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Monday, November 19, 2007 -
After meeting up with Jonna's parents and sister's family on Sunday evening and spending the night at a local Country Inn and Suites, we were fresh for out sea adventure this morning. We checked in at the Cape Canaveral Port for Royal Caribbean and were soon onboard. Our first stop was, of course, lunch. After all, it was a cruise! We spent a good part of the afternoon exploring the ship, checking out the kids club, and lounging at the pool. Our rooms were located on the fourth deck and we all had nice large windows so that we could really enjoy seeing the ocean!
At 4 pm we experienced the fun of the emergency drill with the life jackets etc. and were glad when that was over. We pulled out of port at 5 pm sharp and were underway on the Blount family's first seaward adventure.
After dinner that night, we attended the kid's club orientation and let the kids spend some time there while Mark and I checked out the comedian show and enjoyed a nighttime stroll on the deck. So far, we were off to a good start....
Tuesday, November 20, 2007 -
Last night the ship was definitely rolling as the wind whipped against the window. Luckily, Jonna took some seasickness medicine, Bonine, as a precaution earlier in the day so we were not affected by the rocking.
The original plan was to spend the day at Coco Cay but the captain announced that it was far to windy to tender to the island so it was decided that we would cruise straight on to Nassau and dock there for the night. We spent the day at the pool, playing name that tune, tossing bean bags, rock climbing, and enjoying some of the ships many activities.
We arrived in Nassau around 5 pm or so and Mark and Grayson went ashore with Kellie and family to check it out. Darby and I relaxed on the boat with Gramma and Granddaddy instead and had a leisurely dinner. The kids visited the Kids Club again and Mark and I went to another comedian show as a couple. Like the real "partiers" we are, we were in bed by 10:30 pm!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 -
This morning we headed off early to explore Nassau I think we were some of the first people off the boat. We headed straight for the Queen's Staircase to see this marvel carved by slaves out of limestone in the late 18th century. It was a beautiful sight. We climbed the 65 stairs to the top and headed over to Fort Fincastle to enjoy the magnificent view of the water, the ship, and Paradise Island.
After touring the island for a while we decided to try our hand at bargaining in the straw market. Darby and Grayson both bravely bargained for treasures, but the close quarters and rising temperatures soon forced us back out onto the street. After getting such an early start we found ourselves finished with our Nassau tour by mid-morning. We decided to grab a water taxi and head over to see what we could see at Paradise Island.
Arriving hot and thirsty we decided to partake in some frosty, frozen, non-alcoholic concoctions - DELICIOUS! We headed through the quaint shopping area of Paradise Island and just loved all the beautiful colors and palm trees we found ourselves surrounded by. Arriving at Atlantis, we headed through the public areas to have a look. We enjoyed roaming around there and exploring the large aquarium found in the lobby. There was the largest sting ray in there that we had ever seen. There were also some fish that took a particular liking to Darby. Much like in the film "Evan Almighty" the fish we attracted to Darby and followed her along the glass wherever she stood.
By this time we were all tired and hungary so we headed back on the water taxi to the ship. We found ourselves accompanied by a local trying to earn a few tips by pointing out the homes of the rich and famous on Paradise Island. The information he imparted, true or not, was quite interesting.
Back on board we relaxed and enjoyed a lunch and a movie. After dinner, we were able to convince Gramma to accompany us to the 9 pm magic show which was again, very entertaining. By midnight when the cruise ship set sail from Nassau, we were already all fast asleep. The Blount's are just a ball of fire!
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