Since contemporary cruising started in the 1970s, cruise ships and the Bahamas have gone hand in hand. The first itineraries concentrated on three- and four-night Bahamas sailings from Miami. Seven-night and longer Caribbean itineraries nowadays usually feature a port stop at Nassau.
One of the top cruise port locations in the Bahamas, Nassau’s capital city is among the busiest ports of call worldwide.
Comprising 700 islands dispersed over 100,000 square miles of the North Atlantic Ocean, the Bahamas features some of the most exquisite, pure blue water in the Caribbean, white and pink sand beaches, mild weather and plenty of attractions. Nassau, on the 112-mile-long island of New Providence, is more than just a cruise ship terminal. It is also a lively city with plenty of distractions.
Paradise Island boasts big hotels and all-inclusive resorts in the north that provide day packages for ship guests, therefore granting access to luxury golf (at the Baha Mar resort), casino gaming (at Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas), restaurants, shops and nightlife.
Not surprisingly, Nassau is a main port of call for a number of cruise brands, including Azamara, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages.
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism projects that 5.6 million cruise passengers will visit the island by 2024. This number surpasses the 5.4 million port-of-call for prepandemic 2019. Thanks to a $300 million makeover, Nassau’s cruise port capacity jumped from 20,000 daily to over 30,000 in May 2023. The project expanded and refurbished, creating a new berth that allowed the Prince George Wharf port to handle six ships daily.
Nowadays, Nassau cruise port now features a streamlined modern arrivals plaza that offers seamless entry and departure. A new Nassau cruise excursion shop lets guests book everything from taxis to Atlantis tours in one spot.
At the Nassau cruise port, new attractions, including the Museum of Junkanoo, more stores, restaurants and bars, and an enlargement of the venerable Straw Market, offer a rainbow of activities. Although the enlarged port brings more people to Nassau, the arrivals plaza and surrounding area are well-laid-out, dispersing throngs and producing a less frantic environment.
Three Things We Love About Nassau
- “Sun and fun” kinds of activities
- Historical and cultural attractions
- Unique cuisine
What We Could Do Without
Nassau sits on an island inside a large archipelago. Many goods are inevitably imported; hence, restaurant meal prices can be rather high. At times, Nassau might also feel a little “touristic” since the Nassau Cruise Port at Prince George Wharf can accommodate as many as six big cruise ships at once.
On hectic days, cruise passengers abound around the downtown area. Travelers should remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings as in any crowded place.
Nassau Cruise Port Fast Facts
Popular as a warm-weather vacation closer to the United States, Nassau is closer to the U.S. Atlantic Coast than most Caribbean basin countries.
As a plus, Nassau and the Bahamas have the same excellent culture and customs, great bright sky, and magnificent turquoise oceans even though technically they are not in the Caribbean.
Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas on the little island of New Providence. Usually, the port is a hive as disembarking visitors stroll from the pier to Bay Street alongside the water. Tour guides and jet ski, beach and watersports excursion operators, taxis for hire, scooter rentals, craft and souvenir stores and hair braiders are all found in the downtown shopping area.
Along with the Atlantis megaresort, which is among several resorts providing day packages for cruisers looking for a daylong all-inclusive vacation, Nassau’s adjacent Paradise Island area includes beaches, restaurants and stores.
The good news is that, with some planning, it will be simple to choose the appropriate Nassau activity to complement your own vacation approach.
Arrival Details
Cruise ships visiting Nassau dock at the Nassau Cruise Port at Prince George Wharf, which is a short walking distance from Bay Street and the downtown district. Booked on cruise line excursions, passengers will find providers set up in places around the pier.
Beyond the initial group will be private operators, including those who scheduled trips with guests outside of the cruise company.
Once you get off at a clearly marked kiosk, you may book taxis and tours. Should your ship be anchored at one of the distant berths, the distance from your ship to the port exit can be somewhat taxing. Shuttles from the port get people with mobility problems to the terminal building.
Time zone: Bahamas runs Eastern Standard Time as its time zone.
Language: English is the official language.
Currency: The Bahamian dollar has a value equal to the American dollar. Both are typically accepted, and there is usually no need to exchange money. Though generally, you can get a higher rate at a local bank or ATM; you can exchange money on board your cruise. A short walk from the Nassau cruise terminal, several banks are on Parliament Street. Many automated teller machines (ATMs) also surround downtown.
