-Day at Nassau Bahamas?

Hint: Get a Map Ahead of Time for your Port of Call

Find a map of the immediate area, or better yet, take your shopping guide up on the offer to go into town with them as a group. Wandering on our own in Nassau is not the same as wandering on our own in Charleston. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Bahamas. Last time I was there we stayed at the Pink Sands on Harbour Island, which is actually about an hour outside of Nassau. While I expected the pink sand beaches and a lot of natural opportunities, instead we got something entirely different.

Start your Nassau Port of Call Day Early

We docked at port at 7:30 am and were only able to be on the island until 2:30 pm. This alone should have been our first clue that guests haven’t clamored for more time on the island on previous Disney cruises. But it wasn’t. We were still hopeful.

Should you Book Disney Nassau Excursions on your Disney Cruise?

In hindsight, we’d HIGHLY recommend booking an excursion or two if your time allows. For us, we thought we’d get to experience more without the hassle of pre-planned and times activities, but we were definitely wrong here, and found that we didn’t get to enjoy the port as much as we would have liked, had someone been there to help guide us along the way. Check out the Disney Cruise Nassau Bahamas Excursions List to see what may work for you. 

Frankly, we hadn’t booked any excursions because Atlantis would have taken the entire 7 hours we were allowed to be on the island. We had also been warned about the need to absolutely be back on the boat at 2:30- because they would leave without us if necessary as we were on a tight schedule with this new itinerary. In fact, at least one family from our cruise did get left in Nassau!

We had wanted to see the Queen’s staircase but being unfamiliar with the island didn’t want to stray too far from the boat for fear of not being back in time. And so, in classic vacation fashion, we got off the boat fairly early and entered Nassau eager to find an authentic cup of coffee, some cute souvenirs, and maybe a nice beach. If nothing else we would see the sights and history. We were ready to explore!

Beware Exploring the Island on Your Own

One of our TOP Disney Cruise Nassau Bahamas Tips would be to go into town with the guy on your cruise that brings you as part of the group. Even if you’re not interested in buying jewelry, it would have been a more productive time.  Mind you we had been warned about the persistent nature of the salespeople you have to pass just to enter the island. We weren’t however prepared for the zombie-like attack from all directions. Grasping hands heads down, and with a tunnel view of the large pink building ahead, we somehow made it through. 

Michael, our onboard shopping guide actually said this is the best strategy to clear the hoards- no eye contact. Once cleared we entered downtown Nassau. Unfortunately, because of its duty-free fame, consists of many many shops that are all very high-end, lots of jewelry shops, a few Starbucks, and some very run-down buildings. I know not all of the Bahamas is like this, so it was disappointing to see that the first impression for many was not great. Since we’re girls traveling alone with a child we tracked down things we knew would be safe. The church… the pirate museum, but even both these came without much instruction or guidance.

Junkanoo Beach… is not Castaway Cay

Get a map. Hitting a feeling of disappointment we quickly identified another Disney family who at least seemed to know where they were going ( a complete lack of maps was definitely an issue for us in Nassau). Unfortunately, the best any of our fellow Disney cruisers could do was Junkanoo Beach. Those of us brave enough to get that far literally grabbed some souvenir sand, dipped our toes lightly in questionable waters, and tried to avoid offensive phone conversations and chain smoking. Yes, we’re generalizing, but this is an honest account of our experience. Unlike Castaway Cay, lounge chairs weren’t free and the sand wasn’t clean. Yes. We are spoiled. Yes, we know. We had an ok view of this pretty lighthouse, but really, that was it. While it’s not on this list, managing your expectations is one of the most important Disney Cruise Nassau Bahamas Tips, if you hope to have a lovely vacation. 

Disney Cruise Nassau Bahamas Tips

Next, we decided to hunt down coconut water ( in a coconut) on the way back to the boat. (If you know us you’d realize how ludicrous it was that we only stayed on the beach for 10 minutes. Mind-blowing really.) As we walked we were trying to figure out what it is people do when they dock here for an afternoon besides getting their hair braided and drinking at Senor Frog. And since half our boat was at Senor Frog, that apparently was the place to be. *Sigh*

Get Back on the Boat Early

Fairly defeated we got back on the boat around 10:30 am. Crazy, we know. Thankfully, getting ready to board the boat we were once again met by the Disney standard with cucumber and lemon water, cooling moist towels, and disinfectant, especially important since we never found the authentic coffee or treats we were hoping to find.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Nassau, Bahamas didn’t get the memo regarding the Disney standard of living. No offense Nassau. We’ve visited the Bahamas at other ports without this much struggle, so were caught completely off guard by the lack of pink sand, 5-star resorts, and crystal clear waters. 

Why People Stay On the Boat at Nassau Bahamas Port of Call

So we can’t speak to all Disney Cruises, or ports. We sailed the Disney Wonder to Nassau Bahamas . But at Nassau, quite a few people never embarked. Were these unspoken Disney Cruise Nassau Bahamas Tips in disguise? Maybe. Because, once back on the boat we found what quite a few people already knew. Things don’t stop just because people get off the boat! While the shops on board did have to close everything else was still happening.

If we stayed on the boat we could have:

• had shorter lines at the waterslide and pool
• been able to attend cool programs
• taken advantage of spa services or a massage
• gotten a cup of awesome coffee at Cove Café
• had shorter lines at the character meet and greets
• watched one of the movies on the deck
• had lunch at Cabanas or Triton’s or Tiana’s Place without the crowds

We also returned to another lovely towel friend with chocolates in our cabin, which is always a nice treat. And also proved that many weren’t necessarily just confined to their cabins but doing fun things around the ship.

Should You Stay on the Boat At Nassau Bahamas?

Seriously, the more experienced cruisers seemed happy to just be on the boat. We wondered if they even cared at all where we stopped. In fact, it was at that point (courtesy of cruise Wi-Fi) that we actually started researching “cruise mindset” because…apparently it really is about the journey and not the destination.

The Disney Cruise Lifestyle Mindset

Later, as we shared dinner with our partner dining family on the Rotational Dining on a Disney Cruise schedule, they too said they just popped off the ship for an hour and then got right back on again. Very experienced cruisers, they didn’t even seem phased that they spent the day on the ship. Or rather, spend all this cruise money to the Bahamas, to not enjoy port. In general, this goes against my natural belief which would be something like “We paid to be in the Bahamas, why are we just staying on the boat?” Yet… we are learning. It’s definitely a new way of thinking for us as we usually travel to see stuff, do stuff, and try stuff. Rarely do we just hang out and soak up the sun not doing anything. But then it is Disney Cruise . So there is a ton to do besides lounging about on the deck. They still have movies, trivia, bingo, drinks, food, games, and everything you would want on a laid-back vacation. Getting off the boat? Not really necessary for us on this one.

As we become better cruise vacationers we’ll let you know if this mindset shifts. As of right now, we’ll be planning future cruises with the hopes of loving our port of call, wherever they may be. Let us know if you had similar experiences or advice!

Rochelle Mariah

Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.

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Best Disney Cruise Excursions in Bahamas, Caribbean, & Bermuda

They’re known by many names: Port Adventures, Land Adventures, Shore Excursions, Port Excursions, or Shoreside Activities. Whatever you call them, Disney Cruise Line Port Adventures all have one thing in common: they’re a great way to experience a local adventure during cruises! Depending on the destination, you might have hundreds of possibilities to choose from. So which should you choose, and which should you let sail you by? Here are our picks for some of the Best Disney Cruise Excursions in the Bahamas and Caribbean.

Jump directly to the best excursions in:

• Castaway Cay, Bahamas
• Costa Maya, Mexico
• Cozumel, Mexico
• Falmouth, Jamaica
• George Town, Grand Cayman
• King’s Wharf, Bermuda
• Nassau, Bahamas
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

Or read on to find out more about Port Adventures and how to get them for free .

Get Free Help Planning Your Cruise and Port Adventures. Vacationeers are standing by!

What are Disney Cruise Port Adventures?

“Port Adventures” is the name Disney uses for organized off-ship activities. You can always leave the ship for free when it’s in port, and there’s never any charge to explore on your own. A Port Adventure is an optional paid experience that offers a bit more structure to your time on shore.

Whatever you’re looking for — invigorating or relaxing, cultural or touristy, complex or simple, short or long — odds are you’ll find it offered as a Disney Cruise Port Adventure.

How Much are Shore Excursions in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda?

There’s a Port Adventure for every budget. You can spend about $18 to rent a two-seater paddle boat at Castaway Cay — or you can charter a private fishing vessel for the day in Tortola, British Virgin Islands for $6,599.

Don’t let the priciest options scare you away. Many excursions fall well below $100 per-person and are quite reasonable.

We checked prices of all excursions Disney Cruise Line offered in the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda at the time we wrote this article, and here’s what we found:

• $1 – $49: 103 options
• $50 – $99: 303 options
• $100 – $199: 186 options
• $200 and up: 110 options

There are plenty of great options at each of the price points, and you don’t certainly don’t have to spend a huge amount to have a good time.

If you don’t mind splurging just a little, we’ve found that $125-$250 per person should be enough to buy you a truly unforgettable port adventure in the area. Though you likely wouldn’t want to spend this much in every port, it’s worth considering at least once during your cruise. And you can take heart in knowing that excursion prices in this part of the world are much more affordable than, say, Disney Cruise excursions in Alaska or European cruise excursions.

How to Get Free Excursions on a Disney Cruise

Port Adventures are not included in the cost of your Disney Cruise , but you can still get them for free if you know how.

Book your cruise through a Disney travel agent to earn Onboard Credit  for excursions and other purchases during your cruise.

The Vacationeer offers up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit when you book your cruise through them.

Your cruise won’t cost any more than if you’d booked it yourself , and they don’t charge any planning fees .

When Do You Pay for Disney Cruise Port Adventures?

In most cases, charges for your shore excursion are applied through your shipboard account; you won’t actually pay until you settle your account at the end of your cruise. That’s great news if you’re have an onboard credit from your travel agent, because it means you can use that “free money” toward your excursions.

Now, on to our list.

We’ve picked some of the best offerings at multiple ports and across different price points.

Prices shown are per person unless indicated otherwise. Some offerings may be limited to certain itineraries or times of year.

There are many more offerings and plenty of additional ports. So if you see something that looks almost perfect, you can check out the full list of Port Adventures to find similar offerings with different options, prices, and locations.

Castaway Cay — Best Port Adventures

As Disney’s own private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay offers an exclusive Bahamian hideaway that’s open only to one Disney cruise ship a day — and no one else! There’s plenty to do for free on the island, but also a wide array of optional paid activities.

Bicycle Rentals (C04)

One of the most popular and cost-effective ways to explore Castaway Cay. Enjoy a one-hour bike rental as you explore nature paths and offshore terrain. Ride along the island’s historic (and historically dubious) airstrip and wheel your way to the observation tower for an elevated view of Disney’s Private Island.

Activity Level: Active

Requirements: Ages 3+

Duration: 1.0 hour

Cost: $13 for ages 10+ $13 for ages 3-9 Rates are per bike, per hour

Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure (C13)

Enter the shallow stingray lagoon for an up-close encounter. Using a specially-designed feeding ramp and tray, your guide will show you how to place food just right in your hand to allow a stingray to glide over and gobble up their meal. You’ll also have a chance to pet one of these beautiful, often misunderstood creatures. Then, grab your snorkel to observe 60+ stingrays in a beautiful lagoon. Concerned about safety? Stingrays have no teeth, and Castaway Cay keeps its captive stingrays’ barbs safely (and humanely) trimmed.

Activity Level: Moderate

Requirements: Ages 5+ (ages 5-16 with adult 18+)

Cost: $56 for ages 10+ $45 for ages 5-9

Glass Bottom Boat Scenic Voyage (C11)

Did you know Castaway Cay has a barrier reef? Board a glass bottom boat for a voyage beyond the protected lagoon out to the undeveloped north side of the island. You’ll stay dry as you look down through bottom-mounted windows to discover tropical fish, sea creatures, and the coral reefs that protect the island.

Activity Level: Mild

Requirements: Open to all ages. Limited seats; guests may be required to stand.

Cost: $59 for ages 10+ $39 for ages 3-9 $39 for ages 2 and under

Parasailing (C08)

Meet and mingle with fellow cruisers as you’re divided into groups and board separate boats. Soon, it will be your turn to experience an unforgettable beauty parasailing flight 600-800 feet in the air. You’ll enjoy about 5-7 minutes of flight time before being gently pulled back down to the boat.

Requirements: Ages 8+ (under age 13 must fly with adult age 18+). Age 13-19 must check in with parent/guardian. Must weigh 90-375 pounds. Tandem riders max 375 pounds combined. Tandem ride may be required.

Cost: $129 for ages 10+ $129 for ages 8-9

Get Free Help Booking Your Cruise to Castaway Cay

Considering on a Disney Cruise? Reach out to an Authorized Disney Vacation Planners at The Vacationeer to make sure you don’t miss anything!

You’ll have your own dedicated agent from start to finish — no massive call centers and no waiting on hold ! Not only will they book your cruise , but they’ll also handle all your Port Adventure bookings .

And best of all, their services are completely free ! Your cruise won’t cost a penny more than if you’d booked it yourself (and it might even cost less )!

So contact The Vacationeer today, and ask about their free onboard credit to spend on excursions or virtually anything else onboard the ship!

Costa Maya, Mexico — Best Excursions

Image © Disney

Located on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Costa Maya offers a unique mix of lush jungles and sandy beaches. With a history shaped by ancient Mayans, English pirates, and the Mexican Navy, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in this enchanting area of unspoiled natural beauty.

Salsa Cooking & Dancing with Beach Break (CM30)

Take a hands-on cooking class that teaches you how to make authentic Mexican salsas and guacamole. You’ll get to taste your creations afterwards (with complimentary margaritas, beers, and flavored waters) — and take recipes with you to create them again at home. Speaking of Salsa, you’ll also learn the steps of the famous dance of the same name. A bit of beach time rounds out your experience.

Activity Level: Mild, Moderate

Requirements: Ages 6+

Duration: 3.0 to 3.5 hours

Cost: $75 for ages 10+ $54 for ages 6-9

Adventure Park and Chacchoben Mayan Ruins (CM46)

Mix the ancient with the exhilarating on this multi-faceted experience. First, spend nearly two hours on an educational guided tour of the Mayan ruins of Chacchoben — a renowned archaeological site. Then, move on to the purely fun-focused portion of the day at Mayá Lost Mayan Kingdom , featuring 8 water slides, a slow inner tube ride, and two zip line courses.

Requirements: Open to all ages (6+ recommended)

Advisory:  Mexico Government charges $5 USD fee for camera use in ruins. Tripod use requires a permit and payment of a fee described by Disney Cruise Line as “exorbitant.”

Duration: 6.5 to 7.0 hours

Cost: $160 for ages 10+ $155 for ages 3-9 Free for ages 2 and under

Cozumel, Mexico — Best Shore Excursions

From its earliest days of settlement by the ancient Mayans, natural beauty has drawn people to Cozumel. Over the years it has played host to everyone from pirates to refugees — and now tourists. Whether you’re seeking the stunning coral reefs or a plate of tantalizing food from one of the 100+ restaurants, Cozumel is yours to explore.

Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program (CZ48)

Take a brief ride to Sunset beach, then help a group of local nonprofit’s marine biologists restore the coral reefs of Cozumel. This activity includes hands-on restoration work, followed by recreation such as snorkeling and beach time. End the experience with a certificate of participation and a ride back to the ship.

