Cruisin'

Just got back yesterday from a cruise to the Bahamas - I'm feeling lazy so this post will be hightlights I copied from an email I just sent:

It was great to get away and not have any responsibilities or concerns for a week. My review on the cruise is mixed - some things were great, others disappointing compared to the wedding cruise we took in 2000 to Cozumel. We had a view of the ocean this time so that was nicer. Our friend’s group booked very early and got outdoor balconies for about the same price we paid - we chatted with them briefly on their balcony after dinner one evening.

The first shore excursion to Freeport was relaxing - we went to an all-inclusive hotel called the Viva Wyndham and hung out on the beautiful beach under a wooden umbrella. We had both sunny and partly cloudy weather that day. We had trouble booking a shore excursion in Nassau - the one we were going to do with our friends got cancelled due to too few participants, and our second choice was sold out. We ended up having a pretty good day anyway - we went to the Crafts Market right next to the pier in the morning, and I got a straw hat and very pretty straw handbag and shopped for souvenirs. We went on a Taxi Van tour of the island in the afternoon. This worked out pretty well in that it rained buckets a good part of the afternoon when we were inside the van, and cleared up just in time for us to get out at the next stop at a fort. The van itself was small and I was a bit cramped, but we heard some of the history of the islands. They appear even poorer and more run-down in the inner city than Jamaica, but I suspect that's partly because of their smaller size. No surprise that their number one industry is tourism, followed by banking.

We enjoyed some fabulous broadway type on-board evening shows with a singing and dancing group, and one show with a magician/comedian that had me bent over laughing and crying. He did some awesome magic and ended with a beautiful story and an amazing "illusion". However, my biggest criticism of the cruise was that the music and sound systems on the sundeck and in the shows was WAY too loud. We decided to leave one show a little early because our ears hurt even though we had earplugs. The food and dining facilities were good, but not as good as 8 years ago, although the service was incredible. We were seated with a wonderful Hungarian waiter named Sandor. In general, the staff on the cruise were genuinely cheerful, pleasant and helpful.

We both managed to get some sun, although for the most part, we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible so as not to get burned. I've been instructed to be more careful in the sun for about a year after radiation treatment, and of course my hubby did not want to get burned and be miserable afterwards. However, we are both more tanned than before we left. We purchased some professional photos that were taken on board, and I got a lot of photos with the instant cameras I took.

All in all, I enjoyed my vacation and feel very blessed to have been able to go.