Paradise Island is dedicated almost exclusively to the Bahamas' tourist trade: The island's surface is covered with resorts, shopping arcades and a golf course, with little space devoted to private residences. Most major cruise lines offer Caribbean itineraries that include Nassau and excursions allowing cruisers to sample Paradise Island's attractions. You can also fly into Nassau and take ground transportation from the airport or rent a boat that will take you directly to Paradise Island and your own self-planned excursion..

Aquaventure

Carnival offers a five-hour Aquaventure excursion, where visitors to the water park can rocket down slides that plunge down the sides of a faux-Mayan temple or into clear plastic tubes that run through a shark enclosure. Guests also may tour the Atlantis resort, and Carnival provides a coupon good at any of the resort's restaurants.

Beaches

Atlantis, the main casino/resort on Paradise Island reserves a section of its beach for Royal Caribbean vacationers, providing beach chairs, towels and maps of the complex. Cruisers on this excursion have five hours to enjoy the beach and are free to visit Atlantis' casino or The Dig, its aquarium, which is home to eels, piranhas and tropical fish, all swimming through replicas of Atlantean relics and ruins.

Golf

Royal Caribbean gives golfers an opportunity to play nine holes at the Ocean Club Golf Course, home of the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational. The course, which Frommer's calls one of the Caribbean's best, features obstacles such as the world's largest sand trap and holes where golfers must contend with water hazards on three sides of the fairway and green. The excursion includes greens fees along with golf cart and club rental.

Nassau & Paradise Island Tours

Princess' tour stops at Nassau's Fort Charlotte for a short tour of the citadel's dungeons and ramparts before crossing the Paradise Island Bridge. The Paradise Island leg takes cruisers past the Atlantis resort, the Versailles Gardens and French Cloisters before returning to the ship.

Royal Caribbean's excursion includes a stop at the Queen's Staircase in Nassau, where visitors can ascend the coral stairs to visit the Water Tower observation point. The tour also makes a brief stop at the Atlantis for guests to take snapshots.

Wildlife Encounters

Celebrity offers a trip to Atlantis' Dolphin Cay for an up close and personal visit with the resort's dolphins. Dolphin Cay staff provide guests with wetsuits, towels and an opportunity to have their picture taken while kissing a dolphin. Celebrity's excursion is limited to 10 cruisers, and a parent or guardian must accompany children under 12.

Princess' Sea Lion excursion takes guests to the Atlantis where, after orientation, they can spend 30 minutes in the water, hugging and petting the sea lions. An adult guardian must accompany children under 10 on this excursion.

About the Author

Since 2006 Jim Orrill has produced reviews and essays on popular culture for publications including Lemurvision and "Sexis." Based in Western North Carolina, Orrill graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina with a bachelor's degree in office systems.

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