Requirements: Ages 10+

Cost: $49 for ages 10+

A Mexican Winter Holiday and Beach Adventure (CZ92)

Set out on foot for the traditional Las Posadas nativity procession, singing carols and making decorations. Feast on sweet bread, tamales, fried codzitos, and pumpkin seed salsa. Then, spend about 90 minutes at Playa Mia Grand Beach before picking up your keepsake and returning to the ship

Requirements: Open to all ages

Duration: 4.5 to 5.0 hours

Cost: $94 for ages 10+ $79 for ages 3-9 Free for ages 0-2

Dolphin and Manatee Encounter in a National Park All Inclusive (CZ04)

Visit Dolphin Discovery for a 40-minute in-water encounter with gentle and playful dolphins. Then, enjoy a brief manatee encounter along with an internationally-inspired lunch.

Requirements: Ages 3+. Ages 3-12 must book w/ adult 18+ on same CZ04. Ages 13-17 must book w/ adult 18+ on CZ04 or matching CZ25.

Advisory:  Medical restrictions apply. No cameras. No jewelry.

Cost: $114 for ages 10+ $99 for ages 3-9

Dolphin Trainer For A Day in Cozumel – All Inclusive (CZ40)

Travel to Dolphinaris to begin your dolphin training experience. Shadow professional trainers as you learn how to feed the dolphins and how to train them using hand signals. Teach your dolphin students to vocalize and jump at your request, and experience a thrilling “hang on tight” swim with one of the dolphins, followed by a flipper shake and a kiss. This experience includes lots of close contact with these amazing creatures.

Activity Level: Moderate, Active

Requirements: Ages 10+. To observe but not participate, book CZ41.

Duration: 5.0 to 5.5 hours

Cost: $255 for ages 10+

Have Questions But Don’t Want to Wait on Hold?

Falmouth, Jamaica — Top Excursions

Falmouth has come a long way from its early days as a shipment hub for sugar plantations, but still retains some of its old world charm — right down to the architecture. Its bustling days are over, but that’s just fine for a relaxing visit during your cruise. So go ahead — enjoy a plate of jerk chicken and dip your toes in the sparkling waters of this peaceful Caribbean destination.

Falmouth Dolphin Encounter (FA76)

Take a one-hour motorcoach ride along the Jamaican coastline to Dolphin Cove for an up-close encounter with friendly dolphins. Mount a shallow-water platform for a 30-minute interaction full of hands-on activity, splashes, and maybe even a dolphin “kiss” Then, enjoy the pool, whirlpool tub, or lounge chairs on the pool deck before returning to the ship.

Requirements: Open to all ages (6+ recommended). Ages 0-12 must book w/ adult 18+ on same FA76. Ages 13-17 must book w/ adult 18+ on same FA76 or matching FA78.

Advisory:  Medical restrictions apply

Duration: 5.5 to 6.0 hours

Cost: $89 for ages 10+ $69 for ages 3-9 Free for ages 0-2

Sky Explorer and Dunn’s River Falls (FA11)

Travel one hour to Dunn’s River Falls — then, if you like, begin a 600-foot climb up the cascading falls (additional one hour). Then, take a short ride to Mystic Mountain where you’ll ride the Sky Explorer chairlift through dense tropical forests with stunning views of the cliffs and turquoise waters below. At the end of your 15-minute journey lies Mystic Pavilion , featuring educational and interactive history exhibits. A Jamaican-inspired lunch is included, and you can round out your visit with views from the observation tower. Take a second ride on the Sky Explorer to begin your return to the ship.

Requirements: Open to all ages (6+ recommended). Must be 36″+ tall to climb falls.

Cost: $124 for ages 10+ $69 for ages 3-9 Free for ages 0-2

Bobsled Jamaica and Dunn’s River Falls (FA10)

Travel one hour to Dunn’s River Falls for an optional hike up the 600-foot falls, followed by another short ride to Mystic Mountain. Ride the Sky Explorer chairlift and explore the educational pavilion before continuing to Rainforest Bobsled Jamaica . This coaster-style attraction evokes the design of bobsleds used by the famed Jamaican Olympic team. The 3,280-foot track is specially designed to avoid disturbing the natural landscape, so expect plenty of twists and turns around ancient trees, majestic cliffs, stone outcrops, and dense rainforest canopies. You control the brakes, so your trip can be as leisurely or as thrilling as you like. Your bobsled then slowly returns back up the mountain. A Jamaican-inspired lunch is also included, and you’ll have time to take in mountaintop views from the observation tower before you head back to the ship.

Requirements: Ages 5+. Must be 42″+ tall. Must weigh 275 pounds or less.

Duration: 6.0 to 6.5 hours

Cost: $144 for ages 10+ $79 for ages 5-9

George Town, Grand Cayman — Best Port Adventures

Located on the largest of the Cayman Islands, and home to the majority of islanders, George Town is known for its lively culture. Like so much of the area, it has a rocky history of territorial disputes, hurricanes, and economic challenges. Now a British Overseas Territory, it’s a haven for tourists seeking natural beauty and great weather.

Shipwreck and Reef Snorkeling (G15)

Board a custom-built snorkeling ship and explore two different sites. First, spend about 45 minutes snorkeling the shipwreck of the Cali , a 220-foot steel schooner that sank in the 1940s. Then, snorkel a nearby reef as your guides feed the fish to bring them closer to you.

Requirements: Ages 5+

Duration: 2.0 to 2.5 hours

Cost: $54 for ages 10+ $34 for ages 5-9

North Sound Mangrove Cruise & Star Fish Point (G70)

Set out from Morgan’s Harbor, then cruise up the North Sound and the area’s Mangrove Swamp, en route to the “starfish petting zoo” at Starfish Point. You’ll have a chance to not only see — but also to touch and hold — starfish during your experience.

Activity Level: Athletic

Requirements: Ages 8+

Cost: $56 for ages 10+ $50 for ages 8-9

Atlantis Submarine Expedition (G11)

Climb down the hatch of a 65-foot, 80-ton submarine and dive 100 feet through Grand Cayman’s underwater marine park. You’ll spend about 40 minutes exploring this underwater paradise, viewing the amazing Coral Canyons through large porthole windows directly in front of your seat. A marine expert accompanies your voyage to share information and answer questions.

Requirements: Ages 4+ Must be 36″+ tall

Cost: $120 for ages 10+ $70 for ages 4-9

Find the Exact Cost of Your Dream Cruise

King’s Wharf, Bermuda — Top Port Adventures

Bermuda plays host to an eclectic mix of American, British, and West Indian culture.  Add natural attractions such as the Crystal Caves to manmade sights including the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, and one can quickly understand why Bermuda draws so many tourists each year.

Bermuda Triangle Evening Cruise (BR15)

A special treat on cruises that spend the night in King’s Wharf, this unique nighttime adventure takes takes you into the heart of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. Board a 50-foot glass-bottom boat for ghostly commentary about the history and legends of the area. Underwater lights and windows reveal sea life below.

Requirements: Ages 12+

Duration: 1.5 to 2.0 hours

Cost: $75 for ages 12+

Crystal Caves and Pink Flamingos (BR22)

Descend 80 feet below the surface of the earth, traveling past limestone formations and crystalized stalactites and over underground lakes. Then, visit the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo to explore more than 200 species of animals. View sea creatures from nearby coastal waters, flamingoes, seals, tortoises, and more.

Cost: $155 for ages 10+ $125 for ages 3-9 $85 for ages 0-2

Haunted History Tour of St. George’s (BR41)

Take a motorcoach to St. Georges, a UNESCO World Heritage town which dates back to 1609. Enjoy dinner at Fort St. Catherine before beginning a guided haunted history walking tour. Cast members bring ghost stories to life as you explore 18th-century homes, the historic cemetery of Their Majesties Chapel of St. Peter’s Church. Conclude at the land-based replica of Deliverance , a 1600s ship that was itself built from the remains the shipwrecked Sea Venture .

Cost: $199 for ages 10+ $149 for ages 5-9

Craft Your Own Pink Sand Jewelry (BR48)

Experience an exclusive, behind-the-scenes jewelry-making activity at Alexandra Mosher Studio Jewellery . You’ll enjoy themed pink refreshments and locally-made treats, then get hands-on while customizing your very own keepsake from the region’s famed pastel sands.

Cost: $389 for ages 10+ $239 for ages 5-9

Nassau, Bahamas — Best Excursions

Arguably the most famous port in the Bahamas, Nassau’s close proximity to the United States makes it a frequent cruise destination. Far removed from — yet still shaped by — a history marked with piracy and colonialism, Nassau is now a vibrant and colorful town welcoming millions of tourists by air and sea each year.

Ardastra Gardens and Wildlife Conservation Centre (N16)

Start with a brief bus tour of the city’s architectural treasures and 200-year old pastel buildings including the Houses of Parliament and Government House. Upon arrival at the conservation center, participate in the Bahamas only authentic flamingo experience. The “Ballerinas in Pink” here have been trained to march and delight guests. Enjoy up-close and personal encounters with macaws, peacocks, snakes, turtles and more creatures in a nearly century-old stone-walled garden setting.

Cost: $69 for ages 10+ $49 for ages 3-9 Free for ages 0-2

Seaworld Explorer Semi-Submarine (N42)

Take a 20-minute scenic cruise through Nassau Harbor to the marine park at Athol Island. Then, transfer to the SeaWorld Explorer for a 45-minute adventure. The vehicle remains above water but features underwater windows allowing you to view the Sea Gardens coral colony and tropical fish. Then, spend a bit of time in downtown Nassau before returning to the ship.

Cost: $69 for ages 10+ $46 for ages 3-9 $46 for ages 0-2

Graycliff Chocolatier – The Art of Chocolate Making and Factory Tour (N54)

Visit Graycliff Chocolatier for a delicious hands-on exploration of the chocolate-making process. You’ll start with a fascinating factory tour, witnessing cacao beans being ground and roasted, liquid chocolate being mixed, and molds being filled. You’ll also learn a bit about the importance of responsible farming in the chocolate trades. Afterwards, its time to dress in special hygienic clothing and try it for yourself! An expert chocolatier teaches you how to dip, glaze, and fill molds to create your own delectable chocolate treats to take home with you. And for good measure, you’ll get to sample several different kinds of chocolate during the event. Note that this is by far one of the most popular excursions in the entire region , and space is extremely limited — book as early as you can.

Cost: $69 for ages 10+ $62 for ages 5-9

Blackbeard’s Revenge Pirate Ship Adventure (N23)

Board Blackbeard’s Revenge , a replica of an 18th-century pirate ship, and sail along Nassau Harbor and Paradise Island for a pirate adventure. Your crew enacts tales from the Golden age of piracy while you learn about the area’s rich history and historic forts. Feel free to join in the pirate antics if you like. You’ll also catch glimpses of (but will kindly refrain from pillaging) celebrity mansions and super yachts throughout the tour.

Cost: $74 for ages 10+ $44 for ages 3-9 $34 for ages 0-2

Atlantis Aquaventure (N25)

Image © Atlantis

One of the more popular Nassau attractions is the renowned Aquaventure water park at Atlantis Bahamas . Your tour includes transportation for the 25-minute trip from the cruise docks to the resort and admission to its 141-are water park. Enjoy Poseidon’s Playzone, the Leap of Faith slide, Rapids River, and other water attractions during your visit. Take a self-guided tour of The Dig, view the world’s largest open-air marine habitat (home to 50,000+ sea creatures), soak up the sun on the beach, or visit the casino. Prices are a bit higher than just purchasing a day pass to the water park , in part because transportation is included.

Requirements: Open to all ages. Many attractions have height requirements.

Duration: 4.0 to 6.0 hours

Cost: $239 for ages 10+ $124 for ages 4-9 Free for ages 0-3

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San Juan, Puerto Rico — Best Port Excursions

San Juan is Puerto Rico’s capital and most populated city, and the oldest city under jurisdiction of the United States. More than 3,000,000 Americans call Puerto Rico home, and many more are fortunate to visit this lush island as it hosts 500 cruise ships each year. The island’s early Spanish influence is still prevalent, not only in language but also in culture and cuisine.

Bacardi Rum and Distillery Tour — Adult Exclusive (SJ55) or Children Welcome (SJ03)

Take a 30-minute ride to the Bacardi Rum Distillery, followed by an hour-long guided tour through the facilities. Learn the history of the company and its production process. Tour the Visitor’s Center and explore the ways sugarcane is converted into molasses and rum. After the tour, enjoy free time for rum tasting in the Visitor’s Center (ages 21+) and shopping in the museum. Then either return directly to the ship or spend additional time shopping in Old San Juan.

Requirements: Ages 18+ for SJ55. Ages 3+ for SJ03. Must be 21+ to drink.

Duration: 2.5 to 3.0 hours

Cost: $46 for ages 18+ $31 for ages 10-17 $21 for ages 3-9

Horseback Riding Adventure (SJ25)

Visit Hacienda Campo Rico , where your guides will demonstrate how to ride your horse. Riders and horses will be paired by previous riding ability, size, and age for a 2-hour trail ride through a scenic 2,200-acre private ranch that was once a sugarcane plantation. Ride past lagoons, through tropical vegetation, and see the Karsts Mountains and coastal plains.

Requirements: Ages 9+. Maximum weight 250 pounds.

Duration: 3.5 to 4.0 hours

Cost: $92 for ages 9+

A Flair of Spain – Paella Cooking Demonstration and Flamenco (SJ57)

Visit a local restaurant to watch the fascinating process of making Paella. You’ll then enjoy your freshly-made meal (along with a glass of Sangria for those ages 21+) and receive the recipe to take home. During lunch, an energetic Flamenco dance performance highlights your experience.

Requirements: Open to all ages (5+ recommended)

Cost: $115 for ages 10+ $99 for ages 3-9 Free for ages 0-2

Caving and Body Rafting (SJ59)

Start with a 60-minute drive to a private nature reserve, observing the island’s karst (dissolving limestone) landscape in an area that was once the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Upon arrival, don your protective gear and hike through an untouched jungle while learning about the Taíno people. Then, climb down into a cave for a hands-on geology lesson. After that, it’s time for Body Rafting, floating downstream by underground springs. Take a brief rest at a traditional mountain cottage until it’s time to head back to your Disney cruise ship.

Requirements: Ages 10+. Special clothing requirements apply.

Cost: $289 for ages 10+

Do I Have to Book Port Adventures Through Disney?

You don’t have to book your excursions through Disney Cruise Line, but you probably should.

Shore excursions are operated by outside companies which contract with Disney. And it’s true many of them offer a substantially similar experience — often at a lower price — when booked independently. And virtually every port has information booths right outside the dock where you can book experiences directly.

So why “waste money” booking through Disney? There are a few reasons:

Peace of mind

If you’ve booked through Disney, they’ll keep track of your experience from start to finish. This is critical if the excursion run late. Disney will hold the ship to allow straggling tours to return — or pay for you to catch up to the ship at the next port-of-call. If you booked on your own, then you’re on your own.

Flexible Payment and Refunds

Port Adventures booked through Disney are charged to your shipboard account and paid at the end of your cruise. Payment for privately-booked tours is often due in full at the time they’re reserved. Disney’s excursions are also usually fully refundable up until three days before your cruise. Privately-booked excursions might have stricter rules or simply be nonrefundable.

Automatic Adjustments

Excursions booked through Disney Cruises are exclusive to Disney passengers, so there’s no worry if the ship’s schedule changes. If the ship arrives in port late, the tour won’t start without you.

If the ship’s scheduled day in port changes, your tour will be automatically adjusted, too. And if the ship has to completely miss a port for some reason, you won’t have to pay for any excursions booked there.

Extra Magic

Not that it’s a crucial part of the experience, but Disney often nudges its tour providers into providing a few extra touches on their Disney Cruise excursions.

For all of these reasons, it’s often best for you or your travel agent to book your excursions directly through Disney Cruise Line.

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Disney Cruise Port Adventure FAQs

Do disney cruises visit disney world.

