On the final day of our Halloween on the High Seas cruise to the Bahamas onboard the beautiful Disney Dream, I woke up just after 7:00am to the weather that we had wanted on every other day of the cruise as it was absolutely perfect with bright blue skies, sunshine, no wind and calm seas.

Originally we should have been spending this day at sea but our itinerary had been changed earlier in the cruise due to Hurricane Ian where our scheduled sea day and our Nassau day were simply switched around. I had heard so many people complaining the previous day as well as on this day and saying that we should have gone back to Castaway Cay instead of Nassau (as we had been unable to dock at Castaway Cay for the second stop of our “Double Dip” cruise) but the reality was that it was not an option as the Disney Fantasy was scheduled to be there instead – it was simply their turn to visit Castaway Cay.

However despite all of this, I was actually really excited to be back in Nassau after such a long time as even though I have visited twice before, I had not seen much of the city at all. Back in 2020 I had planned a free walking tour of Nassau all ready for a cruise that we had booked for 2021 which unsurprisingly ended up being sadly cancelled. So ever since that moment a few years ago when I saw that there is so much to see and do beyond the port itself, I had been looking forward to finally exploring Nassau and the day had finally arrived.

Another thing that I am so proud of is that apart from Castaway Cay, this visit to Nassau was the first time in nine cruises that we had ever repeated a port as we have managed to do so many different itineraries over the years – as well as the Bahamas, we have also sailed to Alaska, across the Atlantic, around both the Eastern and Western Caribbean, done two Disney Magic at Sea cruises with only sea days as well as finally sailing across the Pacific from Hawaii in 2022!

We had no idea how busy the Port of Nassau would be on this day as who knew how many other ships had also had their itineraries changed that week due to Hurricane Ian however as we got closer to Nassau itself I could see that the brand new Carnival Mardi Gras as well as the Carnival Freedom (the one that caught fire and as a result is sailing around with only half a funnel) were already docked in the distance.

After turning about in the harbour we docked between the two Carnival ships at 8:00am and the ship was cleared by the authorities for disembarkation shortly afterwards. Even though we had plans that day in Nassau, we were in no hurry to be the first ones off the ship so after walking around Decks 12 and 13 and taking some photos in the sunshine, we headed to Cabanas at 8:45am for breakfast.

After breakfast we collected our bags from our room and walked downstairs to Deck 1 Midship where we disembarked the Disney Dream at 9:30am and made our way along the pier towards the exit of the port. The Port of Nassau is currently a building site as it is undergoing major construction and renovation work and the port will soon be unrecognisable from what it once was.

With three ships docked, the exit out of the port was a little crowded but certainly not unmanageable. I know that some people find Nassau scary and intimidating but it really is not in the slightest. Yes it can get very busy and noisy but once you cross that first road outside of the gate and get past the hustle and bustle of everyone trying to sell tours or offering taxi rides (and a simple “no thank you” is all that is needed) and walk one block away towards Bay Street, it is much quieter and a lot calmer.

Our first stop of the day was Starbucks to quickly use their wifi as even though I had marked all of the stops for our walking tour of Nassau on Google Maps, I had completely forgotten to download the offline map before we left Miami as we had no data available on our phones whilst we were in the Bahamas. Doh!

As it was a very hot and humid day, I also got a much needed iced coffee to drink and after leaving Starbucks we started our walking tour by heading one block along Bay Street to Parliament Square where a statue of Queen Victoria can be found surrounded by the pink colonial House of Assembly buildings which looked beautiful with the perfect blue skies that we had in Nassau that morning. Even just walking this short distance, it already felt like we were a world away from the busy port area as it was very quiet.

The next stop of the morning was the Queen’s Staircase which is approximately a ten minute walk from the Port of Nassau. To get there carry on walking along Bay Street and turn right onto Elizabeth Avenue. Keep walking all the way along this road past the Bahamas Historical Society on the right and the Princess Margaret Hospital on the left. Once past the hospital the Queen’s Staircase can be found behind the barrier which is located across the end of the road.

It was very peaceful as well as cool and shaded when we reached the staircase and a very welcome respite from the heat and humidity in the Bahamas that day. There was only a few other people already there so after waiting a few minutes, I easily managed to get a photo of the empty Queen’s Staircase which is what I wanted to get. Even though it was quiet the day we visited, that could easily be very different on a busy port day with more ships docked so I would always recommend to visit as early as possible in the day.

The Queen’s Staircase consists of 66 steps which were carved out of solid limestone rock to create a direct route between the strategically placed Fort Fincastle and the capital city of Nassau. It took six hundred slaves sixteen years to create and was later renamed in honour of Queen Victoria who signed a declaration to abolish slavery on her ascension to the throne in 1837.

Once at the top of the Queen’s Staircase, we walked past the Water Tower to Fort Fincastle which was built in 1793 by Lord Dunmore on the highest part of the island to help protect Nassau from invasion and was also used as a lighthouse and a signal tower. It costs $3 plus tax per adult (children are $2 plus tax each) to go inside the fort and you can use US Dollars so make sure to carry some small notes with you. From the top of Fort Fincastle you can see the cannons which were never fired in battle as well as a view across Nassau including the ships docked in the distance.

