Anniversary Trip to Sandals Royal Bahamian

We were thinking about taking a short cruise for our anniversary, but the prices had gotten so high! After looking at all the cruise options, Ron said, “if we’re going to spend that kind of money, we should just go to Sandals.” That sounded great to me! Taking advantage of a last-minute deal, we were able to snag three nights at Sandals Royal Bahamian.

We landed at Lynden Pindling Airport at 10:15 AM, flew through customs, and were at the resort by 11 o’clock. Our room wouldn’t be ready for a few hours, but we’d put swimsuits in our backpacks so we could start our vacation right away. After changing out of our travel clothes, we walked around the East Bay side of the resort, checking out the new over-the-water wedding chapel. The East Bay building had also been remodeled since our last trip two years ago. I barely recognized the billiards room. It used to be decorated in British colonial style with formal portraits, warm wood and black accents. Now the room was pink and green with pictures of flamingos and tropical plants. People in the Sandals Facebook group seemed to have a love-hate relationship with the pink-felt pool tables. :-)  I could see both sides. I’d liked the stately, traditional look, but the new look was more cheerful and Bahamian.

Celebrity Silhouette

Fort Lauderdale

Our plane landed in Fort Lauderdale at 11:15 and exactly one hour later, we were stepping onto the ship. It would have been even sooner except for the horrendous traffic getting into the port, made worse by the rain. Go away, rain!

The first thing we did after we got onboard was drop off our luggage in our cabin and pick up our Seapass cards, then we ate lunch at the Oceanview Café. We spent the rest of the afternoon learning our way around. Like other Celebrity ships we’ve been on, Silhouette had a Grand Foyer that spanned three decks with an elegant staircase, glass elevators and several bars. There was an ice-topped martini bar, a sports pub called Craft Social and the coffee and pastry shop, Café Al Bacio.

The Aurea Experience on MSC Seashore

Port Canaveral

Booking a cruise with MSC is a little different than with other cruise lines. You choose one of three different “experiences” - Bella, Fantastica or Aurea. With the Bella experience, you select your cabin type, but your cabin number gets assigned to you. With Fantastica, you get to select your specific cabin. The Aurea experience not only allows you to select your cabin, but it comes with several other perks, like priority boarding, access to the thermal spa, an exclusive area on the pool deck, robes and slippers in the cabin, and most importantly, My Choice Dining. When we booked this cruise, we decided on an Aurea balcony cabin because I hate having a set dining time. It always seems to be an inconvenient time, like 5:30 or 9 o’clock or when we’re in the middle of doing other things. To me, it was worth paying for Aurea just to be able to eat when I wanted to eat.

Warwick Paradise Island

Ron and I were looking into taking a short cruise to the Bahamas to tide us over until our trip to Maine. I was about to suggest that we get a day pass at Warwick if our cruise went to Nassau when Ron said, “Instead of taking a cruise, why don’t we stay at Warwick?” We were on the same wavelength! :-)

Warwick is an all-inclusive adults-only resort on the harbor side of Paradise Island. The hotel was built in the 60s and has had several different names over the years. We’ve been wanting to check it out since it became a Warwick property in 2017. I was curious to see how it compared with RIU Palace Paradise Island, where we have stayed a couple of times.

Allure of the Seas - Our First Cruise on a Megaship

Port Canaveral

We’ve put off sailing on a megaship for a couple of reasons. For one thing, we were concerned about crowds and long lines. But also, we normally take 3 or 4-day cruises and those tend to be on the smaller ships.  When we found out that Allure of the Seas would be doing short cruises out of Port Canaveral, we decided it was time to give a megaship a try.

MSC Seaside Getaway to Ocean Cay

Port Canaveral

We hadn’t been on a cruise in over a year, and I couldn’t wait to see the turquoise water of the Bahamas again, watch a sunset from our balcony, hit the casino, explore a new ship. Then three days before the cruise, Idalia formed in the Gulf, and I didn’t know if I should be preparing for a cruise or a major hurricane. Idalia blew through Tuesday night and when we got up Wednesday morning, our house was fine. More importantly, Judi’s house had power so she would be OK if we went out of town for a few days. I could finally start packing!

We left early Thursday morning for Port Canaveral, even though our assigned boarding time wasn’t until 3 o’clock. We ate lunch at Fishlips at the port, sitting out on the deck and watching a couple of manatees playing in the channel. At 1:30, we decided we’d waited long enough and headed to the cruise terminal. There was no line at all, so we got through security quickly and were onboard by 2. By that time, the cabins were ready, so we went straight to our cabin to drop off our bags and then explored the ship.

Sandals Royal Bahamian - Part 2

Wednesday

In the morning, we had breakfast at La Plume, the French restaurant that served an a la carte breakfast. When we got to the restaurant, we couldn’t find the door! Apparently, they had moved the entrance during the renovations, and now you had to go through Mr. B’s Bar to get in. La Plume was my favorite restaurant, with its pink Art Deco accents and beautiful curved glass windows. My eggs Benedict were tasty too.