It’s very rare for a Disney Cruise to directly include time at Walt Disney World. In the past, Disney Cruises from New York visited Port Canaveral and included a one-day Disney world ticket. But that hasn’t been the case for a few years.

You can, however, easily add a Disney World visit immediately before or after your Disney Cruise from Florida . It won’t be included in the cost of your cruise , but you can’t argue with the proximity and convenience.

Disney Cruise Line’s primary home port is Port Canaveral , about 60 miles from Disney World. Orlando International Airport services both destinations. The Disney Cruise shuttle service transports guests between the port, the airport, and Disney World.

Your Disney Travel Agent can help you price out the cost of adding some Disney World time to your Disney Cruise.

Can You Book Excursions Once You’re Onboard?

Port Adventures can be booked onboard the ship, subject to availability. Each ship has a Port Adventures desk.

Do Disney Cruise Excursions Sell Out?

Yes, it’s common for the more popular excursions to sell out well in advance. For the best chance at getting what you want, book as early as possible. There’s no wait list, but you can keep checking to see if space becomes available.

When Can You Book Disney Shore Excursions?

For those cruising with Disney for the first time , Port Adventures can be booked 75 days prior to your sail date. The booking window opens very early — midnight Eastern Time. Your cruise must be paid in full before you can book.

Repeat passengers get an early booking advantage that varies based on Castaway Club level (the number of times they’ve cruised with Disney).

Are Port Adventures Always Guided Tours?

Port Adventures take many forms, and not all of them have tour guides. A few examples include hiring a private vehicle, renting water trikes, chartering boats, or purchasing admission to local attractions.

Are Disney Cruise Excursions Wheelchair Accessible?

Disney’s cruise ships are easily accessible to those using wheelchairs, but the accessibility of experiences offered in ports-of-call can vary. It’s easy to forget that ADA regulations apply only to the United States — it’s the Americans with Disabilities Act — so it can be a bit of a shock when you arrive in another country and find that some areas are not as accessible as one might hope.

That said, Disney now partners with Accessible Travel Solutions to offer wheelchair-accessible Port Adventures in more than 25 countries. Not every excursion will be fully accessible — and while there’s certainly room for improvement — but progress is being made.

Accessible Port Adventures typically include vehicles with wheelchair lifts/ramps, attractions and tour routes with no stairs or with elevators, bathrooms with wider doors, and guides familiar with the needs of guests with disabilities. Disney maintains a list of all its accessible Port Adventures .

Best Way to Book Disney Cruise Excursions

If you’re ready to book your Disney Cruise and all your excursions, we highly recommend contacting  The Vacationeer . As  Authorized Disney Vacation Planners , their expert agents will make sure everything on your cruise is taken care of , from rooms to dining to Port Adventures.

Worried about the cost? Don’t be!  Their planning services are completely free and they’ll make sure you get the best possible price on everything .

What’s more, they’ll give you a free onboard credit of up to $1,000 to use for excursions and other shipboard spending.

Add in the convenience of having a single, dedicated travel agent from start to finish , and it’s easy to see why using The Vacationeer is the best way to book your Disney Cruise.

We hope our article has helped you understand more about Disney Cruise excursions in the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda — and maybe inspired you to explore some of the amazing adventures offered in port during your cruise.

Bon voyage!

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Disney Cruise Line Port Excursions – Discounts & Tips

LAST UPDATE: 2/14/24

Disney Port Adventures are not cheap, and they can add a significant amount to the total cost of your Disney Cruise. This page covers discounts, deals, and advice about port excursions at ports of call visited by Disney Cruise Line. We have collected our best tips and advice to help you save time, save money and have more fun when you get off your cruise ship. After all, sightseeing in exotic destinations is one of the primary reasons to take a cruise!

Thanks to Marjorie Treger and to MouseSavers.com readers Jeff Evernham and Aileen B, who contributed some great tips.

General Tips

Port safety, disney shore excursions, self-booking excursions & exploring independently, booking excursions with viator, castaway cay, lookout cay at lighthouse point, nassau, bahamas.

Other useful Disney Cruise Line information pages:

• For discounts and tips on saving money on the cruise itself , visit our Disney Cruise Discount page.
• For tips and tricks that will help you plan your cruise , visit the Planning Tips & Tricks for Disney Cruises page.
• For advice that will help you save time and get the most out of your cruise once you are onboard , visit the DCL Onboard Advice page.

If you’re not an adventurous traveler, you may want to book a Disney port excursion the first time you visit a port just to get the lay of the land, so to speak. That said, it’s pretty easy to go it alone in most of these ports, either by booking your own port adventures or just wandering. Every day in each of these ports, 3,000-18,000 cruise passengers flood the streets, so the ports are pretty good at providing services and infrastructure to travelers. And because they don’t want to risk the lucrative flow of tourism dollars, most of these places will have plenty of security in the major tourist areas. If you stay in tourist-oriented areas with lots of foot traffic during daylight hours, you may encounter vendors who are pushier than you might be used to, but safety should not be a major problem. Do read the port safety section and keep your wits about you.

A limited number of strollers are available from Guest Services while in port. They are free with a deposit. Since they are limited, don’t wait until most people have left the ship to ask for one.

Port days are a great time to take advantage of the ship’s amenities — such as the pools, spa and the AquaDuck or AquaMouse — with minimal crowds. Most people leave the ship in the morning and return in the afternoon. If you want to enjoy the ship when it’s nearly empty, reverse your schedule so you’re on the ship in the morning and in port during the afternoon. Depending on the ship’s arrival and departure times, this is easier to do at some ports than others.

If you’re wondering how busy a port will be, a great resource is CruiseTimeTables.com . Select your ship and dates, and it will show you which ships will be in port on each day of your cruise. From that, you can click on each ship name to see the details of that ship and see how many passengers it carries. Add all the passenger counts for all the ships in a particular port, and that’s the “port load” for that day. On low-load days, it will be easier to get a taxi, the tourist spots will be less crowded, etc. On high-load days, expect crowds everywhere. It’s a good idea to look at the port load on other days that month to get an idea of what’s a “normal” load. If the port usually handles 15,000 people, then a 10,000 person day might be fairly light. But in another port, their normal day might be 6,000, making 10,000 a huge crowd.

And of course, any of these ports will be busier during peak vacation times, which for the Caribbean and Bahamas is spring break (generally late March through early April) and Christmas season (the two calendar weeks that contain Christmas and New Year’s Day). During those times, you can expect major tourist destinations, beaches, resorts, restaurants, etc. to be very busy and booked up well in advance. The resorts will be full of guests, and the cruise ships will be running as full as possible. Surprisingly, summer in the Caribbean is only moderately busy, as it’s very hot, and a lot of cruise ships are in Alaska and Europe then.

If you want to get away from the tourist gloss and go a little deeper, you might ask some of the crew on the ship where they like to go when they have free time in that port. You still won’t necessarily be seeing the “real” country, but it’s a good way to find something more like a local hangout and less like a chain restaurant. Keep in mind that crew care more about things like free Wi-Fi and cheap drinks, and less about fancy décor and beautiful views.

A warning: reading this section can make you feel like it’s a mistake to leave home, which is not our intent. We don’t want people to get the impression that they’re in grave danger when they leave the ship, but it’s important to be clear-headed and travel smart. Most travelers have no real trouble, especially on organized cruise excursions and shopping in busy tourist areas. However, crime rates are quite high in some of the countries Disney Cruise Line visits, and it’s worthwhile to take some basic precautions.

In almost all developing countries, including many ports in the Caribbean, you are highly likely to encounter vendors who will call to you, ask questions, shove items in front of you, touch you to get your attention, etc. This is not a safety problem per se, it’s just much more aggressive selling than most first-world residents are used to. The vendors know that cruise ship passengers have money, and they hope to get some of that money by selling crafts, t-shirts, hair-braiding, etc. If you’re not interested in what they are selling, you should say “no thanks,” shake your head, or something equivalent, and keep walking . If you ignore them, they don’t know if you have heard them or not, and they may just get louder and closer. If you stop, they’re going to assume you’re interested. Politely making it clear that you’re not interested usually works; you want to act like someone who’s got somewhere to be. If they persist after that, stop responding and move away from them. Do not answer questions from vendors if you aren’t interested in what they’re selling. Usually these vendors are concentrated right around the cruise terminal and a few other big tourist hot spots and if you get a block or two away it gets much better. If you know that dealing with aggressive vendors is going to make you uncomfortable, you’re best off sticking with organized excursions, either through Disney, Viator or large tour operators, or hiring your own guide or driver to take you around.

We strongly recommend against doing any kind of motorized watersports excursions, such as jet-ski rental or parasailing, on a walk-up basis on any beach in the Caribbean, Mexico or Bahamas. These vendors are typically effectively unregulated, and incidents of accidents due to under-maintained equipment and/or poor safety procedures are high enough to make us uncomfortable. Any such excursions should either be purchased through Disney, Viator or some other intermediary that you trust to do reasonable vetting of the final provider. Note that the jet-ski vendors working the beaches in front of major hotels are not typically affiliated with, or recommended by, the hotels. We also recommend doing thorough research on any boat tour, fishing tour, snorkeling or scuba tours booked independently. There are plenty of good independent companies in any of the ports, but there are also lots of tiny companies that may not carry adequate insurance, may not have proper equipment maintenance, may not have proper safety certifications, etc. You should look for how long they’ve been in business, how many reviews they have on major review sites like TripAdvisor, and whether their staff have certifications from recognized organizations like PADI.

We advise not straying far from the port or other tourist areas in Nassau, Bahamas, especially at night. Violent crime against tourists is rare, but it does happen, including bold armed robberies of tour groups. Don’t just take our word for it, read the US State Department’s advisory , under Safety & Security. The vendors are also extra-aggressive here, though it dies down considerably once you get a block or two away from the cruise terminal. If you just want to shop or walk around in Nassau, we advise staying within a few blocks of Bay Street, which is the main shopping street running along the shoreline, or take a cab over to Paradise Island, where the shopping area is much less chaotic and less sketchy.

Falmouth, Jamaica  has had ongoing problems with extremely aggressive vendors near the port. While Jamaica does have serious crime problems, most of it is found in poor areas of Kingston and Montego Bay. Falmouth itself is not an especially crime-prone area. Certainly the large gated shopping area of the cruise port is completely safe to explore, as only employees and cruise-ship passengers are allowed in, and while inside the gated area you will not be accosted by sellers. However, outside the port gates there are quite a few souvenir and craft vendors on the street who buttonhole cruise passengers as they go by. Firmly and politely saying “no thanks” is generally enough to get them to leave you alone. If you ever feel unsafe, during the day there are tourist police stationed at intersections near the port, who wear white helmets, white shirts and black pants.

Crime and violence have been on the increase in Mexico for the last few years. Relatively little of the violence has been directed against tourists, but it does happen occasionally: in February 2012, a busload of people on an official excursion from a Carnival ship were robbed of all their valuables , including passports, in Puerto Vallarta. (This was a giant mess for those who lost their passports, which is why we say do not take your passport off the ship! ) Disney adjusts its port calls in response to current events and will make every effort to visit the ports that are safest. We recommend staying with a group and/or taking an official excursion when visiting Baja ports, except for Cabo San Lucas, which has had few crime problems. For Western Caribbean cruises, Cozumel is a fairly safe port.

Barcelona  is an amazing city but has a big problem with pickpockets. According to a tour guide we spoke with there, under local laws most such thefts are a hand-slapping offense (basically if the pickpocket is caught, a ticket is issued and they don’t have to worry about going to jail). Personally, we saw a lot of tourists wandering around with expensive handbags hanging open over their arms. Don’t make yourself such an obvious target and you’re likely to be fine.

Some safety tips when getting off the ship in any port:

• Be aware of your surroundings. Look on a map before leaving the ship so you know the general layout of the port and have an idea of where the ship is docked. Don’t rely exclusively on a smartphone or other electronic device for directions, since those might be stolen. Take a paper map with you so you can find your way back to the ship.
• Don’t carry your whole wallet around. We recommend getting a travelers pouch (worn inside your shirt around your neck, or around your waist inside your pants), plus a cheap wallet. Preload the wallet with a little cash and maybe one credit card, and nothing else. In the travelers pouch put more cash, a different credit card, your ID, room key, and any phone numbers you might need (see below). Don’t put the ID in the wallet, since you’ll usually need the ID to get through customs and back on the ship. If you get mugged or pickpocketed, the thieves will get some cash, a credit card (which you’ll cancel as soon as you get back to the ship), and a wallet.
• DO NOT take your passport with you when you leave the ship, unless the country requires it, or you plan to rent a car (in which case you’ll need it). If it is stolen, you will have a real problem. Very few countries require you to carry your passport around. If not having your passport with you makes you nervous, make a color photocopy of the identity page of your passport before you leave on the cruise, and carry that with you when you get off the ship.
• DO put your passport (and any other necessary documents, credit cards, etc.) in your stateroom safe when you leave the ship. If for some reason you can’t make it back to the ship, Disney will send two security officers into your stateroom, open the safe, retrieve your passport and leave it with the port agent so you can arrange to rejoin the ship or head home.
• Don’t wear expensive-looking jewelry/watches/handbags, particularly when visiting places with a lot of poverty (e.g. Mexico and the Caribbean) or that are known for pickpockets (e.g. Barcelona and Naples). It just makes you a target for thieves. Very expensive/complicated SLR cameras can also make you a target. If you have a great camera, stay in the safest areas and don’t wander too far alone.
• Write down the name and phone number of the “ship’s agent” for the port (which will be available in the Navigator app), and carry it with you. Putting it in your cell phone or other electronic device is a good backup, but put it on a piece of paper, too, in case your phone is lost or stolen. You’ll need to contact the ship’s agent if something bad happens while you’re onshore (i.e., you get sick/robbed/miss the ship’s departure, etc.) If something happens and you lose the number for the ship’s agent, call the port – they will know the agents for the various cruise lines. It would be a good idea to also have the number of the nearest US embassy or consulate and a local cab company.
• Do not take unlicensed cabs, unless the car was arranged by yourself or a trusted intermediary such as your hotel concierge or bell captain. If a random driver offers to take you somewhere, don’t take them up on it. Your best bet is to only pick up cabs at managed cab stands at ports, airports, hotels or major tourist destinations. In cities with well-regulated cab systems with clear markings, hailing a cab on the street is fine.

Disney offers a wide variety of shore excursions (which they call “port adventures”) of varying quality. In almost all cases the excursions are offered by third parties contracted by Disney. If you’re wondering whether an excursion is worthwhile, we recommend buying a guidebook that reviews them, or searching the internet for reviews on cruise sites, since nearly all shore excursions are the same ones offered to all the cruise ships. Keep in mind that there are often many tour operators offering similarly-named excursions in each port, so just because you find a fantastic review of a city tour, for example, doesn’t mean it’s the same city tour offered by Disney.

Some excursions are very popular and fill up early, so book them as early as you can . If you’re not able to get an excursion you wanted before you embark, go to Guest Services or the Excursion Desk as soon as you get onboard and see if they can add you to a waiting list. Or you can check our tips below for booking the tour on your own. Sometimes the tour or experience itself still has space, but the bus that Disney chartered is full – if  you’re willing to take a cab direct to the facility you can still do the excursion.

Booking excursions directly, instead of via Disney, can save you money and give you extra flexibility. As we mentioned earlier, the shore excursions offered at each of Disney’s ports of call are provided by third-party tour companies, with the exception of most of the Castaway Cay excursions. They are (with a few exceptions) the exact same excursions offered by every other cruise line, and are often offered directly to the public via the tour operators’ own website, or via various aggregators like Viator . In some cases the tour is cheaper when you book directly (since they don’t have to split the profit with Disney), but even if it’s the same price, booking yourself allows you to choose excursions or optional add-ons Disney doesn’t offer, or alternative times that might fit your schedule better. And of course you can choose to do tours and activities that are not offered by Disney, or just get off the ship and explore the town.

