Day 6 onboard Carnival Celebration, and today we found ourselves in Nassau, Bahamas. Before we dive into it, the usual reminder—since I’ve been on Celebration several times before, I’m keeping this week’s updates focused on highlights and lowlights rather than full day-by-day deep dives. For more detailed reviews of past sailings, check out the links below:
- Carnival Celebration Western Caribbean Cruise – April 2023
- Carnival Celebration Eastern Caribbean Cruise – June 2023
- Carnival Celebration Southern Caribbean Cruise – July 2023
- Carnival Celebration Eastern Caribbean Cruise – February 2024
- Carnival Celebration Western Caribbean Cruise – October 2024
- Carnival Celebration Eastern Caribbean Cruise – June 2025
When we pulled into Nassau this morning, we weren’t alone. MSC Seashore was docked alongside—funny enough, I was just on her a few weeks ago and even ran into some crew friends while wandering the port area. (If you want my full take on Seaside, check out my review here.) Also in port today was Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas. So that made it a three-ship day in Nassau, which, believe it or not, is on the slower side—Nassau can actually handle up to six cruise ships at once.
Now, let’s be honest. Nassau has a reputation, and not a great one. Most cruisers (myself included) will tell you it’s a “stay on the ship” day. In fact, Nassau and Freeport top the “least-loved cruise ports in the Caribbean” list. The reasons are pretty consistent: overly pushy vendors, the Straw Market that’s alienated shoppers over the years, crime concerns, run-down areas right outside the port gates, and a general “been there, done that” feeling. For many, there just isn’t much appeal in fighting the crowds and the hard sells ashore when the ship itself offers better food, entertainment, and relaxation.
That said, Royal Caribbean is trying to change the game. Right across from the Nassau cruise pier, they’re building their brand-new Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, which is set to open this December, right around Christmas. You can already see the construction clearly from the ships docked in port—it’s impossible to miss and you can see some of it in my video and pictures below.
The Royal Beach Club is going to be exclusive to Royal Caribbean guests who purchase a day pass. Instead of wandering Nassau’s streets or defaulting to Señor Frog’s, passengers will hop on a tender boat for a short ride across the channel to what used to be an eyesore of land, now being redeveloped into an upscale private beach club. The plans call for beachfront amenities, pools, cabanas, dining, and activities—basically a resort-style experience—but with an upcharge.
This is a pretty telling move by Royal. Rather than pulling ships out of Nassau altogether, they’re creating their own controlled, premium experience that keeps guests spending money directly with them, while avoiding the things people dislike about Nassau: the merchants, the crowds, and the lack of amenities.
It’s going to be really interesting to see how this plays out once it opens. From the ship, the Beach Club is right in plain sight, which means guests on Carnival, MSC, and other lines will be staring at a private island-style oasis they can’t access. That’s going to create some envy—and maybe push other cruise lines to consider alternatives if they want to keep guests happy.
Royal Caribbean is also creating a similar, but much bigger experience at the Costa Maya Mexico cruise port which they recently purchased. Perfect Day Mexico is set to open in 2027 and as I reported on earlier, Carnival has already dramatically reduced the number of times their ships visit Costa Maya starting a few months before the opening.
Time will tell if the same will occur with Nassau once Royal Beach Club opens and they gauge the impact. Considering Carnival just opened Celebration Key, their newest private resort-style destination, not far away on Grand Bahama, they can easily pull Nassau and utilize Celebration Key more – especially since construction is ongoing to increase the current pier to handle four ships, instead of two.
A Rainy Day in Nassau
If Nassau wasn’t already at the bottom of my list of ports, the weather today made sure it stayed there. The day was filled with scattered showers and full-on downpours, the kind where just when you think it’s cleared up, it starts all over again.
I decided to take a walk off the ship anyway—bad idea. I wasn’t even five minutes into my stroll when the skies opened up and dumped another round of rain. Streets quickly flooded, and cars driving through the water sent waves splashing up onto anyone unlucky enough to be walking by. Perfect Nassau experience, right?
I snapped a few photos of the “scenic” areas around the port—those same run-down, neglected spots that Nassau has never bothered to clean up or make presentable. For a city that’s been raking in millions upon millions of dollars from the cruise industry for over 50 years, you’d think they’d take some pride in improving the image of the place. But instead, visitors are greeted with cracked sidewalks, trash-filled corners, and that overall sense that safety and charm weren’t high on anyone’s priority list.
That’s always been the frustrating thing about Nassau. They’ve banked on the idea that cruise lines will always stop here, so why bother improving the experience? For decades, they coasted on being the “default” Bahamas port of call, and only in the past few years—after years of criticism and with lines looking at alternatives—have they started making visible efforts to change things.
If cruise lines eventually start directing more of their ships (and their guests) to other ports in The Bahamas, or funneling people into private destinations like Royal Caribbean’s new Paradise Island Beach Club or Carnival’s Celebration Key, Nassau will have nobody to blame but themselves. Complacency only works for so long.
Main Dining Room Dinner Menu
Dinner at Bonsai Teppanyaki
After slogging through rainy Nassau, dinner tonight was a complete 180—tons of fun, and delicious. I booked a spot at Bonsai Teppanyaki, which in my opinion is one of Carnival’s best bang-for-your-buck specialty restaurants.
For those not familiar, teppanyaki is a Japanese style of cooking where the chef grills your food on a big iron flat top right in front of you. It’s equal parts dinner and performance—you’re not just eating, you’re watching knives fly, spatulas clang, and eggs get juggled while the chef keeps the energy high. It’s loud, raucous, and an absolute blast when the whole table gets into it.
Bonsai Teppanyaki Menu
Dinner kicks off with four appetizers that hit the table quickly: shrimp, pork belly, spicy tuna, and your choice of miso soup or salad.
For the main course, you choose either a single protein—salmon, lobster, shrimp, chicken, cod, filet mignon, or tofu—or a combination of two. Everything’s served with fried rice and vegetables, and by the time the chef is finished piling it on your plate, you’re wondering how you’re going to manage dessert.
And dessert is a bento box filled with six different desserts. It’s the kind of ending that makes sure nobody leaves hungry.
At $49 + 18% per person, Bonsai Teppanyaki is an incredible value. It’s just a few dollars less than Rudi’s Seagrill or Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse (both $52 pp), but here you’re getting not just a multi-course meal, but also a full show and more food than you can realistically finish. It’s easily one of Carnival’s most solid specialty dining choices, and one I never regret booking.
What’s Next: Celebration Key
Tomorrow is the big one—the highly anticipated call at Celebration Key. Carnival has poured $600 million into building this brand-new private destination on Grand Bahama Island, not far from Freeport, and it just opened a few weeks ago.
The port has been hyped for years, with promises of “portals” that offer different experiences for families, adults, and adventure-seekers. There’s a massive freshwater lagoon with a swim-up bar, beaches, water slides, kid zones, and even an adults-only retreat. It’s designed to compete directly with places like Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay, and tomorrow will be my first chance to see if it really delivers.
I’m looking forward to finally setting foot on Celebration Key and seeing if it’s worth the hype. Stay tuned.
FunTimes for August 29, 2025:
The Funtimes for August 29, 2025 is available as a PDF and can be downloaded by clicking here.