Nobody prepares you for the pigs. You take a boat out from Nassau toward a little uninhabited island, and as you get close, pigs — real, actual, large pink pigs — come paddling out through crystal water to say hi. My daughter screamed. Not a scared scream, a joy scream, the kind that makes strangers on a boat all laugh at once. Me and my wife just looked at each other like, is this our life now? For a few days on a cheap vacpack, yeah, it was.
What is there to do in Nassau, Bahamas?
Nassau offers turquoise-water beaches like Cable Beach, the sprawling Atlantis resort with its water park and marine habitats on nearby Paradise Island, colonial-era forts and colorful architecture downtown, and day trips to see the swimming pigs and swim with turtles or rays. It's a compact, easy-to-navigate destination, and because it's such a major cruise and flight hub, the tourism infrastructure is deep. You can do a beach day, a history walk, and a boat excursion all from one base.
The Queen's Staircase downtown — 66 steps carved out of solid limestone by hand — is a free, shady, genuinely impressive stop between beach sessions. And the straw market is chaotic tourist fun if your into that. There's alot crammed onto this island.
YES, THE PIGS REALLY SWIM
How much does a Nassau vacpack cost?
A Bahamas all-inclusive vacpack typically costs $149 to $999 for the stay, in exchange for one roughly 90-minute timeshare presentation, with pricing driven by resort tier and number of nights. Since the Bahamas can be genuinely expensive on a walk-up basis — it's an island, everything's imported — the all-inclusive vacpack structure smooths out a lot of surprise costs. Here's the rough picture:
| Option | Stay cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bahamas all-inclusive vacpack | $149–$999 | Food + drinks in, one presentation |
| Atlantis Paradise Island (rack) | $2,000–$5,000+ | Iconic, very expensive |
| Mid-range Nassau hotel | $1,000–$2,000 | Meals and extras add up |
Requirements are the standard vacpack set: generally 25 or older, household income around $50,000-plus, and couples attend the presentation together. You'll need a valid passport since it's international travel, and that's really the only extra hoop versus a domestic trip.
Is Nassau good for families?
Yes — Nassau is very family-friendly, anchored by the Atlantis resort's water park and aquariums, plus calm beaches, boat excursions, and easy day trips that thrill kids of every age. The swimming pigs and turtle encounters are the kind of experiences children remember for years, and the beaches are gentle enough for little ones. It's a big-ticket-feeling trip that a vacpack makes affordable.
What's the best way to save money in Nassau?
The best way to save money in Nassau is to let an all-inclusive vacpack absorb the two things that quietly wreck island budgets: lodging and food. Everything in the Bahamas is imported, so restaurant tabs and drinks add up fast, and a bundled all-inclusive rate means you're not doing panicked mental math every meal. Beyond that, the free and cheap stuff is genuinely good — the Queen's Staircase, walking the colorful downtown, and hitting a public beach like Cable Beach all cost little to nothing, so you can save the real money for one or two big excursions.
Pick your splurges carefully. The Atlantis day passes and the swimming-pig boat trips are the pricey items, and you don't need to do both to have a great trip. We did the pig excursion and skipped the full Atlantis package, and nobody in my family felt shortchanged — the pigs alone paid for the whole vacation in memories. If your bringing kids, a beach day plus one marquee excursion is usually the sweet spot. Stretch it across a few days, keep the meals bundled, and a destination that feels wildly out of budget suddenly isn't.
Nassau makes a natural pairing with a Riviera Maya stop for a broader Caribbean run — browse the destinations hub to plan it, and if you're comparing warm-water options, check the Cancun deals too. When your dates are set, browse the current vacation deals to compare all-inclusive Bahamas packages before high season pushes the prices up.