Friday, September 19, 2008

We're Baaaaaack!

What a wonderful 4 days of paradise! We enjoyed every minute, from the time we walked aboard, to the time our color was called for departure.

I am going to write a "how to cruise cheap" post soon. But, for now, I am just going to give you a run down on our fabulous trip.

Day 1 - We boarded the ship early. We had lunch and checked into our room. We spent most of the afternoon exploring the ship and getting to know where everything was.

Day 2 - The boat anchored at Coco Cay (a Royal Caribbean private island) for the day. We spent about 6 hours snorkeling. This is the first time either of us had done that and it was incredible! Now, I was a little freaked out at first. I don't ever go in the water at any of the Florida beaches. The difference here is that I could see all the way to the bottom and I knew what was touching me. Still, it took me a little while to get comfortable. Once I did, I loved it! We bought an under water camera (with CVS bucks) and took some fun pictures of that.
Cory picked it up quick and learned how to dive down and see those fish up close. I never got that good. But, look, I actually got close to those fish.After snorkeling all day, we took a few minutes and relaxed on 1 of the 50 hammocks they had set up on the island. The weather was perfect and we laid there and spent a few minutes thanking the Lord for his beautiful creation and the time he gave us together.
That evening was the formal dinner on the ship. I had a fun time getting all dressed up. I even convinced Cory to slow dance with me in the middle of the ship when no one else was! If you know Cory at all, you know what a big deal that is.

Day 3 - The boat docked at Nassau. We spent the first half of the day exploring the island on foot. We found some cool landmarks and did a little shopping at the straw market. The straw market is an adventure all on it's own. You barter for everything. I loved it. This is where we got all the souvenirs and gifts for the kids. I also got some sweet deals on a cute straw hat, earrings and sunglasses. Cory got some "Cuban" cigars too. We'll see how those turn out.
After that, we headed back to the boat for a quick lunch and then back out to the island. We headed over to Paradise Island to take a look at Atlantis hotel. You could spend all day there if you had the time. But, we headed back to Nassau for some authentic Bahamian dinner. It was very good and not cheap.

Day 4 - At Sea all day. By the time we got to this day, I realized that it was the last official day and I still didn't have any sun to speak of. So, I planned to spend some time at the pool and get a tan (o.k., I guess a burn). We really only stayed out by the pool for about 1 hour. Well, that did it. That's o.k. I would rather come back with a little burn than no sun at all.
They also had a rock climbing wall on the top deck. Cory climbed to the top twice and I barely made it up one time.We also ditched the dining room this night and went to the onboard Johnny Rockets. You pay a $4 cover charge and get all-you-can-eat off the menu. This was our favorite meal on board. It was fun and we took home 4 souvenirs from here. Yes, those are Johnny Rocket cups. Let me just say that when I ordered the burger, I was expecting the size of a double cheeseburger like the Johnny Rockets in Orlando. Apparantly, the burgers on the ship are 1/3 pound per patty. Do you see the size of that thing?! No, I didn't eat it all. I did dance with the servers though. Sorry, no pictures of that.

Day 5 - Departure. We left the boat at about 9 a.m. Vacation over. Welcome home real world. No more unlimited food at my disposal 24 hours a day. No more people waiting on me hand and foot. No more fun towel animals (I really liked those).

I think we are definitely sold as future cruisers. You just can't beat the value for your money.
Thank you for a great trip, baby! BTW, for those of you hoping that we came back with baby #5, you can stop crossing your fingers. I already started :)

18 comments:

Sunday said...

I am thrilled that you guys got to go away on a cruise. You looked so refreshed when I saw you today. By the way are you a professional rock climber? hahahah j/k Love you, Sun

Largaespada Family said...

Those are AWESOME pictures! You were looking HOT my dear! So glad you are one of the "cruisers" that get to come back with good stories to share! I'm so jealous!

Take care of my girls for me!!!f

Love,
Jaime

Lisa said...

