03
Nassau excursions, from the free walk to the paid island
Strongest first: the first two stay in walking range, and everything after that costs you a bridge, a boat or both.
If Nassau is one of several stops, our Bahamas cruises guide — or the Caribbean cruises guide on a longer itinerary — helps you decide which port gets your paid day.
This is the day every paid excursion in Nassau has to beat. You walk off the ship onto Bay Street and into the Straw Market, with the Bahamas Museum of Junkanoo at the port itself.
Junkanoo Beach, the nearest public beach, is about half a mile along Bay Street — roughly 10 minutes on foot per the tourism board, or 15 per Royal Caribbean's guide. It has beach bars and chair rentals — a town beach, not a resort one.
- Time commitment
- Flexible. No one publishes a duration for a self-guided walk, so plan around your stops and your all-aboard time.
- Getting there
- On foot. Fort Fincastle is about a 15-minute walk from the pier and the Water Tower about 13, per the port and the tourism board.
- Suits
- First-time visitors, budget travelers, short port calls.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. Nothing here needs a transfer.
Why it's worth considering
You keep your money for a day you actually want, and the ship stays a short walk away. On a short call, that's the whole argument.
The catch: the hill may still be shut
Fort Fincastle, the Queen's Staircase and the Water Tower closed for renovation work that began in March 2025. The Tribune reported in December 2025 that work was due to wrap in January 2026, followed by several weeks of inspections.
We couldn't confirm a reopening: the tourism board's forts page still says temporarily closed, and the port says the Water Tower's interior is closed to the public.
Crowds are the other cost — the port can handle over 33,000 passengers a day, and Royal Caribbean's beach guide calls Junkanoo Beach crowded on multi-ship days.
Verify before you book
- Whether Fort Fincastle, the Queen's Staircase and the Water Tower have reopened — ask at the port's guest information center.
- The Staircase is steps only (official pages count 64 to 66), so plan around it if steps are a problem.
- Stay in the main tourist core — the State Department flags the "Over the Hill" area south of Shirley Street.
A guided food and history walk through downtown with five tasting stops, covering about 1.3 miles at a moderate pace. It starts at Bahamian Cookin' Restaurant & Bar on Parliament Street, about four minutes' walk from the dock, and ends on Bay Street about five minutes from the ship.
That's walking range, not a transfer day.
- Time commitment
- About 3 hours, per the operator.
- Getting there
- Walk — the meeting point is roughly 0.15 miles from the cruise dock.
- Suits
- First-timers, couples, food-focused travelers, anyone who wants a guide without a bus.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. It's set up for cruisers booking direct and in advance.
Why it's worth considering
It fixes the one weakness of the free walk: knowing what to eat and what you're looking at. There's no vehicle, no dock and no bridge between you and the ship.
The catch
The operator says the route has hills and stairs and is not wheelchair accessible. Tickets are non-refundable, though you can reschedule or take a transferable e-certificate.
Verify before you book
- Current price and running days — the operator's October 2025 blog listed Monday to Saturday.
- Start time against your arrival and all-aboard times.
- Rain plans — it runs rain or shine.
A private island about 2 miles northeast of Paradise Island, run by Dolphin Encounters. The base product is a beach day — calm lagoon, inflatable water park, buffet lunch — with dolphin, sea lion, stingray and shark programs sold on top.
The operator says its beach day, dolphin encounter and sea lion encounter all include the round-trip boat and lunch, and it runs 365 days a year, rain or shine.
- Time commitment
- NCL's versions run about 5 hours. The operator says most guests spend 4 to 6 hours, including ferry time.
- Getting there
- Boats leave the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal, between the two bridges — about 25 minutes each way, per the operator. Other sources disagree, and ship-sold versions may leave from a different dock.
- Suits
- Families wanting calm water (the beach day has no age limit), animal-program seekers, beach-focused travelers.
- Ship or independent
- Your cruise line decides. Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Carnival guests must book through the ship.
Why it's worth considering
It bundles the boat, the lunch and the calm water into one ticket. For families with small kids, that's a real step up from a town beach, not a luxury.
