This episode we take you to Nassau in the Bahamas
one of the most visited places in the Caribbean, in fact last year 3 million people went there,
making it one of the top five most visited Cruise ports in the world. What's there? Let's find out!
Welcome back to the Ritzy Travel Guide my name is Bill and it's great to have you all with us, this
video is part of our Cruise Guide 'Ports of Call' series, where we show you the most popular cruise
destinations around the world and find out if you should be going. This time is the turn of Nassau
under the microscope, as always in our Cruise Guide Series we rate each port on a number of factors,
we'll explain where the port is and how easy it is to get into town; what shops there are and how
far they are away. Also what sights you can expect to see, what local food you might want to try
should you self tour or would you be better off buying one? At the end of the video we'll give our
overall rating and whether we think it's a 'hit or a miss' because there are some safety advisories in
issue as we speak, and we'll cover that at the end of this video. On any given day it's choc-a-block
with cruise ships! The port can handle six ships at a time, and as cruise ships get ever bigger so do
the numbers getting off. So here's a handy little map to show you what we're going to cover in this
episode. Here's the cruise terminal and we'll be showing you how to get off the ship, we'll then
show you how to get into town and what you can expect there. And later on we'll show you some day
trip ideas, including a Rum Shack where we had far too many cocktails, but we really recommend it as
it's so different to a tourist usually go Okay onwards, so this is the view you get as you arrive
into Port first thing in the morning; unless you're really unlucky, or coming bang in hurricane
season you'll be greeted by sparkling blue sea and sunshine. Dotted along the seafront you'll see
these cute little multicolored buildings. We were on the latest Celebrity ship, the Ascent, and the
Magic Carpet on board gave excellent viewpoints after this video you can watch our dedicated
review of the Celebrity Ascent and I'll leave the links in the description. And right there
at the left you can see the new Cruise Terminal First off: let's look at what you can walk to and
then after that we'll go further a field so you've got off your ship, and do remember that as there
are spaces for six ships, depending on your luck of the draw you could either be very close to the
exit or up to a 15-minute walk. By coincidence a golf buggy happened to be going by so we hopped on
that. In the past couple of years Nassau has had a huge port upgrade. First thing you'll be greeted by
is this huge 3D screen and a clearly marked taxi stand and the tour desks, next you'll be greeted
by shops, and a lot of them. Now these ones you're looking at here are actually inside the port
area not in town, you don't even have to go out of the port gates to get to these. In fact some
passengers never even get further than here, do some retail therapy, and then get straight
back on the ship! Let's assume you're being a little bit more ambitious than that, and the
historic area is literally just outside the port gates Now, it's not a huge historic area and an
hour or two should cover it. First off you'll be met by Parliament Square, this incredibly
blue look is in Bay Street with lots of cutesy shops There are some bars and restaurants here, the
buildings are reminiscent of many other Caribbean ports they're very colorful and you'll find your
usual mix of jewelry souvenirs, you'll see lots of references to rum and rum cakes. One of the main
draws is the Straw Market. This is literally just 5 minutes walk from the port. Selfie shot! Don't
see too many of those around the world do you it's a Handicraft Center, some it can be quite
tacky to be honest, but in the mix there's also some nice wickerware and weaving.
Incidentally if it's raining there is the Pirates Museum imagine Pirates of the Caribbean! The Bahamas
was right at the center of the golden age of piracy and history tells us they bribed the then
Governor of Bahamas to use it as a base letting them operate safely, and this Museum gives you
an insight into the life and times Behind the Straw Market and the museum you're right by
the Waterfront, and yes there is a Senor Frogs! and this Waterfront has a very doable walk to
Junkanoo Beach, the nearest beach to cruise ships If you don't want to, there's no need for a taxi
if you're able-bodied you can amble there by yourself see what I mean the cruise ships are
literally just there! On Junkanoo you can hire some of those daft water paddle boats or kayaks,
if you don't want to splurge on an expensive tour, Junkanoo could be your perfect day out
you'll get reasonably cost-effective drinks and you can spread yourself out on the beach. Now
we do have a great place for a drink elsewhere in Nassau coming up in a moment but for those
who want something nearby Junkanoo ticks the boxes, is close and accessible, just be aware that
at peak times it can get busy depending on the time of year you're cruising in. By the way if
you're enjoying this video please do give it a thumbs up as it lets us know we're on the right
track and you'd like to see more of this type of material Still to come: various tours, plus we
try out a crazy street vendor selling conch sashimi, which we tried. "Check you out! Check me out!