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Top Things To Do in Nassau Cruise Port
Beach enthusiasts and visitors who appreciate water sports, diving or snorkelling will discover a great range of excursions and activities to fit their interests. Nassau features a strong food and shopping environment as well. Visitors should most surely investigate the rich legacy of the area. Either through your cruise line or on your own, you can schedule excursions.
Popular Nassau Excursions
Water Sports
Nassau presents a wide range of events centered on the great waterways and surroundings of the area. Via cruise ship excursions, Nassau guests can access almost every water sport: sailing, snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, sea lion, dolphin, stingray, and even swimming pig excursions.
Other cruise ships have glass-bottom and jet boat excursions, and catamaran sailings matched with reef snorkelling, deep-sea fishing and private beach days with cabanas.
Although the opulent Grand Hyatt Baha Mar on Nassau’s Cable Beach does not provide day tickets, nonguests can explore the property’s restaurants, bars and stores, arrange a spa treatment and play golf here.
ResortPass includes raft rides, drop slides, free-fall slides, a wave pool, an action river, a surf simulator and the Caribbean’s only water coaster. Day passes to the Baha Bay Waterpark (at the elegant Baha Mar complex where the Grand Hyatt is situated) for $146 (per adult) and $60 (per child). Access to a bar and restaurant lets you relax at one of the park’s infinity pools. Still, the pass grants access to just one section of the resort.
For $90 per adult and $45 per child, it also sells a day pass to the British Colonial Nassau, once a Hilton, which lately reopened following a complete renovation. The pass covers admission to the kids pool, the outdoor heated pool, beach lounge chairs, towel service, and a 10% food and beverage discount.
Within a 15 to 20-minute ferry voyage, Nassau’s surrounding private islands provide a first-rate beach experience. Although most cruise companies provide shore excursions to Blue Lagoon Island, visitors can also arrange a visit on their own online or with a travel agent. The tour is well-liked and typically sold out, hence book early on your trip or before your cruise date.
Cruisers can swim in a peaceful lagoon, enjoy kayaking, water-biking or snorkelling trips, play with water toys like floats and inner tubes or just lounge under coconut trees at Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon provides changing rooms, gift stores, bathrooms and shower systems.
Near Nassau, private island experiences also abound on Balmoral Island, Pearl Island, and Sandy Toes. Those who arrive early for their cruise ships in Nassau could wish to drive the about one-hour distance to Stuart’s Cove, where they can snorkel, dive and swim with sharks.
Historical Landmarks
Nassau’s past is intimately related to the 17th and 18th century Caribbean pirate age. Until British Governor Woodes Rogers drove the buccaneers out in 1718, the town provided a pirate refuge.
Mostly within walking distance of the cruise pier, the downtown area today presents 20 square blocks with architectural elements and monuments from this fascinating age.
Visitors can so approach Nassau or plan a cruise ship tour stressing historic forts, Bahamian cuisine, “land and sea” programs, private island experiences and even Junkanoo-style music and dancing from a DIY approach.
Near Prince George Wharf are historic structures like Parliament Square, the Senate Building, and the Bahamas’ Supreme Court, housed in pink neo-Georgian architecture. A monument to Queen Victoria, built in the early 1900s, is also at the site.
Africans who entered the territory as slaves from Sierra Leone and other West African countries also helped to define Bahamian culture. Others arrived in the Bahamas straight from Africa, Bermuda, and Haiti, either former soldiers fighting for the British during the American Revolutionary War or enslaved by ex-British loyalists from Georgia and South Carolina.
Around Nassau, several old sites, including Adelaide, Fox Hill and Gambier, acknowledge its impact. Originally inhabited in the 1800s, liberated Africans kept their African background while living in three ancient communities. There are cultural and tourism tours to several communities. A permanent display of the African experience in the Bahamas forms Nassau’s Pompey Museum of Slavery & Emancipation.
Don’t the Bahamas’ National Art Gallery. Nestled in the beautiful 1860s-era Villa Doyle, the museum exhibits modern and historical Bahamian art over its four display areas.
