Bahamas 2018: Harry Potter, Stingrays & Dolphins!
On August 3, Trevor and I set sail for the Bahamas...
We found a cruise out of Cape Liberty, New Jersey, which seemed like a good idea at the time. But after 4.5 hours of driving in dense traffic in far too many circles to the cruise ship and 6.5 hours of driving on the way back, we might consider another cruise port terminal in the future :) Once we got to the terminal, though, we quickly flew through security and made our way onto the boat just as the staterooms opened. We booked a balcony room so that I could spend the days at sea watching the sunrise/sunset, spotting marine life (dolphins and flying fish!), and staring off into the beautiful caribbean waters. Our boat was the Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas.
We were spoiled all week by the amazing staff onboard, including the head waiter, Anthony, who brought me specially designed meals for my diet, and our stateroom attendant, Demain, who cheerfully greeted and checked in with us every time we saw him in the hallway. During our cruising days, we played music/general trivia and explored the activities onboard, including mini golf.
Our first stop was Orlando. Trevor and I took an express shuttle to Universal Studios to spend the afternoon exploring the new Harry Potter addition, Diagon Alley, and ride the Hogwarts train between the two parks. It was an incredibly hot afternoon, but that didn't stop us from getting 18,000+ steps wandering around the two parks, searching for the elusive regional Pokemon, and enjoying the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We started at Diagon Alley - exploring all the shops and drinking delicious Butterbeer (cream soda, butterscotch, ice, and sugar). Then, we walked around the rest of the Universal Studios park before crossing the CityWalk and entering the Islands of Adventure. We headed straight to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter, featuring the Hogwarts Castle, Olivander's Wand Shop, and Hogsmeade. We took the train back to Diagon Alley and waited for the dragon atop the Gringotts Bank to move, but alas, it didn't spring to life while we were there. With only 5 hours in the park, we had to head back to the bus to make sure we boarded the boat in time.
After a day of sailing, we arrived at CocoCay Island, which is a private island owned by Royal Caribbean. We booked the Stingray City shore excursion. After a short, super fast boat ride from CocoCay, we arrived in shallow waters and were greeted by 30+ large stingrays in an enclosed natural habitat. I was the first to jump in the water and hold a stingray (and of course, the last one out of the water) :) We learned about the stingrays as we swam and walked alongside them. The most important thing - if you want to get stung, sneak up behind a stingray! And, if you do get stung by a giant barb, don't take it out (wait for medical help). Even though we knew our odds of getting stung were low, we were still a little jumpy every time one bumped into us or swam over our feet. Many times, a large group of stingrays would swim right at us! After the stingray excursion, we spent the afternoon relaxing at CocoCay - playing in the beautiful caribbean water, laying in hammocks, and enjoying the island breeze.
The following day, we arrived at Nassau, which is home to the famous Atlantis hotel, featured in many TV shows and movies. Trevor and I hopped on a ferry to the Blue Lagoon Island (where the 1996 movie, Flipper, was filmed!) to spend the morning with dolphins. With a small group of 8 others, we jumped into the natural dolphin habitat and enjoyed a dolphin kiss, dance, and hug. Trevor was a big hit among the dolphins. A baby dolphin laid on his shoulder and started talking to him. He responded and the dolphin squeaked back. When we did the dolphin push (aka flying through the water with the help of two adult dolphins), another baby dolphin rode alongside him. After the dolphin encounter, we spent quality time on the hammocks on the island and swimming in the warm waters before hopping on the party boat (featuring nonstop dance hits) back to Nassau.
After two days of sailing, and far too many trivia games, we made it back to Cape Liberty. It was such a nice retreat...we'll be doing it again! We signed up for a cruise to Greece next year! Until next time, here are a few final photos (P.S. we'd love to hear from you! How are you doing? Let's stay connected!)
Our first stop was Orlando. Trevor and I took an express shuttle to Universal Studios to spend the afternoon exploring the new Harry Potter addition, Diagon Alley, and ride the Hogwarts train between the two parks. It was an incredibly hot afternoon, but that didn't stop us from getting 18,000+ steps wandering around the two parks, searching for the elusive regional Pokemon, and enjoying the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We started at Diagon Alley - exploring all the shops and drinking delicious Butterbeer (cream soda, butterscotch, ice, and sugar). Then, we walked around the rest of the Universal Studios park before crossing the CityWalk and entering the Islands of Adventure. We headed straight to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter, featuring the Hogwarts Castle, Olivander's Wand Shop, and Hogsmeade. We took the train back to Diagon Alley and waited for the dragon atop the Gringotts Bank to move, but alas, it didn't spring to life while we were there. With only 5 hours in the park, we had to head back to the bus to make sure we boarded the boat in time.
After a day of sailing, we arrived at CocoCay Island, which is a private island owned by Royal Caribbean. We booked the Stingray City shore excursion. After a short, super fast boat ride from CocoCay, we arrived in shallow waters and were greeted by 30+ large stingrays in an enclosed natural habitat. I was the first to jump in the water and hold a stingray (and of course, the last one out of the water) :) We learned about the stingrays as we swam and walked alongside them. The most important thing - if you want to get stung, sneak up behind a stingray! And, if you do get stung by a giant barb, don't take it out (wait for medical help). Even though we knew our odds of getting stung were low, we were still a little jumpy every time one bumped into us or swam over our feet. Many times, a large group of stingrays would swim right at us! After the stingray excursion, we spent the afternoon relaxing at CocoCay - playing in the beautiful caribbean water, laying in hammocks, and enjoying the island breeze.
Comments