The pleasant point about Nassau on Christmas Day is: shops are closed and most areas are unusually deserted and quiet.
The unpleasant point is: most places are unusually deserted and quiet.
What is usually hidden by throngs of people becomes visible. Garbage in the streets, shady looking characters lounging at every corner, no foot traffic in any of the historical districts, scowling local inhabitants slinking through side alleys - in short: a slightly threatening atmosphere ...
I ventured out on usually crowded Bay Shore Street in search of forts, old stone steps, and churches and fled after a few minutes, after passing some scary looking individuals who kept mumbling to themselves as if high on something that may land them in jail.
Back at the port, bedlam reined of course. Several ships in town, all disgorging hordes of passengers bent on visiting Atlantis, heading for some far off beach or driving around the Island. Nary a person heading for 'downtown'.
I walked past the row of skinny horses, dozing and hitched to their carriages awaiting passengers. I elbowed my way through the throng of taxi drivers, tour operators and vendors' all yelling at top volume and thrusting placards in people's faces.
A scattering of water taxis destined for Paradise Island (home of Atlantis) bobbed along a stone wall enclosed pier, almost empty - meaning the ferry captains would not leave until their vessels loaded a profitable cargo of paying passengers.
I garnered a seat in a land taxi heading for 'Atlantis' on Paradise Island. A few minutes later, after crossing a highly arched bridge I found myself in the Pinnacle of Kitsch: The opulent, ostentatious, gigantic pink shrine to conspicuous consumption: The Atlantis Resort. A conglomeration of hotel towers, man made shark ponds, dolphin encounters, artificial waterfalls, blue lagoons with fake underwater Mayan pyramids, bronze dolphins at every corner and topping an immense cuppola (Vatican eat your heart out), slews of exclusive brand name stores, several luxurious marinas, and who could ever guess what else. The most exclusive Atlantis penthouse suite, suspended like a bridge over a Venetian Canal, but this one over a imaginatively designed marine scape, fetches a cool 25,000 dollars PER NIGHT.
To get to anywhere else on Paradise Island, somewhat less enhanced by human ingenuity, one would have to hand over $99 for an Atlantis day pass, which would allow access to the resort's beach and other 'adventures' - but one would still be imprisoned in this monstrosity without exit to the real world.
I searched out the Paradise Island water taxi terminal, and walked past the line up of super yachts hailing from the Cayman Islands, Valletta, Fort Lauderdale and points exotic and tax free. Huge affairs, polished to a blinding sheen and (apart from some paid uniformed hands) totally deserted at their upscale moorings with a few of the 'Palace' with all it's dolphin-topped minarets.
Water taxi terminal did not look confidence inspiring either, ergo I wandered back to the Atlantis hotel lobby and shared a ride back to the ship terminal.
Well, good news at the ship: the young mother, who missed the Eurodam's departure from Puerto Rico a couple of days ago was finally re-united with her five year old daughter. The kid had a marvellous time, being cared for by the ship's lady medical doctor and taken to all the kiddy Christmas events whilst Mom - shoreside - was arranging expensive transfer from Puerto Rico to Nassau. These passengers are my stateroom neighbours, and by some co-incidence they also sailed on the same world journey as I did during spring this year. Of course every time I saw the temporary orphan I was treated to extensive hugs and more hugs. Mother claimed, that the internet advertised the wrong 'all-aboard' time - what is wrong with in-your-face notices of return times on the ship, in the daily program and in HUGE letters at the gangway??
Whatever happened to the other seven passengers, who missed the ship leaving Puerto Rico is a matter of conjecture.
My table mates, however, were not quite as happy as the re-united Mom and daughter. Their shore side excursion was anything but Merry, Christmas nonwithstanding. They had actually booked an expensive excursion to above described 'Atlantis' via tour ferry and guided walk-about. Well, fourhundred co-tourists climbed onto a top heavy ferry, after an hour delay departing from point of origin. In Atlantis, the tour broke up into smaller groups, who promtly got lost in the labyrintine interior after they were advised that they were 'on their own' until their pre-organized inter island ferry return departure time. Most of them later returned in time to either be directed to the return ferry tour dock (half a mile trek) or stand in line inside various restrooms - awaiting their turn at the facilities.
As things ran a little late already, the tour operators, without further ado, abandoned about 60 people (some still in the rest rooms, some a few yards from the ferry) to their Atlantis fate and took off with the return ferry boat without them. The rest of the tour participants, realizing that time was running out before cruise ship departure, commandeered land taxis back to the ship. 60 excursion refunds later...
So, that was Nassau!