The catch: the booking rule, and the animals
Dolphin Encounters says Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Carnival guests must book through their ship's shore excursions desk. Guests of other lines can book direct — then add a taxi to the ferry terminal.
Program times are assigned the morning of your visit. There's no refund for cancellations inside 24 hours.
The operator says it's American Humane Certified with ocean-fed habitats. Humane World for Animals argues swim-with-dolphin attractions are neither safe nor ethical, citing confinement, stress and injury risk.
Verify before you book
- Whether your cruise line lets you book direct.
- Boat time from your actual departure dock — official and cruise-line sources give different figures.
- Age rules, per the operator: dolphin swim 6+, sea lion encounter 8+ and at least 48 inches, stingray and shark programs 10+.
- Among the animal programs, pregnant guests can do only the Dolphin Encounter, and cameras aren't allowed in the water.
A day pass to Atlantis on Paradise Island covers the 141-acre Aquaventure water park, the marine habitats, resort beaches and most pools, plus the casino and Marina Village.
Food and lockers cost extra, and it's a resort day, not a Bahamian one — for kids who want slides, that's the point.
- Time commitment
- Carnival and NCL both list about 5 hours. Atlantis hours vary by season, closing anywhere from 5pm to 7pm.
- Getting there
- Taxi across the bridge, about 10 to 20 minutes per Atlantis and traffic-dependent, or the roughly 10-minute ferry.
- Suits
- Families with kids of any age (under-3s free, per Atlantis), water-park fans, active travelers.
- Ship or independent
- Either. Buy direct on the Atlantis site, or through Carnival or NCL.
Why it's worth considering
Nothing else near the pier puts a water park, pools and beaches behind one ticket. Under-18s must be with an adult, so this is a family day, not a drop-off.
The catch: price and fine print
Atlantis says prices vary by date and season, and passes are sold on limited availability. The tourism board says they're generally not sold at the resort — buy ahead.
Price is the whole decision on this one. Joey's own Atlantis day is the worked example in our ship-versus-independent guide — an easy yes on sale, not one he'd have booked at full price.
Passes are refundable up to 4 days before and non-refundable inside 3 days. Some slides need a height of 48 inches, per Carnival.
The two lines don't even agree on effort: Carnival rates it Difficult, NCL level 2.
Verify before you book
- Your date's price on the Atlantis site against your ship's price.
- That day's closing time against all-aboard.
- Check-in at the Atlantis Adventures Tour Center (8:30am–4:30pm) needs your confirmation, photo ID, a signed waiver and the card you paid with.
- Towels — Atlantis's own pages disagree on whether they're free or rented.
Royal Caribbean's own beach club on Paradise Island took its first guests on December 23, 2025. Trade press describes two beaches, three pools, a swim-up bar and separate party, chill and family zones.
Royal Caribbean says only Royal Caribbean and Celebrity guests, plus Bahamian residents, can visit. On any other line, skip ahead.
- Time commitment
- No official duration. Ferries run continuously, so it can fill half your port day or all of it.
- Getting there
- Free ferries from the pier, per Royal Caribbean — the ride time isn't on the official FAQ.
- Suits
- Royal Caribbean or Celebrity guests wanting an all-inclusive beach day, families, travelers who need accessibility detail.
- Ship or independent
- Ship only — the Royal app, My Royal Cruise or the onboard shore excursions desk.
Why it's worth considering
Food from three quick-service restaurants, chairs, umbrellas, towels and Wi-Fi are included, and the passes include an open-bar option (21+) and a non-alcoholic one.
It's also the only Nassau option we found with detailed official accessibility information: pool lifts at all three pools, ramped wheelchair-accessible ferries, ADA-compliant restrooms, accessible dining and bars.
The catch
It's a paid add-on, not part of your fare, and Royal Caribbean says capacity varies seasonally. Prices vary by sailing, so check yours in the app rather than trusting a number from a blog.
The refund terms are generous — full refund up to 48 hours before your Nassau day, and a full refund if weather cancels. There's no kosher food, per Royal Caribbean.