yeah, Check you out!' But first by midday possibly earlier, you might be getting thirsty. Well first
off you could go to a rum distillery, and Watlings have a free tour, you can't get cheaper than free
and you can stare longingly at the barrels and at the end of it you can buy some rum or if you want
to eat some rum you can toddle off to one of the the rum cake shops, where they make them on site.
'Original on your right pina colada on your left' But that's not drinking rum it's eating it
and for that we suggest a nice beach front shack We were with our friends who live in Nassau,
and this is the one we stopped at it's called Mr Tropical and we got very merry,
very quick. Well could we get any more tropical than this! we decided to come down to the harbor front
to try a Bahamian cocktail! Why go to these high falutin five-star hotels when you can come here!
what's on the menu today we're at Mr Tropical here he's got all of these things I think we
might actually go from number 1 to number 6 what would you call this, a roadside rum punch
shack, what would you call it? now how powerful is this going to be am I going to be walking by the
end of it? um all depends on how much you drink now if you want me to get you not walking?! no no!
I know how to do that! I would like to be walking back onto the cruise ship at
the end of the day rather than swimming, rather than swimming back onto it! Ok he's going deep into
the back of the cupboard for this one. When he goes to the back of the cupboard you know you're
in trouble! okay what what have we got here? Baba Roots, tell us about that one. Oh this is Roots,
that if you want a good night you have to have a good day with Roots! Really, the night's going to
go well with that one is it? That's right man that's right! it's an aphrodisiac. They use it for stamina that's
what they call it. It's for stamina is it? yeah! Are you talking from experience? Yes I am! Raise the dead!
When he goes rummaging at the back, in the secret compartment you may not be standing after this! Hey that's good for the guys man, that's good for the guys! it's going to be a good evening is it?
yeah, this could bring you back to life man! The guys mix this with their drink! I don't even
know what the time is is it even drink... why it's midday. There we are we haven't started
too early have we! The Shack really has got a beautiful outlook, look at that! Azure blue sea
and most importantly a rum punch shop the other side of the road, look at that color can you see
it glowing there in the red I've got a hint of cherries, a lot of rum! If somebody was to say
is this alcoholic...? it absolutely is! I am not sure if I'm going to be walking at the end of this! it's
great just to be able to walk off the ship we've tried not to do the touristy things, we've walked
along the Shacks along the sea front been to some craft shops, you want to see the real country,
the real Island you're in, and it's great to talk to the bartenders there, who've been doing
it for years, he's been doing this since he was 15 he knows how to make a Bahama Mama drink
and I tell you what this is a good one it's a lethal... it is a lethal one! it's a good drink!
Ok he's going deep into the back of the cupboard for this one. Mango rum. oh my goodness we're
going for the orange one now. All right look at that there we go, all right this is your
own special house drink is it? Yeah I won the Bartender contest in 1999 with that and
it's also copyright. Did you? Are you an award winner, you're a Barman of the Year 1999?
