Should You Purchase a Day Pass to Margaritaville in Nassau on Your Next Cruise?
Nassau may be the most visited cruise port in the world. It seems almost every Bahamas itinerary includes a stop in the Bahamian capital city. Since the cruise port is so popular - avid cruisers definitely have a wide range of opinions on the port. It is famous for it’s two major resorts - Atlantis and Baha Mar, but day trips to those beauties are often expensive - whether booked through the cruise line as an excursion, or even on your own. Did you know there are other resorts on the island that offer day passes? These are essentially tickets to enjoy the amenities of a resort, without actually staying on the resort.
One of the these options is Margaritaville - a newer resort right on the waterfront that includes a pretty cool waterpark as part of your admission. If offers several amenities included in the day pass and totally exudes Caribbean Charm! We recently took advantage of the resort day pass option on our last cruise to Nassau and tried out Margaritaville. Below is what we though about the trip, options, location, and price!
The Location
The location was definitely a highlight for us! It was a short 15 minute walk from the cruise port. This is great for families who have car seats, or anyone not wanting to worry about navigating around via taxi or public transport. Once we got out of the port area - we did not run into any vendors trying to sell goods - so if you want to explore shopping or the straw market, you will need to do that before or after heading to Margaritaville.
We felt the walk was safe - there were a lot of people heading that way for the nearby Junkanoo Beach, however the biggest danger was the traffic. There are a couple places where you will have to cross the street - and the traffic laws definitely seemed lax, so be careful. Speaking of Junkanoo Beach - the “private” beach at Margaritaville is directly next to the very public, and very popular, Junkanoo Beach. If seclusion and serenity is what you are looking for - the beach at Margaritaville is not where you are going to find that.
The Amenities
When you purchase a day pass to Margaritaville, you did get access to quite a few fun amenities. First of all, like we mentioned earlier - there is a private beach dedicated to only folks staying at Margaritaville. This is a pretty nice beach - and we thought it was fun that you could see the cruise ships from the beach. This beach is located on the channel that the cruise ships sail through to dock at Nassau. There is also food and drink available. You can walk up to a window in the main resort building to place an order - or there is staff walking around to take orders. This all costs extras.
There are comfy chairs included for free, or you can book beach beds or cabanas that cost extra. There is a pool that is pretty neat. You can wade slowly into the water from just a few inches deep - much like the adjacent beach. There was also a small waterpark. Included in the waterpark was a small splashpad, a couple of fun water slides, a hot tub, and even a diving platform above a plunge pool. The highlight for us was definitely the lazy river! It flowed all the way around the pool area and came with both single and double floaties. There was even a flow rider simulator, which would be super fun if you were not already sailing on a Royal Caribbean ship.
The Vibe
We would definitely classify the vibe here as “chill.” I am not sure if the weather was a factor, but throughout most of the day - there was almost no one here. There were plenty of pool loungers, plenty of beach space, and plenty of floaties for the lazy river. It is important to note that we went in the “off-season” for cruising (January) - but there were still 5 ships in Nassau this day. It was also very quiet and peaceful. Not sure if they usually have music or partying - but there definitely was none of that the day we were here. We could hear some music being played over the loud speaker - but no live band or anything like that. There were friendly and helpful staff coming around taking drink and food orders - but none of this was included in the price of the day pass.
The Price
So, was it worth it? Ultimately - we have to say no. We ended up pay $100 per person, which is a lot to us - considering the free beach Junkanoo is just steps away. The water park was nice, the lazy river was amazing, and not having to fight for beach or pool loungers was cool - but it just wasn’t worth the overall price for us. If the entrance fee was reduced to 50$ per person, or food and drinks were included, a day pass to Margaritaville would make a lot more sense.
Thanks so much for reading all about our day at Margaritaville. Have you been? Are there any other day options or excursions that you love in Nassau? We would love to hear from you! You can reach us at seeseeksleep@gmail.com. Scroll on down below to read more of our cruising content and make sure that you are following us on Facebook! We share all new cruising content over there all the time. Happy Cruising!
