Janet LeBlanc

We did a shore excursion in Nassau – the Rainbow Reef Snorkeling. It was lovely, although there wasn't much in the way of instruction or safety emphasized. I am a PADI diver so I had covered the basics with our crew, and I kept and eye on those among our kids most likely to encounter problems so we were fine, but there was room for disappointment or anxiety if real novices got out there, had no clue what they were doing and encountered any problems. That said, the fish were abundant and the water was perfect. Nassau proper was so-so. I would not bother to go back myself. We were in town long enough for the girls to get the required hair braiding done (we paid $20 / head), but otherwise did not have much incentive to hang around. The "straw market" was a cheesy dive, and the prices were not especially remarkable. I saw very little straw there compared to the plethora of trinket souvenirs – ironically I saw small silk purses identical to ones my sister-in-law bought as souvenirs in Thailand last year!!! Oriental Trading Company??? My husband spent about 15 minutes in Nassau before he had enough; the constant shilling didn't agree with him although I will say that I have seen worse. In fact, although the locals were there at every step wanting you to buy this or that, they were presentable, and not too aggressive. My husband and our 16 year old son went back to the ship leaving me with the girls and our 15 year old son to poke around awhile longer and get the girls' hair braided. Once the two older guys peeled off from the rest of the family, they were approached with offers of "pretty girls" for sale, so while Nassau may have gotten the blatant hookers off the streets and cleaned the place up, the seedy side is apparently still alive and well just below the tourist tidy surface. I have heard that the beaches in Nassau are lovely, but I am afraid that between the hair braiding and snorkeling, we didn't get out to any of the beaches so I cannot comment from my own experience. We had no interest in seeing the Atlantis Hotel, so that "attraction" was lost on us. I recommend the snorkeling (it would be ideal for scuba) and I will recommend the beaches on hearsay, but the city of Nassau itself is probably not the high point of a Caribbean holiday.

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Nassau, Bahamas Shore Excursions

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