Bahama Mama!

From the title of this posting I'm sure you can tell my next adventure is to the BEAUTIFUL Nassau, Bahamas! My senior year of high school my grandmother decided to take me on a cruise for spring break.  I know it may seem odd to go on a spring break trip with your grandmother but this lady knows how to have fun and how to shop! My aunt, cousin and one of my sisters decided to join us on our trip as well. We flew to Miami on a Wednesday night, checked into our hotel and hit the sheets so that we could board the Carnival cruise ship early Friday morning.  Since this was my first cruise, I was amazed by the different activities that the ship offered.  It also blew my mind that all the food was free!  The room was cozy and offered a nice view of the ocean as well as the ship’s deck. 

While on the ship we tried to participate in as many of the activities that we could.  We did everything from Dinner with the captain, the amateur comedy show and even played a bit of Bingo.  As I mentioned before, the ship had free all you can eat food and many buffets.  Although I enjoy a good meal, I’m not too big on buffets. It’s just too much food and absolutely too many people hovering around it throughout the day. 

We docked in Nassau on our second day of being on the ship.  The place was incredible! The first thing we did was go on a tour of the city. The tour guide took us around to see the major attractions of the city as well as some of the places the locals like to go. One place that he took us that was a bit disturbing was by Anna Nicole Smith’s burial site and home. Our trip was around the time when she had just died and the legal battle of her daughter was just starting up. It was sad to see that there were so many people intruding on her family’s personal space while they were dealing with a lost.  We also got to tour the beautiful Atlantis Resort where many famous celebrities stay when visiting.  It is also where many major films such as Casino Royale have been filmed.

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Straw Market.  Straw Market is where a lot of the locals go to sell authentic Bahamian crafts and jewelry.  It is the best place on the island to buy souvenirs. There are so many small shops that it is overwhelming.  Another great thing about the Bahamas is that a lot of the stores are duty free.  This means you can shop and not pay local or national taxes.  My grandmother used those stores as an opportunity to by my uncles their favorite bottles of alcohol while us girls bought loads of jewelry, perfumes and purses! After we were done shopping we took our bags back to the ship and decided to spend the rest of the day along the beach as we ate at a nearby restaurant.