Four years ago, for our first anniversary, Frank and I went to the Bahamas on a cruise! We lived in Naples at the time, and my parents reside by a popular port. Thus, we drove up to Cocoa Beach, left the pup with them, and headed a bit north to Port Canaveral. Our Carnival Cruise ran for three days, with a stop in Nassau, one full day at sea, and back to port. I had no idea what to expect, having never been on a cruise before. Now, after the fact, I must confess…I can see what all the fuss is about! Essentially endless food, swimming, activities, stops and excursions? I’d do it again anytime! (Well, anytime after Covid anyway.)
Day One
After making our way through security and getting on the ship, we found our way to our room. Snug and cozy, we admired the cute towel art left by the crew. We heard horns and noticed the ship was preparing to get under way. As the ship left the port, we stood out on the top deck under the ubiquitous “whale tail” Carnival Cruises are known for. The combination of the warm sun and light breeze made us reluctant to go back indoors. So, we wandered around the exposed decks for a little while, watched people drink and dance, and examined the food situation.
The Pizza Place
One of the stations for food involved a thin crust pepperoni pizza that rocked Frank’s world. Even now, four years later, that pizza ranks in his top three favorite memories from that trip. I had some as well, and thought it was perfectly fine, but I preferred more variety in my food. Frank constantly went back for more and more; whether he was hungry or bored, the pepperoni pizza was the failsafe. Unfortunately, we were remiss in forgetting to photograph such “mind-blowingly awesome pizza” (Frank’s words), but trust us, it was great!
The first day on the ship mainly consisted of getting our sea legs, seeing all the cruise had to offer, people watching, and good old fashioned quality time together. We ate, we drank, and we were merry! The sea legs part proved easier than expected; it was primarily smooth sailing on our way to the Bahamas. Neither of us had ever visited the Bahamas before, so we excitedly discussed what we might do in Nassau. That conversation eventually yielded the only logical decision-we were going to wing it and see where the wind took us!
Day Two
We pulled into Nassau relatively early on our second day. After breakfast on the ship, we headed out for several hours of exploring and fun! There might have also been the side dish of mild anxiety and the fear of, “what if we don’t make it back and they leave without us?!” Spoiler alert: we made it back.
We took off walking, more or less aimlessly, admiring the colorful buildings that lined the streets. The interior streets that lie off the main path for tourists intrigued us, and we wanted a glimpse of average Bahamian life. Eventually, we headed back towards the water and saw our cruise ship from a distance. We also saw a massive pink structure at an even farther distance and set out to find out what it was. After locating the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge, we walked for another 30 minutes as we crossed the water before reaching our destination. Lo and behold, we had stumbled upon Atlantis Bahamas! (Which, in retrospect, was obvious.) Before we went inside, we stopped in a little shop nearby to browse. Browsing inevitably led to purchasing some mango rum and a small painted drum.
Atlantis Bahamas
We were immediately struck by the grandeur and enormity of the insides of Atlantis. Also (and it still surprises me that we didn’t know this), we discovered part of Atlantis Bahamas is a casino! We wandered around for a little while and played the one and only slots of our lives. Surprising no one, we lost. Frank still feared us missing getting back on the ship and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet. Thus, after a particularly short visit, we left to find food and figure out our next moves.
Margaritaville
We had passed a Margaritaville on our way to Atlantis, and I am a sucker for a good burger and margarita! After a quick pass through the shop part, we settled in for some yummy food. A couple of cheeseburgers in paradise and margaritas later, and we were happy campers! The only downside to the meal: our frequent and increasingly frantic eye on the clock, wondering how in the world we would get back in time. Frank came up with the (honestly, obvious) answer to our problems, and we took a cab back to the ship. Duh.
The Market
To the surprise of no one, taking the cab instead of walking got us back to Prince John Wharf and our ship with plenty of time to spare. Noticing we had some time, we entered a massive tented market, full of stalls loaded with Bahamian knick knacks and souvenirs. I had decided on our honeymoon that we ought to collect Christmas ornaments and playing cards from the countries we visit. That inspired our hunt through the market. With precious little time to spare, we finally found a stall that sold playing cards and we found a great deck with the Bahamian flag on it. We bargained for a few other keychains and other items as well. The ever imposing time crunch demanded we return to the ship, and we paused one last time to pose under the “Welcome to the Bahamas” sign.
Ultimately, we had a blast in Nassau! The only thing I would change: next time, we need to stay there for several days, and not have a deadline to return to a cruise ship. Our constant (and potentially somewhat irrational? Maybe? Anyone else out there ever been left before?) fear of being left behind put a great deal of pressure on us. Honestly, it took some of the fun out of the day. Nevertheless, we loved our time in the Bahamas and cannot wait to go back and see more of those gorgeous islands!
Day Three
The third day of our cruise, we spent out at sea. Anyone who has been on a cruise knows that one does not need an excursion or destination to have a blast on a cruise ship! Tied for that amazing pizza, Frank’s other favorite part involved frequenting the steam room multiple times that day. I attempted to use the women’s steam room, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. We also entertained ourselves by crashing a small Kentucky Derby party on board and watching the race! Frank doesn’t care very much for watching sporting events, but I love the energy of watching sports with others! Nevertheless, I had forgotten the race was happening that day, so I unfortunately had no derby hat.
Even more unfortunately, the ship hit some rough water for several hours. Frank’s already sensitive stomach could not handle the intense rocking of the ship. Dramamine barely even took the edge off his nausea, so we tried to relax for a little while in our cabin. Eventually, the waters calmed enough that we decided to head out to dinner. We had heard that the last night was a fancy dinner, so we both got all dressed up. I remember the prime rib was delectable, and we enjoyed some tasty wine with it. A very sweet nearby couple commiserated with us over the ship rocking so much, and agreed that the dinner was sublime.
On our way back to our cabin, the ship began rocking even more forcefully than earlier in the day. Consequently, we saw people stumble down stairs and literally bounce off of walls! We cracked up all the way back to our cabin! A little time later, the ship stopped rocking and the waters calmed down, and we enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep.
Day Four
There’s not much to report from the fourth day. We pulled back into the harbor in Port Canaveral, scarfed down one last breakfast, and gathered all of our things. My mom met us at the cruise terminal and drove us back to my parents’ house. We joyfully reunited with our sweet pup, and shared many of these anecdotes with my parents. Not too long after, we began our four hour drive back to Naples!
Final Thoughts
Frank and I loved our cruise! We hope and expect to go on another cruise at some point in time. A slightly longer one, and perhaps in a different body of water/with additional destinations. I know the coronavirus pandemic has changed many attitudes regarding cruises, and I admit I have not wanted to go back on a cruise over the past year and a half. Nonetheless, I trust that eventually we will find the right time and place to revel in the delights offered by cruise lines once again. I know I look forward to it, and I particularly can’t wait to share that fun with Victoria!