Families with kids can often save significant money booking direct! Disney Cruise Line almost always uses a standard age range for pricing port excursions: anyone 10 or older pays the adult price, ages 3-9 pay a child price and ages 2 and under are usually free (or sometimes there’s an infant price). But if you book your port excursion directly with the tour operator, you often find that they offer child discounts up to age 12 and sometimes up to age 16 or 17. Some don’t charge for kids 3 or under, or even 4 or under. That can save you a lot of money, depending on the ages of your kids. You have to book directly (or through another vendor like Viator ) to get the more generous child discounts.

Some people worry that an independent tour company might not getting them back to the ship on time. In practice, it’s extremely  rare for a tour operator to get passengers back late enough to miss their ship. Any tour company that services cruise passengers risks the wrath of a busload of incredibly angry guests if they miss their ship. You can be sure they do not want that to happen, and they will go to great lengths to avoid it. If they have a bus breakdown, they will have a contingency plan to bring in another bus or provide alternative transportation. Some third-party tour companies provide a guarantee that they’ll get you back to your boat on time or they’ll pay to get you to the next port, which tells you that they’re confident they’ll be on time. They take cruise-ship passengers around every day of the year; they’re very aware of the need to stay on schedule.

On a Disney-booked tour, the tour operator will contact the Disney ship’s agent immediately if they get into trouble, so the ship staff know what’s going on. You should do the same: if you are exploring independently or on a self-booked tour and suffer an issue that might make you late, immediately call the ship’s agent and tell them what’s happening. The name and phone number of the ship’s agent for the port is in the Navigator app, or you can call the port and ask for the name and number of the Disney port agent. The ship may wait for you if they know where you are and when you’ll be arriving; they usually won’t wait very long if they have no idea when you’ll be there.

In the very unlikely event that a tour operator doesn’t get you back to the ship before it has to leave, third-party trip insurance may cover your cost to get to the next port, via the “trip interruption,” “missed connection” or “travel delay” coverage, if the tour operator or a cab, bus, or train is delayed as a result of one of the covered events. Covered events usually include a tour operator or carrier suffering a mechanical breakdown, traffic accident or weather-related delay. Check the description of coverage of your trip insurance, or call their customer service number to see if you’re covered. Be careful; some of them only cover trip interruption or missed connections if the carrier ceases service for more than a certain amount of time, sometimes as much as 24 hours.

Most people who miss their ship departure are not on an excursion at all. They just get sidetracked while shopping or sightseeing (or drinking),  often within walking distance of the ship. When you’re close to the ship you don’t have the stress of worrying about getting a cab or whether your tour is going to leave on time, and it’s easy to stop paying attention. Another reason people miss the ship is that they mis-remember the all-aboard time. Don’t let this be you! Write down the all-aboard time, and set an alarm on your phone or watch for when you should be heading back to the ship. Something to be aware of is that if your phone connects to the local cell towers or to local Wi-Fi, it may reset its clock to local time, which might not match ship time. Make sure you know whether your all-aboard is in local time or ship’s time, and also know what time zone your watch or phone is set to. Allow 30 minutes to get through port security, plus 30 minutes for each transportation leg you have to take, in addition to estimated travel time , just in case.

Another thing to keep in mind about self-booked tours: occasionally the ship has to miss a port or arrive late because of weather or some other issue. If you have an excursion in that port that you self-booked, that tour operator’s cancellation policy applies. In our experience many tour operators will refund your money if the ship doesn’t make port, and most will wait for you or put you on a later tour if the ship is late, if they can find a way to do it. It’s definitely worth checking the “missed port” policy before you book, though. Again, your trip insurance may cover missed port excursions under “trip interruption,” “travel delay” or “missed connection;” check with your insurance provider to be sure.

No matter how you book your tour it’s a good idea to have your own contingency plan just in case. You should always have the number of a local cab company in your phone (and written on a piece of paper in case you lose your phone). And you always want to give yourself some leeway. We strongly recommend against self-booking a tour or activity that ends less than 2 hours before the ship leaves . You could make exceptions if you know the activity happens completely within walking distance of the ship, such as the lumberjack show in Ketchikan, which is literally a block and a half from the dock. Be careful though – sometimes the location given by the tour operator is just the pick-up spot; they may transport you somewhere else for the actual activity. The bottom line is that you want to have enough time to find alternative transportation back to the ship if you have to, especially if you’re just exploring on your own. When in doubt, contact the tour operator directly if you can, and ask them how much time it takes to get to and from their pick-up/drop-off points.

Viator.com is an easy, reliable way to book cruise excursions, tours and activities. Like Disney, they work with third-party operators in the various port cities. They hand-pick tour operators that meet their standards for experience, financial soundness, and customer service. They have reviews on their excursions, written by actual customers. You need to take these reviews with the same skepticism that you would with any online reviews: some people are ultra-picky, and some people love everything. But it can give you useful details about the kinds of things you’ll get to do, the kinds of problems that can arise, whether you have to take a long ride from the port to get to the tour beginning, etc.

We have been recommending Viator.com for several years and have had good feedback from readers. They often have the best prices we’ve found on shore excursions, and offer many of the popular excursions in the major ports Disney visits. In some cases they offer the exact same excursion as Disney, provided by the exact same tour company, but with a wider range of available times or more options. We have on several occasions chosen one of their excursions as an alternative to Disney’s excursions, and we’ve always been happy with the tour operators and tours.

To give an example, on our trip to Alaska on the Disney Wonder, we booked a whale-watching excursion in Juneau with Viator because it left earlier, which left us more time for sightseeing and the Mendenhall Glacier. It turns out there are about 5 big whale-watching companies in Juneau, and they all share information about whale sightings, so everyone’s boats spend most of their time in a group traveling from sighting to sighting, then occasionally splitting up to look for more whales. The boat we were on was smaller and faster than the other boats, which allowed us to reach several whale pods first, but in the end everyone saw the same whales. The bottom line: we got a basically identical (maybe a little better) whale-watching trip for about 70% of the Disney excursion price.

Here are direct links to the tours and activities pages on Viator.com for the most popular Disney Cruise Line ports, including departure ports. Note that many excellent tours that work well for cruise passengers are not necessarily listed in the “shore excursions” category. You just have to look at the start and end times of any tour you’re considering and compare to the cruise schedule. We recommend avoiding picking start times less than 30 minutes after your scheduled arrival time in port (plus any travel time needed to get from the port to the tour’s start point). And we strongly advise not picking tours with ending times less than 2 hours before the cruise’s scheduled departure time (plus any travel time needed to get from the tour’s end point to the ship).

• Nassau tours and excursions

Western Caribbean :

• Miami tours and excursions
• Cozumel tours and excursions
• Grand Cayman tours and excursions  (Remember to allow time for tendering into port)
• Falmouth, Jamaica tours and excursions

Eastern Caribbean :

• Tortola shore excursions
• St. Maarten tours and excursions
• St. Thomas/St. John shore excursions
• Vancouver, Canada tours and excursions
• Juneau tours and excursions
• Skagway tours and excursions
• Ketchikan tours and excursions

Mediterranean :

• Barcelona, Spain tours and activities
• Venice, Italy tours and activities
• Villefranche (French Riviera) tours and excursions
• Pisa, Italy tours and excursions (Note that you need to allow travel time to/from La Spezia)
• Florence, Italy tours and excursions (Note that you need to allow travel time to/from La Spezia)
• La Spezia, Italy tours and excursions
• Rome, Italy tours and excursions  (Note that you need to allow travel time to/from Civitavecchia)
• Naples, Italy tours and excursions

For other locations, go the Viator.com home page  and search for the name of the port.

Many of Disney’s Bahamian and Caribbean cruises include a day at Disney’s original private island: Castaway Cay (pronounced like “key”), which is a tiny islet in the Bahamas. For many people Castaway Cay is the best part of a Disney Cruise, as you get the wonderful white sand beaches and clear water of the Caribbean without annoying distractions like roaming vendors and hair braiders. There are plenty of beach chairs for everyone (though you may need to hike to the far end of the beach if you take your time in the morning getting off the ship), and lots of things to do or not do as you prefer.

On your Castaway Cay day, we definitely recommend getting off the ship early . Use room service to have breakfast in your cabin or head to the buffet when it opens and then get off the ship as soon after 9:00 am as you can. You’ll have your pick of chairs, no lines for character greetings and photo opportunities, and the snorkeling will be undisturbed by others stirring up the bottom.

If you’re the adventurous type and don’t want to just lie around on the beach, take advantage of the package excursions at Castaway Cay that include snorkel equipment, float/raft rental, and a one-hour bike rental. The bundle deal is not available once you leave the ship (i.e., you have to pay the individual price for each activity, which will cost more). However, MouseSavers.com reader Kelly M has this to offer: “at Castaway Cay, there is so much to do that we couldn’t get to everything. We booked four passes for the snorkel, float and bicycle package. Next time we will only book two passes and share. We ran out of time and could have easily shared two sets. We didn’t even get to pick up the bikes since we ran out of time.”

Castaway Cay has its own post office, so your stop there is a great opportunity to send postcards to your friends. All of you scrapbookers out there will want to bring an extra postcard or two to mail to yourself; they’ll receive the Castaway Cay postmark! Definitely buy your Bahamian stamps on the boat at Guest Services before you arrive at Castaway Cay, or you can buy them in Nassau if you go there first. If you do buy stamps at Castaway Cay you will need CASH to pay for the postage — it can’t be charged to your room key, and you may find that the post office has very limited hours (as in it may not open at all). If you have stamped postcards, you can drop them in the slot any time. Note that it can take quite a long time (months) for the postcard to reach home, and we have multiple reports of postcards never arriving at all.

Every visit to Castaway Cay includes a running of the Castaway Cay 5K , which is a nice way to start your day if you like running. You’ll (usually) get a souvenir medal for completing the race (though sometimes they don’t give them out, seemingly at random), a feeling of accomplishment, and an excuse to have a second helping of cookies and ice cream at lunch. Look at the Navigator app for instructions on where to meet. Usually the race gets going pretty early in the morning to avoid the heat.

Take some time to explore the public parts of the island, including the old landing strip . Disney has placed a bunch of artfully arranged flotsam and jetsam all over, including a couple of DC-3’s with Disney nose art that make a great backdrop for a group photo. Taking a walk or bike ride to the observation tower makes a nice expedition. The walkway is paved and well-marked, and there are water dispensers at regular intervals. From the top of the tower you can see the ship in the distance, the native landscape of Castaway Cay (which is admittedly pretty sparse), and some fun surprises placed here and there by Disney imagineers.

Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is Disney’s newest “private island” experience , created to take some pressure off Castaway Cay and add new private beach experiences to the Disney Cruise portfolio. It has all the same basic features as Castaway Cay: a nice private beach with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas, included buffet lunch, and exclusive shore activities and excursions.

Lookout Cay is not actually a separate island, but rather a private piece of land near the southern tip of Eleuthera , one of the larger Bahamian islands. However, from a practical point of view it works the same way as a true private island. It’s just easier for the locals to come to work, since they can just drive over instead of taking a boat.

Lookout Cay has something for everyone. You can snorkel, get a spa treatment, walk the nature trails, participate in Disney shore adventures, meet characters and learn about Bahamian arts and culture. As with Castaway Cay, there are a few extra-cost experiences, but most of it is FREE.

Lookout Cay is not open yet as of this writing, so a full set of details will have to wait until June 2024, when the first Disney cruise passengers will get to see it in person.

All of Disney Cruise Line’s popular 3- and 4-day cruises stop in Nassau, which is probably the single most visited cruise destination in the world. Every day, up to 18,000 cruise passengers arrive at the Nassau cruise terminal and head out to a variety of adventures, shopping, or just to the beach. The Bahamas is a former British colony with a rich history, and traces of its Georgian heyday are visible in the lovely old buildings, some dating back to just after the American Revolution.

There is plenty here for the cruise visitor, including the amazing Atlantis mega-resort, snorkeling, scuba-diving, or just lying on the beach. You can also just get off the ship and explore, though read the Port Safety notes; the tourist areas of Nassau are quite safe during normal business hours, but it’s not recommended to wander too far on your own beyond the downtown and resort areas, especially at night.

Getting Taxis in Nassau

• Atlantis & Aquaventure
• Aquaventure Tips
• Savings Tip: Aquaventure Via Comfort Suites

Nassau Beach Options

• Other Nassau recommendations

There is quite a bit to explore within walking distance from the cruise terminal, but if you want to get to the further beach and resort areas like Paradise Island or Cable Beach you’ll want to get transportation. We generally recommend taking taxi cabs. There is a water taxi to Paradise Island near the cruise terminal, but it doesn’t have a schedule; it waits until it is full, which can take a long time. And there are jitneys, which are local buses. The #10 jitney runs back and forth along Bay street from near the cruise terminal to the far end of Cable Beach, but the waits can be long, and they can be crowded and stop semi-randomly. Be sure to take the #10, which stays on Bay Street, and not the #10A, which goes through side streets and takes forever. The fare is $1.25 each way per person, cash only, no change given. Our feeling is that you have limited time in Nassau; make the most of it and take cabs. It’s a small town and very few places will cost more than $4/person to get to in a cab. Getting from the cruise terminal to the far end of Paradise Island or Cable Beach might go as high as $6/person.

You should know in advance that taxis in Nassau are not always in particularly great shape. The air conditioning may not work or the driver may not run it to save gas. The car or van itself may look well-used. The driver may stop to get gas on the way to your destination. It’s the Caribbean, and that’s pretty much the standard for cabs all over the region. Ultimately if you don’t like the look of a cab, wait for another one. If all of this sounds like it would make you uncomfortable, then don’t take cabs; book excursions with included transportation via Disney or Viator  or direct with a tour company. Disney and Viator work with large tour companies that generally use nice, clean air-conditioned vans and minibuses.

Licensed cabs say “Taxi” on the side in fancy lettering and have a taxi license plate and a meter. There are shuttles as well, mostly doing back and forth runs between the cruise terminal and Paradise Island, and they can be a perfectly reasonable option, if picked up inside the cruise terminal gates or called for you by the bell captain at a hotel. We would not recommend taking an unlicensed cab anywhere else, unless you arrange the booking yourself through a reliable transportation company. Often even if you take a licensed cab with a meter the driver will refuse to use the meter and will just quote a price, which you are free to negotiate. Just about anywhere within 15 minutes of the cruise terminal should be $4/person or less. If the driver tries to change the agreed price, just repeat the price you agreed, hand them the money and get out.

At the cruise terminal, the shuttles to Paradise Island are easy to get, but be aware that they are not organized into a well-behaved line. There is a large, chaotic area inside the cruise terminal gates with shuttle vans, van hawkers, drivers, etc. all trying to get the attention of cruise passengers. You can go to one of the counters offering shuttles, or just tell the first driver you see where you want to go. The drivers will usually want to wait until they’ve filled up their van, but that shouldn’t take long. If you want to get a personal taxi for just your party, you may want to walk outside the terminal and look for a licensed cab.

At a resort like Atlantis or the One & Only Ocean Club, just go to the bell stand out front and ask for a taxi. They’ll whistle one over, or call one if there isn’t one waiting.

If you’re somewhere else and need a ride back to the cruise terminal, if you’re near Bay Street you can just hail a taxi; there are plenty going up and down it all day. On Paradise Island, you can find taxis in any tourist spot or driving on Paradise Island Drive.

It’s normally about 15-20 minutes drive from Atlantis or other locations on Paradise Island to the cruise terminal. The far end of Cable beach is about the same driving distance from the cruise terminal in the other direction. But near the end of the day there can be significant traffic trying to get back to the terminal that can push the total travel time to 30 minutes or more, so don’t push your luck. Allow plenty of time, and remember you have to get through port security.

