Blackbeard's Cay Day Trips, Nassau

We booked Blackbeards Cay & Stingray swim separate from our cruise line which didn't offer the excursion directly. I was pleasantly surprised by how few people were on the beach while we were there. Our group of 17 was probably 20% of the entire tourist headcount on the island... we ended up with a 50 yard stretch of the beach all to ourselves. The stingrays were great to swim with, though the lifevests they have you wear are a bit silly. We did not have any of the insect problems mentioned in other reviews, maybe we were just lucky (we did spend almost all of our time in/near the water). Being on the private island the only sales pitch we had to deal with was the guy selling waverunner rentals. I don't know if its always so un-crowded, but everyone in our group agreed it was a fantastic experience. The stingray swim was great, they were very friendly and were swimming among the people constantly (probably knew lunch was coming). One thing that was great about it was that it wasn't on a tight timetable...once the trainers did the introduction you could spend as much or as little time swimming with the stingrays as you wanted. Most of our group spend 30-45 minutes in the stingray pool, and the rest enjoying our quiet stretch of beach.

My family just concluded a three-day cruise on the Disney Wonder and decided to take part in the Stingray adventure. It was definitely something that would interest our two beach and science-minded boys (4 and 7) and the price was reasonable. We had read reviews and were a bit anxious about a sand flea attack, but decided to take the risk: it paid off. From start to finish, it was a positive experience. We were prepped and informed by the Disney team before they entrusted us to the Blackbeard crew, who courteously and quickly led us to the Coral II, a somewhat weathered yet clean and well-maintained ferry that departed on time. We were fortunate to be a in small group of 45, so we were easily able to find seats and enjoy the 30-minute ride. Once we arrived at the island, we were kindly greeted by the Stingray team of about 3 people and were encouraged to find chairs. The beach was clean and the water was absolutely beautiful. After my family and I situated ourselves under a palm tree, we were called to the protected lagoon where the rays were penned. The snorkels and vests were in good working order, clean, and neatly arrayed on tables. The process of getting into our gear was painless, and the team gave us helpful pointers and safety tips. There were many rays swimming in the feeding lagoon, all de-barbed, and they seemed to know lunch was coming. The feeding was exciting, a little nerve-wracking for wimps like myself, but my children had a blast. They attempted tos snorkel, too, and were amnazed at how many fish were circulating about the lagoon. After spending 30 minutesd with the rays, lunch service began. It was simple fare, hot dogs, burgers, grilled chicken breast sandwiches and chips, but the eating area was clean and well-swept, and the one person in charge of the food preparation worked expediently. We spent very little money on the island-just $12 on drinks at the "Bacardi Bar", although there were the usual tourist sundries for sale. In addition, I recommend that you bring cash-we charged the drinks and somehow circumvented the "$50 charge minimum". This was a happy, relaxing, well-priced day trip that lived up to its promises. And there was not a sand flea or fly in sight on the April morning we visited the island.

We took a day trip to Blackbeard's Cay from our cruise ship in hopes of a relaxing day on the beach. Everything was fine for about 20 minutes until the Yellowbird party cruise boat pulled up. The people who got off the boat were so drunk, loud and obnoxious...particularly in the water....that it made our experience very unpleasant and we could not wait to leave. Then to top it off the sand fleas were horrible. I would save your money and pick another excursion! If you're going on a Royal Caribbean cruise just wait for Coco Cay which is beautiful with lots of stuff to do!

We went on a Cruise on Jume 9, 2009. I have been to Nassua a dz times. I NEVER book shore excursions through the ship. I found online Blackbeards Cay. I contacted them direct via email and got a fast response from Tryone. Tryone told me where to go when I got off the ship. He had great instructions. We boarded the ferry to Blackbeards Cay. It was a nice ride and the Captian talked to us about the islands on our way there. The island is small. Smaller then I thought. Once we got off the ferry we were on our own to do as we wanted. We rented jet ski's (what fun). The food was ehhh hotdogs and hamburgers that came with your Stingray Adventure. There were plenty of chairs and NO sand fleas. The water was AWESOME (you are in the Bahamas). The Stingray's were the very best as part of the day, they give you food to feed them. It was really fun. We would suggest this trip for anyone.

