Cruisin' the Bahamas!

So after talking to my sister Kristi today, we realized that I never write about anything good on here. Kristi pointed out that all I blog about is leaving for vacation and when I'm home from vacation. So I promised I would post pictures from my trip so here they are. Now you have to remember that I hate taking pictures of myself, and even more so, I hate asking people to take a picture of me in front of things! I'm crazy I know. So most of my pictures are of things I saw while in the Bahamas or while I was snorkeling. So here it goes.

Day 1: Miami, FL

My roommate Jodi and I left for Miami, FL early on Thursday morning. Now I had been looking at all the weather reports for like two weeks in advance and they mentioned that while in Miami and the Bahamas there would be thunderstorms! Yikes! But luckily when we arrived in Miami it was just overcast with slight sprinkling. But as soon as we walked out of the airport I could feel the instant humidity. I was hot and sticky. No wonder people just go everywhere in their swimsuits! :) Our flights were long with a short layover in Atlanta. I don't mind flying but I hate wasting the whole day traveling! So needless to say I slept good at the hotel!

Day 2: Arrive at Port and Sail Away!

We woke up and took a taxi to the Miami Port. I had heard from others that it took forever to get on the ship.
But it was just like an airport terminal. We waited in a small line to check passports but then we got our room keys and walked right on the boat! It took maybe 15 minutes! The ship was so nice! Everything was exquisite! As soon as we got on there were people waiting with champagne and Orange Juice (for all of us lame people wo don't drink! Just kidding!)We were able to go straight to our stateroom and drop off our luggage and then we toured the boat. But it was so big we were still finding new places everyday! They also had lunch ready. The food was good. They had like 7 different places to eat and it was all pretty good. Hey for free food, I've got no complaints! That night we had a sail away party with lots of dancing and yummy drinks! Virgin of course! :)

Day 3: Nassau, Bahamas

We arrived at our port in Nassau, Bahamas the next day at like 8:00am. And yes it was finally sunny! We walked off the gangway and met our group on the dock to go Kayaking and Snorkeling. Nassau was a pretty city. Full of vibrant colors as well as the pale pink color that you would find on a conch shell that Nassau is famous for! We walked down to the harbor and jumped on a catamaran run by some local guys. They were hilarious and kept calling my roommate and I "pretty girls". As we sailed through the harbor they gave us a tour of Paradise Island. This is where all the famous people build houses, store their yachts, and even the hotel Atlantis is found here. We arrived at a small island where we got in our clear bottom Kayak and meandered around for a bit. It was neat because right underneath us we could see all the way to the bottom of the ocean! After a while we jumped out and snorkeled around for a bit. It was my first time snorkeling. But luckily I had practiced at home in my parents' pool so I felt ready! What I wasn't ready for was the fish that just swam right up to me and completely encircled me! It was crazy! And totally awesome! The water was amazing! So bright and clear! And the fish were beautiful! Afterwards we headed back into the harbor and did a little shopping! There was a few stores and what they call a "Straw Market" which is basically a big tent where these women would bring their goods and haggle with you for the best prices. I loved it but my roommate wasn't so keen on the whole atmosphere. So we walked around some more and then had to head back to the ship. I loved the carefree and happy attitude of the Bahamian people. That night I went to a Vegas type show on the boat and they had a "White Hot Party". They even had snow and ice sculptures on the boat. This is a picture of me before the party showing you my half of our stateroom which surprisingly wasn't that small to me! I also loved our towel animals that our little friend made for us each day!

Day 4: Great Stirrup Cay- Private Island

The next day we got to Norwegian Cruise line's Private Island. There aren't any docks so we anchored off shore and took a tender over to the island. The island was absolutely gorgeous. Once again beautiful blue waters and crystal white sand. We were able to layout and snorkel all day. There was also a BBQ, sand volleyball, and a small straw market to buy souvenirs. I spend most of my day in the water of course! I saw some amazing fish! I saw this amazing trumpet fish. I also saw some baby squid but of course those pictures didn't turn out!This little guy is also one of my favorites because it is unique and different. I'll post a slide show with all of my snorkeling pictures. But overall it was a nice relaxing day. But the best part was as we were on the tender heading back to the ship. As we were almost there, we got to see dolphins swim alongside our tender! It was amazing! And once again it happened so quick that I didn't have my camera ready! That night the ship had a funny comedian and some game shows to play along with, which were hilarious to watch! I swear, drunk people will do anything! We also had one last dance/toga party before getting into Miami at 7:00am!

We got on a flight at 11 and were home by 4. Overall it was a fun trip! I would recommend the Bahamas to anyone who wanted to go! And the cruise was nice and relaxing with lots of fun stuff to do. They also had raffles everyday and lots of free give aways! And the Norwegian Sky was a beautiful boat!