Anyone ever do a cruise to Bahamas ?

I’ve been on the Dream. It’s a good ship. But it’s almost 15 years old. It has far less amenities than its sister ship, the Breeze. I strongly recommend the Vista if you’re set on going out of Galveston.

I recommend the 6 night itinerary on Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral which will also stop in Nassau.

For a first cruise, it might be good to stick to a 4 or 5 day itinerary. The kids may not like cruising or be prone to sea sickness, etc. We took my nephew on a 4 night for his first cruise to see if he’d like it. (He did.)

With kids, the Sunshine out of Charleston has the best amenities of the fully refurbished small ships. It will go to Nassau and Half Moon Cay.

Galveston is great. I go out of there when I don’t want to pay to fly to Florida or I want to sail the Western Caribbean.

I haven’t gone out of NOLA because I live in Dallas and the ships that sail out of there aren’t as nice and run the same itineraries as Galveston.

I always, always, always drive down or fly in the day before. It cuts down on the stress of having to drive in the day of or getting stuck in traffic.

I typically stay overnight in Houston because I can get a cheaper rate at a better hotel. But that’s because I’ve sailed out of Galveston 4 or 5 times.

If you’ve never been to Galveston, I recommend staying on the island the night before. It’s really charming. Take the kids to Pleasure Pier.

I recommend paying for parking at an indoor lot. (VIP Indoor Cruise Parking or Galveston Park and Cruise; both are right across the street from the port. Park and walk over to the pier, bags in tow.) I’ve tried leaving my car at the hotel and using their shuttle. Both times, we were stranded when we got back; the hotel shuttle would drop people off but refuse to take us to the hotel. We had to pay to get back to our car.

When you arrive at the pier, put a $20 or more in a porter’s hand and do the same when you get back. They’ll help breeze you through check in and customs coming back.

I’m a Dr. Pepper nut and the ships typically don’t have it. Each person in your party can bring one unopened 12 pack of sodas of their choice. This will save you money on board. Sodas aren’t included and Carnival’s drink packages aren’t worth the cost. There are mini fridges in the room. The ship will gladly provide you a glass of ice at no charge. You can also bring on bottled water, but I have a large Yeti bottle. I fill it up with ice and water at the free stations around the ship.

Start prepping the kids now to keep the cabin tidy. Cruise ship cabins are about half the size of a normal hotel room.

That’s my thoughts on pre-cruise prep going out of Galveston. It’s a great port. Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean invest more in Galveston than anywhere else outside of Florida. You can get good itineraries on better ships.

I love cruising and cruise Carnival frequently. It’s a great way to travel and see Mexico and the Caribbean!

Haven’t been to KW, Freeport, or Half Moon Cay. There are videos out the wazoo on these ports on YouTube.

Here’s what I’ve heard from people who’ve gone:

The other tourists and a lot of the locals in KW absolutely hate having the cruise ships come in. It can get very crowded if more than one or two ships are there.

Schedule an excursion in Freeport. There’s not much to do around the port which is in an industrial area. (Or stay on the ship and take advantage of everyone being ashore.)

Half Moon Cay is a private port for Carnival. Definitely get off the ship there. The beaches will be really nice and close by. You can stay in the secured area the cruise line has set up and save money by not scheduling an excursion. There should be plenty of water sports (kayak, jet ski, windsurf, parasail) available on the beach for a charge.

Nassau is a huge port. It accommodates 5-6 ships including the biggest ships around. I’ve never been to Nassau with less than 3 ships there. Because I’ve stopped there 5 or 6 times, I’ve gotten off just to shop nearby or stayed on the ship to enjoy a spa day.

Atlantis is pricey but it’s awesome. I did a dolphin swim experience there on my very first cruise (on the Dream) and it’s still one of the best experiences I’ve had on an excursion. Be prepared for a long walk through the resort. It’s huge.

If you’re wanting to go to Aquaventure (the water park), keep in mind other resorts have caught up and it may be cheaper to buy a day pass through Resorts for a Day: LINK.

The new Margaritaville resort is right next to the pier and you can walk there after leaving port security. Drawback: its water park is much smaller than Atlantis or Baha Mar.

You will need transportation to Baha Mar for the short drive there but there should be taxis a plenty right outside port security. They’ll charge you $20-30 and you can pay them cash USD. The resort will help you get a taxi when you leave.

Keep in mind: if you choose to go out on your own, Carnival has no obligation to hold the ship for you if you miss the onboard time for any reason. (I just keep my watch on ship time and leave 1 1/2-2 hrs before the mandatory onboard time.) Truth be told, Margaritaville may be a better option because you can walk there and go at your own pace without the hassle of a cruise line excursion.

We've been on three or four of them. I like the Bahamas. With kids, Atlantis is probably a good choice. The wife and I spent the day there one time, most of it floating around the lazy river. For lunch in Nassau, we recommend a place called Bahamian Cookin'.

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Thanks. Did y’all do the water park ?

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Yeah, we did the water park, that's where the lazy river is. It's a nice park, kids will have a good time. The Pyramid water slide is fast as hell. It's a little pricey, but how often do you get the chance to go?

Tip if you're interested in Atlantis

LINK
You can rent one night at the Comfort Suites next door and get access to the water park and a few other perks and save a bit of money over buying day passes to Atlantis

I've never been on the Dream but I have sailed out of Galveston and I have been to all those ports... with and without kids.

Galveston - especially in the summer... absolutely get down there the night before or leave VERY early in the morning. If you are coming from the east... cut down at Winnie and take the ferry. It's a nice little ride and keeps you off the shitshow that is the Gulf Freeway (I-45).

Key West - of course you have to get the Key Lime pie. We did the hop on hop off bus which takes you to a lot of places such as the Southernmost point monument... which is a short walk from the Hemmingway house. The kids did not really enjoy Key West all that much. We were going to stop at the aquarium but the kids decided they wanted to get back on board.

Nassau - We have not done Atlantis yet but are thinking about doing it next summer (taking a cruise out of Charleston). Our old standby stop, the British Colonial Hilton, closed earlier this year. We have also done a day pass at Breezes which was a lot of fun - take the Jitney bus to get there. You do have to be 14 to go. Stop at Pirate Brewing on the way back to the ship.

Freeport - it's a dump. The glass bottom boat tour is ok. Paradise Cove is ok. Several times we have stayed on the boat in Freeport and enjoyed no lines for lunch or at the spa.

Half Moon Cay - one of my fav places on earth. So relaxing. Do a horseback ride... just get ready for what happens when the horses wade through the water!

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Lsufan4444

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That hotel hack is pretty slick. That might save me 200-300 bucks right there. Thanks a bunch.

I’m just curious. Let’s say we port in Nassau at 8am… would I have the reservation for that day ? normal check in is usually 3 right ?

I see we port at 7am. Depart @4

Thanks man. Upon further research it appears they are now requiring a 2 night stay for this perk which would cost more. Bummer.