Bahama Bound

Well, I've been home for a week now after my cruise to the Bahamas so it's time to get back to the routine. I'll start with a wrap up of my cruise and follow up with specific islands/excursions in a later post. I know they're not exactly Northwest Florida, but hey, a girl's entitled to a vacation every now and again.

My friend and I drove down to Port Canaveral the day before our cruise so that we could get settled into our hotel and relax before boarding our ship, the Norwegian Sun. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Cocoa Beach and took advantage of their Park and Cruise program where you can leave your car at the hotel while on the cruise and the hotel will shuttle you to and from the port. This service went off without a hitch and was first rate all the way around. Not only that, but when you check into the hotel you're given a free glass of wine or beer depending on your preference to help you unwind.

Sunrise at Cocoa Beach

Morning dawned beautifully as you can see from the above picture. Temperatures were pleasant and a delightful change from the freezing temps of Northwest Florida. A girl could get used to this. We ate breakfast and then clambered onto the stylish air-conditioned bus provided for us by Courtyard Marriott and were on our way to the port to board our ship.

Boarding at Port Canaveral was easy and we were onboard the Norwegian Sun by noon. Our rooms wouldn't be ready for a couple of hours so we set out for the main dining room to have lunch before exploring the rest of the ship. Simply put the Norwegian Sun is beautiful. She'd just come out of dry dock and although there was still some work being done here and there, for the most part she was an elegant specimen of a ship.

Stained Glass Mural Deck 6, Aft

Sail-away was at 4:30 so we made our way up to Deck 12 and Champ's Bar where we were to meet a couple of friends. The weather was not cooperating and strong winds quickly chased us down to Deck 11 (aft) and the Great Outdoor Cafe where we waved goodbye to Florida. My friend ducked downstairs to take advantage of a sail-away special while I remained at the cafe to snap photos. The winds picked up so bad that chairs were blowing across the deck and it wasn't long before I headed down below as well.

Upon leaving Port Canaveral we headed into gale force winds that lasted most of the night. My stomach and I weren't on the best of terms that first evening (I'm not so certain it was seasickness) so I stayed in the cabin and between napping bouts I would stare out our window at the raging storms chasing us. I love watching lightning storms and these were pretty spectacular to say the least.

By morning we had calmer seas and sailed into Freeport, Bahamas where we would begin our first shore excursion. I'll detail those in separate posts.

While on the ship we dined in the Main Dining Room, the Seven Seas and the Garden Cafe. Our favourite restaurant turned out to be the Seven Seas because we had the most attentive waiter and bartender that really made our evenings delightful. The fine dining experience was also something I could get used to.

It took several days for us to explore the whole ship (and I'm sure there are places we still didn't find.) I took a dip in the hot tub, had a massage at the spa, took in a feature show in the Stardust Lounge, went to (and danced at) NCL's White Hot Party at Dazzles, strolled the Galleria and store shops, lounged in the Observation Lounge and more. There was so much to do that there was no way you could get bored and in fact we didn't make it to half of the things we wanted to do.

Pools & Hot Tubs on the Norwegian Sun

Observation Lounge on the Norwegian Sun

NCL White Hot Party on the Norwegian Sun

All in all it was a fabulous trip. The only downside was that I had some jewelry stolen from my luggage during disembarkation. I don't know if it was by the crew or the luggage porters at Port Canaveral but I've learned two things: 1) Luggage locks on zippered suitcases are useless (look it up on YouTube) and 2) the next time I purchase jewelry abroad I will have it mailed home, insured.

Despite the theft I've put a deposit down on a future cruise. Now I've just got to figure out where I want to go next.