Atlantis & Aquaventure

Atlantis   is a truly massive resort and casino on Paradise Island, about a 15-minute drive from the cruise terminal . It’s one of the most popular destinations for cruise-ship passengers in Nassau, largely because of its massive water park, Aquaventure . It also has a very large and beautiful aquarium called The Dig, which is designed to look like you’re touring an ancient section of the mythical land of Atlantis that has been submerged and discovered centuries later by archaeologists. Atlantis is located right on Cabbage Beach, perhaps the most beautiful of all Bahamas beaches, and it has an enormous casino and lots of high-end restaurants and shopping. It’s all very impressive, but the prices are equally impressive.

Is Atlantis worth visiting while on a Bahamas cruise? It’s hard to say. Purely as a water park, we’d have to say no. If you book it through Disney, it’s about $250 for adults and $140 for kids. If you self-book and work every angle, you might be able to get access to Aquaventure for $120-$140 so per person in the peak season, or $95-$110 in the off season. Compare that to Blizzard Beach , Typhoon Lagoon or Aquatica in Orlando, all of which are $75-ish for a full-price adult ticket (even less if you use one of the many discounts available). Atlantis Aquaventure is huge and has some very neat water slides and a great rapids river called the Current, but it’s not so much better than the Orlando parks to merit the price difference. In fact, we’d say the Orlando parks are easier to navigate and better planned for practical touring. All that said, Atlantis as a whole is pretty spectacular and a unique destination. The Dig, the predator lagoons, the Aquaventure park and the art and the architecture are all unlike anything anywhere else (except maybe the other Atlantis resorts), so it’s very hard to say what it’s worth. If you have people in your party who love water parks, or love aquariums, it’s probably worth a visit. If you find the architecture intriguing, you’ll like it even better up close. But if you expect to get your money’s worth as a “theme park” experience, then it’s going to be a disappointment.

Most of Atlantis , including Aquaventure and the aquariums and other exhibits, is only open to their own hotel guests, cruise-ship guests with a day pass , or guests of the Comfort Suites next door, at least during daylight hours. Even the Royal Towers lobby is off-limits if you don’t have a wristband or the paperwork you need to get a wristband.

There are several options for visiting the paid sections of Atlantis, including several Disney-sponsored excursions. It is almost always cheaper and faster to get to Atlantis on your own. We recommend taking a cab right outside the cruise terminal, which allows you to leave immediately after docking and beat the other cruise passengers to the water slides.

You can get an Aquaventure pass on-site, when available, which includes beach and Dig access. However, when the resort is very full, such as during spring break, they may not offer walk-up Aquaventure passes, or they may sell out quickly. If you know you want to visit Aquaventure, it’s a good idea to book through Disney or use the tip below to book a hotel day room. If you just want to view the Dig or the beach, there are passes that don’t include Aquaventure available at a lower price.

These prices were correct when gathered (early 2024), but are subject to change any time, and may vary based on season and demand:

• The Atlantis Aquaventure day pass includes access to pretty much everything at Atlantis except the Dolphin adventures and the grounds and pools of the ultra-pricey Cove and Reef areas. It includes access to Aquaventure, pools, the beach, the Dig, the predator lagoons and the Royal Towers lobby. Same-day passes cost $250-275 (depending on season and whether lunch is included) for adults (13+), and $140-$160 for children (4-12). Children 3 and under are FREE with a paying adult. Note that these may sell out, especially at peak times like spring break. 
• The Discover Atlantis pass includes the Dig, the predator lagoons, and access to the Royal Towers lobby. It includes a guided tour of the Dig (which you can take or not). Same-day passes cost $55 for all ages (4+). Children 3 and under are FREE with a paying adult. We have never heard of these being sold out.
• The Atlantis Beach Day pass includes use of beach chairs and umbrellas, plus access to the Dig, predator lagoons, and the Royal Towers Lobby. Same-day passes cost $95 for all ages (4+). Lunch is not included. Children 3 and under are FREE with a paying adult. We have heard of these selling out during spring break, and possibly other times, but perhaps not as often as the Aquaventure passes.

Some (but not all) of these day passes can be purchased in advance on Atlantis’s website .

To buy a day pass in person, go to the ticket booth at the Coral Towers entrance and show your Key to the World card to prove you’re on a cruise. (They don’t want guests of other unaffiliated Bahamas hotels to be able to get access to the Atlantis facilities, which is why they need to see proof that you’re a cruise passenger.)

If you don’t want to pay for a day pass, there are a few areas of Atlantis that are free to visit , most notably the casino, shops and restaurants in and around the Coral Towers. If you just want to soak up the atmosphere, gamble, or have some lunch, you’re welcome to do so by coming in the Coral Towers entrance. You should know, though, that pretty much all of the iconic Atlantis architecture and decor is in and around the Royal Towers, which are off-limits without a pass. You can also walk outside and visit the Marina Village shopping center and the Paradise Shopping Plaza across the street, which features a local handcrafts area that is like the Straw Market in downtown Nassau, but with slightly less aggressive vendors. If you want to eat, many of the signature restaurants in Atlantis are only open for dinner, but there are quite a few restaurants open for lunch in the Marina Village, or you can walk through the conference center to the Beach Tower and eat at the Cave Grill without needing a day pass.

When you’re ready to leave Atlantis, if you have any day pass (or a room at the Comfort Suites) and thus have a wristband, just walk out the front doors of the Atlantis Royal Towers and ask them to call you a taxi or cruise terminal shuttle. There will likely be several of them waiting, and there will be a posted flat rate to the cruise terminal. If you’re just visiting with no day pass or band, you will have to pick up a taxi at the Coral Towers, Beach Tower or the Marina Village.

Aquaventure Tips & Tricks:

• Whether you book the Disney Aquaventure tour or go on your own, our advice is to ignore the guided tour of the Dig and just head straight to Aquaventure as soon as you get your wristbands. The Dig is well worth visiting, but not during prime morning hours; it stays open much later than the pools, so save your visit for later in the day when you’re tired of slides, during a mid-day break or in the last 30 minutes before you need to return. Obviously if you get there so early that they won’t let you into the Aquaventure area, congratulate yourself on your efficiency and take a turn through the Dig, or take the opportunity to check out the predator lagoons over by the Coral Tower or the murals and decorative elements in the Royal Towers lobby.
• The slides and Current usually open at 10, and the pools and Dig open at 9 . It’s a good idea to get in as early as you can to get a locker and towels and stake out some lounge chairs. If you manage to get all settled before the slides open, you can walk around and check out the lay of the land and get yourself oriented.
• In the late summer and fall, it’s not uncommon for the pools and slides to close in the mid-afternoon because of thunderstorms, and they might not open again, so it’s important to get an early start.
• The best locker and towel area is the Hospitality Center. In defiance of logic, it is in the back of the park as far as possible from the lobby and entrances. From the desk where you get the wristbands, head up the stairs to the lobby level of the Royal Towers and follow the signs to Aquaventure, and then to the Hospitality Center, or ask any staff about the most direct route. There are lockers, fresh towels, and deck chairs there, and it’s right next to a good place to enter the Current. However, we’d suggest spending the morning riding water slides, and then check out the Current once you’re tired of slides or the lines are getting long.
• The Current is not a “lazy” river. It’s a rapid river, and there are sections of it that can hurt you if you’re not paying attention, including a speed run through concrete “rocks” you could hit your head on or get a bad scrape from. If you’re paying attention, you’ll have no trouble; it’s not crazy fast. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you can just relax and float. In some sections it can look that way, but then it can speed up and start knocking you around. Think carefully before sending small children on it, or walk around and take a look at the hairier sections. There is an actual lazy river way over by the Beach Towers (which is a hike), should you want a more sedate experience.
• The concrete walkways appear to be some kind of cool-deck material, but they still can get pretty hot. Flip-flops or water shoes are highly recommended. You can wear flip-flops or water shoes on the slides, as long as they don’t have metal on them that might scratch the slide surface.
• Towels are available early in the day from big carts near the Hospitality Center. Later in the day those carts disappear but they still have towels, so if you don’t see any, just ask at the Hospitality Center desk and they’ll hand you fresh towels.
• The food and merchandise locations in Aquaventure do not accept cash. They only accept Atlantis room keys or credit cards, so make sure you bring a working credit card with you if you want to be able to get food and rent a locker.
• There is no central float and tube distribution location. Tubes are included in the price of Aquaventure , and you just grab any empty one as it floats by, or from any stack you see. There’s no point in dragging them around the park; there will be more available just about anywhere you would need one. In a few cases you have to lug your own tube up the stairs to the top of a slide, and that will be obvious, as everyone will be carrying tubes up the stairs.
• Several of the fancier tube slides can be accessed from the Current ; you just float around until you see a fork in the river, with one side leading to the “Rapids” and one to the “Power Tower.” Take the Power Tower path to get to two elaborate slides called The Drop and The Falls via a conveyor belt that carries you to the top of the Power Tower without you even having to get out of your tube. To get to the other slides in the Power Tower you have to leave the Current and walk up some stairs.
• The food from the snack bars is pretty ordinary and similar to theme-park food. If you want more exciting food, there is a full-service restaurant in the water park area called Shark Bites that serves a few Bahamian specialties like conch salad, conch chowder, and johnnycake (in addition to the usual burgers, salads and chicken strips). You could also head over to the Beach Tower and try the Cave Grill, which has a nice view of Cabbage Beach, and you could check out the sharks in the predator lagoons while you’re over there. If you have a lunch voucher it may only be good at certain restaurants, so check on that before you hike all the way over to the Beach Tower.

Savings Tip: Aquaventure Via Comfort Suites

Guests of the Comfort Suites Paradise Island   get FREE admission to the aquariums, exhibits, pools, beach and most importantly Aquaventure , just like guests of Atlantis itself. The Comfort Suites is conveniently located right next door to the Atlantis Coral Towers. Each room you book gives you up to four passes to Atlantis (one for each person in the room). The hotel has a 3:00 pm check in time, but you can “check in” early in the morning and get the paperwork you’ll need to get your Atlantis wristbands; they will be happy to tell you how to get to Atlantis. You can even check in and check out in one transaction so you don’t have to stop by on your way back to the ship, or if you’d like to use the room you can come back after 3 to shower and change before heading back to the ship.

Important note : To discourage people from waiting to book the Comfort Suites until the day their cruise ship arrives, a one-night stay booked same-day, either online or at the front desk, does not come with access to Atlantis. A one-night stay booked in advance (at least a day earlier than the arrival date), still includes access to Atlantis .  If you were thinking you’d book a room same-day because you’re worried about the ship not being able to dock, our advice would be to get travel insurance that covers trip interruption, which will reimburse any non-refundable expenses you incur if you are unable to experience part of the trip. Also, keep in mind that it’s very rare for ships to be unable to dock in Nassau. It’s the most popular cruise ship port for a reason.

In the last few years the Comfort Suites has raised the price for single-night stays considerably, and added fees that take the final price for one night to $120/person or more at times. However, if you check their web site regularly, you can sometimes snag deals in the off season, and they offer a small discount for AAA members . Kids under 16 are FREE, but anyone 16 or over is considered an adult, and there’s a $40 fee for every adult after the first one. Even at their top rates, one night at the Comfort Suites  plus cab fare is almost sure to be less expensive than getting day passes to Aquaventure or buying the Disney excursion for a family of 3 or 4, and you can book it in advance easily. For families of 5 or more, you’ll have to get two rooms unless one or more of the kids is 3 or younger ( children 3 or under don’t need a wristband to get into Aquaventure when accompanied by a paying adult, so they don’t need to be on the Comfort Suites booking ). For two adults, the Disney excursion is often the least expensive way to go, but price it out just to be sure.

You may see reports on the internet from people who were charged a bunch of surcharges at checkin, but that only happens if you book via shady online travel agencies that are booking special consolidator rates (rates for group tours) that don’t include the resort fees. If you book via the Choice Hotels web site, they are already figured into the final price you see on the final booking page. You’ll see a very large “Taxes and fees” amount added to the total, and that includes all surcharges. They will not charge you anything more when you check in to the hotel, as long as you book directly with the Choice Hotels site and list the correct number of adults and children when booking . If you see a much lower rate on another site, it probably doesn’t include the fees. As mentioned above, you don’t need to list children 3 or under if you’re only using the room to get Atlantis wristbands; you won’t need a wristband for them.

Once you check in at the Comfort Suites, ask the front desk clerks to direct you to Atlantis. The quickest way is via the back exit from the Comfort Suites. It’s about 100 yards to the entrance, and then a short walk through the shopping area to the guest services desk, where they will take your Comfort Suites paperwork and give you the wristbands you need to enter the grounds.

One nice thing about booking the Comfort Suites is that you don’t have to wait for the official Disney tour , which often leaves somewhat late in the morning. You can get off the ship immediately, get into a cab and go straight to the Comfort Suites, check in (and immediately check out, if desired) and collect your paperwork, then walk over to Atlantis and get your wristbands. If you’re off the ship at 9:30 am you can be on the water slides at 10:00 am, assuming everything goes well. It’s not hard to beat the cruise ship tour buses by 30-60 minutes. On our first trip to Aquaventure, we got off the ship 15 minutes after the ship was cleared, got a very slow cab that made several stops before getting to the Comfort Suites, got lost multiple times while walking to the guest services desk to get our wristbands, and we still beat the Disney excursion; they were arriving as we were walking away from the service desk. The second time we went, we beat the excursion bus by roughly 50 minutes, which meant almost an hour of extra water slides!

• Book a day room at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island , including full access to Atlantis and Aquaventure for up to 4 guests!

Free Beaches :

There are several public beaches in Nassau which cost nothing to visit other than transportation costs , plus of course any snacks, drinks, souvenirs, hair braiding, etc. you might purchase while you’re there. Most of the public beaches will have vendors hawking drinks, chairs, pictures, souvenirs, etc. and some of them can be pushy. Generally just politely saying “no thanks” is enough to get them to move on.

It’s very important to note that public beaches in the Bahamas do not have the same level of amenities as most public beaches in the USA . If you are used to California or Florida public beaches with bathrooms, changing rooms, showers, maybe a boardwalk, you will need to reset your expectations. In the Bahamas, as in many developing countries, there is very little public money for beaches, and (with a few exceptions mentioned below) the only infrastructure is provided by private vendors, who will charge money for access. At the more popular beaches there may be vendors who will rent you a beach chair or umbrella for a fee, or people just walking around with cold drinks for sale, but don’t expect much more than that. Also, depending on the tides and weather some of these beaches can have heavy surf and riptides, and there are no lifeguards.