We walked back down the Queen’s Staircase (which was a little busier than it was when we first arrived) and back along Elizabeth Avenue before turning left onto Shirley Street. It only took a few minutes to reach the Nassau Public Library and the Garden of Remembrance which is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Nassau that most people know and I only wish I had known about this on our last trip here as it was so beautiful.

We carried on walking along Shirley Street and then onto Duke Street towards the Government House where the statue of Christopher Columbus was in the process of being removed and put into storage after being vandalised.

You can find Heritage Village by Graycliff on West Hill Street and this was one of my favourite places we visited during our walking tour of Nassau. All of the buildings were so bright and colourful and there were even umbrellas hanging over the street. There is also a museum, a chocolatier, a winery as well as some bars and restaurants. I loved it here and I cannot wait to go back!

We then walked just over five minutes down West Street towards Junkanoo Beach which is located just past the Margaritaville Resort. Junkanoo Beach is a free public beach with beautiful crystal clear water which you can easily walk to from the ship if you want a cheap beach day out whilst you are in Nassau – from the port itself the walk would take about fifteen minutes.

After visiting Junkanoo Beach, we started a slow walk back towards the port via Pompey Square and Christ Church Cathedral whilst taking plenty more photos along the way.

Because of the ongoing construction work, the entrance back into the port when we were there was located just in front of the Nassau Straw Market. You will need both your Key to the World as well as a photo ID (a driving licence is fine) to enter the port area and whilst we were waiting in line, I looked at all of the artist impressions that were displayed of what the port is planned to look like in the future – it really looks like night and day compared to how it once was.

We walked slowly back along the pier and were back onboard the Disney Dream at 12:15pm. Our walking tour of Nassau had taken us just over two hours and in that short time we had managed to see so much. There is simply no need at all to pay an extortionate amount of money for an organised tour when in Nassau as everywhere is so close to the port and very easy to walk to as well as either being free or only a couple of dollars. Between the two of us our morning exploring Nassau had cost just under $10 altogether.

I also know that a lot of people (and I sadly used to be one of them) tell everyone to stay onboard the ship in Nassau as there is nothing to see or do but it pains me now knowing that I missed seeing so much on those first visits. I absolutely loved our day in Nassau on this trip (it was so good to finally do our walking tour after having it planned for such a long time) and I already have plans of what I want to do on my next trip and I cannot wait to explore more. Bring it on!

After walking around in the heat and humidity of Nassau in September, the air conditioning back onboard the Disney Dream felt heavenly. We got back to our stateroom to find Tinker Bell luggage tags waiting on the bed for us – a sure sign that our cruise was almost over.

We decided to get some much needed lunch in a very empty Royal Palace as we were both starving after walking around Nassau that morning. I got an Impossible Burger followed by the Espresso Cake which was so good and it is definitely now one of my favourite desserts onboard.

After lunch we noticed that the Lobby Atrium was completely empty so took a few minutes to get some photos with no one else in them – I simply love being able to get photos like this on every cruise that we do and port days or late at night or very early in the morning are the best times.

We both still needed to cool down properly after our morning exploring Nassau so after getting changed, our next stop of the afternoon was the Aquaduck. We waited about thirty minutes to ride and afterwards sat in the empty hot tub in the Quiet Cove watching all of the people on the dock below. After this we got a cold drink and sat on our verandah watching the Bolt roller coaster on the top of the Carnival Mardi Gras before the rain started to come down when all of a sudden “It’s Raining Men” started blasting from the Mardi Gras and I could not stop laughing!

As we still had some time to go before our all aboard time at 4:45pm I decided to just go and walk around the ship. I sat on Deck 4 and watched as the Carnival Mardi Gras left Nassau in the rain before hearing lots of teenagers screaming at each other and fighting outside of Edge – it sounded like an ice cream had been thrown into someone’s face. We did notice on this cruise that there was a lot of noise late at night all around the ship from the teenagers running wild along the corridors which we have never experienced before on any other cruise.

Not long before our all aboard time the rain finally stopped and the sun came back out and I was so happy that we had been able to see as much of Nassau as we had that morning when the weather had been much better. We walked around the deck taking photos of Nassau before Captain Jason made an announcement at 4:30pm to let us know that the sailing conditions back to Miami were good and we should be arriving back on time – unlike Port Canaveral, Port Miami did not have to close due to Hurricane Ian that week.

We left Nassau at 5:00pm to the sound of all of the ship’s horns blasting as the Disney Dream sailed away from our final amazing day in the Bahamas. It was such a perfect and beautiful evening after the heavy rain we had had that afternoon.

Once we had left Nassau it was time to do something that we had been meaning to do on our other two cruises on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy but had never got round to and finally play the Goofy Golf mini golf course at the aft of the ship on Deck 13. After the heavy rain that afternoon the course was still a little waterlogged in places but it was great fun to play and it was nice to finish the game on a hole in one which was a great surprise!

