Nassau - part two

After our lovely day in Cozumel, the captain announced another itinerary change (sixth one I think) and instead of visiting Costa Maya, we were heading back to Nassau. 

Obviously most people were not too impressed as many have visited Nassau multiple times. I was hoping the weather would be better so I could enjoy the paradise island. 

I decided to book a shore excursion to Atlantis. I had visited the Atlantis in Dubai and had an amazing time shooting down the water slides and admiring the marine life. 

The Atlantis in The Bahamas is the original one. You assume the original would be the best - sadly I was disappointed. 

The excursion cost $159 so it wasn't cheap. That included the transfer to and from the resort but that was it. 

When I looked at the map, it looked pretty big however it struck me as just a hotel resort. Lots of swimming pools and a handful of slides. 

The one thing I wanted to do in The Bahamas was to swim in the sea. I headed straight to the stunning beach and tried to go in however it was pretty choppy and soon enough I was whistled at to not enter the sea. 

After not being allowed in the sea, it was time for some rides. I think in total there were maybe 8 slides and Rapids. For the steep entrance fee, that's not enough. 

The first slide I did takes you through the shark tank. I was so excited to see these beautiful creatures but it was quite foggy inside the tube so it was better viewing them from the outside. 

I was desperate to swim in the ocean so it was time to try again. I went to another beach, it looked less choppy so I tried to go in but again I got that damn whistle. By this point I went up to the lifeguard and asked where I could swim in the sea and he directed me around to another beach. Time for a quick handstand on route. 

  

I finally made it into the sea. It was worth the wait. The sea was a beautiful blue colour and so warm. 

After exploring the rest of the resort, and being pretty underwhelmed, it was time to head back to the port. I wanted to get some rum cake to take home and decided to buy all six of the small ones to give some out as presents. 

Back on the ship, it was time for some Dutch courage and to try the flow rider. I've got pretty good balance however I was so nervous. When you fall off, it looked liked it hurt. Thankfully it didn't. 

It was formal night again so I got to wear my second floor length dress. I've only worn this dress once to my lovely friends wedding so it was good to wear it again. 

It was lobster night and the food was delicious!

At dinner I was sharing a table with three lovely couples. They were all around my age so after dinner they asked me if I'd like to join them at the comedy show. I'd seen the show before but it was still so good as they feed off the audience. 

After the comedy show, we headed to the Irish pub where an amazing singer was taking requests. One of the guys thought it would be a good idea to have an Irish Car Bomb - it wasn't a good idea!!

After the singer stopped, we headed to the night club in the Solarium, the music was great but it was so hot!! 

Next up was a quick stop by the casino. I wanted to play some Blackjack. I bet $50 in total and had $30 profit left when I decided to 'go big', I lost it all opps. 

After a lot of drink, it was 3am and time for pizza before heading to bed. It was such a fun night and it was so good spending some time with people my own age. 

Today (Saturday) is my last day on the cruise. I've had an amazing time. I've met some fun and interesting people. I've managed to switch off from work (this is the first holiday in three years where I haven't checked my work emails) perhaps that's because I've handed my notice in before I left so that's helped me relax. 

I definitely recommend cruising and I'd happily do another one. I think I've spoilt myself being on the largest cruise fleet. There's been so much to do, it's been a blast. How can you not love a ship this big? 

Next up Cozumel... oh and Hurricane Nate.

Tuesday, I spent my first full day at sea. We departed Nassau at approximately 6:30pm Monday night and didn't arrive into Cozumel until 9:00am Wednesday. 

I wondered if I'd get a little 'cabin fever' however I didn't as there is so much to do on the ship.  I started the day off with breakfast at Central Park and I made a new little friend called CoCo (luckily that's just his little nickname). This adorable baby who was so sweet bless him. 

I wanted to catch some sun so I spent some time by the pool sunbathing. Apparently Brazilian bikini bottoms are not the done thing here. In my defence, most women wear the most coverage swimsuits due to being slightly larger in size. 