Sandals Royal Bahamian - Part 1

Sunday

After 70 nights at 9 Sandals resorts over 22 years, Ron and I finally earned our free week vacation! We just had to decide where to take it. We thought about Grenada or Curacao, but the flights were terrible, so we ended up choosing our “home away from home”, the Bahamas.

Our plane landed at 1:10 and by 2:30, we were checked into our room at Sandals Royal Bahamian. We’d booked a West Bay Oceanview Penthouse room, which was on the top floor of the West Bay Building. Our room had a 4-poster king bed with comfy, white bedding and a great view of the West Bay pool, the pier, and the insanely blue water. I don’t think I could ever get tired of looking at that water. Pictures just didn't do it justice.

Carnival Freedom

Port Canaveral

As soon as we got back from Barbados, Ron was ready to go on another trip. We didn’t want to drive far, and airfare was insane, so we found a 4-day cruise out of Port Canaveral on the Carnival Freedom. Unfortunately, the day after we booked the cruise, the ship’s funnel caught fire while it was docked in Grand Turk! The videos of the fire looked terrifying but, thank goodness, no one was hurt, and Carnival arranged for another ship to bring the stranded passengers home. But now we were in limbo. Would the damage be fixed in time or would our trip be cancelled? Just five days before the cruise, Freedom sailed back to Florida, minus its iconic “whale tail”. Every Carnival ship, starting with Tropicale in 1982, has had a whale tail funnel. The design is part of Carnival’s logo, and it makes their ships instantly recognizable. Freedom’s new shorter funnel was going to take a little getting used to, but we would be sailing! Of course, there were lots of jokes about the stubby funnel. Someone in my Freedom Facebook group said that we could play ‘Pin the Tail on the Ship’. :-)

Celebrity Millennium

Fort Lauderdale

Celebrity is my favorite cruise line, but they don’t offer many short sailings so when Ron found a 4-day cruise on Millennium over Presidents’ Day weekend, we jumped on it. The itinerary was great (full days in Key West and Nassau), and our booking included drinks, tips, internet service and even some onboard credit.

We hit the road early to get to Port Everglades for our assigned check-in time. There was no line at all to get through security, and we practically walked right on the ship. Once we were onboard, it was easy to find our way around since we’d sailed on Constellation and Summit, Millennium’s sister ships, before. Although Millennium was built in 2000 and is the oldest in Celebrity’s fleet, you wouldn’t know it. It had been “Revolutionized” in 2019 and everything looked updated and fresh. The dark woods and warm reds and golds had been replaced with more muted tones – grays, soft blues and blush. I was afraid there would be too much “greige”, but it looked nice. The biggest changes I noticed were in our cabin, which had new bedding, a large flat screen TV, lots of open shelving, a lighted vanity mirror and USB ports by the bed. The bathroom even had a glass shower door! I don’t think I’ve ever been on a ship with a glass shower door. Much better than those “friendly” shower curtains.

How to Make Bahamian Sky Juice

Nothing says vacation like sipping a cocktail on a tropical beach. Well, you might not be able to get to a beach right now, but you can have a taste of vacation at home.

When I'm in the Bahamas, my favorite cocktail is Sky Juice. I was introduced to Sky Juice when Ron and I were on a tour in Nassau and we stopped at a bar to cool off with some adult beverages. Most people were ordering daiquiris and Bahama Mamas, but I wanted something less fruity. The bartender suggested Sky Juice, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Sky Juice, also called Gully Wash in some parts of the Bahamas, is refreshing, potent, and best of all, it only requires a few ingredients.

You’ll need:
2 cups coconut water
1 cup gin (or white rum)
½ to 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
a dash of nutmeg

That’s it! Mix the ingredients together in a pitcher and chill for a few hours to blend the flavors, then serve over ice.

(Artwork shown above by Bahamian artist, John Paul)

The Best of Nassau

Even though we'll have to settle for trips to Puerto La Yarda and Punta Kitchen for the time being, we can still dream of our favorite destinations and look forward to seeing them again. Ron and I have been to Nassau many times and always find something new to see and do. Here are a few ideas for your next vacation in Nassau.

Cool off with a rum drink (John Watling's Distillery)

MSC Divina - Long-time Cruisers Try a New Cruise Line

Miami

Ron and I found this 3-day cruise on MSC Divina while we were looking for a quick getaway for the Presidents Day holiday. Owned by an Italian family, MSC Cruises has only been in the US market for a few years. We’d never sailed with MSC before, and I was interested in seeing how it compared with other cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival. If nothing else, it would be fun to try something different, and Divina looked beautiful. I liked the itinerary too – a full day in Freeport and another at MSC’s new private island, Ocean Cay, which just opened on December 5th.

