Question 1

Nassau on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Nassau is easy to see on your own, because its markets, government buildings and two forts are all within walking distance of the ship. A morning on foot downtown and an afternoon at a beach by jitney or taxi makes a full day. Downtown on foot: Walk along Bay Street, the main street, to the Straw Market and on to Parliament Square, where the pink government buildings stand. The Pompey Museum, in the old Vendue House, tells the story of enslaved Africans in the Bahamas. Up to the fort: Climb the Queen's Staircase, cut from the limestone in 1793 and 1794, to Fort Fincastle, built in 1793 on Bennet's Hill, the highest point of Nassau, with views over the city and Paradise Island. A beach afternoon: Jitney 10 to Cable Beach loads at George Street and Bay Street. Jitneys stop running in the early evening, and none go to Paradise Island, which is a taxi ride. Use licensed rides: Licensed taxis have yellow license plates, and the fare should be agreed before you set off. Take water taxis, jet skis and boat rides only from licensed operators. Stay in the busy areas: Downtown Nassau has regular police patrols. Avoid walking outside the main tourist areas and beaches, especially alone. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Nassau keeps US Eastern time, including daylight saving time, but all-aboard is given in ship's time, so go by the ship's clock.

Question 2

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Downtown Nassau is small enough to walk, and the distances between its sights are short. For the beaches and Paradise Island, use a jitney, the local minibus, or a taxi. Jitneys load on and near Bay Street and often wait until they are full before leaving. Routes are run by several companies, so ask for your destination before you board. Jitneys 10 and 10A run between Bay Street at George Street and Cable Beach. Fares are low and paid to the driver, who gives no change, so carry small bills and check the fare before you go. Taxis, often minivans, have meters but rarely use them, so agree the fare first, including whether it is per person or per car. A water taxi also crosses from downtown to Paradise Island. Traffic drives on the left, although most cars, including rentals, are left-hand drive, as in the United States.

Question 3

Food and Drink

Accepted Answer

Conch is the national dish of the Bahamas, served raw in a salad with citrus, or deep-fried as cracked conch, usually with peas and rice. The Fish Fry at Arawak Cay is the place to try it among residents. The Fish Fry is a strip of small restaurants and stands on West Bay Street, on Arawak Cay, about a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute drive from the port. Potter's Cay, under the Paradise Island bridge, has a fish market and stalls that make conch salad and conch fritters to order. Kalik is the national beer. Bahamian rum cake, made with rum distilled on the islands, is sold in shops at the port.

Question 4

Tipping in the Bahamas

Accepted Answer

The Bahamian dollar is fixed one to one with the US dollar, and US dollars are accepted everywhere at the same value. Restaurants in the Bahamas generally add a service charge, often 15 percent, so read the bill before you leave anything more. When a service charge is on the bill, any further tip is up to you. Some businesses take credit and debit cards, but carry some cash. Jitney drivers give no change, so small bills help.

Question 5

Culture

Accepted Answer

Junkanoo, the street parade of costumed groups, drums and cowbells, is the Bahamas' great festival, and Nassau holds its biggest parades downtown. Outside the parade dates, the Bahamas Museum of Junkanoo, inside the cruise port, is the place to learn about it. The Boxing Day parade on December 26 runs through downtown Nassau in the early hours of the morning, and there is another on New Year's Day. Junkanoo costumes are built by hand from crepe paper and cardboard, and groups spend months preparing them. The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, at West Street and West Hill Street, shows Bahamian art in a restored house that was once the Chief Justice's residence. The Nassau Public Library, on the southern side of Parliament Square, is an octagonal building put up as a jail in 1797, about a five-minute walk from the port.