Best Beaches Near the Nassau Cruise Port
Great beaches abound in and around Nassau. Apart from the neighboring private island beach experiences, other local beaches are accessible via short drives or walking.
Junkanoo Beach
About a 15-minute walk from the cruise terminal, Junkanoo Beach provides visitors with a cheap and practical approach to having some sun and fun. Usually, from the neighboring beach, you can see your cruise ship.
Vendors dotting the beach provide buckets of ice-cold Kalik and Sands beer, the local favorites. Remember to pack your towel; chairs are available for rent from vendors. Some will package a bucket of beer with chairs and an umbrella.
Cabbage Beach
From Nassau, slightly over the bridge spanning the islands, Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island is a 20-minute walk or short cab trip. The beach lacks many conveniences, and although lovely the waves are occasionally choppy. Locals, however, march up and down the beach, selling refreshments and chairs for hire.
Cable Beach
Twenty minutes drive from Prince George’s Wharf is Cable Beach. Get there via local cab or a less expensive bus, No. 10, which runs about $1.25 per passenger. Although Nassau’s 2.5-mile-long beach is sometimes referred to be the nicest in the Bahamas, it is among hundreds with distinctly clean blue waves and bleach-white sands.
Several prominent Nassau resorts include Sandals Royal Bahamian and Margaritaville Beach Resort, which provide a complete range of watersports activities, call Cable Beach home. Day permits let cruise travellers utilize resort facilities. Sandals pass costs $340 per person; Margaritaville at Sea Day permits are $110 (for adults) and $55 (for youngsters under twelve).
Other Popular Nassau Beaches
East of the Paradise Island Bridge, Montague Beach boasts an old fort built in the 18th century. On weekends and public holidays, the seaside promenade is a gathering spot where merchants provide mouthwatering local cuisine and beverages. Picnicking and wading also take place on the beach.
Near the historic plantation hamlet of Delaporte, Delaporte Beach is west of Cable Beach. Saunders Beach, popular both among residents and tourists, is situated east of Nassau.
Popular among joggers and workout aficionados, Goodman’s Bay’s beach boasts recreational amenities for kids. Sandyport Beach is joined to the Venice-like Sandyport resort complex close to Cable Beach by a little bridge.
How To Get Around on Your Own
On foot: Many of Nassau’s historic sites and the Bay Street retail sector are within walking distance of the cruise ship port and the downtown area; strolling about here is one of the most popular things to do. Shops, restaurants, pubs and cruisers who are so inclined can spend the day meandering Bay Street. Just get on your sneakers, get off your ship, go a few steps and start looking.
By taxi: From a recognized booth in the arrival area, you can arrange a taxi. Since taxis are not metered, always work out the fare before getting into the car.
By bus: Known as jitneys, Nassau’s public buses provide a cheap and handy substitute for car rentals or taxis. The jitneys cost around $1.25 per person and stop at popular spots, including Cable Beach.
Other transportation: Other means of transportation are ferries to surrounding attractions and automobile or motor scooter rental.
Nassau Restaurants Near the Cruise Port
Following its Caribbean customs, the Bahamas’ native meal blends fresh tropical fruit and seafood with strong spices. Whether discovered at a sophisticated restaurant or vibrant outdoor market, Bahamian cuisine exudes island taste.
Along with common Bahamian veggies, visitors will find a range of locations offering local favorites, including conch fritters, bite-sized flakes of conch meat fried in batter seasoned with goat pepper, spicy sauce and sea salt.
This Bahamian treat is the territory’s undisputed favorite dish. Other classic foods worth trying are Johnny cakes, a dense and rather sweet cake-like bread usually eaten at breakfast; peas and rice (deep dark pigeon peas and white long-grain rice seasoned with tomatoes, onions, thyme, tomato paste, goat pepper and salted pork).
From casual to sophisticated, Nassau cuisine offers a few surprises for guests. For instance, the high-arching bridge between Nassau to Paradise Island runs under the Potter’s Cay conch shacks. Adjacent to vibrant fruit markets, the brightly colored conch shacks feature nearly 40 chefs in different shacks cooking fresh conch dishes in myriad ways.
Sampling a real Bahamian lunch with the freshest conch fritters and regional cuisine here is fantastic. As they discuss the catch for the day or dispute over a game of dominoes, you can also engage with the chefs and other residents.
