You have four choices for short cruises to Bahamas. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Disney. All would be good choices, however; there are significant differences in price and activities. It would be wise for you to find a cruise oriented Travel Agent and talk to them about your needs. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Disney all have private islands they stop at in the Bahamas. The TA can help you sort things out.
Hi Qatar, welcome to Cruise-Chat. There are plenty of cruise lines that service the Bahamas. Your best bet would be to get a good travel agent that specializes in cruises. They can do all the leg work for you, and find the perfect match. If you want to do it on your own, Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean service the Bahamas out of Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, and Miami. All of them offer a great product. Carnival has a Camp Carnival for children, but NCL and Royal both have children programs as well. Please let us know what you select. Best wishes, and once again, welcome aboard!
That is a long flight for a 4-night cruise. Will you be doing any other vacationing while here, or just the cruise?
Picking a cruise line really depends on what your expectations are. 4-night cruises usually have a more lively crowd because people are trying to pack as much partying as they can into a relatively short cruise. Food is another item to consider. Tastes are subjective. I don't have a problem with the food on any of the mentioned lines (except Disney because I have not sailed with them). However some people are definite in preferring one line's food over the others. I can't really say what you would like.
Disney is pricier, but everyone I've ever talked to who went with Disney loved it - even the adults. I guess you could say Disney is probably a more wholesome family experience. They don't have a casino on their ships for example, and there probably isn't as much drinking - although Disney does have many bars on their ships. Gambling is a big thing on Carnival, RCI, and NCL. Disney also docks at their private island while the others have to use tenders to go ashore.
My favorite cruise to the Bahamas would be with the line that skirts close enough to the islands to take pictures and then goes full throttle away from there like they were in the Gulf of Aden.
As you can tell, some of us aren't too big on The Bahamas, as in the reference to the Somali pirates. Rest assured, there are no pirates in the Caribbean anymore. (I know, I know, the Bahamas is really in the Atlantic). But you can do a tour of alleged pirate lore in Nassau. It isn't very good (been there, done that). However the museum is a bit interesting, especially to the kids.
Qatar, what is your age range for the group? Youngest, oldest? That might be a factor to look at when choosing a cruise.
My favorite cruise to the Bahamas would be with the line that skirts close enough to the islands to take pictures and then goes full throttle away from there like they were in the Gulf of Aden.
Qatar,
Don't take that statement wrong. There is no reason you shouldn't enjoy a 4nt cruise to Bahamas. There aren't a lot of choices on 4nt cruises due to distance and time restraints. It's usually Bahamas or Key West/Cozumel. I think for those people that cruise a lot Bahamas has become ho-hum. For a first timer you have plenty to do if you get out and do it. I remember back in the early 70's if you knew anyone that had been to Bahamas that was a big WOW factor!
Many first timers will check out the Atlantis Resort and Casino. Just walking through the resort and seeing part of the aquarium is amazing. You can pay to see more of the aquarium and use their water park, and dolphin experience. You may choose to take an island tour and see the sites, or visit the Pirates museum in downtown Nassau. You may enjoy power boating, the beaches, the botanical gardens and zoo, or the Atlantis submarine. Check out more at this site.
OK.. OK.. I may have been a bit harsh in my previous post. I first traveled to the Bahamas back in the mid-eighties and it has steadily digressed in overall beauty since then. Commercialism can ruin anything once the infection starts. That being said, notice how I mentioned "close enough to the islands to take pictures"? The Bahamas are still a very popular destination and they offer some great shopping and scenery. Qatar, I urge you to visit the Bahamas and make your own judgment but, rest assured, you will visit different islands in the Caribbean (Atlantic) that you will like considerably more.
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