Atlantis off in the distance!
See the Carnival ship over there on the right? That's where we were heading. :)
The Man took this shot. I love it so much I made it my desktop background.
A sunwashed Atlantis
Pulling in next to Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas
The straw market and Senor Frogs, quiet in the early morning
Our ship reflected in the Royal Caribbean ship's windows
George in Nassau!
After we pulled in to port we decided to head down to breakfast at Parrot Cay. After breakfast I ran back up to our room to grab some things we forgot and found that Lorenzo had already been in and tidied up.
I miss Lorenzo...
But enough about the incredible hospitality aboard the Wonder... it was time to hit Nassau!
Just off the ship and looking up!
All the kids, ready for a day at Atlantis!
The plan for the day was to go to Atlantis and spend most of the day enjoying the Aquaventure activities there. Since last year's vacation to Atlantis the kids had been dying to go back so we looked into booking the shore excursion going to Atlantis with Disney. We got a little bit of sticker shock at the $155 a person that Disney was charging (or $1860 for all 12 of us - my parents opted to skip Atlantis) so we thought we'd probably pass on it. Luckily, The Man discovered that we could book a room at the Comfort Suites in Paradise Island and have full access to Atlantis for the awesome price of about $200 for each family. There would be about $100 in cab fare for all 12 of us to get there and back but it was still over $1100 in savings to do it this way! Cha ching!
After a quick cab ride over to the Comfort Suites we had a fairly easy check in and received our little cards that would allow us to get bracelets at Atlantis. We got three rooms at Comfort Suites and only used one of them just to change and apply sunscreen. Then we just walked right across the street to Atlantis.
On our walk to get our bracelets we were again wowed with the beauty that is Atlantis. This little lagoon was filled with adorable puffer fish and starfish.
Breathtaking!
We rented a locker to store our stuff and then it was on to Aquaventure! We spent a few hours enjoying all the beauty and cool waters of Atlantis and the kids had a blast playing in the kid area. The Man, Uncle B1, and my 14 year old niece spent most of the time riding down insane thrill slides with names like "Leap of Faith" and "The Abyss" while the rest of us spent more of a relaxing day.
It was time to leave Atlantis as we wanted to make a quick trip over to the straw market for a little Bahamian shopping. The kids were all hungry so we gave in and opted for a quick lunch at Burger King. We laughed a little at the price increase at the Bahamian Burger King.
It was time to leave Atlantis as we wanted to make a quick trip over to the straw market for a little Bahamian shopping. The kids were all hungry so we gave in and opted for a quick lunch at Burger King. We laughed a little at the price increase at the Bahamian Burger King.
And then we laughed a little at the fact that we were eating Burger King in Nassau!
Then it was on to the straw market. The straw market is like a super crowded flea market with mostly fake designer hand bags and fake designer watches and some traditional Bahamian stuff as well. You can buy straw bags there which is what the market traditionally is known for, however, the fake designer stuff is overwhelmingly the main source of income for these people. I was in the market for a couple of cute little Bahama girl outfits similar to one that I had bought for Munchkin last year. I found some sort of close after about an hour of weeding through all the fake stuff and purchased them quickly just to get the heck out of there. It was about then that I vowed never to go back to the straw market. I'm not sure if there is anywhere on earth that I might feel less comfortable, actually. Perhaps a male review... I don't think I would be very comfortable there, either. But the straw market is a close second.
First of all, I loathe the fakes and the straw market is all about the fakes. Second of all, it's super crowded and difficult to weed through all the people and stuff. I had Munchkin by the hand the whole time and I was petrified we'd be separated. Third of all, it's all about bargaining. You have to negotiate and I'm just not like that. I like one price and if it sounds reasonable I'll pay it. I don't want to haggle. So when the woman selling the little outfits said they were $12 each or two for $20 I grabbed two, handed her a Jackson and took off. I probably could have saved myself $5 if I had haggled but I look at it as $5 well spent to avoid the negotiating and to get me out of that place quicker.
First of all, I loathe the fakes and the straw market is all about the fakes. Second of all, it's super crowded and difficult to weed through all the people and stuff. I had Munchkin by the hand the whole time and I was petrified we'd be separated. Third of all, it's all about bargaining. You have to negotiate and I'm just not like that. I like one price and if it sounds reasonable I'll pay it. I don't want to haggle. So when the woman selling the little outfits said they were $12 each or two for $20 I grabbed two, handed her a Jackson and took off. I probably could have saved myself $5 if I had haggled but I look at it as $5 well spent to avoid the negotiating and to get me out of that place quicker.
The ships docked, taken from the seawall across from the market
Kids sitting on the wall with the sun in their eyes
There is a large ledge on the other side of that wall, by the way. :) No risk of them falling in.
Atlantis in the afternoon
After our completely filled day in Nassau it was time to get back on the ship and get ready for a culinary delight that can only be experienced on a Disney Cruise. The adults in our party had reservations at Palo. Palo is a reservations and adults only gourmet Northern Italian restaurant on the Disney Wonder and Magic and it is something to be experienced. We went to Palo on our first cruise in 2005 and we were excited to go back. Three years ago our experience was so amazing there was some doubt that it could be equaled this time. We were not disappointed, though.
Our party of 8 was seated, just like last time, in a private room in the back of the restaurant with a beautiful view of Nassau as we were still docked when we sat down. Since we were such a large group, we sort of ordered one of everything and just shared around. There was so much food and it was all so delicious! As our appetizers were served the ship started to leave port and we watched Nassau disappear as we spoiled ourselves with the food.
Our party of 8 was seated, just like last time, in a private room in the back of the restaurant with a beautiful view of Nassau as we were still docked when we sat down. Since we were such a large group, we sort of ordered one of everything and just shared around. There was so much food and it was all so delicious! As our appetizers were served the ship started to leave port and we watched Nassau disappear as we spoiled ourselves with the food.
Tuna Carpaccio & Lemon Oil Dressing
Sicilian Pesto Marinated Grilled Shrimp Salad
Grilled Portabello Mushroom and Polenta with a Roasted Shallot Sauce
Chocolate Souffle
Chocolate Amaretto Indulgence
Panna Cotta
Pineapple and Almond Ravioli
My personal favorite, Tiramisu - I would have eaten the whole thing if I could have fit it!
After Palo the night wasn't over. We still had a pirate party to attend!
My boys. :)
Pirate Princess Munchkin
Teenaged pirate & Goober
Our youngest pirates
The highlight of the party, just before the fireworks!
And we all slept like rocks that night. :)
My boys. :)
Bug was a little tired. He really wasn't 100% up to par the entire cruise as he was still getting over being sick for a week. My dad actually took the poor guy up to his room before the party even started and he fell asleep there.
Pirate Princess Munchkin
Teenaged pirate & Goober
Our youngest pirates
The highlight of the party, just before the fireworks!
After the party it was time to go back to the room and enjoy our third turn down service. Tonight we got a monkey wearing my sunglasses!
And we all slept like rocks that night. :)
1 comment:
What a gorgeous sunrise! I'm not a cruise person but you really make it sound appealing. We went sailing in the Caribbean when Itai was a baby. I'd love to go back if only it didn't take like three whole days to get there...
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