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As promised, here is Part Two of the cruise review, which covers the Bahamas port visit from our Disney Dream 3 night / 4 day cruise back in May 2011. You can find the first part back here where I reviewed the ship itself and all the rooms, amenities, food, etc.

Nassau, Bahamas:
In Nassau, which was the first stop on the trip, we opted to go on the Atlantis Beach Day excursion.  We wanted to do something that we would all enjoy and something that was appropriate for a 3 year old.  After all, the day of the Nassau port stop also happened to be L’s birthday!  The beach day was not cheap ($95 for adults and $59 for children 3-9), but I don’t think any of the excursions are. The price included transportation to and from the Atlantis, lunch and use of all of the Atlantis facilities (with the exception of the pools, although I doubt anyone would have noticed).

We met the rest of our “group” in one of the lounges on the ship around 10:00am. I believe the ship docked around 7:30am. It actually worked out great for us because it gave us time to have breakfast without having to rush around and we got to enjoy a little pool time when the decks were not jam packed. This was also the morning that B went on the Aqua Duck slide since there was was only a 5 minute wait for it. In the lounge we were given wrist bands which allowed us access to the Atlantis property, our lunch tickets and basic information about the excursion. We departed the ship as a group and walked to a few buses which were waiting to take us to the Atlantis. We had a great driver who told us lots of great facts about the Bahamas that you probably wouldn’t get out of a book.

Once at the resort, we were shown some of the features, food areas, beaches, etc. I find these sorts of “guided” tours very annoying, so B and L and I bolted as soon as possible. I don’t need someone to point out a bathroom and where to grab towels to me for 20 minutes. I can read the map just fine thank you. The beaches were amazing and had great views and nice soft sand. After playing for a few hours, we had lunch at one of the pool side “fast-food type places”. The food was good, but it wasn’t amazing or anything. It was as good as we expected it to be. After lunch we explored the resort area, including the super cool aquariums, which L totally loved.  He ran through them (they have multiple ones on the property) so many times I think the fish knew him by the end of the day.  We also took turns hitting up the casino, which was nice and empty.  Random Fact: It is illegal for residents of the Bahamas to gamble and are subject to a $500 fine if they are caught. L ran into a clown who heard it was his birthday and made him the hugest balloon hat I have ever seen.  L couldn’t have been prouder.  We also did a little shopping, where L insisted we get some Fiji water ($6 for a small bottle – OUCH) and assorted items from the Atlantis sundry shop.

We headed back to the ship around 3:30ish.  The shuttle buses from the Atlantis to the ship ran every 30 minutes until 5pm or so.  I think the ship left port at 6:30ish? Anyways, we had no trouble with any of the transportation to or from the Atlantis and it was nice not to have to worry we were going to miss the ship or anything.

Overall, I liked the excursion and would do it again in a minute if it were B, L and I.  But I wouldn’t go with older kids or if it was just B and I.  There just probably wouldn’t have been enough to keep older kids busy.  But it was perfect for us.  While the Atlantis was huge and beautiful, I will admit that I expected it to be, I don’t know, something more. The resort (the inside and the grounds) was very clean and well maintained, but I just thought it would be fancier.  Perhaps it would be different if I were staying there and got to see some of the other portions of the resort?  Either way, I would stay there. The beaches were amazing, the people were friendly and the Bahamas have a great vibe!

Stayed tuned for my review on Castaway Cay, which was our second (and last) post visit on the trip.