Last year we went on our first cruise and we sailed to the Western Carribean. I packed our stuffs and read everything I need to know about cruising. But I made one BIG MISTAKE! I didn't do my homework on what to do in the port. I was thinking to just do my research in the ship but guess what, there's no free wifi! Yes, if you want internet while sailing, you have to pay. So I said to myself, we'll just cross the bridge when we get there.
So our first stop was at Key West. Luckily, we found a free beach that was walking distance from the port. Kids had fun and we ate good crab cakes while waiting for them. Then our next stop was in Cozumel Mexico. I was thinking that the beach will be close to the pier too....but IT WAS NOT! We didn't know where to go and what to do because we didn't book excursion. We just paid a taxi to bring us to the beach and BOOM!!! I paid so much just for the ride and the beach for only a couple hours. I was so mad at myself and I said this will never happen again!
This time around, I was prepared! From the time we board on the ship to where to go and what to do in the port. It made things so much easier and cheaper. So if you plan to cruise to the Bahamas, here's some tips to make it an awesome yet affordable.
Day 1 & 2
We boarded the ship around noon. Since we checked in our cabin, we went straight to the dining area to eat lunch. When we got into our cabin, our luggages were there so I unpacked our clothes then we walked around the ship to explore. We sailed around 4 pm and was scheduled to be AT SEA until the next day.
We enjoyed swimming and watching shows for those two days. I heard that their kid's camps were awesome but my daughters refused to go because they didn't want to be out of the summer camp just to go to another camp in the ship. Understandable!
Every night, when we come back to our cabin, our beds were already set up and they always had a towel animal which the kids enjoyed.
On our second night, we had to dress up for our formal dinner. We had portrait sessions before going to the dining room. One of my favorite menus in the cruise was their lobster and shrimp. Did I ever mention that there were so many Filipino servers in the cruise that I asked them to give me and my husband 2 plates of dinner? Huh! I was going for the 3rd one but I saw the lady on the next table looking at me like "OMG she eats a lot!". But really, anybody can ask as many servings as they want.
At night, when the kids were asleep, my husband and I would go up on the deck to have a date. It was so romantic!
Day 3
Every night, we get a schedule for the next day. This way, you can plan what time to eat and what activities you want to do onboard.
So day 3, we were scheduled to be at Nassau Bahamas until midnight. We woke up, ate breakfast then went down the port. FYI, don't forget to bring your passports, driver's license and sail card so you can go in and out of the ship.
Nassau is so pretty! People here were so nice and there's a lot of culture. When you get down the port, you will go through the straw market. Here you can go shopping for souvenirs if you want. I usually don't buy anything when I go on vacation. However, I do collect ornaments wherever we go because I know that every year I'm gonna see those souvenirs and it's fun to reminisce our memories with the kids.
So we walked about 10 minutes from the port to go to Junkanoo Beach and looked for the Tiki Bikini Hut. It's a small bar by the beach and they have awesome deals. I rented an umbrella and had 8 beers and 8 shots for just $30. We tried their chicken jerk, $10, it was so delicious! For the kids, we got a smoothie in the coconut with unlimited refills all day for only $3. Did I take advantage of the refills? You bet I did!
The water was so clear that I enjoyed snorkeling almost the whole time. There were so many fishes to see even in the shallow areas. Then we rented a paddle boat for half an hour, $15. It was fun!
At the end of the day, I was like a kid who didn't want to go home. The weather was perfect and it was just an awesome place to relax. So we left he beach around 6pm and head back to the ship.
At night, we had dinner and of course we celebrated my birthday! It was a great treat for me to be in Nassau.
Day 4
Next stop was Freeport Bahamas. We were scheduled to be here only from 8am to 4pm. All of us were so tired from the day before so we decided to wake up late and have breakfast by the balcony of the dining room. Look at the view!
The kids didn't really want to do what I've planned for today. We were supposed to go to Junkanoo Beach (same name as the one in Nassau). The taxi ride to the beach was $14 roundtrip/person and the entrance fee was only $3/person. So if you have enough energy, this is the way to go!
Abby wanted her hair braided so we decided to just walk to the Straw Market next to the port. It was a lot more expensive in Freeport. The braiding was $30, double the price from what they were asking in Nassau. But since it's her birthday the next day, we decided to just give her the experience. She loved it!
Tip: If you want to go shopping, it's definitely so much cheaper in Nassau as compared to Freeport!
The rest of the day, the girls just wanted to do some activities onboard.
Day 5
We sailed back to Jacksonville so we were AT SEA again all day. It was a special one too because Abby turned 10! We started our day by celebrating her birthday at brunch.
Then we went learn how to make animal towels and watched the show as well.
The girls spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. In the evening, we watched a comedy show and another musical performance. We also had a late night Mexican Party and everybody had a great time!
Day 6
We got back in Jacksonville around 8 am. We checked in our luggages last night so we didn't have to worry about it in the morning. We had our last breakfast and just hung out in the promenade up to 9:45am until we debarked.