The New RIU

We just got back from a long weekend at the RIU Palace Paradise Island, an all-inclusive resort on Cabbage Beach. We had stayed at the RIU once before and had gotten day passes a few times while on cruises, but the hotel had gone through a major remodel since our last visit. I was looking forward to seeing everything that had changed.

Unfortunately, a cold front followed us down from Florida and by the time we got to the hotel on Saturday morning, the skies were ominous. We expected some rain as the front moved through, but we didn’t expect the gale-force winds! We had just checked in when the storm hit. Then the staff shut down the pool area because the pool awnings were starting to blow loose and sheets of broken glass (from who knows where) littered the walkway. Yikes!

Since we were stuck indoors and our room wasn’t ready yet, we made ourselves at home in the lobby. Before the remodel, the lobby had been ornately decorated with ceramic vases, crystal candelabras and red velvet chairs. Now it looked more modern with lots of white, black and silver with touches of purple and blue. I thought everything looked great except for the blue disembodied head statues. What was that about? :-)  My favorite addition to the lobby was the new coffee bar, Capuchino, which served coffee, teas and pastries. For some reason, the coffee bar didn’t open until 10 AM, which seemed odd to me. Most people want coffee before 10.

Mariner of the Seas

Port Canaveral

We’ve been on some great trips this year, but none of them could be described as relaxing. And after spending months gutting and remodeling our two bathrooms, we really needed some relaxing! When we booked this cruise, I was dreaming of doing nothing but lounging in the sunshine for three days. Then the night before the cruise, the National Hurricane Center posted the “cone of uncertainty” for what was to become Hurricane Humberto. Noooo! The forecast track showed the storm north of Nassau by the time we were to arrive on Saturday, but we would have to cross its path to get there. I hoped for the best but added an umbrella and extra Bonine to my carry-on bag, just in case.

Bites of Nassau – Experiencing the Bahamas through Food

Last week on our Carnival Liberty cruise, we took the Bites of Nassau Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour with Tru Bahamian Food Tours. This is a three-hour walking tour of downtown Nassau where we learned about Bahamian history and culture while sampling authentic local dishes along the way.

The Suite Life on Carnival Liberty

Port Canaveral

We booked this trip a few months ago, choosing a balcony cabin, but less than a week before the cruise we got a phone call from Carnival offering us an upgrade to an Ocean Suite. I was surprised because the cruise had been completely sold out. There must have been a cancellation. After about two minutes of careful and thoughtful consideration, we took the upgrade. When else would we have a chance to stay in a suite??

Sun and Fun on Norwegian Sun

Port Canaveral

We didn’t realize that this cruise left on Friday the 13th when we booked it. Not that it would have mattered - we just wanted to go somewhere the first weekend possible. :-)  But I was starting to wonder if we’d made a mistake when two days before the cruise, I came down with a cold and the night before the cruise our air conditioner stopped working. First thing Friday morning we frantically called up air conditioner companies and made arrangements for our friend Bob to meet the repairman that evening. Thank goodness for good friends! I was feeling pretty frazzled by the time we got on the road, but then Zac Brown Band’s “Castaway” came on the radio and I got into the island state of mind. “Pour me another one, make it a strong one, we’re gonna have some fun tonight. Just like the other one, make it a double rum, we’re gonna castaway tonight.” Bahamas, here we come!

Three Days on Celebrity Equinox

Miami

The alarm clock went off at zero-dark-thirty and the cat looked at me like I was crazy for getting up so early. But Ron wanted to be on the road before the morning rush so we were already past Sarasota by the time the sun came up. Along Alligator Alley, the recent cold snap had turned the trees the colors of fall. The reds and oranges were pretty, but I was ready for spring! Enough of this cold weather! Unfortunately, another front was sweeping down from Canada so it looked like we were in for a chilly cruise.

Carnival Liberty

Port Canaveral

We were supposed to be in Cancun for Cinco de Mayo, not the Bahamas. But between all the doctor appointments and not knowing how I was going to feel on any given day, I didn’t think I was up for the logistics of airports, layovers and a week away from work. So we cancelled our trip to Mexico and booked something simpler - a 3-day cruise on Carnival Liberty out of Port Canaveral.

We checked in at the cruise terminal just before boarding started at 11:45 and didn’t have to wait long before we were on the ship. First stop was the aft bar on Lido Deck to purchase the soda package for Ron and a “welcome aboard” mojito for me. Vacation starts when I have my first mojito. :-)  Now what was for lunch? Liberty had plenty of options. In addition to the usual buffet, there was a Blue Iguana Cantina, which served tacos and burritos, and a Guy’s Burger Joint. We’d never been on a ship with either a Blue Iguana or a Guy’s Burger so I was looking forward to trying them both. We decided on Guy’s Burger first. Ron had the “Straight Up” burger (with lots of jalapeno peppers from the toppings bar) and I had the “Chilius Maximus”. Yummy!  Click here for the Guy's Burger Joint Menu