Question 6

History

Accepted Answer

Nassau began as an English settlement called Charles Town in 1670, became a pirate base in the early 1700s, and grew into the capital of the Bahamas, which became independent in 1973. Much of that past can be traced on foot from the cruise wharf. The Lucayans: The first people of the islands, the Lucayans, arrived from elsewhere in the Caribbean between about 500 and 800 AD. Columbus landed in the Bahamas in October 1492, and by 1520 the Spanish had carried off almost all of the Lucayans as forced laborers. Charles Town, 1670: Settlers from Bermuda had lived on New Providence since 1666, and in 1670 the town that became Nassau was founded as Charles Town, after Charles II. Spanish forces burned it in 1684. Renamed Nassau, 1695: The rebuilt town was renamed in honor of King William III, of the House of Nassau. The pirates' republic: With no lawful governor between 1703 and 1718, Nassau became a home port for pirates including Benjamin Hornigold and Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard. Woodes Rogers, 1718: The new royal governor arrived in late July 1718, pardoned the pirates who surrendered and brought the colony back under British rule. Wartime raids: American Continental Marines raided Nassau in 1776, Spain captured it in 1782, and a Loyalist force retook it in 1783. The Loyalists and the forts: After the American Revolution, Loyalists settled in Nassau with the people they enslaved, and Governor Lord Dunmore, who served from 1787 to 1796, built Fort Charlotte and Fort Fincastle. Some 600 enslaved people cut the Queen's Staircase from the rock in 1793 and 1794. Emancipation, 1834: Slavery ended in the Bahamas in August 1834. Independence, 1973: The Bahamas gained self-government in 1964, and Lynden Pindling became the first Black premier in 1967. The country became independent on July 10, 1973. To learn more ashore: The Pompey Museum of Slavery and Emancipation, in the 18th-century Vendue House in downtown Nassau, looks at slavery and emancipation in the Bahamas.

Question 7

Traveling with Kids

Accepted Answer

Nassau works well with children because the forts and the Junkanoo museum are close to the ship, and a zoo and a long public beach are a short ride away. Plan the day around the age of your youngest. Younger children: Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre, the Bahamas' zoo, is known above all for its flamingos, the national bird, and keeps about 200 animals. School age: Climb the Queen's Staircase to Fort Fincastle, which has cannons on display, then see the costumes in the Bahamas Museum of Junkanoo at the port. Teenagers: Fort Charlotte, the largest of Nassau's forts, stands on a hill over the western harbor, and a jitney ride to Cable Beach afterward is a simple trip on local transport. Atlantis: The resort on Paradise Island has a water park and a walk-in aquarium. Ask the resort what is open to visitors who are not staying there before you plan the day around it. Water safety: Do not swim at dusk or at night, when the risk from sharks is higher, and never swim where a tour operator has put bait in the water.

Question 8

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

Downtown Nassau is close to the ship and its distances are short, but some sights involve steps and slopes. Arrange any wheelchair help through your ship rather than the port. The port asks passengers who need a wheelchair to request one from their shipboard team. The Queen's Staircase has 65 steps and rises about 100 feet, so reach Fort Fincastle by road instead; it is about five minutes from the port by car. Taxis in Nassau are often minivans, so ask for one with room for a folded wheelchair. Fort Charlotte stands on a hill above the western harbor, so a taxi is easier than the 30-minute walk.

Question 9

Shopping

Accepted Answer

The Straw Market, a few steps from the port, is where most visitors shop for straw work and souvenirs. Bay Street adds jewelry boutiques and souvenir shops, and the port's own shops focus on goods made in the Bahamas. The Straw Market reopened in 2011 after a fire in 2001 destroyed the old market, and it is open on all sides. Haggling is expected at the Straw Market, and a sense of humor helps. Most Cuban cigars sold in Nassau are counterfeit, so buy only from a dedicated tobacconist if you buy at all. Conch pearls come from the Bahamas, but they are rare and expensive.

Question 10

Beaches

Accepted Answer

Junkanoo Beach, at the western edge of downtown, is the closest to the ship. The longer beaches are a ride away: Cable Beach in the hotel district to the west, and Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island. Cable Beach is Nassau's hotel strip, and jitneys 10 and 10A run there from Bay Street. Cabbage Beach is on Paradise Island, which is a taxi ride over the harbor bridges. Watch for jet skis when you swim. Most swimming areas are marked by buoys, but not everyone keeps out of them. Jet ski rentals in the Bahamas are poorly regulated, and there have been fatal accidents and reports of assaults by operators in Nassau, so think twice before renting one.

Nassau

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A day in Nassau — with kids

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