After lunch, I had a slot pull organised. Over 100 people bet $15. We all won $8 and lost two hours of our lives!

After some relaxing (and disappointing slot poll), I figured it was time for some adrenaline so I went to the rock climbing wall. 

I've done rock climbing a little before but this seemed very high!! My legs were literally like jelly. Thank god I have good upper body strength! I'm shocked but I actually made it to the top. 

After that excitement it was time to get ready for dinner. I was pretty tired so soon after dinner I decided to have an early night. 

I woke up nice and early as I wanted to go for a jog before breakfast. I forgot how difficult is it to run in the heat! The view along the jogging track was lovely though.  

I decided to book an excursion for Cozumel (pretty much Daddy and sisters orders) so I booked a nice safe ATV tour in the jungle to the Jade Caves. 

I wasn't sure what exactly an ATV was but it turns out it's a quad bike. Turns out this bad boy got a top speed of 45MpH (sorry Daddy).

The cave was crap but I loved riding through the muddy water and getting it everywhere. I kept squeaking with excitement. 

After the tour, it was time to do some shopping. I saw a lovely tanzanite tennis bracelet for $179 that I loved! I didn't even think I could haggle so I simply bought it. I'm hoping it's not a dud. I'm going to speak to the shopping team onboard to check. 

I did however managed to haggle a good deal on cigars for my boyfriend. The deal is, he doesn't smoke it infront of me though. 

After the shopping there was time for a quick photo and back onto the ship. 

Back onboard it was margarita time (Daddy's orders), then the Captain came over the speaker system to say due to another hurricane heading straight to Costa Maya (WTF!) we were being diverted back to Nassua. 

Now I must admit, I pretty much went white as a ghost when I heard that. I know that they have some sophisticated systems to check on the weather and ensure our safety but there's still a worry that someone fucks up!

Even tonight I've noticed the ship moving a lot!! It's swaying loads. I watched one of the shows and I just kept watching the curtains swaying. 

I'm currently in the Champagne Bar and I've decided the best way to deal with this is to drink to forget. I'm currently on cocktail number two so it may take some time. 

Wish me luck guys...

The Bahamas- paradise?!?

I was so excited when I saw The Bahamas was first up on my itinerary. I picture The Bahamas with pure white saves, crystal clear waters and those adorable swimming pigs. 

It slightly went downhill when I realised The Bahamas was made up of 700 islands and of course the pigs were miles away from Nassau where I'd be docking. 

I woke up fairly early again (6:00am on holiday - damn jet lag) so I got myself sorted and headed to American Icon for breakfast. One word - wow!

The service was incredible and the choice was so good. I had a leisurely breakfast then headed off the ship to explore. 

It was so quick to get off the ship. A quick swipe of my seapass and the longest walk along the pier. 

It was the first time I'd properly seen Allures of the Sea in her true glory. She is huge!! I couldn't even fit her all into my picture. 

I decided I'd explore Nassua on my own. I knew a few places I wanted to visit and then I had planned on relaxing on the beach however the Caribbean weather decided to cause havoc. 

After wandering around for half an hour, with lots of friendly locals saying hi, I found the Queens staircase. Wow! How disappointing. It was literally 50 steps next to a man made waterfall. 

Next up was Fort Fincastle. It cost $3 to explore what would have been done in 10 minutes had the heavens not opened.

I luckily managed to seek shelter in the fort for a while. It gave me time to plan my next move. 

Next up was a little shopping at The Straw Market. There wasn't anything in particular that I wanted to buy however four fridge magnets, two baseball caps and a bracelet later, I left the market. 

It was time for another heavens to open, so naturally Starbucks was calling. This shower went on for some time so luckily they had wifi and good coffee. 

I had intended to spend the afternoon on the beach however the rubbish weather steered me away. I still had to check it out though. 