Since no diving excursions were offered on my most recent trip to the Bahamas, my friend and I decided to swim with the Southern Stingrays at Blackbeard's Cay. The beach area was clean, albeit clearly infested with sand fleas, as upon leaving for the day, I looked as though I had contracted the chicken pox (and I am still itching today...it's been 1½ weeks since the excursion). The water clarity/visibility was good, although clearer out by the fencing, due to less silting by the other folks in the water, and a little green-tinted. The day was overcast, but the weather was not unpleasant, warm enough to be comfortable in a swimsuit and cover-up only. I enjoyed interacting with the stingrays, but was a little concerned when the people managing the excursion told me that the stingrays with which we would be swimming were debarbed. Upon further inspection of the photos I had taken of the rays whilst snorkeling and swimming, it appears that only about half had actually had their barbs removed. As well, there were a couple of sizable holes in the fence, which allowed some of the smaller, more adept sealife to enter and exit the fenced area, but not big enough to allow the rays to come and go. Overall, I would recommend this excursion to anyone interested in interacting with the stingrays while in the Bahamas. Please go realizing that you don't HAVE to touch or feed the animals, but if you do, try to educate yourself prior to going, so that all parties on the excursion can enjoy themselves without having to listen to screams about how the ray is "touching" you. I agree that it was worth the time and the money...the island itself is quite lovely, the food good and I didn't find the sales people to be quite as pushy as some have previously commented. As an alternative, if your trip takes you to Grand Cayman, I highly recommend visiting Stingray City over this excursion. In Nassau, another nice option is to visit Atlantis on Paradise Island...they have a lovely aquarium (which I have visited) and a fantastic water park (which I haven't yet visited...will probably be my next excursion when I am in Nassau next).

Grand Cayman Stingray tour was awesome compared to this. The sand fleas were so bad on the island. You could not lay out on a chair as you were covered by the fleas in seconds. I have had to see a doctor for my bites as I have so many and they are beginning to infect and the itching is worse than chicken pox. The island is beautiful but would never do it again.

If you want a real stingray feeding trip, head to Stingray City on Grand Cayman Island. There are no fenced-in areas and seaweed all over, just the beautiful crystal clear Caribbean and free-roaming stingrays, miles from the shore and the island run-off. Took the grandkids in December and was very disappointed in the weedy beach area and cloudy water. Then my daughter was strong-armed to purchase a photo for $10 that turned out badly. They told her they would be waiting on the dock and she had better show up with the money. She had spent the $10 on a necklace on the island for her daughter, and was almost out of cash. The necklace was $4 in town. Anne

I am so thankful to all of you that wrote reviews warning of the bugs! As for the sand fleas, I will use Skin So Soft repellent before getting to the Cay and also take along some Benadryl - it always helps me with an insect bite reaction! I want to go to as many islands as I can so I just can't pass this one up! I took the 2 - Day Nassau Celebrity Century Crusie in January 2007 and loved it! I visited Paradise Island (Atlantis Resort) so my ratings are actually for it- it was lots of fun! I can't wait to go back next year!

My wife and I visited Blackbeards Cay when we cruised to New Providence on Carnival Cruise Lines. The weather was perfect that day, the trip included petting and feeding the sting rays. Afterwards we had lunch at the outdoor grill. The food, consisting of cheeseburger, chips, and soda was good. Time went by quickly and we had to leave way too soon. That is the only criticism I have. 4 hrs. is just too short a time to enjoy all there was to see. The cost is a bit pricey. We bought our tickets on board the ship. I would go again, however. A very nice place to visit and get some sun.

My boyfriend & I went on the carnival cruise though out the Bahamas in middle June 2008 and we were horrible disappointed in Blackbeard’s Beach. The ride over was nothing special, once off the ferry, we wandered over to see what the beach offered. NOTHING. You could Pay MORE to snorkel, ride the aqua trax or canoe. Take in mind this excursion was already 70$. Well we decided to lay out...ICK! The sand was filled with dirt and dead leaves. The beach chairs where covered in rain dirt and black "something." We dropped our stuff on the cleanest chair we could find and tried to make the best out of the day. The water was cold, dirty and had a greenish tint, Not pretty blue like at any of the other islands. So we packed up and made way at the first ferry back. On the way back to the ferry we had to pass the natives selling things (shells, jewelry) They were very pushy and didn’t take the first no. Very aggravating. I do not recomend doing anything that relates to blackbeard's beach. P.S. Sandals DOES share this island, BUT it is separate so you cant see or come on their side of it.