As we boarded our cruise ship after a wonderful half-day in Nassau, I had that classic Bahamian folk song, Sloop John B, stuck in my head.
You know the one. Sing along at home:
We come on the MSC (Divina)
My lovely wife and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
We went for a swim
Then two-for-one drinks on a whim
Well I feel so joyful
I don’t want to go home
You see what I did there? I’ll bet you didn’t know that I was a master lyricist.
Truth be told, I never realised that classic tune – popularised of course by the Beach Boys on their 1966 magnum opus Pet Sounds – was about an ill-fated sailing trip to the Bahamas until I’d been roaming around Nassau town for the better part of an hour.
It’s a banging tune, right? Even better is Nassau town itself. The capital of the Bahamas is a vibrant, thriving, seaside village, which still feels a little like the famed pirates’ den that it once was.
It’s very touristy these days, of course, as are all Caribbean ports that the cruise ships frequent. Yet it’s well worth taking a wander through the old town and taking in the trendy shops, chilled-out watering holes, and pretty pink pastel buildings.
Yet Nassau’s true beauty lies in its white sandy beaches and azure waters.
When we’d had our fill of the town, Mrs Man vs World and I caught a cheap water taxi (costing around $6 each for the round trip) to Paradise Island, which sits just offshore from New Providence Island, where Nassau is located.
The water taxi ride was brilliant. There was a young man on board who pointed out all the points of interest as we sailed on by. You have to tip him at the end of the boat ride, but that’s okay – it’s still a heck of a lot cheaper than paying for a proper boat tour!
Once we arrived on the island, we followed the sign posts to the beach. We’d worked up quite a sweat by the time we got there (from the heat, not because it was a particularly exhausting walk), so we plunged straight in the beautiful blue water.
We went to the Bahamas for a good time, not a long time. After going for a swim, we made our way back to Nassau, where we had just enough time for some two-for-one drinks at a local bar, before we had to head back to the ship.
I’m sure many of our fellow cruise ship passengers had done all manner of exciting excursions, but I’ll never regret our self-guided tour through Nassau and trip to the beach.
It was cheap, it was fun, and we did everything we wanted to do. I only wish we could have stayed much longer.
While you’re here, check out the highs and lows from my cruise aboard the MSC Divina.
