Trip Report: Nassau, Bahamas

Greetings from Nassau on New Providence Island. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas.

There is so much new construction taking place in Nassau. There is a brand new cruise terminal to greet visitors arriving via cruise ships.

 

The terminal area is a mix of brick-and-mortar shops and a lot of these kiosk stores.

Directly across Bay Street from the cruise terminal is Rawson Square, home to the Bahamian Parliament buildings. Bay Street is block-after-block of souvenir shops, jewelry stores and restaurants.

It's not necessary to purchase an excursion to see many of the highlights of Nassau. They can easily be accessed on foot from the cruise terminal which is downtown.

The Queen's Staircase is within walking distance. It was carved by slaves in the late 1700's into solid limestone.

Arriving at the top, numerous straw market vendors along with Fort Fincastle. It was built in 1793. Admission is just $3.00.

From up here you can see the cruise port, the busiest in the world. In port today were Carnival Sunshine, Disney Magic, our ship Carnival Glory and MSC Seashore. Only 4 ships in port today and we've seen 6 ships here on occasion. That large building on the left is the brand new U.S. Embassy building.

Nassau's famous water tower has been closed for around 20 years following a hurricane that came through. In the news this past month is that someone is going to finally repair and reopen it! There is an elevator in the middle of the structure but going up via the circular staircase was always a highlight of any visit to Nassau. Because of its height, the views from the open-air top far exceed the views from Fort Fincastle.

From Fort Fincastle you can also see the Atlantis Resort on adjacent Paradise Island.This pic we took later was better so we're posting this view.

Also visible a bit farther off, the Baha Mar Resort complex on Cable Beach. You can see why Nassau is the number one cruise destination in the world!