Nassau

Nassau drops on you the moment the ship turns into the harbor — the pastel colonial buildings along Bay Street visible from the upper decks, Atlantis's towers rising over Paradise Island beyond the bridge, the waterfront already busy with vendors and taxis before you even dock at Prince George Wharf. The port sits dead center in the city, which is either its best feature or its trap depending on how you use it. Step off the gangway and you are already on Bay Street, the main commercial spine of downtown Nassau, within walking distance of the Straw Market, the colonial architecture, and more conch fritters than you can eat in an afternoon. The Bay Street strip near the port is unambiguously tourist-facing — duty-free jewelry shops, franchise rum cake outlets, and vendors who have done this routine ten thousand times. That is not Nassau, but it is the first layer. Walk two blocks inland and the city shifts: local lunch counters, kids on bikes, the sound of soca from a car stereo, a rum shop with no menu and no pretense. Nassau has a real Caribbean city behind the tourist curtain and it rewards visitors who are willing to turn away from the wharf for thirty minutes. Atlantis Paradise Island — visible across the harbor from the dock — is the dominant attraction and a legitimate spectacle. The Aquaventure waterpark is genuinely good, the marine exhibits in the Dig are among the best in the Atlantic, and the beach on the resort's Atlantic side is postcard-quality. The day pass is expensive (north of $150/person for Aquaventure) and it is crowded when multiple ships are in port. Cable Beach is the better-value alternative: a long public beach on the north shore of New Providence, a $20 taxi ride, no admission, calmer crowd, and a comparable stretch of water. The food picture is anchored by conch — conch fritters at the wharf vendors, cracked conch at a local lunch counter, conch salad mixed fresh in a bowl with onions and hot pepper. Kalik is the national lager, brewed in Nassau, and it goes with everything. The seafood is fresh in a way that landlocked travelers are unprepared for. Nassau's culinary scene does not aim for fine dining on the wharf side, but find the right local restaurant two streets back and the fish of the day will be the best meal of your cruise.