The best time during a Disney Cruise to ride the Aquaduck is on the final night as there was absolutely no one waiting in line as everyone else onboard is either about to have dinner, about to watch the show in the theatre, packing their luggage or as it was on our cruise as well – watching the PremEAR of Hocus Pocus 2 which was showing onboard the Disney Dream that day in the Buena Vista Theatre. Riding the Aquaduck four times in a row with zero wait was such great fun and a brilliant way to start our final evening onboard.

After having a shower and getting ready for the evening ahead we sat on our verandah just enjoying the view as we slowly made our way back towards Miami. As we were going to be doing Express Walk Off as we usually do the following morning, there was no rush to pack our bags so we could simply enjoy our evening with no added stress.

To continue our relaxed final evening onboard we made our way up to a very quiet Currents on Deck 13 for Happy Hour before dinner. This is definitely my new favourite place onboard as it was just so nice to sit outside in the warm breeze with a Frosé and a Mai Tai and watch the sunset as well as see all of the other ships around us in the distance making their way back to Florida.

At 8:15pm we walked down to Deck 3 for our last dinner at Royal Palace. As it was the “Til We Meet Again Menu” I ordered a large portion of the amazing Sesame Crusted Tuna Sashimi to start followed by the White Cheddar and Broccolini Soup. During this cruise I really enjoyed having a smaller main course at dinner so I ordered another appetiser which was the Porcini Sacchetti which I have had before and really enjoyed each time followed by the Celebration Cake to finish as I love it so much.

After we had finished our meal, we said thank you to Mr B, Melbourne and Rexson and handed them their tip envelopes. We have been lucky enough to have had some incredible servers over the years on all of our cruises but they were simply the best and they looked after us so well during our time onboard.

After dinner we took one last walk around an empty Deck 4 and as we headed back inside we saw Captain Mickey who was out at 9:30pm for an “Appear and Wave” meaning that there were no Shutters photographers available to take pictures for you but you could still get hugs as well as many photos as you wanted with your own phone or camera. After meeting Mickey we went to see Captain Minnie who was out by the Pumpkin Tree. Our next cruise is onboard the Disney Wish and as that is her ship, it felt only right that she was our final character of this cruise.

The only thing that had not returned in time for our cruise was the “See Ya Real Soon” farewell show which takes place in the Lobby Atrium late on the final evening. I have always loved watching it so I’m happy to know that it has since returned as it was always the perfect way to end your final night onboard the ship.

After getting a cup of tea and walking back up to our stateroom, we started to quickly pack our cases under the supervision of the monkey towel animal that was waiting for us when we got back. As always on the final night, I decided to take one last walk around the entire ship just before midnight which is one of my favourite things to do on the last evening onboard.

We woke up the following morning just after 6:00am and looked out of the window expecting us to still be at sea so it was a complete shock to see that we were already docked in Miami. Every single time that we have cruised before we have been woken up by the thrusters on the ship in the early hours of the morning when we have docked (and once before in Miami in the middle of the night) so I think it definitely helped that our stateroom was located forward on the ship this time and not aft like normal where there is a lot more movement as it meant we slept through it all.

Once we were showered and dressed, we walked up to Cabanas which has a limited breakfast selection available on the final morning and is much calmer than the busy dining rooms. It was very quiet so we were able to get a quick bite to eat before walking back to our stateroom via Deck 12 so we could take some photos of a very sunny Miami around us – it looked the complete opposite to what it did on embarkation day!

The ship was cleared for Express Walk-Off at 7:40am and we left our stateroom just before 8:00am and made our way down to Deck 3 and much to our surprise we did not even have to wait for an elevator which are usually very busy on the last morning. There were a lot of people in the Lobby Atrium but there was no line to disembark the ship as everyone was hanging around waiting for their luggage tags to be called.

It seemed to take ages to reach Immigration and Customs at Port Miami as many families with young children were disembarking even though they were unable to carry all of their own luggage off the ship themselves (and they had a lot of large and heavy bags!) and they were constantly blocking the route through the terminal for everyone else as they struggled or tried to get their kids to help carry the bags with no luck. Do not use Express Walk-Off unless you can easily manage all of your bags yourself without any assistance.

Thankfully there was no wait when we got to immigration and we finally exited the terminal building at 8:30am and simply crossed the road outside to the pick up point before ordering an Uber which was less than two minutes away and there were also plenty of taxis waiting at the port so this is another option if needed.

As our flight back home to London was not until 7:30pm that evening, we had booked a day room at the Regency Hotel which is located close to Miami Airport which was the best $75 we have ever spent. Even though it was a basic room, it was perfect for us as it was clean and it meant we could get some more sleep during the day as well as get some much needed wifi before having a shower and flying home.

It has now been a few months since our Halloween on the High Seas cruise and after writing this blog and looking back at the photos we had such an amazing time onboard the Disney Dream that week. Even though our itinerary changed and we missed our second day at Castaway Cay due to Hurricane Ian, it was such a good trip and it really felt like old times once again and that can only be a good thing after the last few years.

As already mentioned our next cruise is on the brand new Disney Wish and I simply cannot wait!

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