Verify before you book
- The price for your sailing, and whether it's sold out.
- The ferry ride time.
- On Celebrity, how to buy — the official FAQ lists only Royal Caribbean's booking channels.
- Silversea guests: an independent fan blog lists Silversea, but the official FAQ names only Royal Caribbean and Celebrity — ask before you count on it.
- Royal Caribbean's Nassau excursion page showed nothing when we checked, which may be a website quirk. Look in your app for other options, too.
Fort Charlotte, built in 1789, is Nassau's largest fort — dry moat, dungeons, tunnels, harbor views — about a mile west of downtown. Just past it, the Arawak Cay Fish Fry is a strip of seafood shacks and restaurants serving conch salad, cracked conch and fried fish.
The Fish Fry is about a 30-minute walk from the port or a 10-minute drive — a hot walk along a road, not a waterfront stroll.
- Time commitment
- No official duration. Build in the walk or taxi each way.
- Getting there
- On foot, or by taxi with the fare agreed before you get in.
- Suits
- Food-focused and budget travelers, couples, independent types.
- Ship or independent
- Independent — a walk or a short taxi.
Why it's worth considering
It's the cheapest way to get a fort, a view and a proper Bahamian lunch in one outing. With the downtown forts' status unconfirmed, it's also the fort with an official page listing daily hours.
The catch
The Fish Fry is busiest from late afternoon into the evening and on weekends — often when you'd want to be heading back to the ship. Eat at lunch, not dinner.
Verify before you book
- Fort fees and hours — the official page lists about $5 for adults and 8am–4pm daily, but it's undated.
- The same page lists costume demonstrations and a noon cannon firing on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Your taxi fare, agreed before you set off.
A small private island a few miles east of Nassau's harbor, with a lighthouse, two beaches, kayaks, paddleboards, an optional guided reef snorkel and a Bahamian lunch. NCL's Pigs Beach Adventure version adds a stop at nearby Athol Island to swim with pigs.
It's the smaller alternative to Blue Lagoon — paddling and snorkeling, not dolphins.
- Time commitment
- NCL lists about 5 hours for every Pearl Island option.
- Getting there
- By boat. An undated tourism-board page lists East Bay Shopping Centre on East Bay Street as the departure point, and we found no official ride time.
- Suits
- Beach-focused couples and families. The pig version has a minimum age of 5, per NCL.
- Ship or independent
- NCL sells it. Direct booking looks possible, but we couldn't confirm it on the operator's own site.
Why it's worth considering
You get paddling, a snorkel option and lunch without the water-park crowd or the marine-mammal question. It's a beach day with something to do in it, not a sunbed-only day.
The catch
The island is cashless, per NCL, and the day depends on sea conditions. NCL rates the pig version Moderate, with uneven terrain.
Royal Caribbean's Pearl Island listing said "no longer available" when we checked. Treat any direct price you find as a starting point to confirm.
Verify before you book
- Departure dock and return time against your port hours.
- The current direct price.
- Whether your cruise line still sells it.
A half-day catamaran sail to nearby reefs with snorkel gear, like NCL's Seahorse Sail & Snorkel. Stuart Cove's, in southwest New Providence, runs dedicated snorkel boats to reefs, film sites and wrecks — check its times and prices directly.
Here, who runs the boat matters most.
- Time commitment
- NCL's version runs about 3.5 hours.
- Getting there
- Departure docks vary by operator, so confirm yours. Stuart Cove's means a traffic-dependent road transfer across the island.
- Suits
- Active travelers, couples, confident swimmers.
- Ship or independent
- Ship-sold, or an independent that shows you its licensing and insurance.
Why it's worth considering
It gets you onto the water and over a reef in a morning, without committing your whole port day to an island.
The catch: the boats themselves
The US State Department says boating in The Bahamas is not well regulated, some operators aren't licensed or insured, and operators sometimes ignore weather forecasts.
It also says snorkelers have died after overestimating their fitness, and that shark attacks have caused serious injury and death. Skip this if you're a weak swimmer or have a heart or health condition.
