Advice on hair braiding in Nassau?

[dcmousefan]

This will be our first cruise. Our only plan in Nassau is to walk around the shops for a bit and get DD's hair braided. Any tips on where to do this? I've heard that there is some haggling done, which I am terrible at! Anyway any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[OKW Lover]

It will be impossible to avoid the people offering to braid your daughter's hair in Nassau. They will descend on you as soon as you leave the dock. Turn that to your advantage by asking them their price, then move on to the next one. Instant negotiating leverage.

 

[stlkeeler]

I have heard that it is not a good place to get your hair braided. They do not have the standard of cleanliness that we do - if you know what I mean. Also, they might tell you $2/braid then proceed to make 100 braids. Or they do half of the head then tell you they want more money or they won't finish. I have heard lots of horror stories... I think the best places to get this done are on the boat or on CC. Do a search for hair braiding before you make your decision. Also, don't forget the sunscreen on the scalp. It's no fun to have a burned head.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[dcmousefan]

Thanks for the advice. The cleanliness issue is a little scary. Do they braid hair on CC? Isn't the spa on the ship for adults only? Or do they braid on the ship somewhere else?

 

[kcashner]

The best advice on hair braiding in Nassau is DON'T. Get your hair braided on the ship (deck 9 by the pools, not in the spa hair salon) or on Castaway. Both of those places are Disney controlled for sanitation, price, etc.

Our experience in the Bahamas was being accosted by all sorts of people wanting to braid DD's hair. It was $2 a braid, and I agreed to one braid (there was a sign and a place for her to sit....sign said $2. When she finished, the woman demanded $10--her hair is so long, I used beads, etc....a long litany of excuses. Yeah, I can buy the pony beads at a craft store for less than one cent each and I've never seen braids without a couple beads (that's all DD had...a total of 3 beads.) I didn't like all these people reaching out to my kid, and the $10 it cost us to get away from them felt like highway robbery.

On the ship you know the equipment is clean, and the price is clearly established in advance.

The braid was well done and lasted about 6 weeks!

 

[dcmousefan]

The best advice on hair braiding in Nassau is DON'T. Get your hair braided on the ship (deck 9 by the pools, not in the spa hair salon) or on Castaway. Both of those places are Disney controlled for sanitation, price, etc.

Our experience in the Bahamas was being accosted by all sorts of people wanting to braid DD's hair. It was $2 a braid, and I agreed to one braid (there was a sign and a place for her to sit....sign said $2. When she finished, the woman demanded $10--her hair is so long, I used beads, etc....a long litany of excuses. Yeah, I can buy the pony beads at a craft store for less than one cent each and I've never seen braids without a couple beads (that's all DD had...a total of 3 beads.) I didn't like all these people reaching out to my kid, and the $10 it cost us to get away from them felt like highway robbery.

On the ship you know the equipment is clean, and the price is clearly established in advance.

Good to know. Thank you so much.

 

[Kwalters]

This will be our first cruise. Our only plan in Nassau is to walk around the shops for a bit and get DD's hair braided. Any tips on where to do this? I've heard that there is some haggling done, which I am terrible at! Anyway any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I personally would not do it on any of the islands other than CC just for cleanliness reasons. We were on the 7/25 Western and I had my daughters done onboard. It was beautiful and was only about $18.

 

[robynchic]

To be blunt about cleanliness...you have no idea how many people's hair they have done, which means you have no idea if any of the people before you had lice. Can you imagine having lice on your cruise?

 

[Capt_BJ]

REPOST ... SEARCH AND YOU MIGHT FIND:


Yes this is an answer from a man on this topic. DD saves her money and gets a whole head everytime, with shoulder length hair. we've done it just about everyway you can ... over half of our cruises have been dad and kids while tax-CPA mom crunches thru the April crush:

1. In Nassau at the street place, negotiate a price....do not pay by the braid especially if going for a whole head. I've gotten DD for $100 including tip..... The job was done well, as soon as they figured out that dad was not a fool, had done this b4 and wasn't going anywhere. When braider one's hands got tired a relief pitcher was called in. Watch 'em like a hawk.... The plus is you can negotiate a great price; the down side is you sit outside on a stool....for DD we were talking 3 hours... After a couple of times we moved on to....

2. CC or the ship is safe and well done but you won't be negotiating a price. DD spent a significant portion of a CC visit being braided.

3. My new preferred: walk down the main drag in Nassau and look for the signs to the beauty shops, then head there and negotiate a price. I found a second story place, frequented by the locals, got a decent price and the place is A/C'd...nice for DD & I and she sits in a regular beauty shop chair ... I read a book (her head takes several hours) and I pay something a little less than the ship/CC price. After a few visits to Nas' we don't have much else to do there anyway. Son stays on the ship while dad takes DD to get braids and Mom makes lots of money to pay for next year

Your prices and experience may vary....but don't do by braid but have an idea of what you are willing/should pay. DD as a pre & teen (now 16) will typically keep the braids in for about 2 weeks.

When time to remove soak everything in a TON of conditioner and let it sit for a bit before you go to work. And watch out for sunburn when they go in....lot's of skin that hasn't been exposed if you get a whole head....

yep....this comes for a male!

 

[dcmousefan]

You are all so wise! My new question is: no where on their website do they say they braid hair on board the ships or on CC. What else do they do on board or on CC that is not advertised? I know this is a pretty broad question but are there other services, like the hair braiding, that they have but don't advertise?

 

[mylittleprincess]

Just got back and my DD 14 met a girl on ship and paid $240 for braids in Nassau!!! RIP OFF!!! Don't do it! We were on the Atlantis beach and they came up to us a couple times and I politely said no thank you and they just walked away.

 

[tinkmom2]

My advice: Get it done on the ship! We paid nearly $20.00 for one hair wrap. The lady at first quoted us $45.00. We found out we could have gotten one for half the price back on the ship.

 

[jilljill]

Here's a link to a previous thread on hairbraiding on the ship: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2125788

 

[kimlovesdisney]

My daughter and I had the front part of our hair braided on our Wonder cruise almost 2 years ago. We actually had them done on CC. I loved it. No more fussing with curlers, irons, hair dryers in all that wind on the cruise. I kept it for about a week a home before taking it down. My daughter (6 yr old at the time) loved it also. It does hurt a little when they put them in. She kept hers for 7-8 weeks, until I finally had to force her to let me take them down. Her hair had grown out and it was starting to look messy. We went on RC cruise last summer and had braids done for her on St Martin at Orient Bay. It was a horrible job which really didn't last through the day. She was so disappointed. We are definitely getting them done this year.

 

[dcmousefan]

Here's a link to a previous thread on hairbraiding on the ship: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2125788

Thanks for the link.

 

[ajcolorado]

Here's a link that gives good information about what to expect from hairbraiding: http://www.squidoo.com/Caribbean-Hair-Braiding