Overview of Main Port Of Call - Nassau/Paradise Island - Bahamas Nassau, the capital of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is the largest city on New Providence, one of its smaller islands. Half of the Bahamas' quarter million residents live on New Providence.
It's one of the most well trafficked cruise ship ports (Nassau can handle up to seven vessels in a day), and one of the reasons for its immense popularity is its easy proximity to the Florida coast. As such, Nassau is a cornerstone not only of many seven-night Caribbean trips but also cruising's popular two- and three-night voyages.
Nassau, which has quite a colorful history -- pirates and swashbucklers and such -- has, in more recent times, become quite famous for a very different sort of attraction. It is home to Atlantis, a mega-resort that's a little-slice-'o-Vegas, featuring attractions ranging from an Aquarium to the "big dig." Otherwise, Nassau's other claim to fame is its duty-free status for items ranging from Cuban cigars to liquor.
Getting Around On Foot: You're docked in downtown Nassau.
Taxis: Taxis are available at the dock.
Surreys: On Bay Street you can hire a horse and surrey and ride through Nassau.
Rental Cars: Avis (800-831-2847) is at the dock and on Paradise Island; daily rates are quoted from $70. Bahamians drive on the left side of the road.
Ferries: A ferry service operates from Prince George Wharf to neighboring Paradise Island; the fare is a reasonable $3 each way. However, despite boasts of its 10-minute travel time -- and indeed, it only takes ten minutes to get there once you are underway -- be forewarned: the actual journey takes an hour (boats typically do not leave every 30 minutes as advertised). If you are time-crunched, this is not a good way to get to or from Paradise Island (if time is an issue, take a taxi. Fares are $4 per person each way - cabs wait until they fill up with at least six folks - and $1 for the bridge toll).
Another caveat: each ferry features a "tour guide" who will offer a sometimes interesting, sometimes time-wasting insight on Nassau and the Bahamas. Passengers are expected to ante-up a tip.
Don't Miss Shopping in Nassau, where duty-free and tax-free goods abound. Head for Bay Street, Nassau's main drag, which boasts a plethora of T-shirt shops and duty-free liquor stores. There are a few gems tucked in between, selling gorgeous fashions, crystal, linen and art. The famous Nassau Straw Market burned a few years ago; the city has re-established it, a few blocks further, under a big tent. The space is quite warm, crowded and claustrophobic, however; a better bet, particularly for higher quality straw hats and such, is the very charming shopping area at the dock's terminal.
Surrey rides through town from Rawson Square.
Nassau's historic sites, which include Government House (Duke Street, Parliament Square and Fort Charlotte (there's a great view from this circa-1788 fort's ramparts).
Scuba diving (and snorkeling). Nassau's waterways are known as the "tongue of the ocean" -- a stretch of 12 shipwrecks within miles of the shore. There are numerous diver shops (check out bahamas.com for more information).
Blue Lagoon Island, with its powder white beach and clear waters, has hammocks and watersports; it's a short ferry ride from the cruise ship docks.
Been There, Done That High tea at the British Colonial Hilton; the recently refurbished hotel was a location for two James Bond flicks, "Never Say Never" and "Thunderball."
The glitzy Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island (a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Nassau) has expanded options for cruise passengers who may want to spend the day there. Previously, Atlantis charged $25 per person for day visitors for an hour-long tour of its archeological sites, lagoon and aquarium.
But now the resort is loosening up a bit and while it's still charging $25 per person ($19 for kids) the pass allows passenger access to most of the hotspots --including the Dig, the beach and the world's largest marine habitat without any kind of self-imposed time limit. The only major area off-limits are the Atlantis' pools and waterslides, where you need a wristband verifying your registration at the resort.
Passes are sold at a kiosk on the cruise ship dock and at the Coral Towers Guest Services Deck at the resort itself. Get there via a watertaxi near the port for $3 per person each way.
The Cloisters at Versailles Gardens (the Ocean Club) are the remains of a 14th century French stone monastery.
Doongalik Studios (Village Road, Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) showcases Bahamian art and Junkanoo artifacts.
Pirates Museum (Marlborough Street, Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. - noon), great for kids, has interactive exhibits. Tours are scheduled every half hour.
Beaches Best Beach for the Dedicated Beach Bum: Head for Arawak Cay, a ten-minute taxi ride from Nassau; it's famed for its pastel-colored shacks, selling all sorts of local delicacies.
Best Beach for Active Types (and best for a half-day visit): The beach on Paradise Island where you can find all manner of watersports rentals and eateries. Second choice? Cable Beach, along which is lined a strip of resorts (and all the usual beach amenities).
Secluded Beach: The southern shore is called "the back of the island," and Adelaide Village, a community first settled by African slaves in the 1830s, is located here. Small brightly colored huts are clustered near the almost-empty beach where conch shells litter its shore.
Lunching Casual Restaurants: Poop Deck West (just west of Cable Beach, every day but Monday, from noon) serves Bahamian cuisine and is right on the beach.
The Pink Pearl Cafe (East Bay Street, Monday - Friday from 11:30 a.m.) offers Bahamian cuisine in a quaint setting.
Crocodile's Waterfront Bar & Grill (on East Bay Street just west of the Paradise Island Bridge)is a great place to sit outside under thatched tiki huts overlooking the harbor and Paradise Island for a cocktail and conch fritters. Open 11 a.m. to midnight daily.
The shacks at Potter's Cay (near the Paradise Island Bridge) or Arawak Cay (junction of West Bay and Chippingham Road) serve up fresh conch fritters, conch salad and cracked conch.
At the Bahamian Kitchen (Trinity Place, Monday - Saturday from 11:30 a.m., Sundays from noon.) you can have traditional Bahamian cuisine in a casual setting.
Gourmet Lunching: In town, check out Cafe Matisse (Bank Lane behind Parliament Square, from 10 a.m. Tuesday - Saturday).
Watch Out For Pay phones in the Bahamas do not accept pre-paid long distance phone cards (and cell phones either don't connect or are on "roaming"); you can, however, use major credit cards and telephone company cards to call the U.S.
Where You're Docked 
Nassau, the island's capital city, is a bustling port town that's unabashedly geared to tourists.
