A Quick Trip to the Bahamas

Last year, before I went to Barcelona and the transatlantic trip, I decided I needed to go on a short cruise to see what I would need for the longer one. I did not want to spend much money, and with a BOGO deal (buy one, get one), I signed up for a 4-night cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. I took the inside cabin and for two people the total amount was $585/for the 4 night. I set about finding someone to go with me. That way, my part would only be $297.50. I did find someone to go with me, and we set off for Port Canaveral to park the car and board the ship.

We took the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and I was pleasantly surprised at the accommodations (except the bed could have been better), the meals, and the myriad of activities we could be a part of on the ship -- from karaoke to dance lessons to stage shows with casinos, bingo and trivia games. Anything and everything was available. Let's see, rounding out my bill, that is 4 nights for $300 equals $75 night which includes a bed, meals, and entertainment. Pretty good.

 The ship was one of many as it docked in Nassau. Our ship is pictured in the front, next to Carnival and then the Norwegian.








We opted to go on a shore excursion, but we could have gotten off the boat and took a walking tour around town and did a little bit of shopping. This picture to the right is what the town looks like when you disembark from the ship.

Actually, we would have probably seen more if we would have toured on our own. The tour we decided on turned out to be basically a bus ride with a tour guide who was constantly trying to imitate Matthew Mcconaughey's "Alright, alright, alright" from the Wolf of  Wallstreet movie. He was not good at all. But, he did take us by the Government Buildings of Parliament Square, the Government House, and many, many street with garbage in the streets and piled high in empty lots. 

This picture at the right shows the Government Buildings of Parliament Square. It was built in 1815 and is colonial architecture. Queen Victoria stand in front. The picture above left is the Governors House, originally built in 1739, destroyed in 1929 and rebuilt in 1932. This is the residence of the Governor General of Bahamas.

We stopped at Fort Fincastle to tour the grounds and inside (for a very modest fee). If we wanted to we could walk the 65 steps of the Queen's Staircase which leads from the town to the Fort. 

\He spent an extraordinary long time at the Atlantis Hotel, telling us more than once that the room on top cost $25,000/night. So. I don't believe one of us on the trip could think, or even want to think of spending that kind of money for a hotel room for one night. Now, mind you, we did not go into the hotel, we just parked the bus and looked at it. He did allow us to get off the bus and take a picture of the fountain in front of the hotel (pictured below)

After I got home, I did look up how much it cost for a night at the Atlantis. Starting at $240/night. But with some of the rooms, it cost about $50/day to use the resort. Actually, this hotel is a destination instead of a room where you venture out to see the sights.

There are few sights to see in Nassau with the garbage making a lasting impression on me. Otherwise, I can't really say a lot about it. 

But, the cruise, yes. I would do it over and over. It's a good bang for your buck, and if you don't want to spend money on an excursion, you could always disembark the ship and walk around the town, or take public transportation, such as HOHO (hop on-hop off buses) if you are in town long enough. Just be sure to be to the ship on time, or you could be left behind. There are some people here who simply go on the cruise and never get off. There is just that much to do onboard.

Until tomorrow...have a great day