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St. Maarten
Port Rating: 
My favorite port by far. We always feel very safe here and this time was no exception. Shopping is the best: good selections, great prices, clean, and the town is located very close to the port (a $4.00 water taxi ride away). We got some great bargains! Since we specifically wanted to shop here, we did not book any excursions for this port.
I guess my only complaint is that I couldn't fit in both shopping and beach time (beaches here are beautiful too)!
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Nassau
Port Rating: 
Nassau looks in a state of disrepair when you arrive in port. Metal sheet roofing pieces missing from the Welcome Center, hanging boards from other buildings, etc. Not pretty at all. If fact, next to the "Welcome Center" there is an area that is fenced off with barbed wire above it, with a sign posed that says "Biohazard Area". This is directly adjacent to where you are herded to get on and off the pier. I do not use the word "herded" loosely. It was crowded and there did not seem to be any other way to get past the pier area than through this building full of vendors selling their wares.
If not for the fact that hubby wanted to see the marine life/aquariums at the Paradise Atlantis, we would have turned around and gotten right back on the ship. We did not pay for an NCL Atlantis excursion. We had been advised by friends who had recently been here that it was cheaper to grab a cab, go over to the Paradise Atlantis, and pay for a pass that allows you to walk through the grounds, which is what we did. One point to note: although this pass let us see all the marine life (except for the dolphin encounter), we could not wander anywhere. They check your arm bands. Specific colors allowed in specific areas from what we witnessed. We did enjoy our visit to Atlantis!
We walked through a couple of streets in town after our visit to the Atlantis, and it was NOT a very nice place. Many people on the street aggressively try to get your attention. Whether it be to come into their shop, or someone selling something on the street, folks here are persistent and plentiful enough to be annoying.
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