• Junkanoo Beach (also called West Esplanade Beach). This is the closest beach to the cruise terminal, and is an easy walk. Just come out of the cruise terminal, turn right and follow the road along the shore (which has a few twists and turns along the way) for a few blocks past the British Colonial hotel. As the nearest public beach to the main tourism area, it’s quite busy and full of tourists and vendors. We have seen frequent reports of litter and debris, but if you can find a section that has just been cleaned and raked, it can be quite nice, and some of the vendors who have permanent shacks on the beach are very good about keeping up the area near them. The water is much calmer here than on other beaches in the area, though the view is perhaps not as nice (mostly you can see the harbor and cruise ships). There are public facilities here of varying cleanliness, again depending on how recently they were serviced. 
• Saunders Beach . This beach is just a bit further east on Bay Street from the Fish Fry area but not all the way to Cable Beach. There are fewer (often no) vendors here, and on weekdays there may not be many people here, period. There are no bathrooms or other facilities, but there are shops and some fast-food restaurants across the street. The beach has nice sand, but once you get into the water it’s a bit rocky. The surf here is not typically very strong, but there are no lifeguards on duty, so you’ll want to keep an eye on children. You could conceivably walk here, but it would be a  long walk; we’d take a taxi. If you’re trying to get away from the touristy beaches, this is the place, or Goodman’s Bay, just a bit further along Bay Street.
• Cable Beach . This is about a 15-25 minute drive from the cruise terminal, depending on which end of it you visit. Cable Beach is a beautiful beach with soft sand, but it’s hard to access the best section of the beach without paying, because that portion, while technically public up to the high-water mark, is effectively controlled by the row of hotels in front of it. The easiest public access is via Goodman’s Bay park, which is essentially part of Cable Beach. The beach at Goodman’s Bay is a less crowded beach than Junkanoo, and in fact on weekdays there may be almost no one here. On weekends there will often be some locals out and about. There are no public facilities on the beach or in the park except for restrooms that are open erratically and a children’s playground. You can walk over to the section of beach in front of Breezes, but they will shoo you away if you venture too close to the resort. At the other end of Cable Beach, near the Melia, pretty much the whole beach is deliberately designed to be inaccessible except through one of the resorts, and if you can find your way through an alley to the beach, you’ll find that essentially anything you would want to do is reserved for hotel guests. Really, if you want to spend the day at Cable Beach, a day pass is your best option.
• Cabbage Beach . This is on the north side of Paradise Island, right next to Atlantis. Cabbage Beach is a beautiful beach with a great view of the ocean, but the surf is very strong, especially in the winter, and it’s often not safe to swim. The best public beach access is about a mile away from Atlantis, next to the Paradise Island Beach Club. There are no public facilities to speak of, but there will usually be lots of private vendors around renting chairs, selling drinks, etc. The nearest public restroom is at the Marina Village, about a 25-minute walk away. You can no longer get into the Atlantis Beach Tower from the beach without an Atlantis wristband. If you decide you want a day pass, both Riu and Atlantis offer them ( see below ), but you can’t buy them at their beach entrances; they will direct you to go all the way around to the front entrance of the Riu or the front entrance of the Atlantis Coral Towers to buy one, which is about a 25-30 minute walk. The bottom line is that while the beach is technically public, the resorts in front of the beach effectively control access to most facilities and for most travelers we would suggest buying a day pass to experience this beach.

Paid Beach Day Passes :

For a more relaxing beach experience, it may be worth your while to get a day pass for one of the hotels in the area , which will generally give you access to their private beach, or to a reserved area on a public beach with beach chairs and umbrellas, plus access to the rest of their hotel including pools, bathrooms, towels, recreation equipment, etc. Lunch is sometimes included with a day pass, but be sure to read the included amenities to be sure. Note that these hotel’s websites never seem to have any information about day passes. To find out more, you must generally call the hotel directly. The Bahamas uses the US/Canada phone prefix (1), so you can direct-dial Bahamas numbers easily. It is an international call from the US or Canada, so you might want to check what your phone company is going to charge before calling. Some of these hotels also have an email address, but our experience emailing foreign hotels is hit-or-miss. Some respond immediately and some never respond. All prices below were correct when we last checked them, but are subject to change without warning.

During peak times (spring break and Christmas, most notably), the resorts will be very full and the prices may be higher. The day passes tend to sell out, so it may be hard to get one as a walk-up guest. Pre-book if possible, or get to the resort as early as you can the morning you arrive. And of course even if you get a pass during peak season, it may be harder to find an empty beach chair or snag a kayak if you don’t arrive early.

• British Colonial, Nassau is a beautiful colonial-era hotel that was renovated extensively in 2023. Its best feature is its proximity to the cruise terminal – you can easily stroll there in 10 minutes. Just exit the cruise terminal, turn right and walk along the street for about 4 blocks. They have a private beach (with a view mostly of the port and cruise ships), and a nice restaurant. They offer a beach pass for $100 for adults, $55 for children. You can buy the pass in advance from ResortForADay . Direct phone: +1-242-605-9900
• Margaritaville Beach Resort is a new-ish resort right in downtown Nassau. It has multiple food outlets, a nice beach with a view of the cruise ships, and a small water park with a lazy river and a few water slides. It’s easy to get to – you just go out to the street, turn right, and walk along Bay Street for about 10-15 minutes. It’s just before Junkanoo Beach. A day pass is $110 for adults and $55 for children. This just includes access to the grounds, including the water park and beach area. No food or drink is included. You can buy the pass in advance from ResortForADay . Direct phone: +1-242-603-8400
• Breezes Bahamas is on Cable Beach, and only open to ages 14+, and at times (spring break) only 18+ . This is an all-inclusive resort, so day passes include all-you-can-eat food and drink including beer, wine, and cocktails for those over 18. Walk-up day passes are $110/person, or you can buy in advance from  ResortForADay . Direct phone: +1-242-327-5356
• Sandals Royal Bahamian is on the far end of Cable Beach, even further down than the Melia. It is an adults-only resort, so all guests must be 18+. They have by all accounts some of the nicest facilities in Nassau. This is an all-inclusive resort, so day passes include all-you-can-eat food and drink including beer, wine, and cocktails for those over 18. Walk-up day passes are at last report $115/person for 10 am – 6 pm. Direct phone: +1-242-327-6400
• Atlantis Paradise Island is on Cabbage Beach and last we checked, offers a beach day pass for $85 for all ages (4+), which includes lunch and access to the Dig aquarium (but not the pools or Aquaventure water park). Direct phone: +1-242-363-3000
• Riu Palace is also on Cabbage Beach, next to Atlantis.  It is an adults-only resort, so all guests must be 18+. This is an all-inclusive resort; day passes include all-you-can eat food and drink including beer, wine and cocktails. Day passes are available in person, or in advance for $160 through ResortForADay . Direct phone: +1-242-363-3500
• Blue Lagoon is best known for their popular Dolphin Encounter, but you can book a beach day on their private island for $94 for adults (13+), $70 for children (4-12), including lunch. Booking directly is a little cheaper than the Disney-arranged excursion, but you’ll have to take a cab to and from the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal to get to the embarkation point for the ferry to the island, whereas Disney includes all transportation and leaves from a dock near the cruise ship, so for most people booking this with Disney is the better option. More information: +1-866-918-9932
• Other day passes may be available from ResortForADay . The mix of resorts offering day passes changes from time to time, so it’s worth checking out what’s available on the date you’ll be in Nassau.

Other Nassau Recommendations

• The Fish Fry is a group of colorful restaurants and bars just a few blocks from downtown Nassau. It’s a good place to get authentic local food, including the local shellfish: conch (pronounced “KONK”). You can eat conch in many forms: fritters (which are generally heavy on the batter and light on the conch), “cracked conch” which is lightly battered and fried conch strips, tangy conch salad (kind of like ceviche), or spicy conch chowder (which has both cream and tomatoes, kind of like a cross between New England and Manhattan styles). You can also get fried or grilled grouper, snapper and other local fish. There are usually at least a few non-fish items on the menu for folks who aren’t fans of seafood. You can walk to it fairly easily in about 15-20 minutes, or take a very short cab ride. Just come out of the cruise terminal, turn right, and follow the road along the shore past the British Colonial Hilton, past Junkanoo Beach, and about two more blocks through Clifford Park until you see the row of fish joints. This is not fancy eating and may not be a good choice for picky eaters or young children (though most places have simple food like fries and chicken fingers available), but it is real Bahamian food and not expensive (at least not compared to other Nassau options), and during the day the walk is safe. You can Google “fish fry Nassau” for specific restaurant recommendations, but the competition here is fierce and tends to keep the quality up, so following your nose and checking out what other people seem to be enjoying is a good strategy.
• The Ardastra Gardens & Zoo is quite nice. It’s a small private zoo with some lovely grounds and a famous (and fairly amusing) “marching flamingos” show. Exactly how much the flamingos are “marching” versus “running away from the trainer” is debatable, but it’s all in fun and the narration doesn’t take the show too seriously. You can also feed apple chunks to Australian lorys (a kind of small parrot), who will land right on your hands and shoulders to take apple pieces. They have a wide variety of other interesting animals, including rare black swans. It’s good for a few hours, and our recommendation is not to bother with the Disney excursion that includes an overlong “island tour.” Just take a taxi there, and when you’re done, ask the Ardastra folks to call you a taxi back to the ship. You can also walk to/from Ardastra; it’s very near the Fish Fry. It’s about a 5-minute walk from the Fish Fry or a 20-25 minute walk from the cruise terminal, but definitely get a map at the cruise terminal; it’s tucked in among a bunch of houses and not in an obvious location. If possible, try to time your visit so you’ll be there for a lory feeding and flamingo show; the schedule is listed on the Ardastra Gardens & Zoo website .
• The Versailles Garden and Cloisters is a lovely terraced garden on Paradise Island that contains the ruins of a French monastery. The monastery was moved from France to the US by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, and subsequently to the Bahamas by supermarket heir and developer Huntington Hartford , who thought it would look nice on the resort island he was developing. The gardens are now part of the The Four Seasons Ocean Club Resort , but a good portion is open to the public. The gardens are in a narrow strip of land that goes from the resort to the water, going down to sunken gardens and back up to the cloisters. You can easily enter the gardens from Paradise Island Drive, the main artery going east-west on the island. If you walk south from the road, you’ll pass through the cloister and eventually reach an overlook with a gazebo and beautiful view of the water. If you walk north from the road toward the resort, you’ll get to see a fair amount of the gardens, but will eventually encounter security who will turn you away if you’re not a guest of the resort. If you want to see the whole gardens including the portion near the resort, you can have lunch at the Dune restaurant (which is nice, but very pricey) at The Ocean Club, then walk out through the gardens. Keep your receipt from the restaurant just in case you walk out past a guard and then want to get back in. You can take a cab here from the cruise terminal, or walk to or from here from Atlantis, the Comfort Suites, or the Marina Village; it’s about a 10-15 minute walk from the Marina Village down Paradise Island Drive on a paved pedestrian walkway. There is also a free shuttle van between Atlantis and the Ocean Club. Ask about it at the Atlantis front desk.
• John Watling’s Rum Distillery  is built around a large and lovely renovated historic house. The highlight is a FREE self-guided walk through that tells you about the history of the location and how rum is made. The actual rum production facilities are a little underwhelming, and are basically a big warehouse full of barrels with some stainless steel tanks and equipment in the back. The rum itself is perfectly fine and makes a unique souvenir, as it isn’t easily available outside the Bahamas. There is a lounge at the end of the tour where you can buy small samples of the rum for a few dollars per pour, and a gift shop where you can buy t-shirts, mugs, glasses and, of course, rum. You can bring children on the tour (though obviously they can’t buy rum), but it’s not the most exciting thing for kids. Depending on how long you care to stay, you can spend as little as 15 minutes on the tour or perhaps as long as 45 if you love learning about rum. For us at least, the house itself and the history displays were the most interesting part.

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Bahamian Shore Excursions

Disney Cruise Line hand picks just the right shore excursions (Disney Cruise Line calls them port adventures) to allow the guest to experience a representative selection of what each port has to offer.  Read on to see what Disney typically offers for Bahamian Shore Excursions.

Bahamian Shore Excursions on Castaway Cay

Extreme Getaway Package – This package is a 4-in-1 experience that includes the following: snorkel equipment rental, one-hour bicycle rental, float or tube rental, and Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure.

Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure – Get up close while feeding stingrays from the palm of your hand. Then, put on snorkel equipment and swim out to the lagoon to snorkel near the 60 stingrays there.

Parasailing – See Castaway Cay from the air with 5-7 minutes at 600-1000 feet.

Watercraft Ski Adventure (Available as Single Rider or Double Rider) – After a 15-minute safety orientation, you follow your guide on a WaveRunner while passing the Disney Cruise Line ship and heading out of the lagoon. At two stops (weather permitting), you will learn about the history of the local area before heading back to Boat Beach. Approximately 45 minutes.

Walking and Kayak Nature Adventure – Enjoy the nature of Castaway Cay as you experience the island in the following ways: nearly a 45-minute walk through the rural parts of the island while the guide shares some of the history of the area, an almost hour-long kayak adventure through the tidal zones and native mangroves, and a 30-minute swim on a deserted beach.

Bahamian Shore Excursions in Key West, Florida

Snorkel, Kayak, and Dolphin Watching Adventure – Enjoy a 20 minute boat ride to the Key West National Wildlife Refuge where you will begin your 45 minute kayak adventure. Next, you will spend about 45 minutes snorkeling in shallow waters where you can see tropical marine life. After your snorkeling adventure ends, the boat will take travel to the “Dolphin Playground” where a resident pod of nearly 100 bottlenose dolphins live.

Old Town Trolley or Conch Train Tour – The trolley or train will travel through the streets of Key West. The trolley or train will pass by many different sights, including Earnest Hemingway’s house, Sloppy Joe’s Restaurant, and more.

White Knuckle Thrill Boat – You will get wet! Feel the thrill as the boat makes 360-degree spins, sideways slides, and other tricks for 30 minutes.

Presidents, Pirates, and Pioneers – This is a guided 2-hour walking tour of Key West’s famous and historical sights.

Back to Nature Kayak Tour – This tour begins with a boat ride to the Wildlife Sanctuary followed by a guided 90 minute kayak adventure on “sit-on-top” kayaks. Enjoy a complimentary cocktail on the boat ride back to the dock.

Bahamian Shore Excursions in Nassau, Bahamas

Blue Lagoon Island Sea Lion Encounter – This encounter begins with a 40 minute ride on a double-decker catamaran to the Blue Lagoon Island. Then, you will join your trainer on a submerged platform to interact for 30 minutes with your sea lion. After exploring the rest of Blue Lagoon Island, enjoy the boat ride back to the ship.

Discover Atlantis – The trip to the Atlantis Resort is a 25 minute narrated drive through historic Nassau. Atlantis has the world’s largest open-air marine environment with 14 exhibits and 13 lagoons filled with more than 50,000 marine animals that represents 250 species. After the 45 minute guided tour through the “ruins” of Atlantis at The Dig (detailed model of an archeological site), explore the underground passageways with large windows to view exotic marine life. After the guided tour, you can try some of the other activities at Atlantis, like gambling or shopping.

Nassau Harbor Cruise – Enjoy a fully-narrated tour of historical Nassau harbor aboard a power catamaran as you view a variety of sights: your Disney Cruise Line ship from sea, mega-yachts in the Atlantis marina, the Atlantis Resort, Fort Montagu, and others.

Graycliff Hotel Wine Luncheon – The Graycliff Hotel was built by a pirate in the 18th century. You will be met with a glass of champagne, and a Graycliffs Master Sommelier will take you on a tour of the hotel, restaurant, and wine center. The luncheon consists of a four-course gourmet meal paired with just the right wines.

*Port adventures are operated by third party contractors who are not agents of the Disney company nor are they controlled or overseen by the Disney company. All times given are approximate times.