That's right! Where's your plaque? You should have it there on the back of your wall. I can almost
hear the steel drums in the background as I drink this Award winning, he's award-winning! You need a
program just on him! But he did win an award for this one and it's got a slightly... honey flavor
a lot of rum, I mean all of this has rum. l mean, I I reckon if you were to say what percentage of
is rum? It's probably up to there is probably rum! it's a good drink well I mean apparently
he's, he's an international grade rum maker! By the way if you're enjoying
this video, please do give it a thumbs up as it lets us know we're on the
right track and you'd like to see more of this type of material. After
two or three of those our day was a lot more hazy! Organized tours coming up
in just a moment, but we still needed to eat. In our case Conch Sashimi, with fresh lime and salad
Go on you, know you want to give raw conch a try! let's see how it went for us, and right by the
Waterfront you'll find the most unassuming people the fishermen themselves, no fancy resorts, just
fresh from the water, direct to you You couldn't get more Bahamas than that really could you!
Not at all. This man's been carving it for years he knows what he's doing he's professional he knows it!
So all this you can eat? Eyes, mouth. Which is that? It's the eye. okay does that look appetizing?
Explain to them about this part! what is that? This is the pistol. It's the pistol... it's
aphrodesiac! [Laughter] [Music] okay hang on are we in trouble later on? Yes! okay I'm not
sure how appetizing that looks but there we go it's yummy, spaghetti yeah! yeah. okay Bill you're next! "it has aphrodisiac qualities! Does it! You can't break the bed tonight! okay go on then! okay Bill it doesn't taste... you're not going to die...you tastes a little
bit like gelatin...yeah it is gelatin But it has a lot better effects! Bill is like: I don't know what I'm doing here! Really? There's queues. I mean there are
people queuing up this conch salad of course hang on we need we need to see his knife skills
look at that! This man knows how to do it Never mind Gordon Ramsey, never mind Marco
Pierre White! 'You need to come check me out man!' Check you out! check you you're not even
looking look you're not even looking at it look you're doing it without even looking! That knife
is sharp isn't it, that would take your fingers off wouldn't it! All of them! okay what goes into
this: we've got onions, we've got peppers, tomatoes sweet peppers, yes, the conch, fresh squeezed lemon and orange... And a lot of LOVE! A lot of love! You're not looking are you! looking, but, but...I'm a bit
worried about your fingers are you sure they're OK? This guy should have his own TV show! look at that, look at that!
'I think I need my own!' He's not even looking! look at your face! His eyes aren't on the food, you know, his eyes are up here His fingers have gone! Still got 'em! Keep your worktop clean! Must be clean! None of this mess! No mess! That's going in the salad isn't it! No sir! You've been doing this for many years you. How much years do you think? I reckon you've been doing this for 40 years 35 years! We were just at a rum shop down the road where he
had International Awards... do you have international awards?! have you have you got a certificate?
after today I'll have international awards! We've got high expectations. I like the care & attention
look at that. check it out! look at that ! He's been preparing this, I have to say for at least 20
minutes, let's have a go, completely raw, let's call that Sashimi Conch. Lots of juice, what's that juice from
that juice from. Lime. Wow I can feel the kick. You can't feel that kick? I can feel that kick. It's very fresh it's... 'and you'll be good in bed!' No seriously, conch is about that! High Five! Do you have a YouTube channel are you famous?
Yes I am yes! Are you on TikTok?! Yes! Do you know what I like about Bahamas, everybody's got a character! and we really enjoyed that conch Now let's look at some of the other options on how to spend your day around Nassau Let's flit across to the other side of the cruise ships... where
you'll find Paradise Island and the imposing Atlantis Resort I mention this one because you can get day passes.
If you don't know about Atlantis it's a huge sprawling area with an aquatic
theme park there's also a casino and theming that harks back to the mythical Atlantis
Island. At the park you can take rides such as the Mayan Temple and then the Leap
of Faith, in a tube past the Sharks; and there are many other attractions. Now, it's a big
area to get around and there's also lots of pristine beaches, but be aware the day pass
doesn't come cheap. At time of filming this it's about $250 for adults, $140 for kids.
If 250 bucks seems a bit rich, there is also the cheaper Margaritaville right next door. Which
also has a Day Pass. Now admittedly it is much smaller, but still has water parks and pools
and is correspondingly cheaper at approximately $80 Now where can you go further a field?
