Cruises in my opinion are the funnest, most budget friendly vacations a person can take. Not only do you get to visit various countries/destinations in a couple of days but you are drowned in all the food and drinks you can imagine. I make it a goal to take at least 1 cruise a year, this specific cruise was my 9th cruise and I decided to take it with Norwegian Cruise Line. The main cruise lines that sail out of Florida are Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL (Norwegian). NCL blows the other 2 cruise lines out of the water, they have a unique style of cruising which they market as "Freestyle Cruising". Carnival and Royal will have set times for dinner every night, you have to share your dining table with other random people and it can get uncomfortable sometimes. NCL allows you to dine whenever you want at whatever dining room you want and you get seated only with your party. It makes a big difference because you can plan your day doing whatever you want and not around the cruise ships schedule. I wont be comparing cruise lines in this article, instead ill go through the itinerary of the cruise and highlight the things that where the most enjoyable. By the way, I will be forward with the price of this cruise. For only $315 a person we sailed for 4 days to the Bahamas with all food and liquor included. In comparison, you wouldn't be able to even purchases a plane ticket to the Bahamas. That is the reason why I think cruises provided such a great value.
Dining:
The Norwegian sky has several dining options for onboard guests. There is a Buffett with countless food options open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On top of that there are 2 formal dining rooms where you can sit down and order a 5 course meal. both the formal dining rooms and the buffet are included in the cruise fare. NCL also has specialty restaurants on board, there is an Italian restaurant, French restaurant and a Steak House. The charge for these optional restaurants range from $20-$30 a person which is still a great value. The first night of the cruise was my Birthday so we decided to dine at the Italian restaurant. Please note that once you pay the cover charge for the restaurant you can order as much as you want from the menu. The charge for the Italian restaurant was $20pp.
(insalata caprese)
(beef carpaccio and bruschetta)
(Veal lasagna and Chicken Parm)
After the delicious dinner our waitress offered to bring us everything on the dessert menu considering it was my birthday. We where all so full but when do you ever say no to dessert?
After sampling all of the desserts the whole dining staff came over to our table and sang me Happy Birthday. On top of the dessert they brought me a big A** birthday cake that I had no idea what to do with. It was a truly special moment =).
(Miami Vice)
Before I move on I just want to compare this dining experience to something you would do at a 5 star restaurant. This meal its self could have added up to over $300 its self after drinks and gratuity. I make this comparison to justify the value of cruises.
Destinations:
Since this was a quick weekend cruise we only visited 2 Bahamas islands, they where Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay. Great Stirrup is a privately owned island only for NCL guests, the only way to get there is by boat. This island is a true paradise, its a whole day to just relax and soak in the crystal blue waters and Caribbean sun.
The first stop was Nassau, Bahamas. Nassau has one of the largest cruise ports in the world, next to us where another 5 cruise ships visiting that day. As you walk off the ship you see the "Straw Market", here you can find any souvenirs or crafts handmade by the locals. There are also countless restaurants and duty free shops. Bahamians love to eat Conch and so do I, I walked around for about 30 minutes trying to find a restaurant serving Conch salad and it was almost impossible. After asking around I was told there is a man that makes it fresh of his boat down the street. He literally parks on the dock and chops up fresh vegetable and the Conch right in front of you. I must admit I was scared of getting food poisoning but I decided to go for it any ways.
It was the best Conch salad I have ever eaten, it was the true definition of "fresh off the boat".
After that we decided to take a ferry boat to Paradise Island. When you get off the boat you will see people in the street selling ferry tickets for only $8 roundtrip. If you have never been to Nassau you MUST go to Paradise Island and visit the Atlantis compound. Atlantis owns %80 of Paradise Island and it is one of the biggest resorts in the world. Atlantis has 3 locations worldwide: Bahamas, Dubai and Sanya, China. Tourists can visit the compound but only have access to the shops and the Casino. The hotel has a huge water park and an aquarium, access to these attractions cost $145 for a day pass per person. I have done the day pass one in the past and I highly recommend doing it at least once.
(Nassau Port, NCL Sky in the background)
(The 3 following pictures where retrieved from Google for the purpose of showing the amenities and size of the resort).
(Underwater Rooms)
(Atlantis)
Next I will discuss Great Stirrup Cay. Unlike Nassau, Great Stirrup Cay has no port. There is a ferry boat that attaches to the cruise ship and provides transportation to the island for cruise guests. Once you arrive at the island you have the option to find a chair and relax or choose from excursions like snorkeling, parasailing, jetskis etc. The island has 3 bars and a BBQ buffet, all the food on the island is included. Drinks are also included if you purchased the "Ultimate Beverage Package" (UBP can be purchased for $60 a day and includes unlimited liquor, beer, wine up to $15 a drink) if you drink at least 5 drinks a day I highly suggest purchasing the package.
(Great Stirrup Cay)
We took advantage to just relax on this day, as you can see above it is a paradise.
I just want to take a moment to mention the employees on this boat. Most of them are either from the Philippines or India. They work 12-16 hour shifts every day and make only enough money to send back to their families back at home. Regardless of their situation they always greet you with a smile and make you feel at home. It urges us to appreciate the blessings we have every day that we may take for granted.
The next day we arrived back at the port of Miami and went back to reality. This weekend vacation was well deserved and well enjoyed. If you have never cruised I highly recommend it as your next vacation. If you have any questions about cruising or travel in general feel free to message me through Google Circles.
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