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Disney cruise one-day excursion tips - Aquaventure

• Caribbean    
• Bahamas    
• New Providence Island    
• Nassau    
• Nassau - Things to Do    
• Aquaventure

Great fun in the water park and pools. Even though i lost my glasses it was an excellent time... read more

The most fabulous resort that I have ever been to. Walking to the Aquaventure park was some... read more

Disney cruise one-day excursion tips

A few quick tips for those of you considering Atlantis as an excursion on your Disney cruise: 1. I am so grateful we got to see Atlantis for ONE DAY. I can't imagine spending more time here than that. There are around 9 waterslides. That's about it. My kids were done after a day. Glad they got to experience it and we didn't book an entire spring break here. Atlantis looks just like it does in the commercials, but this place has a casino and allows smoking -- and the whole place had that kind of vibe. A little cheesy for me. 2. BRING WATER SHOES. The pavement was SCALDING HOT and you do a ton of walking and standing in line. I can't stress this enough. I know it's not a good look, but you will thank yourself. 3. Let's talk about swimming with dolphins as part of the excursion. I thought I had signed up for an early morning time slot. Nope, no such thing. By the time we all had our orientation, got off the ship, took the transfer to Atlantis, hoofed it to Dolphin Cay, it was around 11. We had to come back in an hour for our time slot. It took up about half the day. You're grouped with other families for the experience. It was cute, everyone loved the half-hour experience. NO CAMERAS in the water and they intentionally make it impossible for the "observers" to get pics. Why? Because if you want a single photo you're forced to pay $90 for the minimum package of six downloads. Yep, not a single print. If I had it to do all over again, I would have skipped the dolphin portion. Once your kids see Atlantis, swimming with dolphins won't seem like that big a deal. Save that for another time and place and just enjoy the day. One more thing I learned on the ship: Experienced cruisers just book a night at Atlantis to gain access to the park for the day. They never use the room, but get the Atlantis experience for a fraction of the Disney excursion price.

As you walk in to Cove Atlantis registration, you can tell it is a high end resort. Just sitting at the lobby, you can see colorful fishes and a sting ray even. Like any other high end resort, it is expensive to stay. They charge additional $6-12/ person per night for the room and 7.5% VAT, even for any purchase including food. If you eat at any restaurant, there's a mandatory 15% charge which I didn't mind. The place is just like paradise, white sand beach, palm trees and not crowded. There's lots of activities everyone can enjoy. I would have rated it as 5 but since I lost a pair of earrings in the room, Im giving them a 4. It is better to bring your own drinks and snacks.

Our family of eight including grandparents chose Atlantis for this years destination. We had a great time with all the water activities provided for the children. Although aware of the nightly activities available to adults we were too tired by the time we put our grandchildren to bed to take part in any if them. Our suite was spacious and clean, the level of service provided by all employees of Atlantis we had contact with was excellent and everyone was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you Atlantis for a nice experience.

We booked the water park for one day and it was amazing! The staff was friendly our girls had a blast! I would definitely return and stay at Atlantis!

Hi Haydelis V, Thanks for visiting paradise! We are thrilled that you had such a great experience with us at Aquaventure and it sounds like our staff took excellent care of you. We do appreciate you letting us know that you're already looking forward to a return visit so we can't wait to see you again soon. - Atlantis Management Team

Pleasantly surprised how much fun this was for all ages. Went two days, ages 7-45. Well maintained and managed.

Hi Barbara S, Thanks for sharing the fun! We are delighted that you had a blast during your time at Aquaventure and it sounds like everyone in your group had no shortage of fun. The fun of Atlantis takes off in Aquaventure, the remarkable 141-acre playground of water thrills and swimming pools intertwined throughout Atlantis. In addition to 11 swimming pools and three unique beaches, Atlantis is home to a seven-acre snorkeling lagoon, nearly 20 water slides, and two river rides. See you again soon. - Atlantis Management Team

Lots of pools and slides. Great for a day trip, but not worth the price per person if you aren't staying at Atlantis. Food here is scarce and takes a LONG time to get, even if it's just burgers and hotdogs.

Disney Bahamas Cruises to Nassau

By: Author Kristi

If you are taking one of the Disney Bahamas cruises to Nassau, you may be wondering what you will get to do. Disney Cruise has plenty of cruise excursions that you can book, but don’t feel like you have to spend a ton of money to enjoy your time in the Bahamas.

What is there to do on a Disney Bahamas Cruises to Nassau?

While you can certainly book an excursion through the cruise line, there are also several things you can do on your own while in Nassau.

Here are a few things you should consider experiencing while in Nassau:

Atlantis Bahamas Resort

One of the most popular things to do in Nassau is going out to Atlantis Resort for the day.

You can get an Atlantis day pass to experience all that they park has to offer.

There are a few different options from touring the world’s largest open-air marine habitat to spending the day at Aquaventure, their 141-acre water park.

Atlantis Day Passes

• Aquaventure Day Pass allows you to visit the 141-acre Aquaventure Water Park.
• Atlantis Beach Day Pass allows you to use the beaches of Atlantis and includes the use of lounge chairs and towels. You can visit some other areas of the resort, but it DOES NOT include Aquaventure Water Park.

Atlantis Day Trip Cruise Excursions

• Discover Atlantis: Take a 45 minute guided tour of the resort & visit the aquarium.
• Swim in Wonder: Swim with Bottlenose dolphins.
• Serenity Snorkel with Dolphins : Swim with Bottlenose dolphins and snorkel!
• Snorkel the Ruins at Atlantis: 30 minute snorkel tour of the Ruins Lagoon.
• Playtime with Sea Lions: Get some hands on learning about sea lions.
• Stingray Experience : Spend some time up close with Cownose stingrays.

Nassau Beaches

If you just want to walk to the beach, then the closet beach is Junkanoo Beach.

This is a small beach but has plenty of foods, drinks and public bathrooms.

Locals will offer to rent you beach chairs or you can just find an open spot on the beach to claim as your own.

If you want a larger beach, then you should grab a taxi driver and split the fare with others to Cabbage Beach.

This beach is larger than Junkanoo, offers some food options and plenty of drinks.

If you are looking for a family friendly beach in Nassau, than get a day pass to go to the private resort beaches at Cable Beach.

Most of the resorts have rates to use their beach and some even have a package deal that includes lunch.

Nassau Beaches that have day passes:

• Hilton – British Colonial Hilton
• Breezes Resort and Spa
• Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas

Snorkeling in Nassau

There are several great spots to snorkel in Nassau and your best bet would be to book an excursion that includes snorkeling.

We’ve taken a few that stop at Pearl Island after snorkeling in a nearby reef that we’ve enjoyed.

Nassau has some beautiful coral reefs where you can see colorful fish and even sea turtles.

Nassau Pirate Museum

You will notice that much of Nassau contains a pirate theme. There is a reason for this, Nassau taken over by English privateers in the 1700’s, and eventually these privateers turned into lawless pirates.

You can learn all about Nassau’s pirate history in their Pirates of Nassau museum.

Tickets are available for discount online or onsite.

Shopping in Nassau

Nassau is known for its shopping. You will find cheap trinkets, hand made goods and high end shopping all just blocks away from the cruise port in Nassau.

One of the more popular shops for those who are fans of Disney is Del Sol. Del Sol sells items that change color (or add color) when out in the sun. They usually have quite a few Disney themed items in the Nassau store.

If you like to barter, you will find that nearly all the t-shirt shops and stalls in the straw market will work with you.

Don’t take the first price they offer you and always ask for their best price. You will walk away saving if you do.

Nearly all of the Disney fleet of ships go to the Bahamas. Depending on how many nights you want to cruise (3, 4, 5, & 6 nights) and where you want to port out of will determine what ship you will be able to take to the Nasau, Bahamas.

• Traveling out of Port Miami: Disney Magic , Disney Dream
• Traveling out of Port Canaveral : Disney Dream , Disney Fantasy , Disney Wish

Do you have any favorite things to do on a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas?

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Best shore excursions for Bahamas cruises

From lazy lounging on the beach to action-packed water adventures, cruise ship shore excursions in the Bahamas are packed with fun in the sun and sea.

Whether you're looking to get wet, get chill or get stuff, you'll find a way to do it on a shore excursion here. You can swim with pigs and dive with sharks. You can cruise the islands on ATVs or skim across the water on a wide array of vessels. Tours often include time to shop the straw markets, and many also include traditional Bahamian lunches, snacks and/or beverages.

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The list of Bahamas tours and activities includes options to suit almost everyone. We sorted through the choices to find you the best Bahamas shore excursions. Ready? Let's dive in.

Prices for the same tours can vary across cruise lines and third-party sellers, so tours are listed below by price ranges, using the following shorthand (per adult):

$= $0-50. $$= $51-99. $$$= $100-199. $$$$=$200-499.

Best Nassau, Bahamas shore excursions

Island food and culinary tour

3-3.5 hours, easy, $$.

Bahamas food and beverage excursions are an ideal way to immerse yourself in the culture of the islands. You'll feast on island specialties and favorites such as conch fritters or salad, rock lobster, traditional cornbread-like Johnny cakes and tropical punches laced with rum. Most cruise lines offer food tours that stop at multiple local eateries. There may be walking involved, so be sure to read your cruise line's description.

Blue Lagoon beach break

Varies, easy to moderate, $$-$$$.

Some of the best excursions in Nassau are to Blue Lagoon Island, a privately owned island with a beach, food, water sports and other activities. You can choose the standard beach break option with lunch, beach games and use of water noodles and tubes. Or you can upgrade to a tour that includes snorkeling or swimming with stingrays, dolphins, sharks and even sea lions. Additional activities can be purchased upon arrival on the island.

Scuba diving with sharks

4.5 hours, moderate, $$$-$$$$.

If you are a certified scuba diver and have ever considered diving with sharks, this is your excursion. The shark dives involve one reef dive, followed by a second dive with everyone kneeling in the sand on the bottom as the shark feeder doles out his goodies. You've heard the term "sharknado?" It's a real thing and being in one is an adrenaline rush you'll never forget.

I should warn the shark-timid among you that because Caribbean reef sharks are plentiful in the waters surrounding Nassau and because dive shops have been doing baited shark dives here for years, you may encounter sharks on any dive in Nassau, though at a bit more distance than during the shark feeds. In fact, I've never not seen a shark while diving here.

Paradise Island and Aquaventure Oasis Waterpark

All day, moderate, $$$$.

Excursions that include access to Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas seem to no longer mention the name of the mega-resort that made Paradise Island famous. If you've always wanted to go, excursions labeled Aquaventure are your ticket.

The day pass includes access to miles of beaches, the on-site casino, and the Aquaventure water park featuring 141 acres of slides, swimming areas, river rides, and wave areas. The pass also allows you to dine in the resort's eateries, explore a myriad of shops or even add an aquatic animal experience like a dolphin swim.

You can purchase Atlantis day passes independently, but the advantage of booking your visit as an excursion is that transportation will be included.

Related: A day in Nassau, Bahamas: What to do while your cruise is in port

Best shore excursions in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Freeport island tour, beach and shopping

4 hours, easy, $.

Shore excursions that bundle a tour with a beach break and shopping are always a good choice in the Bahamas. You get to see a bit of the island, learn its history, shop for souvenirs and get in some coveted beach time, all with easy transportation. This kind of tour is especially useful if you've never been to Grand Bahama Island. For a small amount of money, you get to scope the place out for your adventures on your next Bahamas cruise.

Pirate's Cove beach, zipline and waterpark

4 hours, moderate, $$$.

If zip lining is your thing, this is a good place to get your fix. The beachside zip line has options for starting at 50 feet up or 30 feet, making it ideal for newbies wanting to try the experience. Since this excursion also includes time at the beach and floating water park, consider it a deal.

Glass bottom boat shark experience

3 hours, easy, $$$.

Want to see Caribbean reef sharks without putting your toes in the water? This excursion takes you on a glass-bottom boat ride to waters where Caribbean reef sharks have been fed. The boat has ample deck space for sunning when you aren't watching the action below the boat. It's a fun way to spend a day out on the water with an opportunity to see these predators and other colorful tropical fish without fear. Typical Bahamian refreshments round out the fun.

Blue hole snorkeling

5 hours, moderate, $$$.

My rule of thumb is to snorkel at every opportunity while in the Bahamas. It's a fun and easy way to take a peek beneath the waves at the colorful sea life found in these waters. When you book a snorkeling excursion in the Bahamas, gear is provided, including snorkeling vests to keep you afloat.

For the best Bahamas snorkeling, choose a blue hole snorkeling excursion. Blue holes are found throughout the Bahamas and are essentially open-topped caverns, so it's like swimming in a fishbowl. Some are landlocked, where they may be filled with either fresh or salt water, and inhabited by a wide range of aquatic life, including crabs, lobsters, octopus and fish. Others are offshore, below the surface of the ocean, creating a mini reef environment to explore.

This excursion involves a lengthy ride, but it's definitely worth it.

Swim with the pigs

1.5 hours, easy, $$$.

Swimming pigs are kind of a big deal in the Bahamas. Animal lovers can enjoy time in shallow water watching (and even feeding) these silly pigs. Most of the cruise line private islands also offer pig swims, but the one in Freeport does not involve a boat ride, which may make it more appealing to some. You'll also get time to hang out on Crystal Beach and buy lunch.

Related: Bahamas cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do

Best Bahamas shore excursions from cruise line private islands

Snorkeling from shore or by boat

Varies, moderate, $-$$.

Cruise ship private islands make snorkeling easy. Most of the islands will offer snorkeling gear for rent, and you can snorkel right from the beach. (If you, like me, never miss an opportunity to put your face in the water, consider buying your own snorkel gear for future sailings.) Optional boat excursions to primo snorkeling spots are also possible from some islands.

1-1.5 hours, moderate, $-$$.

Kayaking from the cruise line private islands gives you a new perspective of these fun playgrounds. Tours are led by experienced guides who can point out sea life in shallow water while leading you along the shore of the tropical paradise. Beginners are welcome and life jackets are provided.

Stingray City Bahamas

1.5 hours, easy, $$.

While the Stingray City experience has been popular in Grand Cayman for years, it's relatively new to the Bahamas. Stingray City Bahamas is located among the Berry Islands, home to Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay and Norwegian's Great Stirrup Cay. You'll be taken on a short speedboat ride to a shallow sandy spot in a location where stingrays congregate. Your guide will provide fish to feed the rays, which swoop in and suck the fish from your hand. It's a fun outing if you haven't done it before and it doesn't take away too much of your beach time on the island.

Horseback riding by land and sea

1.25 hours, moderate, $$$.

Carnival offers a horseback riding tour from Half Moon Cay that includes a brief venture into the sea with your horse. The minimum age is 10. As the mother of a horse-loving daughter, I can tell you that riding in the ocean was one of her favorite cruise memories ever. No riding experience is required, but you must be able to follow directions and pay attention to your guide for your own safety as well as that of the horses and other riders. One other thing to know: There will be poo, both on land and in the water.

Related: Visiting a cruise line's private island? Don't make these 11 mistakes

Bottom line

Bahamas shore excursions typically focus on activity in the water, but if shopping, food tours or sightseeing are more your thing, you'll find those options as well. The Bahamas is made up of a culturally rich collection of islands that have a reputation for welcoming visitors with arms wide open. From simple beach break excursions to full-day tours, you can easily find something that floats your boat in the Bahamas.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

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Disney Cruise Nassau & Excursions

It is best to book excursions early on the Disney Cruise website. If you wait to book excursions until you arrive on the ship, you’ll be disappointed to find that most everything is already sold out. Online booking windows are different depending on how many Disney cruises you have taken. When your window arrives, stay up until midnight and book what you want online immediately. Here are the different Castaway Club member levels and when you can begin booking excursions, spa appointments, and adult restaurants:

If this is your first Disney cruise: booking opens 75 days before your cruise

Silver Castaway member: after 1 cruise – begin booking 90 days before your cruise

Gold Castaway member: after 5 cruises – begin booking 105 days before your cruise

Platinum Castaway member: after 10 cruises – being booking 120 days before your cruise

Click to skip down to these excursions: Atlantis — Graycliff Chocolate Factory — Caribbean Queen Snorkel Tour

Once you arrive on the ship, Disney handles the rest. You will receive tickets the night before your excursion telling you what time and where to meet on the ship. Then you and you excursion group depart the ship together and a Disney staff member will lead you to your excursion transportation.

Even though booking excursions through Disney, or any cruise line for that matter, is more expensive than booking directly through the excursion provider, it is better because the ship will not leave without you if you are late getting back to the ship after your excursion.

