Author Topic: Bahamas Master Thread (Read 443049 times)

We originally were a group of four, and one of us wasn't able to make it, so he called to cancel, and not only did they refund him about $70 more than he originally paid, but he also negotiated getting miles from the canceled flight! To do this you just basically gotta hope that you get a CSR that's not terribly bright (shouldn't be too difficult), and if anyone starts giving you problems immediately hang up and just try again.

Things I learned on the island so far:

1) People here are pretty religious and very moral, I really don't worry about walking around at night at all, even with my wallet or anything; people seem very helpful. (Appreciating that 98% of their economy is tourism-based may have something to do with it, but no matter.)

2) There's no reason to exchange money, the rate is 1:1 and to be honest I haven't even seen any money changers. It's a tax-free island, but some local products and specialty items will be taxed. Our hotel told us that at the end of our trip they'll take whatever Bahamiam money we have at 1:1, so no worries.

3) Buses are 1.25 to "Downtown", where many of the locals shop, but we actually paid the lady an extra faresworth and she took us to another area, with a bunch of stores all within 5 or 10 minutes walk of each other: True Value (for some reason they call it Kelly's), CostRight (like Costco, but no membership required), a nicely equipped grocery/hardware store (I forgot it's name), and most importantly Bristol (best prices for alcohol you will find - they supply most of the hotels, and they deliver for free!).

4) We hitch around a lot; as I said before the people are very nice, but then again we are 3 20yo guys, so our comfort level may be a bit easier to satisfy!

5) Our flight with AA gave us each 2 free checked in bags (intl.), but we were looking to be somewhat minimalist, so we just packed a suitcase with: tons of suntan lotion, cereal, Nature Valley Bars, bread, pita for lechem mishna, condiments/spices, chulent kit, grape juice for kiddush, coffee, and lots of frozen meat. A cholent pot and grill wouldn't hurt either. The cereal, condiments/spices, coffee, and bars could be bought here, but they'll be slightly more expensive. Kosher bread is a big hock out here, and I am still yet to see any grape juice. Of course you have no chance of finding kosher meat out here, but we did get to know a fisherman by Port Lucaya that was sell us unprepared medium-sized snappers for $3-$4, if you guys don't mind filleting and cooking it yourself.

6) Everything at Port Lucaya is going to be at 50% sales, according to the locals the sales have started since the stores opened, so don't get too excited. Men's haircuts cost $15-20, so get that done state-side. And the handmade pipes they sell are too small for tobacco, so unless you plan on using it for other things don't bother!

7) The cheapest alcohol I already said where to get. If you want to hit up the bars though, there's a $1 Bacardi shot bar right by the water in Port Lucaya (strangely enough I can't remember the name of it!), and a few bars offer 2/$5 Corona, Sands, and Kalik. The Sands is actually very good, tastes very similar to a Heineken, but the Kalik is pretty gross. Oh, and it's legal to drink in public, and according to the bartender we spoke with there aren't any DUI/DWI laws either (a little scary)...

8] This island is obsessed with "Bahama Mamas"; the Bell Channel actually offers a free one at their orientation. The problem is, it has coconut rum and grenadine in it, so we just asked them to hold those parts (the rest is pretty good too- Bacardi 151, OJ, Pineapple Juice, and Ice). To my knowledge, all unflavored Bacardi (including Bacardi 151 Rum - 75% alcohol) is kosher. This stuff is actually illegal in many countries because of its high alcohol content, so if you're going to bring something back...

9) All the beaches are public/free, even the ones directly behind the hotels. For the first two days we went to "The Radisson at Our Lucaya", which we were pretty happy with, and then we found out that it's actually one of the worst beaches! We then moved on to Taino Beach, and that place was much nicer and much more secluded. They also have little tables/umbrellas set up, aside from the usual beach chairs, etc. We hope to check out Xanadu and Goldenrock, as those are rumored to be the nicest, but they're not quite as close as the others. I can not stress this enough, suntan lotion, suntan lotion, SUNTAN LOTION!! This is not a sun that you are used to, even if you're from Miami!

10) Snorkeling at the beach is $20 for the day rental, or you can buy a set at some places for $25. Fishing and/or snorkeling off a boat is $40-50 for 3 hours, and jetskiing is $70/hour.

11) There is a casino at Our Lucaya, we're still yet to check it out though. There is no Chabad.