To find which booth would be best for the day, first ask a local or frequent Bahamas visitor—akin to a travel agent—where Having 25 years in the same area, McKenzie, a former conch fisherman turned restaurateur, is a local celebrity among Potter Cay vendors with a shack placed on the west end of the bridge.
About a 15-minute walk or a quick taxi ride from the cruise port, travel to Graycliff Hotel and Restaurant for a distinct Bahamas experience. Originally the headquarters of pirate Captain John Howard Graysmith, the restaurant is housed in Graycliff Hotel, a magnificent 18th-century palace.
Spend an afternoon discovering the site, which boasts art galleries and artisan stores, a remarkable heritage museum, and chocolate-making and cigar-rolling facilities.
The five-star Graycliff Restaurant of the hotel, a sophisticated location with a menu mixing European and Bahamian customs, would be the highlight nonetheless.
Four air-conditioned dining rooms and a garden eating area comprise the luxurious restaurant, each space designed to recall Graycliff’s beginnings as a private residence. Strictly enforced in line with its vibe is the “elegant casual” dress code.
Nassau Cruise Port Shopping
Look for souvenirs like original paintings, wood carvings and craftwork, and hand-made clothing in vivid tropical colors when shopping in the Bahamas. Though Nassau’s Bay Street shopping area is a short taxi ride away from the cruise ship pier, there are a few hidden stores right there.
Festival Place, an outdoor market with 45 merchants offering food and beverages, is almost next to the cruise terminal. It’s perfect for incoming guests looking to go shopping near the port and for those looking for last-minute mementos and gifts just before they leave their ship.
Originally an outdoor affair, Nassau’s long-standing Straw Market now forms part of the new cruise port terminal. Bahamian handicrafts, crafts, souvenirs, and distinctive Bahamian-designed clothes and artwork abound from its vividly colored booths. High-end, designer stores offering luxury goods, including clothing, jewelry, cosmetics and perfumes, abound on Bay Street.
When it comes to handcrafted, original art and crafts, including clothing and household items, you may also hail a taxi to Nassau’s best-kept secrets. Bahama Hand Prints provides “bold and brilliant” patterns on a broad spectrum of clothing, accessories and home furniture on the corner of Ernest Street and Okra Hill.
Artists Helen Astarita and Berta Sands established the business in 1966. Every item is created internally by the shop’s gifted sewing crew. Visitors are urged to stop by the factory, chat with the employees, and observe the printers in use.
Locally produced home décor, glassware, jewelry, soaps, clothes and artwork abound at Craft Cottage Bahamas. Emphasizing traditional crafting techniques, the little store and gallery on the grounds of the Doongalik Studios & Art Gallery in Eastern Nassau highlight a varied and interesting collection of Bahamian-inspired objects.
The facility is housed in a classic Bahamian-style mansion on grounds shared with a range of native Bahamian artists working on their own projects and goods. The store has a large and striking range of handcrafted jewelry, painted glass, straw bags and accessories, together with artisan soaps and bath goods.
Free Activities Around Nassau Cruise Port
A few activities in the Bahamian capital won’t cost you a dollar if you want to save cash when you reach the Nassau cruise port.
Given you are in the Bahamas, make use of the beach as a free activity. Just a fifteen-minute walk from the cruise terminal is Junkanoo Beach. Bring a book and a towel and spend the day swimming in the clean, turquoise water for free.
Luscious gardens frame the Queen’s Staircase, sometimes known as “66 Steps,” which links Nassau’s center to Fort Fincastle. Climb the stairway to reach Fort Fincastle, built on Bennett’s Hill in the late 1700s. From there, savor expansive views of Nassau’s center, the waterfront, and the cruise ship terminal.
Nassau’s historic area and Bay Street, with more stores, are also conveniently near the harbor, and looking is always free.
Bottom Line
Sometimes, Nassau suffers as a “touristy” port of call, and cruise passengers swarm it. But the capital of the Bahamas is a varied port with a great range of historic sites, different beach experiences, unique food, and lots of shopping options.
Nassau’s Caribbean flavor, mild temperatures and stunning surroundings have made the port a mainstay on cruise lines.