As I stated on Tuesday, my family and I are planning to stay onboard while in port at Nassau, Bahamas in order to save money for our shore excursion at Castaway Cay. So, what on earth will we do while many of our fellow cruisers are off the ship? There are several choices for onboard activities while you are in port.
No matter what you decide to do onboard, you will have less crowds on the boat for sure. You may choose to visit the pools, fitness center, and restaurants. Going to the pool when it is the least crowded sounds great to me. I am looking forward to enjoying the pool, and especially the Aqua Duck, during that time.
Getting in some exercise at the fitness center is a great way to spend some time during the day as well. If there is one downside to a cruise, for a family like mine who really enjoys eating, it is having food available 24/7. It will be very important for us to fit in our exercise regimen and while the ship is in port will be a perfect time.
You might have your heart set on doing some shopping. I have read that shopping on the ship is often better than shopping in port because the prices are marked and there is no high-pressure sales tactics. I definitely plan on spending some quality hours shopping for our loved ones back home.
Some guests might opt for some quiet time. I know that I will take the opportunity for some reading, writing, and relaxing. This is a vacation, after all, so lying around relaxing just sounds heavenly. And, although I love to be around other people, I do relish quiet time wherein I can read or write a blog or two for my Affordable Mouse friends back home. Plus, we all enjoy chillin’ on our own time clock. Vacation means that we will not be on anyone’s schedule but our own. This means that we can lounge around and chill, and forget about all that needs to be done upon our return. This will be our well-deserved and greatly appreciated down-time.
If you are all rested from your first days at sea, you and the kids might want to interact with other cruisers by participating in some teen and tween club activities; adult activities like 3 on 3 basketball, a dance class, XBox Kinect and Dream Team Draft. Family activities include Midship Detective Agency – which is a self-guided clue-solving game using the ship’s Enchanted Art, an animation class (I’ll be doing this for sure), bingo, the Art of the Theme Ship Tour, family crafts, miniature golf tournaments, character meet n greets, and on-your-own movies by the pool and in the theater. You can also play ping-pong, take a walk on the track, or spend time on the Sports Deck.
Whether you choose a shore excursion or plan to stay onboard while in port, you can rest assured that you will not have time for boredom while aboard a Disney cruise. How you spend your time is totally up to you, and I really like that. Happy sailing!
Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple…and for a limited time, get a FREE Disney gift card when you book your trip with me! ($2000 minimum package cost)
Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.
We often stay on board during port, especially in Nassau since we have been there so many times. It’s the perfect time for me to get in pool time, cause I’m not much on crowds there, and they are nearly empty in port. I think its just fun to wander a far emptier and quieter ship:)