What do you think / Any Questions? I guess I'll write some more at trip's end...

Oh, and THANKS DAN!!!!!

ChAiM'l · « **Reply #47 on:** June 10, 2010, 06:32:06 PM »

@aposhiteryid
Thanks for being considerate and taking the time to write a TR.

Dan · « **Reply #48 on:** June 10, 2010, 06:58:23 PM »

Thanks for writing up a trip report!!!
Have a blast!

Lou Bob · « **Reply #49 on:** June 11, 2010, 12:04:46 AM »

"We originally were a group of four, and one of us wasn't able to make it, so he called to cancel, and not only did they refund him about $70 more than he originally paid, but he also negotiated getting miles from the canceled flight! To do this you just basically gotta hope that you get a CSR that's not terribly bright (shouldn't be too difficult), and if anyone starts giving you problems immediately hang up and just try again."

I spent (many) hours trying to get a refund! they want to charge me the $150 airline fee. i called over and over and they all say the same thing(hard to find that type of csr).

what did your friend say that they let him cancel???

APoshiterYid · « **Reply #50 on:** June 15, 2010, 12:55:29 PM »

@Lou: I asked my friend, and he said that all he did was call and ask, nothing to it. He did book on one of those fancy AmEx cards, maybe that had something to do with it, but he doesn't think so. Maybe he just got lucky? Either way, good luck!

----------------

Trip Notes Part 2:

First of all, the water there is fine, or at least the three of us were unaffected by it. It tastes a little chalky, like Miami water, but really nothing too bad.

We never made it to the International Bazaar, or Downtown. I don’t think there is really much to see there, although we’re not really into the tourist trap type areas. It could be it’s more family oriented or whatever.

We never made it to Xanadu, but we did make it to Gold Rock Beach. (It’s in a national park, so it costs $3 per person for admission, but well worth it. Also at the park they have some underwater caves or something, but we didn’t have time for that.) It’s the beach where all the corona commercials are filmed, and parts of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 were also filmed there. It's this really gorgeous beach with really clear water, but the only thing is you have to make sure you are there for low tide. This site has tide charts for Freeport, that's the best I could find. To be honest I'm not sure how tides work and if they will be similar, but ask some locals. The slope there is nearly nonexistent, and you can walk out about 100 meters before the water reaches your shoulders. The problem is that if you’re there during high tide, the water comes all the way out and you have no sand.

You can rent scooters at Lucaya and some resorts for 8 hours or the whole day, at 40-60 per rental. If you want you can rent them to get around, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it to get to Gold Rock, because its pretty far and a bit confusing. We took a cab from our hotel and it took just over 30 minutes I think, cost $75 for the three of us.

I would highly recommend the snorkeling at Taino Beach, the rental was only $10 for the day (til 430) and by the reefs and rocks there were all sorts of fish, it was pretty nice. Also, when leaving Taino Beach we hitched a ride with a ferry to Port Lucaya. I think it goes back and forth twice a day, but there are tons of boats you can try your luck with.

The last night we went to the casino in Our Lucaya. There are tons of slots, Blackjack tables, and 3 card Poker, but disappointingly no Texas Hold ‘Em. Two things good to know there: Sands Beer is complimentary to gamblers, even the two-cent slots! There’s basically one waitress for the whole place, so drinks can take a while, but blowing a dollar in the 2 cent slots for a cold one ain’t too bad! Also, at the player’s club desk to the right when you walk in, there is a promotion for $10 of free play. Just two things to help you stretch your buck at the casino!

Also a warning, as we found out the hard way. If you plan on getting any tobacco/alcohol at duty free, the one in the airport doesn’t open til 9AM. Also, if you buy any liquids in the airport, and you then have a stopover like we did, TSA might give you issues with bringing liquids on the plane. Instead you can buy stuff at the duty free store in Port Lucaya. I’m not sure if it’s as cheap, but it may be all you can do.

Have a good time! And thanks again Dan, you're the man!!

Dan · « **Reply #51 on:** June 15, 2010, 01:07:48 PM »

Quote from: APoshiterYid on June 15, 2010, 12:55:29 PM

Have a good time! And thanks again Dan, you're the man!!

Thank you for the report!
Over 500 people bought tickets but you're the first to write up a great trip report!

