Welcome aboard, Kari! Congrats on your first cruise!
Guests are welcome to disembark the ship on their own while in port, no need to have a
Port Adventure booked. In Nassau, there is a great shopping area and the Straw Market just a few blocks from the port. It's an easy walk and a fun way to spend part of the day. Junkanoo Beach is the closest public beach to the port area, but you'll need to pay for chairs, umbrellas and everything else you'd need for the day there, and honestly, it's not my favorite beach for families. For my family, we prefer to save our beach day for beautiful Castaway Cay. In Nassau, if you leave the ship for some shopping and exploring in the port area that morning, you might want to come back early to the ship to enjoy some fun on the pool deck and the AquaDuck when everyone else is off on adventures in port. We love to ride the
AquaDuck over and over with little to no wait when we're in port and not on an adventure!
Now,
Castaway Cay is the best beach around! It's Disney's private island, and so much is included in your day there. You'll have a delicious lunch and so many activities, no additional charge at all! My family and I love sliding at Pelican Plunge, the Character Dance Parties, Crab Races, Family Whale Dig (think learning to be a paleontologist), Spring-A-Leak splash area, family games, and of course, the beach! You could spend the whole day there with no Port Adventure and still not experience all that is included at Castaway Cay. So, yes, leave the ship early in the morning, set up a home base in the chairs and umbrellas on the beach (there are plenty!) and then enjoy the island all day!
Stop back again, Kari, if you have more questions!
Marcy