And there are several tour options available to you so let's go through some of these:
Choice number one is snorkeling or scuba diving Especially with the turtles. Take a fast
boat out, and at the right time of year the water can be gin clear. When we went
scuba diving with turtles it was such a thrill They are so graceful, so beautiful and often curious. they come up to you, so close, blink at you and then they're on their way. You can also do this with snorkel if you're not dive certified. If you can, this is something you'll remember for a lifetime! [Music] choice of tours number two: is Pearl Island which is a half or a full day, and tours
leave right by the cruise ship, it's a 30-minute trip and on the way there in effect you get
a free harbor tour thrown in, as you go past Atlantis and the other islands, and en route you
can also do some celebrity house spotting and gawk at some of where the glitterati live, such as
the homes of Chuck Norris and the two houses side by side belonging to Jay-Z and Beyonce. Once
you get to Pearl Island you can use the beaches take in some water sports, go snorkeling, and as
you can see the waters are beautifully clear an Excursion out to Pearl Island is a great
lowcost alternative to Atlantis and Paradise Island Next tour suggestion, number three:
swimming with the pigs! This famous for quite a while, in fact Paradise Island
used to be called Hog Island and swimming with the pigs has been featured worldwide in
several newspapers and magazines, and pigs it turns out, quite like to swim in the sea
and they don't need much encouragement to come up to you, especially if you offer them
little chicken sausages on sticks or other tidbits And tour idea number four is: to the Blue Lagoon Also known as Salt Cay, the island is just 3 miles from
Nassau, where you can swim with the dolphins Blue Lagoon island is privately owned, so entry is
regulated, you have to book a package or a tour to visit the island, this includes the roundtrip
transportation via catamaran, which is a 25-minute ride Now prices do vary greatly by tour with
beach day starting at $94 for adults including lunch and $70 per child And a final suggestion for your day in
Nassau is back to self touring There's a doable walk from the port and
it takes you up the historical Queen staircase 66 steps carved out of solid Limestone by slaves in
the late 1700s and when you get the top of those 66 steps you're rewarded with a fascinating view
this is Fort Fincastle now as we mentioned at the beginning of the video, as colorful
and vibrant and fun as Nasau is, there is also a safety aspect you have to consider. In fact in some countries
have travel advisories on this. So let's look at a couple of those: firstly from the States, this
is their latest advice very recently. It refers to Level Two, which is to exercise increased caution.
Also from the UK, roughly the same thing, suggest sticking to the 'main tourist areas, don't stray
too far off the beaten track.' So there you are things to be careful about, but I must say whenever
we've been in the Bahamas we've had a great time we've enjoyed ourself, but as in anywhere around
the world you do have to keep your wits about you and that's the same anywhere you travel. So at the very beginning of the video we said we would rate Nassau as to whether it's a Hit or a Miss, if
you're coming by cruise ship, and I think we can very definitely give it a solid 7 or 8 out of 10.
Now why not lower or why not higher? For a start, the sheer numbers arriving every day,
it's not really going to be off the Beaten Track anymore There are smaller Caribbean islands that
are going to be much more your archetypal idea of paradise at sea, but that being said for a
port stop that is so close to Florida that has pretty guaranteed weather all round, for those
of you on a short, hot cruise, it's very good at what it does. The port is brand new, there are no
tender boats, you're very very close to town, and just 5 minutes walk. It would be a welcome, warm port
stop, with plenty of sunshine. So as we said we have an increasing number of Cruise Port Guides
on our Channel, we're adding to them regularly, as well as many reviews of cruise ships, you can
also see those in our playlist dedicated to those If you found this video helpful, please leave a comment down below. Thank you so much for joining us on the Ritzy Travel Guide
it's been an absolute pleasure having you with us! You can watch some of our other videos here
or indeed here, and we'll see you in those!
