This was Marianne's first meal on the cruise. A cheeseburger....never mind the massive buffet that was waiting for us as we boarded the ship around 11:45 on Monday. We were ready for lunch. Our flight left Charlotte at 6am.
After lunch we got to check out the ship before all the other people were allowed to board at 2pm. We got to board early because we had the flight cruise package deal...very nice for us.
Departure from Miami at 5:00....party on the pool deck. We are CRUISING!!
Marinne started out her first day on the cruise by winning the first drawing of the cruise for a free port shopping book. This book made it so that Marianne got free stuff everywhere we went...a very nice prize for sure!!
Later the first day, they had a drawing in the spa. So this is Marianne winning the pedicure and manicure. I even got lucky at this drawing and won a scalp massage. So we went to the spa together later the first night on the cruise.
Of course, The Midnight Buffet, complete with ice sculptures and fruit carvings, and more food than you could possibly try. There were many tables full, this was just one of them.
Formal Night was fun. There was always more going on on the ship than you could possibly do. At the captain's reception, the waiters were trying to give Marianne campagne. I kept having to tell them that she was only 15.
This was taken by one of the other people at our table. We had a fun group at our table for dinner. They did a really good job of matching people up.
Our first port was Key West. Marianne got to play with the pirates.
It was great fun to be back in Key West. The last time I was in Key West I was pregnant with Marianne so....it's been a while. It was very hot in Key West but we had a blast.
I had to get another pair of Kino Sandals....best sandals in the world. I had a pair many years ago that I paid $3.00, but after 12 years they fell apart and I had to retire them. Now I have a new pair, but they are up to $12 now. Does that mean this pair should last 48 years?
We walked to the other side of Key West because we wanted to see the Butterfly Conservatorium, we just didn't know that it was on the other side of the Key West. We were told it was a 10 minute walk....they lied. But we did see alot of Key West and got plenty of exercise in the heat. So this is Marianne at the Southern most point.
The Southernmost House. Many of you have probably already seen this at some point, but it is very cool so I took a picture of it.
We did finally make it to the Butterfly place. It was definitely worth the walk. It was amazing! I took lots of pictures, but the butterflies are quicker than you might think. The conservatorium is full of all kinds of butterflies, tons of them. They fly all around you. They say it is good luck if they land on you.
This is only one of the many butterflies. It was so cool at the butterfly place. If you go to Key West, you have to see it for yourself.
Our second port was Nassau, Bahamas. Marianne and I just went around Nassau gathering up her free stuff.
This is the marketplace that you come through as you get off the ship, coming into Nassau.
I got to play the steel drums with one of the locals.
After gathering all of Marianne's free stuff and playing the steel drums, we took a cab to the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal, which takes you right past Atlantis, apparently a tourist attraction. Ha.
But we had better places to go....we were going to swim with the dolphins!!!
Swimming with the dolphins was the most amazing experience ever! Unfortunately, since Marianne and I were in the water together at the same time, there was neither of us to take pictures. This is a picture of the other group that was there and about to get in the water. We got to pet and hug and kiss the dolphins. Then we danced with the dolphins. The last thing we got to do was called a foot push. You float in the water on your belly, arms out, legs straight, toes down and the dolphins come and push you through the water at such a speed that your upper body is coming out of the water, like a speed boat. It was awesome!!!
We took the nature walk/tour at our last port, which was Coco Cay Island. It is a private island in the bahamas that is owned by Royal Caribbean. We learned many interesting things on the nature trail from our guide, including Bohemian Bush medicine.
The beaches were just breath-taking; crystal clear waters.
Iquanas are native to the Bahamas. Some of the ones we saw were pretty big. This one is about 3 feet long, including the tail.
We went on the glass-bottom boat tour while in Coco Cay also. It was more than your regular glass-bottom boat tour. The guy would stop and jump in the water, dive down and get stuff for us to hold and even eat. This is the biggest star fish I have ever seen! We also saw gigantic sand dollars and all sorts of amazing fish and coral.
This is a conch that the guy went down and got for us. Conch is the number one dish in the bahamas. They prepare it all different ways. The guy took the conch out of the shell, cleaned, put some fresh lime juice on it and we all tried it...it was delicious. Sort of the texture of shrimp and very tasty.
After the glass-bottom boat tour Marianne and I went snorkling. I actually went snorkling and did not drown myself. I did have to keep reminding myself that I could breath through my mouth. Marianne's mask was not cooperating for her, so she did enjoy the snorkling as much. We ran out of time and did not even get to use the free floating mat that Marianne had from winning that shopping book. We had to catch the ferry back out to where they had the ship anchored so we would not get left behind. I guess that would have been a bad thing.
It was a FANTASTIC trip. We had smooth seas and the only time it rained was as we were leaving Key West. We saw and did amazing and unforgetable things. I have lots more pictures which I have upload to the a share website if you are intersted in seeing many, many more pictures. (www.annevandiver.shutterfly.com)
