Bahama Cruise Day 1 and 2

Navigator of the Seas



There's more then one way to take care of Hitch Itch, scratch it! (Hitch Itch is an RV term to move the RV somewhere else, or travel).

We were on a five day cruise this past week. We love cruising but didn't want to go far or very long. We've never been to Nassau and it's only four and half hours by bus to the Miami port. The travel director in our park had a cruise going on a five day cruise to Nassau then to Cozumel so we jumped on it.

We went to McDonalds for breakfast. There were only a couple people in there and one guy called out Jim's name. He is a reader of our blog and knew us. He works in Polk City so was getting breakfast before work. It's always fun meeting with the blog readers.  Thanks Jim!

The bus stopped about half way at a plaza on the Florida turnpike. They have a few places to get something eat so it's very convenient. It's also a good place to stretch and walk a bit. The bus had very close seats which are hard on the legs and knees. The trip was smooth and we got to the port dock by 1:00. We boarded right away. They take a picture of you then give you a card you use for everything on the ship. No cash needed. The tips for the cruise workers are also put on the card daily so no checking out or paying at the end of the cruise.

View of Miami leaving port.


View from our balcony.


Sunset on first night.


We had time to learn the ship before dinner. Our room was on the 12th deck and right below on deck three was the theater. Our main dining room was at the other end of the ship so we did a lot of walking. There was a snack area below us so we could get coffee and small sandwiches any time of the day. There's specialty restaurants that costs more and also soft drinks and liquor are separate which are added to the card. I forgot to turn on the runkeeper to see how many steps we did a day.

I took over 400 pictures so I'm only posting the highlights.  (Click on pictures to enlarge).

The ball in the ceiling opens really big and closes when they have events in the promenade area.


Looking toward the other end in the shopping area.


There's an elevator to go up 14 decks. Then stairs to go to deck 15 for the chapel.


Glass elevators


Our path from one end of the ship to the other. Jim is showing how happy he is being on a cruise.


Our dining area. We were seated with two other couples from the park.


The theater area.


Our room was next to the elevator. That made things a lot easier.


That's our first look on the first day we boarded. There's a flyer we get daily called the compass with all the events on ship and the drinks of the day. That was the next place we headed. The ship left Miami at 4:30. Our dinner hour in the main dining room was 5:30 every night. Then some free time before the shows at different times daily.  On other cruises the shows were great and always at 7:30 or 9:30. This cruise didn't always have a show (a movie instead) and at different times. Our first night show was a comedian Kivi Rogers. He was very entertaining.











DAY 2 - Nassau, Bahamas

We had a restless night. We have a deck above us that is open and a rope or something was hitting against the side  in the wind. It was annoying and kept me awake. It was also a harder bed then we are used to and all kinds of noises from the ship when it rocked in the wind. We seldom ever sleep well on the first night out. 

We were in the port of Nassau by 9:30. We watched them tie up the at the dock. We had an excursion to see the island by bus at 10:30 so we went to the buffet restaurant for breakfast. We didn't have to wait to be served in the dining room. There's a lot of variety and I'm always finding the fruits that are the best on cruise ships. 

Nassau is the reason we wanted to take this cruise, so there's a lot of pictures. 

Backing into the port area. 


View from our balcony looking into Nassau. That's the pier to get to the town.


Looking on the pier from our deck 12.





Our ship is in the middle. The big Allure of the Seas is to the right and Carnival to the left.
 

Views of Nassau. 


The next few pictures are from our excursion.






Damage from hurricane Wilma in 2005.




Biggest trees are cotton silk.




 Fort on the island. We weren't allowed to go up to it.


Area of shops near the fort.


This picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of the water with the sailboat.


They say the island has a large number of Flamingos, we didn't see any.


The Baha Mar was built but never opened. They filed chapter 11 before opening. I'm sure with just the right amount you can buy it!


The "I was here" photo in the Bahamas.


I was looking into the water and saw this guy/gal.


One of our stops was the John Williams Liquor Distillery. We sampled a great Pina Colota drink.





These chickens would feed a lot of people.


This sign is outside the building. James Bond jumped the fence in Casino Royale movie.


Party time!


Police dress on the island.


There were three security checks going on and off the island. They take no chances. We bought a couple T-shirts just off the boardwalk. The bus tour was excellent and showed a lot of the good and bad on the island. They're still trying to rebuild from the 2005 Wilma hurricane.

Just one of the homes on the tiny bit of land by the docks.


The ship by us is the Allure of the Seas (right)


A view looking toward the aft of the ship toward Nassau.


We had a great tour and glad we did it. We went back to the ship and had our evening drinks before  dinner then the show which was Finis Henderson. He was a comedian and impressionist. He was very good and impersonated many singers.

Every night you have a towel animal. They put my glasses on this one.


Did you know there's gangs and drugs on the islands in the Bahamas. It's sad to hear.