Columbiadorm · « **Reply #52 on:** October 26, 2010, 02:48:51 PM »

I just booked a cruise on NCL from Miami to the Bahamas.. This is my itinerary:
Depart Arrive
Mon     Miami      - -      5:00 PM
Tue      Grand Bahama Island    8:00 AM    5:00 PM
Wed      Nassau      8:00 AM    6:00 PM
Thu      Great Stirrup Cay    8:00 AM    5:00 PM
Fri      Miami      7:00 AM    - -

Can anyone give me any ideas of what to do on the islands: book through NCL's Excursions or set up my own? so far people have told me to go do either/or but no real good reason why..

Also, whats the deal with the food on the ship?

Any other tips? this is our 1st cruise.

thanx...

bades · « **Reply #53 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:17:12 AM »

paradise island bahamas..
Is there kosher food that can be obtained there through chabad.. can one bring in raw meat and chicken into the island?

Chachem Balaileh · « **Reply #54 on:** February 27, 2011, 02:32:40 PM »

Im taking the same cruise this week any pointers?
Also what did u do about phone service?
i spoke to sprint its $2.99 min on board and with inter,plan while on island it goes down to $1.99 min
any sug.?

Quote from: Columbiadorm on October 26, 2010, 02:48:51 PM

I just booked a cruise on NCL from Miami to the Bahamas.. This is my itinerary:
Depart Arrive
Mon     Miami      - -      5:00 PM
Tue      Grand Bahama Island    8:00 AM    5:00 PM
Wed      Nassau      8:00 AM    6:00 PM
Thu      Great Stirrup Cay    8:00 AM    5:00 PM
Fri      Miami      7:00 AM    - -

Can anyone give me any ideas of what to do on the islands: book through NCL's Excursions or set up my own? so far people have told me to go do either/or but no real good reason why..

Also, whats the deal with the food on the ship?

Any other tips? this is our 1st cruise.

thanx...

Columbiadorm · « **Reply #55 on:** February 28, 2011, 03:05:05 PM »

Quote from: Chachem Balaileh on February 27, 2011, 02:32:40 PM

Im taking the same cruise this week any pointers?
Also what did u do about phone service?
i spoke to sprint its $2.99 min on board and with inter,plan while on island it goes down to $1.99 min
any sug.?

I apologize. I have yet to put up the trip report which i had put together during the trip. I will edit it soon and post.

Chachem Balaileh: I will PM you my contact info and give you a quick rundown.

puddles · « **Reply #56 on:** November 03, 2011, 11:08:24 AM »

Its been a while since anyone posted in this thread but I could use some advice. Thinking of booking in Dec. Jetblue vacations has a deal with the Sheraton Nassau Resort which has iffy reviews on Tripadvisor. anyone have any suggestions? also, any update on the kosher food down there? Hope someone can help!

shirlhak · « **Reply #57 on:** January 10, 2012, 11:32:23 AM »

Hi I will be traveling to bahamas in april. We will be staying at the sheraton nassau beach resort.

We would like to go visit atlantis for one or two days and i was wondering how hard it is to get in to use their water ammenities?

Any tips?

Thanks!

Columbiadorm · « **Reply #58 on:** January 10, 2012, 12:12:39 PM »

Quote from: shirlhak on January 10, 2012, 11:32:23 AM

Hi I will be traveling to bahamas in april. We will be staying at the sheraton nassau beach resort.

We would like to go visit atlantis for one or two days and i was wondering how hard it is to get in to use their water ammenities?

Any tips?

Thanks!

I'm a bad boy for never getting my trip report in. I sat every night and made a detailed report, unfortunately I don't know where it is now.

As for your Q, While I was on my cruise they had told us that Atlantis will sell out by the time we get there and they wanted to sell tickets which they had pre-purchased at a higher rate.

Long story short, they (the cruise people) are FOS and we just bought the tickets once we arrived there. We were directed into the Casio where they had a booth selling tickets for entrance into the resort.

bades · « **Reply #59 on:** January 10, 2012, 12:35:06 PM »

Quote from: shirlhak on January 10, 2012, 11:32:23 AM

Hi I will be traveling to bahamas in april. We will be staying at the sheraton nassau beach resort.

We would like to go visit atlantis for one or two days and i was wondering how hard it is to get in to use their water ammenities?

Any tips?

Thanks!

FYI the sheraton nassau is a pretty lousy hotel, i would advise to stay on near the atlantis

Topic Wiki

Author Topic: Bahamas Master Thread (Read 443049 times)