Speedbootavontuur in Bay St. Nassau

We chose to leave from the cruise port. It was super easy, there was a bit of a wait, but once the boat shows up it takes you straight from the cruise port to Rose Island. They stop at a turtle nesting zone shortly before the island itself, we didn’t see any turtles :( The island itself is gorgeous and the sand is white and soft. It is a little rocky to get down to the beach area. There is a side for the people who paid for the pig show and a side for the beach only people. The food was great. Definitely recommend!

This review starts with an overview of the tour. Scroll to the end to get our experience so you know what to expect and our post-tour experience. The Tourdaddy website made booking easy. The wording for when and where to meet the boat was a little muddy. The price is very reasonable. This tour may be best for people on a cruise who seek a good time at a beach, more so if you want to see pigs. They communicate well via text and WhatsApp. Pre-boarding involved signing a release form and getting a Sand Dollar wristband. The shuttle boat has bench seats and a canopy. It is fast enough. We did not catch much sea spray going or returning from the island. Some people might get chilled from the wind and spray combo. If you board at Montagu Beach, you will be directed to a pink building in front of the docks. The docks are a busy zone. Fish and conch will be in the air. The pink building is a well-kept public restroom. The half-hour trip to Rose Island is a tour in itself. The water and islands on the way are nice and varied. Once off the boat, you have plenty of options. The beach to the left has water that looks rockier on the bottom. The beach to the right of the pier is where the pigs perform. There are a couple of trampolines there, too. You will need a buddy to boost you up a ladder to have a bounce. The beach zone more to the right is where an attendant will get you on a kayak or paddleboard. There are spots to drop your goods and get in the water. The water is shallow and not so rocky. The light sand and BLUE water are pretty. It is so bright the water reflects off the bellies of the seagulls. Snorkeling will allow you to see some fish. Our time on a kayak allowed us to see fish in a frenzy in various spots. We could not get close enough to see what set them off. We did not pay for the pig show. Plenty of people did. They sounded like they enjoyed it. The beach bar area has ample seating outdoors and under a roof. There are covered couches, table/chairs and hammocks. The bar itself is spacious, the food service area is sufficient and there is a billiards table. If you want something to eat or drink, there will be something to your liking. The restrooms are clean. There is an observation deck to the right of the bar. We didn’t go there. We arrived before 11. We were told that we would board at 1:20 and depart at 1:30. Here is what we did: Kayak Swim/snorkel Bar drinks and phone time. They have good WiFi. Trampoline attempted, but could not get on them. Swimming We were ready to spend the final half hour in a hammock to dry off for the return trip. We did not get hammock time. There was a sudden announcement that we were departing at 12:45 - immediately - and all 10 am people had to board. We had to go early so we could see turtles and get cruise ship people back to their port. We said we were not on a cruise. Nope, everyone goes. We got unhappy quick. If they had to get cruise ship people back to port, why the detour? The turtle spotting was a five-minute stop to see three or so turtles surface off the shore of another island. We also zipped past Gilligan’s Island and some other spots of interest. What they were, I don’t know. I could not hear our host over the music. We disembarked at Montagu, the only people not on a cruise. We were not thrilled with how the tour ended. Our taxi driver said we should say something. TourDaddy asks to have people get in contact with them before leaving a negative review on a travel site. We contacted TourDaddy via WhatsApp. They offered us a second tour for free and we could board at the cruise port instead of Montagu. That would mean a low-cost jitney ride instead of a taxi ride. That was a gracious offer. We declined. We did almost all one can do at the resort. An hour-plus of travel to spend not quite three hours at a beach doing everything again didn’t make sense. There would be no guarantee that we would have to cut the visit short again, either. The TourDaddy/Sand Dollar Rose Island tour is nice. It gives people on a cruise a good time at a beach. People who stay in Nassau may be spoiled by all the beaches a stone’s throw away.

If you are looking for a local company that knows of a hidden gem then do this excursion. We opted for the beach day without swimming with the pigs. We just wanted a simple beach day to enjoy white sand and deep blue waters. And we were not disappointed! From the first interaction withTalli to our captains, Andrew,Chocolate Drop and Eagle Eye we were delighted! Every person treated you special! Chocolate drop gave us a guided tour on the way out that was phenomenal and then off we went to Rose Island. The ride there was about 35 minutes. This was a half day excursion for us! We will be back and would do this tour again and again!