Verify before you book
- Licensing and insurance, in writing.
- Life-vest policy and the weather call.
- Departure dock and return time.
Rose Island sits about 6 miles from Paradise Island. NCL's Fun With Nature – Swimming Pigs trip runs about 2.5 hours; Sandy Toes runs a longer beach-club day with a pig encounter, guided snorkel, lunch and open bar.
If pigs are the reason you're eyeing Exuma, look here first.
- Time commitment
- About 2.5 hours for NCL's pig trip, up to roughly 7 hours for a Sandy Toes day including transfers.
- Getting there
- Sandy Toes leaves the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal — check-in 9:30am, about 25 minutes each way — so add a taxi or ferry from the pier.
- Suits
- Animal-focused families, travelers who want pigs on a normal-length port day.
- Ship or independent
- Ship-sold short versions exist (NCL's, for one). Independent works on a longer call if the timings fit.
Why it's worth considering
You get the pig photo without an open-water run to the Exumas. The short version even leaves time for downtown.
The catch
Sandy Toes says pigs appear weather permitting, and the boat ride won't suit anyone prone to seasickness. It runs Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, seasonally, and it posts seasonal closures, including September 21 to October 12, 2026, so check its calendar against your date.
Verify before you book
- That your operator runs on your port day.
- What happens if it's too rough to go.
- Age minimums for your operator.
- Sandy Toes' on-island hours (10:00am–3:45pm) against your all-aboard.
A guided minibus loop past the forts, the Queen's Staircase area and Paradise Island, usually with an Atlantis drive-by or short stop and a rum or rum-cake tasting. NCL sells several, and some add a harbor catamaran leg.
You're paying for a vehicle and a guide, not access — most of the downtown stops are a walk from the pier.
- Time commitment
- NCL's versions run about 2.5 to 3 hours.
- Getting there
- Transport is the tour. Confirm where it starts.
- Suits
- First-timers who want a narrated overview, travelers who'd rather ride than climb — though we found no official accessibility detail.
- Ship or independent
- Ship-sold keeps it simple. A taxi hired by the hour also works, with the price agreed first.
Why it's worth considering
It covers the hill and the bridge in one narrated loop, short enough to leave your afternoon free.
The catch: stops that may not be open
Some ship listings still name Fort Fincastle and the Queen's Staircase, and those listings may predate the closure. Traffic is the other variable — the State Department calls Nassau's congestion severe.
Verify before you book
- Which stops are actually open on your date.
- For a hired taxi, the hourly rate agreed before you set off — we found no current official rate.
04
Ship tour or on your own in Nassau: it depends which side of the harbor
Short answer
Downtown, the food walk and Junkanoo Beach don't need the ship, and Atlantis works on your own if you buy ahead. Boat days are where operator choice matters — and for Blue Lagoon Island, your cruise line may make the choice for you.
Downtown is a walk, so a ship tour mostly buys a guide
Bay Street, the Straw Market, the food-walk meeting point and Junkanoo Beach are all within walking range of Prince George Wharf. For those, a ship tour adds a bus and a narrator, not access.
Paradise Island is a bridge and a traffic jam away
Atlantis puts the taxi at about 10 to 20 minutes, and the State Department calls Nassau's traffic congestion severe. The ferry sidesteps the bridge — but neither official source gives the whole picture.
The port says its ferry leaves every 30 minutes from 9am to noon and lists no return times. The tourism board describes a water taxi from Prince George Wharf at about $7 per person, roughly 10 minutes each way, with tickets at the Woodes Rogers Wharf tour desk, at last check.
Confirm where the return boat leaves from, and when the last one goes, before you rely on it.
Independent boats leave from Paradise Island, not the pier
Blue Lagoon, Sandy Toes and Powerboat Adventures all depart the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal, between the two bridges. Book any of them yourself and you've added a taxi leg each way — and a slow taxi eats your time, not the operator's.
When you compare prices, check the tax line — Dolphin Encounters and Powerboat Adventures quote prices plus 10% VAT or tax, not tax-inclusive totals.
