We left early Sunday morning and began the drive to Port Canaveral. We made it there relatively early and parked easily. It did cost $60 to park, but I didn’t let it bother me. We were on our way to the Bahamas! It was a breeze to board and once we made it on the ship, we had some juice and sat around. It wasn’t too cold, but I definitely needed my jacket because of the wind!
Once our room was open, we threw our stuff down and polished off our first bottle of wine. I definitely took full advantage of how Carnival allows you to bring a bottle per person in your carry on. The lifeboat drill was longer than I wanted it to be, but by then we were off. We headed up to the top, got a fruity drink, and watched as we left port.
We tried going to sleep early, but the boat was rocking pretty bad. We ended up playing the cheap slots in the casino and having a drink. I finally fell asleep, but I woke up extra early because we were in Freeport!
We woke up and hopped on a crazy minivan taxi that took us to Port Lucaya. We instantly went to the beach and walked around. Scott discovered a crazy shack in the distance, and it turned out to be the most amazing place ever. It was this place called Billy Joe’s and Scott ordered some conch and we had big rum punch drinks. The view was pretty awesome, and after we ate we wandered the beach some more.
It wasn’t deserted, but the hotels were empty. I assumed they were seasonal. I didn’t mind the lack of a crowd, it was very relaxing. After getting some sun, we explored the Port Lucaya Marketplace. We had a Kalik, looked at some boats, and headed back to our boat. A short nap later, we were dressed up in our formal gear and took some pictures!
Carnival’s pictures are certainly not cheap, but it is nice to have a picture taken that didn’t come from us! Formal dinner was fun & delicious. We had really good service the whole trip, and I definitely miss the good food. After dinner we partied around the boat—hitting the club and the bars! Hitting the 24-hour pizzeria and standing on the top of the boat at 3 a.m. in the crazy wind is definitely memorable.
Our day in Nassau began just before noon. We set out to do this walking tour that I found on Frommer’s…however, it ended up being a bit difficult once we realized that Nassau is full of crazy cars and few sidewalks! We made it through the government buildings and to the two landmarks that we wanted to see: Fort Fincastle & the Queen’s Staircase. We headed back to the boat for lunch, and we then hopped in a minivan taxi to take us to Atlantis on Paradise Island. We sort of walked in and out and followed the crowd to the public beach.
Just as we approached the walkway to the beach, we were met by a guy who claimed he could out drink us. He took us to a makeshift bar on the beach with bottles of rum, juice, and ice. For $20, he cut a coconut in half and said we could drink as much as we wanted! We agreed and tried to slam as many down as possible! ;)
I ended up trying out the water and it wasn’t that cold. The waves were incredible…and strong. Let’s just say I lost my top once or twice. We wandered up and down the beach, bought some necklaces and tacky tourist shirts, and then set out to find The Cloisters and Versailles Gardens.
The locals didn’t even really know where it was, but I knew it was somewhere on Paradise Island. After what felt like forever, we finally found it. We were the only ones there, and it was beautiful. Flowers and statues were a bit more exciting after a day of rum punch, but the views were unforgettable. After playing in the gardens for a bit, we headed back to the boat for dinner.
We made friends with our tablemates and encouraged them to head out to Senor Frogs. It was close to the boat and it was just one of those places that I felt like I needed to try. A few “yard” drinks later and we were definitely having a great time. I’ll never forget all those “Blue Bahamas” drinks! We spent another late night eating pizza and said goodbye to the Bahamas.
Our next day was at sea, and we tried to stay busy tanning, drinking, eating, and karaoking. Scott sang “Under the Sea” for me—or at least tried! ;) He was such a good sport the whole trip and definitely kept me very happy. We had sushi and nachos, made friends in the piano bar while singing great hits such as “Love Shack” and “Piano Man”, ate our last dinner in the dining room, and packed our stuff. I was so exhausted at this point, but it was all worth it.
We got to Port Canaveral super early (7 am!) and we were off the boat and on the road by 8 a.m. After a quest for cheap sunglasses, we made it to Universal Studios where I successfully beat Scott at Men in Black in a three-game series (I still think he let me win!). A few more rides later and we were successfully spent.
It was pretty much the greatest vacation! I’m ready to start planning another! ;)
You can see Scott's scenery pictures at TBO & here is the slideshow he made:
