This past weekend we took a very much needed cruise for nothing but rest and relaxation. Over the last few weeks, we have been working so hard at work with many early mornings and long evenings. Even when I do get home, I have been trying to build my travel blog and social medias pages, so it has been all work and literally no play. So this past weekend, it was time to rest and recover with one of my favorite activities…..CRUISING!
We had decided to take a Valentine’s Carnival Cruise back in August of last year and that day finally came and just at the perfect moment with all the stresses at work. The cruise was supposed to be a friends couple cruise, but it ended up that it was just us as the other couple that could have gone, decided not too.
This cruise was an overnight Bahamas Cruise. The itinerary was to arrive in Nassau on Saturday morning, spend the night in Nassau and to depart Nassau early Sunday morning. Sunday was a day at sea and we arrive back in Miami Monday morning. A nice quick weekend getaway.
Friday: Embarkation Day
On Friday, we had an embarkation time of 12:00 pm from the Port of Miami. We left around 10:30 am for the drive to Miami, parked our car and ubered to the port. Is Ubered a word? I don’t even know. But we got to the port at the perfect time. We walked right in and were able to check in without a problem. Carnival and cruises in general operate very efficiently but the check-in process has changed a lot since my first cruise back in 2010, but definitely for the better.
Now you walk in, the cruise agents scan your boarding passes check your passports and then send you on your way. You now pick up your passes at your door and they no longer have to take your pictures as they use your passport picture now, which is a little creepy in my opinion, but you do what you have to do. We literally walked through the check-in process in 8 minutes. No more long lines, weaving in and out of lanes of people, it was awesome and very efficient. Once you get on board, it’s lunch time on the Lido Deck. There you will find the buffet lines with all kinds of food to choose from. This is one of the best times on the ship, because everyone there just got on board and everyone is happy, excited for their vacation to start.
After lunch, you walk around the ship, get to know the area, listen, dance and party to awesome music as you watch the other cruise ships leave the port. You can get into your cabins typically by 1:30 pm. Before we depart though, you have to participate in the muster drill. It is for safety reasons and it is required, so you better go or else they will find you. Once that is done, you can go back to partying on the ship and prepare for departure. Check out the pictures and videos that were taken by me upon our departure from the Port of Miami! It was such a beautiful site.
When you first get on the ship is the best time to go shopping, receive spa treatments and they have multiple giveaways all over the ship. And the spa treatments are usually discounted at this time too. So if you are interested, that’s the time to go. Start your vacation off with a massage or facial! GO for it, you deserve it. And, can you say, Duty Free? all kinds of Duty-items available for purchase. Everything from alcohol to skincare to chocolate. You know, the usual!
Later on, it’s dinner time! We always go to the main dining room because the service is always outstanding and they will usually put on a show. One of the things that I appreciate most are the servers in the dining room. They work very hard throughout the cruise to provide the best experience for you. They learn your names, which stands out from other places that you go. Our server on this cruise, Jose, gave us riddles every night to add to the entertainment. I am not a good riddles by any means and typically depend on the others at the table to answer them for me, which I absolutely did (by the way). But overall, Jose and his team were awesome! The night time entertainment is always a great time. They have all kinds of music playing in different areas of the ship, there are live shows to watch in the theater, you can sing karaoke, laugh at the comedy shows, play your luck in the casinos or you can watch the movie on the Lido Deck. There is so much to choose from, it can sometimes be overwhelming. You can do as much or as little as you want, which is the beauty of cruising.
But I can just tell you how amazing the sleep is on the cruise ships, especially when the ship is moving? I don’t know if its the rocking of the boat or the comfyness of the beds, but I sleep the best on the boat. Carnival’s beds are incredible and I always feel so rested when I wake up. For someone who is in pain all day everyday, sleep is incredibly necessary and the fact that you can wake up rested and refreshed, it’s a huge deal.
Saturday: Nassau, Bahamas
We arrived in Nassau around 10 am on Saturday and because we were there till the next morning, you had all kinds of options for the day. Of course, you have the multiple excursions to choose from, offered by Carnival, you can tour the city by foot or many people also booked daily resort passes at local resorts, which you pay a fee and typically have full use of the amenities at the resort. In the past, in Nassau, I have done parasailing and gone to the waterpark at Atlantis a few times. Atlantis is always a great time but can be pricey, but if you want to splurge on yourself, then I say go for it. It is worth it! I also like taking the water taxi to Paradise Island and just walking around taking all the sights in. It really is a beautiful piece of property. The water taxi is inexpensive, just a few dollars each way and you can just walk around. But once you get on the Atlantis property there are some restricted areas that are only available to paying customers, so just pay attention to the signs and you will be fine. But walking around is a free thing to do and free is always a good thing!
