Nassau: walk off the ship into Bay Street, or over the bridge to Atlantis.
Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and the most visited cruise port in the world, with a rebuilt six-berth terminal at Prince George Wharf that puts you a 5 minute walk from Bay Street, the Straw Market and the Queen’s Staircase. Most cruisers either do the town and Junkanoo Beach on foot or take a $4 shared cab to Atlantis, Cable Beach or Royal Caribbean’s new beach club on Paradise Island. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Nassau from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.
Three ways to do Nassau
Beach on foot, a big resort day, or Nassau’s history and rum on a walking tour; each button filters the list of sailings below.
Junkanoo Beach on foot or Cable Beach by cab
- Junkanoo Beach is a free public beach a 10 to 15 minute walk west of the pier; chairs and drinks from the shacks, no entry fee
- Cable Beach is about 15 minutes west by cab, roughly $20 per car; wide, calm and quieter than Paradise Island
- Water taxi to Paradise Island is about $6 each way for the beach at Atlantis without the resort price
Best for: short cruises, families on a budget and anyone who wants sand without a schedule
Atlantis, Royal Beach Club or Blue Lagoon Island
- Atlantis Aquaventure day passes run about $130 to $200 a person and sell out on multi-ship days; book ahead through the ship or the resort
- Royal Caribbean guests can book the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, opened winter 2025-26, all-inclusive from about $130 to $170 a person
- Blue Lagoon Island is a 25 minute ferry to a private beach island; beach day packages about $70 to $115 with the dolphin encounter extra
Best for: families with kids, groups celebrating and first-timers who want the big splash
Historic Nassau and a rum tasting on foot
- Queen’s Staircase, Fort Fincastle and the water tower are a 15 minute walk up from the pier, free to visit
- John Watling’s Distillery offers a free tour and tasting in a 1789 estate 10 minutes from the ship
- The Pirates of Nassau museum and the Straw Market are on or just off Bay Street; a conch salad at Arawak Cay is the classic lunch
Best for: couples, repeat visitors and rainy-day plans
Nassau cruises: SmartCruiser picks first
Every cruise that calls at Nassau from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery cruise that calls at Nassau
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Home ports that sail to Nassau
Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there.
Things to do in Nassau
The best things in Nassau are either free and walkable or big-ticket resort days; pick your lane.
Which lines call at Nassau?
Every major line calls here, many of them several times a week on short Bahamas cruises.
When to go
Subtropical rather than tropical: winter is mild and dry, summer is hot and showery, and the ships are busiest around every school break.
Nassau questions we answer every day
Where do cruise ships dock in Nassau, and how far is town?
All ships dock at Prince George Wharf, the rebuilt Nassau Cruise Port with six berths that can take three Oasis-class ships at once; there is no tendering. The terminal has a Junkanoo museum, 60-plus shops and an amphitheater, and the gate opens onto Bay Street about 500 meters, or a 5 minute walk, from the center of downtown.
How do I get around, and what do taxis cost?
Taxis line up outside the terminal gate and run on government zone rates; as of 2025-26 a shared van to Atlantis or Cable Beach is about $4 a person each way and a private cab about $15 to $20 per car. The water taxi to Paradise Island is about $6 each way. Walking across the Paradise Island bridge takes 45 minutes to an hour and has a $2 toll one way. There is no Uber in the Bahamas, so use the official taxi stand.
What currency, language and time zone, and will my phone work?
The Bahamian dollar is pegged 1 to 1 with the US dollar and both are accepted everywhere, so there is nothing to exchange; you may get Bahamian coins in change. English is the official language. Nassau is on Eastern time and observes daylight saving, so it matches Florida all year. US carriers charge international roaming here, so check your plan or use ship and cafe Wi-Fi.
Is Nassau safe for cruise passengers?
The U.S. State Department lists the Bahamas at Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of crime in parts of Nassau away from the tourist areas. The cruise terminal, Bay Street, Paradise Island and Cable Beach are heavily policed and busy with visitors. Stay in those areas, use licensed taxis, do not accept rides from touts and keep valuables on the ship. Book through the ship if you worry about getting back on time.
What is the best excursion, and should I book it through the ship?
For the money, nothing beats Junkanoo Beach and the Queen’s Staircase on foot, which are free. For a big day, Atlantis Aquaventure or Blue Lagoon Island are the favorites; Royal Caribbean guests should price the Royal Beach Club. Atlantis passes and Blue Lagoon ferries sell out on days with four or five ships in port, so book those in advance through your cruise line’s planner or the resort rather than waiting for the pier.
Do I need a passport for a cruise that stops in Nassau?
On a round-trip cruise from a US home port (a closed-loop sailing), US citizens can board with a government-issued photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate. We strongly recommend a valid passport anyway: it is the only document that gets you home by air if you miss the ship or have a medical emergency in the Bahamas. Non-US citizens should check Bahamas entry rules for their nationality.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, government taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions, gratuities and drinks packages are extra, and your SmartCruiser consultant can price those for you when you book.
Talk to a Nassau cruise specialist
Our consultants know which Nassau days are five-ship days, which beach clubs sell out and which sailings carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit; call to check availability and book. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.