Get off ship in Nassau in morning or afternoon?

[mrsgthatsme]

We are planning to get daypasses to Margaritaville for our Nassau day on our cruise in October. We don’t want to be off the ship all day and prefer to eat lunch on the ship. Debating whether it would be better to get off the ship and do Margaritaville from 9-1 then go back for lunch or eat an early lunch on the ship then go to Margaritaville from 12:30-330. Wondering if it is less chaotic in the port area in terms of those trying to sell you excursions/taxi rides/etc after that initial rush or whether it’s best to get off with that big group. Also wondering if the weather in October would generally be warm enough at 9 for swimming. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[dcassetta]

Definitely busier in the morning as excursions are leaving. There will be vendors offering various services no matter what time you leave the ship. A polite "No, thank you" will work.

It will almost always be warm enough to swim with highs in the 80s in October. If there is rain or thunderstorms, they are more likely to be in the afternoon.

 

[DisneyConvert]

It's not THAT busy . . . the tour groups / excursions tend to segregate themselves (they follow the flags; you all head to the taxi's). So if you have a clue as to where you're going and get off the ship promptly (I use my NYCity-commuting attitude), you can get to Margaritaville early'ish in the am, when the sun won't be too, too bad.

Splash and climb and play your hearts out. Good exercise. And if you can bring a bottle of water with you and avoid the concessions, it won't cost you too, too much. Then come back to the ship and eat in the early pm and relax.

During our recent cruises, we sometimes haven't even disembarked at Nassau, but the waterpark sounds like a refreshing, fairly-priced alternative to Atlanti$$$, Dolphin-torture or riding on a loud/fast method of travel. I hope you have fun.