This time around, since we have been to Nassau before, we decided to take it easy and walk off the ship a little later than most people and walked around the town. We like to ensure our tummies are full before coming off the ship. It cut costs down. Now, from my cruising experience and I know I haven’t been everywhere yet, but Nassau has a huge cruise port where 5-6 cruise ships can dock. That’s a lot of people, so beware if there are many cruises docked on the same day. However, on Saturday, it wasn’t bad at all, there were only 3 ships, including ours, so it was not crowded. We decided to try something new this time and that was to go to the Queens Staircase. It is only 1/2 a mile from the port and within walking distance. The Queen’s Staircase was built in 1793 by the slaves for Queen Victoria. It is carved from limestone and constitutes 60 steep steps. Use caution if you have physical disabilities, they can be a challenge. The stairs are covered by palms and and botanical trees. Its a great shaded area and offers a great break from the bright Bahamian sun. There is also a guide that discusses the history of the steps either at the top or bottom of the steps for your listening pleasure. Please just be sure to Tip!
After the stairs, we went to a super cute store on Bay Street that have all kinds of awesome Turkish home furnishings, like lamps, dishes, paintings and sculptures. We where we bought the cutest little octopus there. Check him out!
And then we walked the city of Nassau and went to the last stop that we wanted to go. One of the main reasons for going to the Bahamas. We went to the liquor store and stocked up on Kalik Lemon Radler Beer. It is literally the best beer that I have had. I mean, every time I see a lemon radler, I buy it and I love them all. Whether its German, Bahamian or Spanish, all of the lemon radlers are delish! So we went to the 700 liquor store and bought 2 six packs to bring back home with us. And that we did. The only thing is that, once we got back on the ship, they hold it for us till the end of the cruise, which was fine, which meant more for us to bring home with us. You also HAVE TO have these Tortuga Rum Cakes. They are the most delicious rum cakes I have every tasted. Don’t even think about, just go get them! You will thank me!
Once back on the ship, we showered, relaxed and got ready for the night’s festivities. Dinner, music and relaxation was on the ticket for us. Since we live in South Florida and my boo is Hispanic, we are all about the Latin Music. The Latidos did not disappoint in the least. Awesome music, which included Salsa, Meringue and Bachata!
Sunday: Fun Day at Sea
Fun Day at Sea is some of my favorite times on the cruises. You can really relax, sleep in and move at your own pace. Which is something that we really needed this past weekend. We started this morning and every morning actually in the dining room for breakfast. We like the dining room, because you can really take your time and for me the food is portioned which makes a huge difference You tend not to overeat in the dining room, where the buffet on the Lido deck is a different story. The food is so awesome too. The menu changes daily and there are lots of options. This is just a few things we had…..Check them out below …….
After breakfast, We spent some time on the Serenity deck, which is awesome because it is adults ONLY. That means so much when you want to just relax. The hot tub was great to warm my joint up in and then I spent some time in the Sauna, 30 minutes to be exact and it was 150 degrees inside. It was like WOW! One of the cool things is that I walked in with joint pain and in the 30 minutes I was in there, my pain got flushed out and I was pain free and I had full range of motion of my fingers and wrists. What an amazing feeling. Typically when I go on cruises, I will also workout either in the gym or on the jogging track during sunrise. Watching the sun rise is something that I love. However, on this trip I didn’t even workout because I just didn’t have it in me. I really just wanted to focus on self-care and that’s what I did. Remember, YOU ARE IMPORTANT TOO! But seriously you should check it out. The spa was very nice, they had steam room, sauna and the gym with a fitness studio. They also sell, ELEMIS Skincare Products and they are Duty-Free, so that made me really happy, so I stocked up on those!
In talking about self-care, we also took daily naps on this weekend getaway! Don’t judge……naps are a part of life, a necessity if you will. In the afternoon, they had my favorite show in the theater, The Love and Marriage Show. When you cruise, you have to go! It is always a fun time with A LOT of Laughter! They take the oldest married couple, the newest married couple and a couple somewhere in between. They ask a series of questions and try to determine if they really know each other.
Bingo is also a big ticket item as well as the casino. Our dinner mates actually won a free cruise just by playing in the casino. How cool is that? I wish I could have done that. On the sea days, you can also do your duty free shopping on the ship and buy any pictures that were taking of you during your trip.
Then it was dinner time, with the best waitstaff in the dining room. The server gave us multiple riddles to solve as we await the arrival of the food. Me? I am terrible at riddles, always have been but the others at the table got all the riddles with no problem. They were really awesome and kept us well-entertained while we were there. After dinner, we really likes going to the Ionion Room to listen to The Latidos Latin Music. They were really good and it is always fun to dance and to watch the other people dance as well. I am definitely not the best latin dancer, but I try and at least have a great time doing it. What do they say? Dance like no one is watching? Yeah, that’s me!
We did turn in earlier that night because we had to pack. The very next day we were disembarking and going back home….sadly….
So sad the weekend went so quickly. However, we know we will be back! I have always had such great experiences with Carnival. The service is really fantastic, the crew is amazing, super helpful and really make the vacation a great experience. I would recommend Carnival to anyone who wants to have a great time but also wants to save money.
You can also check out my Instagram Stories right here, while I was on the cruise! See Below:
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