Glad ya'll had a great time!! We loved Coco Cay. We haven't cruised in over a year; I am needing it.

Lisa Q

Kelly said...

Looks like you had a wonderful time!! I LOVE cruises!! Good for you for getting away!! I need to do that!

Abby said...

I'm SO glad you made the most of it and had a great time!

Andrea said...

AWWWWWWW! So sweet.
Stacy and I spent a few days at Atlantis sans children.
One of my favorite places.
Did you swim with the dolphins?
One of them is actually from Mississippi. They found him off the coast after hurricane Katrina. I loved it. I felt like The Little Mermaid.
Whick is what you looked like-diving-BTW.
Great pictures.
I hope you guys do it again,soon.

A

Randal, Erin & our 5 sweet Girlies said...

I am a home schooling Mommy of 4 sweet little girls and I also love to save money for our family! My Hubby works hard for us and I do my best with what we have! I am amazed at the great deals you find and that you feed your family for $50 a week! I would LOVE to do as well as you! I was wondering if you would mind if I asked you some questions about coupons, deals and that kind of stuff? I won't here in case you don't want me to but if you don't mind, I'd love to get your thoughts! By the way, how awesome that you got to go on a cruise with your Hubby! My name is Erin and my email address is re4pinkpalmer@charter.net

Thanks,
Erin

lifelaughterchaos said...

back already? gosh, that went fast!

ok. now i want to go on a cruise!

i snorkled on my honeymoon and loved it. i too was proud of myself for being so near the fish!

you look good girl!

Anonymous said...

You look like you had a wonderful time. With four kids I am sure that you don't get much time to yourselves. I have been married to my husband for 43 years and would like to go on a cruise. Make sure to blog about how to do it"cheaply". Thanks for everything.

Anonymous said...

Aw, how fun!! I love those cute pictures! You looked great! Glad you had so much fun! I can't wait to see more pictures and to hear more! Love, Christie

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that you guys had a great time! It's great to be pampered like that!

Dianna

mommy zabs said...

Cassi I love your hear short and blonde like that!

Jackie Sue said...

Looks like your cruise was everything you hoped it would be. I love vacations like that! So happy for you. You didn't swim with the dolphins????? I can't believe it! If you did, then tell us about it! How about sea sickness? None? that's why I'm afraid to cruise...!

Cassie - Homeschooling Four said...

Jackie,

No, we did not swim with the dolphins. It was over $100/person. Plus, I figured we touch dolphins all the time when we go to Sea World. I know it's not exactly the same :) Maybe next time.

I was amazed at having NO sea sickness. We actually brought 2 boxes of dramamine, just in case. We really didn't have any rough waters to speak of until the last day. Even then, it wasn't anything that made me sick. The worst I had was feeling just slightly dizzy (sometimes) when in our room. It never made me feel naseous though. I was pretty worried about that too.

Julie said...

How fun Cassie! You were so lucky to get a break from the kids and enjoy 5 days with Cory!!
Glad to be home?
Julie :)

Kari said...

So glad that your vacation went well. Love all the pictures also!

Unknown said...

SO AWESOME you guys got to get away on a cruise ALONE! I have MAJOR CRUISE ANXIETY!! WHY??? you ask??? Well, remember a while ago, you posted the sweetest comment on Jessica's page about voting for America's Favorite MOM?? Well, that was me-Jen! Thank you for that by the way! I won some prize money and am taking ALL 7 of my kids on a cruise Nov 7!!! YES, all 9 of us! Please visit my blog-after being promted and finally getting my 4 youngest to the toddling stage, I felt ready! Blessings to you!
Jen

Saph said...

Oh how fun!! So glad you had a blast!! My hubby's from Nassau and we honeymooned at the Atlantis resort thanks to an awesome discounted rate due to his aunt working there.

Love the post on saving money while cruising!! Didn't know going on a cruise could be THAT cheap!!! I've always wanted to go on one and hope to be able to soon.