Bahamas Cruises
Bahamas cruises are an extremely popular route offering almost guaranteed sunshine, temperatures over 80F year round, white sand beaches and the clearest aquamarine water you will ever see. Carnival Cruise Lines, amongst others, offers short 2 and 3 night cruises from Miami and Fort Lauderdale whilst Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Cunard, Disney, Princess and Norwegian Cruise Lines offer the Bahamas as ports of call on longer 7-day cruises around the Caribbean.
The main ports of call on the Bahamas are Freeport and Nassau. Both are large ports which can easily cater for several cruise ships at a time. In Nassau, guests literally step off the ship and are in the heart of the town. For Duty Free goods, jewelry and designer shops both ports are excellent, but there are also plenty of cheap clothing shops and souvenir-type stores. It is interesting to walk around the Old Town in Nassau where there are colonial style buildings and gardens. Nassau also offers excellent casinos for those who enjoy gambling, or you can take a trip to Paradise Island and buy a day’s pass to the water park at the world famous Atlantis Resort. Freeport is just 50 miles east of Miami. With many beaches, an International bazaar and a large casino it makes a great day ashore.
Trips are offered to Cable Beach from Nassau, which is really beautiful. One tip is to avoid the high priced ship’s tour and pick up a taxi in town to take you for an agreed fee. It is not far, so the fare is low. A delicious buffet lunch is offered by the local five star hotel which is well worth visiting, and once again paying the hotel rather than booking lunch through the ship will save you at least $6 a head.
Some Bahamas cruises own a private Caribbean Island and these are a whole different experience ashore. Norwegian Cruise Lines began this clever idea in the 1970s by buying Great Stirrup Cay and Disney owns Castaway Cay. The islands, or cays, are largely uninhabited but the ships create their own trips including horseback riding on Half Moon Cay in Holland America’s case! With no high rise buildings or local souvenir touts, you can lounge in a hammock or snooze on a sun bed. Lunch is served, often with a barbecue, and it is an extension to shipboard life, but ashore. You can play volleyball, go for a walk or rent snorkeling equipment or boats and have a beautiful day on the beach in an idyllic setting.
After a day ashore, all cruise ships sail in the early evening and once offshore for 3 miles the onboard casinos will open for the night. With a selection of slot machines, poker tables, roulette and other activities, a sunshine cruise around the Bahamas is an excellent choice.
