Nassau (Bahamas) Review

We visited Nassau as the first stop on our July 2014 cruise on the Carnival Fascination.  We went with no plans or expectations, as we intended to go with the flow as much as possible.

We loved that any shopping we wanted to do could be done just a few yards away from the ship.  It also just seemed like a really ease port to navigate off and on the ship.  As we walked off the ship, we noticed several local individuals offering tours of the island.  Eventually we found one that we were willing to go with, especially since there were other individuals there just getting off other ships that had chose to use the same individual.  For $20 per person, we loaded into the tour van and hit the road.

Our tour lasted well over 2 hours, as we made many stops to local venues.  We were able to make explore a bat cave, which is something a few of us never thought we'd be brave enough to do.  One very nice part of the tour is that the driver not only answered several questions, but he also asked if there were any places that we would like to see.  Upon requests, he took us to see the local schools, the upper and lower class neighborhoods, and the local establishments that those who lived on the island visited, as opposed to the tourist spots.  We recommend that if you're comfortable going off the traditional path, you may want to visit the local spots for better prices, with more to choose from.  The driver even took us to Atlantis, where we were able to walk around for a while and spent at least half an hour touring.  

When the tour was over, we decided to look for a few souvenirs.  There was plenty to choose from, but as we've seen in many other areas, the majority of the stores have just about the same thing.  Once we shopped a few of them, we decided to head back to the ship.

Would we recommend Nassau to others:  Yes
Favorite part:  The local food.
Pros:  Most things are close to the port, and the locals are very engaging.
Cons:  We saw none.