Nassau is not the safest island which we discovered the first time we visited and saw local men walking with machetes and homes with barbed wire fences around them. I recommend sticking to the downtown shopping/tourist area or the excursions provided instead of walking around the island aimlessly.

Atlantis is a great place to visit and there are a few different excursions to choose from. A cheaper excursion is called Atlantis Beach Day and includes the bus transfer, tour of Atlantis, use of the lagoon, the aquarium, the private Atlantis Beach and lunch with a beverage. A much more expensive Atlantis excursion includes use of the aforementioned areas and lunch plus access to the water park. The water park is usually very crowded with children and since we are a child-free couple, we always opt for the cheaper excursion to avoid the masses of kids.

A small bus will take you to Atlantis, which is about 20 minutes away, and whenever you feel like returning to the port, the bus will also take you back. It runs every 30 minutes.

When you get off the bus, you’ll be met by an Atlantis guide who will show you around the premises and then you are free to enjoy yourself. Our guide told us this sculpture is worth one million dollars. Around this sculpture are a few shops and past that is a casino that is beautiful but usually pretty dead during the day.

You’ll then be shown the man-made lagoon that you are welcome to swim in. At the top right of the picture you can see a tiny man-made beach and this is where you enter the lagoon for a swim. There are some beach chairs and umbrellas for your use.

The private Atlantis beach is gorgeous with crystal clear water. Only Atlantis hotel guests and cruise ship passengers who have paid for Atlantis excursions may use this beach so it is never crowded.

Atlantis has an impressive aquarium that is the largest in the Caribbean. Below is Stingray Lagoon. Most of the rest of the aquarium is underground.

We opted to have lunch at the outdoor food vendor that had some tables near the swimmable lagoon. I ordered fish and chips and my husband had a hamburger and fries. We both thought our food was a good sized portion and very tasty.

Atlantis is definitely a unique resort with a lot to offer. We enjoyed our visit and highly recommend it.

GRAYCLIFF CHOCOLATE FACTORY

We loved our excursion to Graycliff! The transfer bus ride is short at about 10 minutes and when you arrive you are met by a very friendly girl who will be with you for the remainder of the excursion. It is important to pay attention to everything she says because at the end of the day she will ask some questions and whoever knows the answers wins free chocolate! After meeting her, the first thing everyone must do is don these funny blue caps and yellow dresses.

You’re then taken on a tour of the chocolate factory and it is explained how they make all their chocolates (pay attention). Then you move into a classroom for some hands-on fun. In front of you are various ingredients including a strawberry, a large marshmallow square, assorted nuts, coconut shavings, small chocolate chips, and of course, a cup full of chocolate so you can make some chocolate creations. The instructor will lead you through making different chocolates using the ingredients in front of you and it is truly so much fun making a mess like a little kid!

After making all the smaller chocolates, you end by creating a chocolate bar! You must shine your mold by wiping/polishing it by hand before pouring chocolate into it and the more you polish it, the shinier your bar will come out. There is sort of a contest to see whose bar is shiniest.

At the end of the excursion, you are given a very nice wooden box to put all your treasures in to take back with you onto the ship.

The Graycliff Chocolate Factory Tour is cheap compared to most of the other Nassau excursions and is so much fun that we highly recommend it to everyone!

CARIBBEAN QUEEN SNORKEL TOUR

There is an option to take a snorkel tour by catamaran that goes to the same place as the Caribbean Queen, but it is $10 more per person. The Caribbean Queen isn’t as pretty as the catamaran, but we’re glad we chose it because it was a wonderfully fun excursion, and for beginners like us, we felt completely comfortable the entire time. Also, they accept a smaller amount of people for the excursion which means the water isn’t packed with people. About 10 minutes before our boat left to return back to the port, the catamaran arrived and we couldn’t believe how full of people it was. After seeing that, we were so glad about choosing the Caribbean Queen!

The Caribbean Queen is docked near the cruise ships and it was only a five minute walk to get to it.

You can sit where you like and a 25-45 minute boat ride to the reef begins. There were only 35 people onboard.

The boat has 3 levels. The top is where the captain always is. For the initial sail, no one is allowed up here, but once the boat has stopped at the reef, you are free to come up here.

The middle deck is where all the seating is and where you enter and exit the water from. The lower deck has bathrooms. During this ride out to the reef, island music is playing and a clipboard gets passed around and everyone has to fill in their name.

After everyone has signed the clipboard, all the snorkel equipment is handed out. They provide everything: the mask, fins, and an inflatible life vest. There were a lot of beginners on the boat so the instructor explained how to snorkel and told us that if anyone was nervous,  you could take one of the floats and place it under your tummy so that all you had to do was float in the water and place your mask in the water a little bit.

The picture below shows how far from land the reef if. When you are in the water, you are reminded to stay over the reef.  The reef is behind the boat which is where you must stay. Swimming to the front of the boat is not allowed. You also can’t swim too far out to the side. The water is about 10 feet deep.

The stairs go down into the water which makes it easy for beginners who don’t want to jump in.

You get about an hour in the water and the entire time there is an instructor in the water with you and the other instructor stays by the stairs to keep an eye on everyone. As you can see, there weren’t too many of us so we felt we had plenty of room to swim around. The water was completely clear and we could see down to the reef below that had all sorts of fish. There were small ones and big ones and although they occasionally came near people, we were never actually touched by any fish. Some people were experienced enough to dive down but you are not allowed to touch the reef.

The picture below is of the catamaran excursion. It arrived about 10 minutes before our boat left the reef. We could not believe how many people were squeezed onboard and in the second picture, all the people in the water with red floats are from the catamaran. We were so glad we chose the Caribbean Queen instead.

During the return ride to the port, water and bags of chips are offered for a dollar or two each. The instructors point out what you are seeing in the harbor including homes owned by Beyonce and Jay Z, Chuck Norris, Michael Jordan, Johnny Depp, Tiger Woods, and Oprah Winfrey.

You also pass by Atlantis.

I was terrified to go snorkeling for the first time since I don’t like being in the open water, but we really loved this excursion and thought it was well worth the money.

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How I Choose Shore Excursions

Shore Excursions: Ship-Sponsored or Independent?

Nassau, Bahamas: Blue Lagoon Beach Day (N44)

Nassau, Bahamas: Atlantis Aquaventure (N25) and Private Cabana at Atlantis (N65)

The Scoop on Nassau

Restless Native Catamaran Sail, Snorkel, Swim (BR31)

St. Thomas – Magen’s Bay Beach Break (ST-27)

Tortola/St. Thomas – Island Roots Charters

St. Thomas, USVI – Second Wind Charters

Tortola, BVI: Tour to Virgin Gorda (TT-23)

Grand Cayman: Our Day with Cayman Luxury Charters, Take 1

Grand Cayman: Our Day with Cayman Luxury Charters, Take 2

St. Maarten: Our Day with Top Secret Private Charters

St. Thomas, USVI: Our Day with Second Wind Charters

Cozumel, Mexico: Deluxe Private Yachts

Land’s End Coastal Cruise & Beach Break (CL-59)

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Las Caletas Hideaway (PV15) Part 1

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Las Caletas Hideaway (PV15) Part 2

Cabo San Lucas:  Cabo Dolphin Swim (CL23)

Cozumel, Mexico: Dolphin Discovery (CZ04)  (February 2013)

Cozumel, Mexico: Dolphin Discovery (CZ04)  (December 2017)

Cozumel, Mexico: Nachi Cocom

Kristiansand, Norway:  Lillesand by Land & Sea (KR01)

Stavanger, Norway:  Outdoor Norway – Half Day Lysefjord View Hike

Alesund, Norway:  Alesund Highlights (AL01)

Invergordon, Scotland:  Private tour with Ness Tours

London, England:  International Friends – Warner Brothers Studios Making of Harry Potter

Villefranche: Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Eze Excursion (V04)

Villefranche: White River Rafting (V30)

Livorno/Florence/Pisa: Florence and Pisa (LV06)

Olbia, Sardinia: La Cinta Beach (O10)

Civitavecchia (Rome): Best of Rome (CV25)

Naples/Amalfi Coast/Pompeii: Amalfi Coast Drive & Ruins of Pompeii (NP04)

Sicily: Palermo and Ballaro Market (PL07)

Palma de Mallorca: Palma City Tour (PM02) and Horseback Riding at Rancho Grande (PM33)

Skagway, Alaska:  DIY Jeep Tour

Juneau, Alaska:  Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier

Ketchikan, Alaska:  Alaska Hummer Adventures

Pacific Coast

San Fransisco: Alcatraz

San Francisco: Small Car, Big Town Tours

New England

Bar Harbor, Maine – At Your Service Tours

Victoria, BC: Butchart Gardens & Afternoon Tea

Vancouver:  Northwest Exploration & Capilano Suspension Bridge (VC01)

St. John, New Brunswick – Go Fundy Tours

Reykjavik, Iceland:  Tours by Locals – South Coast/Golden Circle Tours

Reykjavik, Iceland:  Tours by Locals – Inside the Volcano/Blue Lagoon Tours

South America

Our day in Cartagena, Colombia

Castaway Cay

Castaway Cay Cabanas #5 and #6

Castaway Cay Cabana #8 (August 2017)

Castaway Cay Cabana #8 (March 2022)

Castaway Cay Cabana #14

Castaway Cay Cabana #20

Castaway Cay Cabana #20 – Take 2

Snorkeling at Castaway Cay

Castaway Cay 5K

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Disney Dream

Disney cruise lines.

We warmly welcome all Disney Dream Cruise Ship Passengers to the Port of Nassau Bahamas. We hope you enjoy your visit to Nassau & Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Nassau offers an abundance of excursions and activities to delight cruisers of all ages. From snorkeling, beach breaks, ATV’s, All Inclusive Resorts, scuba diving, shopping, water sports, parasailing, Island tours and sailing, Nassau has it all!!

Bahamas Cruise Excursions offers a variety of options for you to choose from. Our rates are direct rates from the operators which allow you to save money while providing you with a greater selection of shore excursions for the Disney Dream to choose from.

Bahamas Cruise Excursions recommends excursions for your visit to Nassau based on the arrival times, departure time of your cruise ship as well as the length of your visit out our Island. We also take into account the number of cruise ships arriving on the same day your ship comes to port. We then can provide you with options on how to avoid the busy excursions when this is appropriate.

Please have a look at our Recommended Excursions and Itineraries for the Disney Dream. If you don’t find what you are looking for, click on Excursions in the top navigational buttons for a full listing of excursions or click on LIVE HELP to chat with a Bahamas Excursion Expert.

Recommended Shore Excursions:

We are diligently working to bring you the best tours available in Bahamas.

Bahamas is uniquely situated in in an ideal location that provides access to incredible sea and land adventures.

We specialize in unique and boutique tours in addition to our “best for less” excursions, offering excellent value for some of the most popular tours. Excursions International Ltd offers tours and excursions for almost every budget and individual need.

Bahamas Cruise Excursions are tour and excursion experts representing the best independent operators in the Bahamas. We provide firsthand information on each and every excursion we offer and recommend the excursions that work best for you. That’s the Excursions International Ltd. difference !

Recommended Excursions

Nassau Private Charters – Exuma, Spanish Wells Swimming Pigs, Rose Island – From $1,100us

• Private Charter for up to 12 passengers on a 38ft Private Boat with Triple 300HP Engines
• Rose Island, Spanish Wells Pigs, Exuma Pigs, Allens Cay Iguanas and more Options
• Pick up within walking distance of Cruise ship pier

Nassau Breezes All Inclusive Resort Day Pass – $100us

• Unlimited Drinks ( alcoholic and non).
• All You Can Eat Buffet and Snack Cafe.
• Seaside and Poolside Seating + Towels.

Nassau Island Tours – $40us

• Nassau 2.5hr Historical Island Tour
• Nassau Rum Cake Factory Tour and John Watling's Distillery
• Queen Staircase, Fort Fincastle, shopping and more!

Nassau Sailing and Snorkeling Tours – From $90us

• Private Sailing and Snorkeling Tours
• Full Day and Half Day Tours
• Private and non-private tours available

RIU Palace Adults Only All Inclusive Day Pass – $150us

• Free Open Bar With Tropical Drinks
• Delicious Lunch Buffet and snacks from the Sports bar
• Luxury Resort with Seaside pool with swim up bar and Beach Chairs

Nassau Private Custom Island Tours – From $180us

• Private Air Conditioned Vans all to yourself with Professional Guide.
• 4 hours or 2.5 hours Tour Options.
• Visit Historical Landmarks, Beaches, Local Attractions, Bars, Restaurants and More.

Nassau Ultimate Snorkeling Adventure – $99us

• 2 Snorkeling Stops : Explore a Wreck and a Stunning Coral Reef
• Full snorkeling gear and professional instruction are provided
• Round trip transfers from your Resort and your cruise ship port

Nassau Private Boat Charters – Swim with the Nassau Pigs, Rose Island, and Fishing! – From $750us

• Choice of Nassau Beach Pigs, Private Snorkeling, Secluded Beaches at Rose Island, Turtle Swim, Sight Seeing and fishing
• Snorkeling Gear, snorkeling vests
• Ice, bottled water, sodas and chips included

Nassau Discover Scuba Diving – $181us

• Instruction and Assistance with all aspects of SCUBA gear and safety
• All SCUBA required equipment
• 1 tank dive on a shallow reef

Nassau Shark Scuba Diving Adventure – $202us

• Two Tank Dive with Shark Encounters at both Locations
• Professional experienced Shark Feeders
• Tanks + weights included. Additional equipment is available at an additional cost

Freeport Peterson Cay Kayak Snorkeling Tours – $69us

• Kayak and Snorkel in Pristine Peterson Cay National Park
• Kayaks and Full snorkel gear/ snorkeling vest
• Round trip transfers from the Cruise Ship Terminal or Resort/Hotel

Freeport Grand Bahamas Beach Horseback Riding – $165us

• 2 hour Trail and Beach Horseback Riding
• Ride into the Sea with your Horse on this Magical Tour
• No previous horseback riding experience required

Freeport Private Boat Charter – From $950us

• 4 Hour / 6 Hour Private Custom Boat Charters
• Options Include snorkeling at Treasure Reef, Peterson Cay and Fishing
• Snorkel gear, soda and water included

Other Destinations

Bahamas Excursions

Barbados Excursions

Belize Excursions

Cabo San Lucas Excursions

Costa Maya Excursions

Cozumel Excursions

Grand Cayman Excusions

Jamaica Excursions

Puerto Rico Excursions

Roatan Excursions

St. Maarten Excursions

St. Thomas Excursions

We guarantee a full refund of your excursion deposit if your ship can not make it into the port of Nassau and/or Freeport, Bahamas.

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Nassau, Bahamas Shore Excursions

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4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral

What's included in the price of a disney cruise.

Broadway-Quality Shows

Pools, Waterslides & Recreation

Spacious Staterooms

Upscale, Casual & 24-Hour In-Room Dining

Adult-Exclusive Activities

Clubs for Kids, Tweens & Teens

Cruise Itinerary

• Be a part of the magic at Walt Disney World Resort
• Take an out-of-this-world tour of Kennedy Space Center
• Window-shop and take in the scenic surf-side sights at Cocoa Beach
• Swim with dolphins at Atlantis, Paradise Island
• View coral reefs and exotic fish from a semi-submarine
• Ascend the Queen’s Staircase to Fort Fincastle
• Explore the Bahamian Arts and Culture Pavilion
• Splash it up at Family Beach and nearby play areas
• Settle into blissful serenity at the adult-exclusive beach
• Watch a Broadway-quality musical and splash it up in a freshwater pool
• Savor upscale restaurants, buffets, poolside snacks and room-service
• Find one-of-a-kind fun in unique clubs designed for kids, teens, tweens and adults