JEG Travels: Monarch Cruise, Nassau Bahamas January 2011

Monarch of the Seas Cruise

January 7-10, 2011

Part Two

Nassau Bahamas

We enjoyed smooth sailing from Port Canaveral to Nassau. We disembarked with no real plans for the day. As we were walking up towards Festival Place, the entry point into Nassau, we decided to take a guided tour. We were lucky to bump into Kendrick Curry, our guide. He looked neat and polished and gave us a great tour of Nassau and Paradise Island.

There were 11 of us in his van, six Americans and five Russians, who spoke almost no English. We all had a great time with Kendrick. We took a leisurely ride up Bay Street past the shops and straw market, cruised by the pink Parliament Buildings and down to Lighthouse Beach to stop and dip our toes in the water. The nights had been a bit chilly lately so the water was cool but still beautiful to view.

Kendrick pointed out the highlights along the way; we saw Eddie Murphy’s private island and other interesting spots such as the ‘fish fry’ area were the seafood restaurants are located. We passed a Segway tour, which looked fun but a bit dangerous in the Nassau traffic. Speaking of dangerous, we saw more than a few tourists on scooters. One woman was actually holding on to her driver crying, she was so scared. I don’t think I will venture out on a scooter in Nassau anytime soon, the traffic is crazy.

We saw some beautiful churches on our way to Fort Fincastle. We toured the fort which is located on the highest point of the island; it was built as a look out for the British troops in 1793. The Fort was never attacked, its cannons never fired in battle and it is now one of the more popular tourist attractions. Located nearby is the Queens Staircase, 65 steps carved out of the limestone walls by slaves from the island between 1793 and 1794. The area is beautiful and worth the effort to visit. In addition to beautiful views and limestone walls, you will find local vendors similar to the ones at the Straw Market on Bay Street.

We rounded out our tour visiting Paradise Island, where Anna Nicole Smith and John Travolta had houses. We spend a half hour visiting The Atlantis Hotel and Casino, we lost $20 on the video poker game and tried to look around the grounds but were stopped by security at all entry points. Unless you are a guest of the hotel or pay the per diem rate you cannot enter the grounds. It is a beautiful hotel though and very popular.

We met Kendrick in front of the hotel near the gorgeous fountain and took the quick ride back to the port. It was a nice afternoon spent with a Bahamian, who was proud to show us his country. If you are planning a visit to Nassau let me know and I will give Kendrick a call and have him give you a tour of the island. You will enjoy it!