It was another awesome and affordable vacation for us! For the next cruise, I'm still debating whether to take Carnival again to upgrade my points or to try a different cruise line to see what they have to offer.
Whatever destination you choose, make sure to do your homework on what to do and where to go if you're not booking any shore excursions to avoid surprises!
So our first stop was at Key West. Luckily, we found a free beach that was walking distance from the port. Kids had fun and we ate good crab cakes while waiting for them. Then our next stop was in Cozumel Mexico. I was thinking that the beach will be close to the pier too....but IT WAS NOT! We didn't know where to go and what to do because we didn't book excursion. We just paid a taxi to bring us to the beach and BOOM!!! I paid so much just for the ride and the beach for only a couple hours. I was so mad at myself and I said this will never happen again!
This time around, I was prepared! From the time we board on the ship to where to go and what to do in the port. It made things so much easier and cheaper. So if you plan to cruise to the Bahamas, here's some tips to make it an awesome yet affordable.
Day 1 & 2
We boarded the ship around noon. Since we checked in our cabin, we went straight to the dining area to eat lunch. When we got into our cabin, our luggages were there so I unpacked our clothes then we walked around the ship to explore. We sailed around 4 pm and was scheduled to be AT SEA until the next day.
We enjoyed swimming and watching shows for those two days. I heard that their kid's camps were awesome but my daughters refused to go because they didn't want to be out of the summer camp just to go to another camp in the ship. Understandable!
Every night, when we come back to our cabin, our beds were already set up and they always had a towel animal which the kids enjoyed.On our second night, we had to dress up for our formal dinner. We had portrait sessions before going to the dining room. One of my favorite menus in the cruise was their lobster and shrimp. Did I ever mention that there were so many Filipino servers in the cruise that I asked them to give me and my husband 2 plates of dinner? Huh! I was going for the 3rd one but I saw the lady on the next table looking at me like "OMG she eats a lot!". But really, anybody can ask as many servings as they want.
At night, when the kids were asleep, my husband and I would go up on the deck to have a date. It was so romantic!
Day 3
Every night, we get a schedule for the next day. This way, you can plan what time to eat and what activities you want to do onboard.So day 3, we were scheduled to be at Nassau Bahamas until midnight. We woke up, ate breakfast then went down the port. FYI, don't forget to bring your passports, driver's license and sail card so you can go in and out of the ship.
Nassau is so pretty! People here were so nice and there's a lot of culture. When you get down the port, you will go through the straw market. Here you can go shopping for souvenirs if you want. I usually don't buy anything when I go on vacation. However, I do collect ornaments wherever we go because I know that every year I'm gonna see those souvenirs and it's fun to reminisce our memories with the kids.
So we walked about 10 minutes from the port to go to Junkanoo Beach and looked for the Tiki Bikini Hut. It's a small bar by the beach and they have awesome deals. I rented an umbrella and had 8 beers and 8 shots for just $30. We tried their chicken jerk, $10, it was so delicious! For the kids, we got a smoothie in the coconut with unlimited refills all day for only $3. Did I take advantage of the refills? You bet I did!
The water was so clear that I enjoyed snorkeling almost the whole time. There were so many fishes to see even in the shallow areas. Then we rented a paddle boat for half an hour, $15. It was fun!
At the end of the day, I was like a kid who didn't want to go home. The weather was perfect and it was just an awesome place to relax. So we left he beach around 6pm and head back to the ship.Day 4
Next stop was Freeport Bahamas. We were scheduled to be here only from 8am to 4pm. All of us were so tired from the day before so we decided to wake up late and have breakfast by the balcony of the dining room. Look at the view!
The kids didn't really want to do what I've planned for today. We were supposed to go to Junkanoo Beach (same name as the one in Nassau). The taxi ride to the beach was $14 roundtrip/person and the entrance fee was only $3/person. So if you have enough energy, this is the way to go!
Abby wanted her hair braided so we decided to just walk to the Straw Market next to the port. It was a lot more expensive in Freeport. The braiding was $30, double the price from what they were asking in Nassau. But since it's her birthday the next day, we decided to just give her the experience. She loved it!
Tip: If you want to go shopping, it's definitely so much cheaper in Nassau as compared to Freeport!
The rest of the day, the girls just wanted to do some activities onboard.
We sailed back to Jacksonville so we were AT SEA again all day. It was a special one too because Abby turned 10! We started our day by celebrating her birthday at brunch.
The girls spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. In the evening, we watched a comedy show and another musical performance. We also had a late night Mexican Party and everybody had a great time!
Day 6
We got back in Jacksonville around 8 am. We checked in our luggages last night so we didn't have to worry about it in the morning. We had our last breakfast and just hung out in the promenade up to 9:45am until we debarked.
It was another awesome and affordable vacation for us! For the next cruise, I'm still debating whether to take Carnival again to upgrade my points or to try a different cruise line to see what they have to offer.
Whatever destination you choose, make sure to do your homework on what to do and where to go if you're not booking any shore excursions to avoid surprises!
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What a great trip!
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