After so much rain, I thought I'd head back onboard. I stopped for a delicious salad for lunch then headed to the solarium. 

It was lovely sipping cocktails in the hot tub and looking out on the amazing view. I got chatting to some lovely people too. 

After a chill out, I thought a good workout was in order. I felt so sick working out!! It was just weird running when the ship was so choppy. 

After my workout, I was stretching when a guy approached me and asked if I was in the acrobatic show (it must have been the splits!). 

Tonight was formal night. I love black tie so I was super getting dressed up. I went to American Icon for dinner and was sat with some lovely people. I've been so pleased with how friendly everyone is. 

After dinner I had a quick flutter in the casino (I lost) but I got chatting to a lovely man called Tom who was celebrating his 60th birthday he was cruising with his girlfriend. He's a policeman in Canada and it was so interesting to hear about his job. 

Soon it was time to head to the comedy show. My god they were funny. Why is it only comedians can say such close to the bone things (ripped anus anyone?). 

I wanted to see the stars so I headed up to the top deck. It was a pretty clear night. It was so quiet up there, I managed to get a few cheeky photos. 

It's currently nearly 1am and I'm on my 7th alcoholic drink (and I was worried I'd waste the beverage package). It's time for me to head for a late night snack (It's so easy to get food here) then head to bed. 

I literally love cruising. Add alcohol, food, tax free shopping and im in!!!

I'm in Miami bitch

Ok so I'm sorry for swearing but as soon as I arrived in Miami, I had that song playing in my head. 

The flight seemed so quick! Enough time for a snooze, couple of films and a pod cast. I changed the time on my watch to Miami time as soon as I board and tried to follow the jet lag rules of acting as if you're already in the destination. 

Maybe a little early to be drinking vodka opps!

I love the feeling you get when you step outside and the heat hits you. I hopped in a taxi and headed straight to my hotel. 

The Halls South Beach was an amazing authentic Hispanic style hotel. Think white wash walls, court yard pool and lots of white cotton.  

I wanted to explore the area so as soon as I showered, I headed out for a walk. First stop was Miami South Beach. It was stunning! Such a huge Beach which I bet in the height of summer it is buzzing. 

Whilst walking around people are really 'friendly'. Ok they're not friendly, they're creeps. Guys always making comments on my appearance and the worst was a dude offering my some "excellent cocaine". This was at 5:00pm in the afternoon. 

I headed to Senior Frogs for dinner. I remember walking past it in Mexico and it looked like great fun. The portions are huge so I'm glad I only ordered a quesadilla. 

After dinner I grabbed an uber and headed to Marlins Park to watch my second ever baseball game. I vaguely knew what was going on (think of rounders on an American scale).

Sadly jet lagged was kicking in early so by 9:30pm it was time to head back to the hotel. I slept like a baby however the excitement (and probably still jet lag) was in full force and I was wide awake at 5:30am. I managed to snooze a little more but decided I had to get up and explore. 

I love going for a jog in the morning. It's the perfect way to exercise and also explore the area. I headed along the beach in search of Muscle Beach. What a disappointment! There was barely any equipement and no Vin Diesel insight. 

After my morning jog, I decided to check out the Botanical Gardens. Pedro (I'm pretty sure that wasn't his name but it sounds fitting) explained to me that the gardens had only just reopened two days prior as they had so much damage from the hurricanes. He said sadly all the koi carpe had died as there was no power for weeks and a poisonous tree fell into the pond. 

Right by the Gardens was the beautiful memorial. It felt so peaceful walking around and looking at the stunning pond lillies. 

It was time to think about heading to the port to start my cruise. Again I booked an uber as it's  easier (and cheaper) than the normal taxis. I had a great conversation with my driver about Trump, general work ethics in America and global warming. 

As soon as I arrived to the port, I got butterflies. I couldn't believe how huge Allures of the Seas is. It was time to start the next exciting travel journey.