Welcome aboard, Brooke!
Wow! What a perfect time January will be to escape from chilly, snowy Michigan for the warm waters of the Bahamas! Living just south of you, in Ohio, my family and I love sailing in the winter with Disney Cruise Line too, as it's such a welcome break from the falling temperatures back home!
I highly recommend
Blue Lagoon Island in Nassau. We enjoyed a beautiful visit there and a swim with the dolphins too. The island itself is simply stunning with lots to do, or if you'd rather just relax, doing nothing but enjoying the beach and sun is the perfect way to spend the day there! There are multiple return boats from the island back to the ship, so whenever your family is ready to head back, you just go over to the dock. That's a big plus with kids!
I haven't been to
Balmoral private island yet, but I have enjoyed
Atlantis. It's a gorgeous resort with tons of activity and a great aquarium and additional waterpark, but if you're wanting to have a beach day, the beach is much more beautiful at Blue Lagoon than Atlantis. If you're up for exploring the resort or going to the
Aquaventure Waterpark, then head to Atlantis, but it sounds like your kiddos would prefer a beach day, not a resort tour, so I'd definitely recommend Blue Lagoon over Atlantis for your family!
Have so much fun planning, Brooke, and please stop back again with other questions as you count down to the big sail date! We're happy to help!
Marcy