Our second port-of-call on this six-day Bahamas cruise on Carnival Vista finds us visiting the second-worst port in the Caribbean—Nassau. On Thursday, we visit the worst! While Nassau has attempted to reinvent itself by completely rebuilding the cruise port, many, including myself, say this is nothing more than lipstick on a pig.
Cruise passengers often complain about Nassau due to issues like overcrowding, aggressive vendors, and limited or repetitive activities. With multiple cruise ships docking at once, Nassau can become congested, leading to long lines and crowded streets.
Aggressive vendors and tour operators near the port are also a big bone of contention, along with some areas around the port being run-down, making passengers feel uneasy. The beach experience can also be disappointing, as many of the more accessible or desirable beaches are either private or require entry fees, leaving fewer options for those seeking a free or quiet spot to relax.
While Nassau offers some popular attractions, like Atlantis and snorkeling excursions, these options often vary in quality and price, leading some passengers to consider Nassau a “been there, done that” destination and not even bother to get off the ship.
Along with Carnival Vista, we were joined in port by Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas; the original Disney Cruise Line ship, Disney Magic; and the oldest vessel in the Carnival fleet, Carnival Elation. While four ships may seem like a lot in Nassau, the recent renovations to the port increased its capacity to accommodate up to six.
Nassau is always one of the lowest-rated ports by cruise passengers in guest surveys, which has led the major lines to start coming up with even more alternatives. Carnival Cruise Line is set to open another private destination, Celebration Key, in 2025, and Royal Caribbean will open a Royal Beach Club in summer 2025, all within striking distance of Nassau. These join Disney’s newest private island, Lighthouse Point, which opened in June 2024.
It’s important to note that Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Princess Cruises, Holland America, and Disney already have existing private destinations in the Bahamas, so adding more sends a strong message.
What the future holds for Nassau once these new private destinations open remains to be seen, but it’s pretty safe to say cruise lines will prioritize taking their guests to their own destinations rather than one that always gets low scores.
For those who chose to get off the ship, the new port area features plenty of new shops, restaurants, and places to grab a cold beverage—including a wine bar. There’s also a large hair braiding pavilion—think head lice, folks, and skip it.
Across the street, if you dare to venture out into town, is the “world famous” straw market with local vendors hawking their wares and harassing you to buy junk. And then there’s the port favorite, Señor Frog’s, where hangovers are created.
Venturing out into the city on your own isn’t recommended. In fact, the United States State Department has a Level 2 Travel Advisory for Nassau and Freeport:
The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands. In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the “Over the Hill” area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population. Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occurs in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence.
Activities involving commercial recreational watercraft, including water tours, are not consistently regulated. Watercraft may be poorly maintained, and some operators may not have safety certifications. Always review and heed local weather and marine alerts before engaging in water-based activities. Commercial watercraft operators have discretion to operate their vessels regardless of weather forecasts; injuries and fatalities have occurred. Due to these safety concerns, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to use independently operated jet-ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Islands.
-US State Department
Like me, the majority of passengers decided to stay onboard, so the ship was pretty busy throughout the day, and those who decided to head ashore were back early, allowing us to depart on time.
With the Vista having propulsion issues, we had a little assist from a tug to make sure we didn’t get too close to the neighboring Disney Magic!
When it came to evening activities, in the ship’s main theater, another production show was set, along with three stand-up comedy shows, which one of my fellow passengers said, “OMG, people were walking out left and right; he was so bad.” There was also the White Party scheduled for later in the evening in the Atrium, where everyone is supposed to wear white and… not black out.
A few notes on the casino. I haven’t had much luck at all, despite a (very) small win the other night. The casino on the Carnival Vista features table games and slots and is a smoking casino. However, outside the main casino and down the hall is a (very) small non-smoking casino with a handful of slots and a few table games. There is no casino bar, so unless you’re playing, you can’t flag down a cocktail server to get you a drink; you have to leave, find a bar, get your drink, then return.
Another big change Carnival has made is in the way points are calculated, and free drinks are earned. Previously, 1 point was earned for every $2.50 cycled through a slot machine. That has changed to 1 point for every $2. As far as free drinks are concerned, previously if you reached 1500 points, you would automatically qualify for free drinks while playing. Now, you need to cycle $4,000 through the slots to earn free drinks, an increase from $3,750.
On to dinner! I continue to avoid the main dining room on Carnival and haven’t made up my mind whether I’m going to try it on Vista, so I headed back to Cucina del Capitano, the Italian restaurant.
I didn’t have a reservation, but I climbed the stairs up to Deck 11 around 8:30 pm and was shown a table in a fairly empty restaurant. There were just two other tables besides mine, and by the time I was finished with dinner, I was the only one left.
This time, I asked my server to order me what she would eat if she had the opportunity. I told her, “Don’t tell me what you’re bringing me, just bring it.”
On Day 1, when I had dinner here, I mentioned that the “fresh baked bread” was cold. It was cold again tonight.
The first thing she brought over was an order of Arancini. Breaded and fried rice balls, which were both cheesy and crispy. Not a bad choice.
Next up, Nonna’s Meatball. They finally corrected the menu, as it previously referred to “Meatballs,” but you only got one. This was your average golf-ball-sized meatball, which Nonna probably wasn’t in the back making, but it wasn’t horrible.
Next up was the main course, which was an absolutely delicious Braised Short Rib with a side of Spaghetti. The beef was fork-tender and very flavorful, and the sauce complemented it well. The pasta was cooked al dente with a light tomato sauce. Definitely a winner.
For dessert, she brought me two small cannoli. My only complaint was the cannoli shell itself was a little “toasted.” Otherwise, it had a light but sweet filling, which made for a nice ending to the meal.
My only complaint about this evening’s meal was… my beer was warm. I ordered Peroni beer twice, and each time it was warm.
On a 1 to 5 rating, with 5 being best, I’m giving this one a 4.
Our next stop is the number one worst cruise destination on any Bahamas/Caribbean itinerary—Freeport. We arrive around 8 am, so hang around for that. As always, thanks for following along.
Fun Times for Day 4:
The Fun Times for September 4, 2024 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.