Some Nassau bookings are locked to the ship
Dolphin Encounters requires Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Carnival guests to book Blue Lagoon Island through the ship. Royal Beach Club passes are sold only through the cruise line, only to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity guests (plus Bahamian residents).
What the ship-sold version actually covers
Carnival says its ship will wait for delayed Carnival-booked excursions, not for ones you arranged yourself. Read your own line's wording rather than assuming it matches.
On the water, the ship-sold version also means someone else has picked the boat operator. In a port where the State Department flags unlicensed and uninsured operators, that's worth something.
How each option compares in Nassau
| Excursion | Lean ship excursion when… | Independent works when… |
|---|
| Downtown walk and Junkanoo Beach | You want a narrated bus overview instead of walking | Almost always — it starts at the gangway |
|---|
| Food walk | We didn't confirm a ship-sold version | You book direct, in advance, and the start time fits your port hours |
|---|
| Blue Lagoon Island | You're on Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean or Carnival — you have to | You're on another line and can fit the taxi to the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal |
|---|
| Atlantis Aquaventure | You want your line's return policy behind you, or the price gap is small | You've bought ahead on the Atlantis site and checked closing time against all-aboard |
|---|
| Royal Beach Club | Always — passes are sold only through the cruise line | Not possible |
|---|
| Pearl Island | Your line sells it and sets the timings | You've confirmed the dock, price and return time directly |
|---|
| Sail and snorkel | You can't verify an independent's licensing and insurance | The operator shows you licensing, insurance and a weather policy |
|---|
| Rose Island pigs | You want the short version on a tight call | It's a long call, the operator runs that day, and the return fits |
|---|
| Exuma pig day | We found no cruise-line Exuma trip in the listings we could check | Only when all-aboard is well after the operator's roughly 6pm return |
|---|
Run any Paradise Island or boat day through our excursion cost calculator before you book, and read our guide to ship excursions versus booking independently for how return policies differ.
06
Nassau port logistics: the pier, the bridge and the clock
Where you dock
Ships dock at Nassau Cruise Port, Prince George Wharf, in downtown Nassau, where the port lists six berths for the largest ships.
We found no official mention of tendering, and berth assignments by line aren't published. The terminal has free Wi-Fi, a pharmacy, a first-aid center and baggage storage.
Taxis, the jitney and the ferry
Taxis wait at the Arrivals Plaza taxi stand. Fares are fixed by zone, not metered, and priced for two passengers — more people cost more.
A government-approved 10% fare increase has been gazetted, but we couldn't find a current official fare table from the port. We're not going to print an old one.
Agree the fare before you get in, and tip around 15% — customary, per the tourism board.
The jitney, Nassau's public minibus, runs about $1.50 per person at last check — exact change, paid when you get off.
Boat days start somewhere else
Royal Beach Club ferries leave from the pier. Blue Lagoon, Sandy Toes and the Exuma powerboats leave the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal, and an undated tourism page lists Pearl Island departures from East Bay Street.
Atlantis day-pass holders check in at the Atlantis Adventures Tour Center. Count every one of those transfers against your clock, not just the time on the sand.
Season, weather and your buffer
Hurricane season generally runs June through November, per the State Department, so treat every boat day on a late-summer or fall sailing as weather-dependent. Have a dry-land backup ready.
We found no official Nassau-specific buffer guidance, so we're not going to invent an official-sounding one. For anything booked independently on Paradise Island or beyond, I'd plan to be back at the pier at least an hour before all-aboard — longer if your return depends on a taxi over the bridge.
- US citizens: the State Department says cruise passengers may use a WHTI-compliant document such as a passport card, but strongly recommends a full passport in case you need to fly home.
- Check every bag for stray ammunition. Firearms and ammunition are strictly illegal, and travelers have been detained for days.
- Carry a card. Pearl Island is cashless per NCL, and Atlantis check-in needs the card you booked with.
- Compare prices with tax included — some operators quote prices plus 10% VAT.
