WEDNESDAY
On Wednesday, we woke up in Nassau, the Bahamas! My mom and I booked a really fun shore excursion: a sea lion encounter at Blue Lagoon Island. I was so excited to play with some sea lions! We got up around 9, did the breakfast buffet, and then left the boat for some fun in Nassau. I was worried it was going to be on the colder side (not cold cold, but when you’re in the Bahamas, you want it to be hot and sunny, you know?) and it started off that way, but quickly warmed up to the 80s. I was happy about that! We stood in a long line for a while, finally receiving our wristbands and being told our excursion would take place at 1:30 and we would have the rest of the time to explore the island. Then, we walked over to the ferry that would take us to the island.
The ride to Blue Lagoon took about 30 minutes and I mainly played Happy Color on my phone and sang along to the music they were playing. The fun part was when the tour guide pointed out all the celebrity homes, though! Oprah apparently has two mansions right next door to each other. We also saw houses for Michael Jordan, DJ Khaled, and maybe Lebron James? I can’t remember all of the celebrities now.
We got to Blue Lagoon right around noon and we strolled around the island for a while. There was a buffet for food but we didn’t get a meal with our shore excursion and it would have been $30 to buy a ticket to the buffet. I was feeling a little meh about that option so after standing around at a bar and getting no service, we walked to a different bar where we ordered daiquiris! I got my fave mango daiquiri mixed with pina colada and it was so, so good. It really hit the spot! Then we decided to walk over to the place where we would do the sea lion excursion. We were there a bit on the early side, but no matter! We got to watch some of the dolphins play and then peek in on their raccoon rescue (gah, why are raccoons so cute?!). Then we found the sea lions!
The group before us was finishing up as we arrived, and they were all getting their photos with sea lions. The sea lions were so cute and I was so excited for our turn!
Then… disaster. One of the tour guides came up to our group and said that they were going to have to cancel our sea lion encounter. The sea lions were acting up a bit, apparently, and they needed to cancel the rest of the encounters to give them a break. And while I very much understand that the sea lions’ well-being takes center stage, I was not happy with how our cruise ship handled this cancellation. They told us we could either do a dolphin encounter (been there, done that) or downgrade to the beach excursion (which would come with some money back on the excursion). We would get a meal ticket and could enjoy the beach for the next few hours. We decided to downgrade to the beach excursion, and hoped that we could talk to the shore excursions desk to get a full refund. That’s what felt fair to us. We were stuck on this beach after all, and if we had our choice, we would have left and done some shopping at the port.
I was also upset with myself because I didn’t bring my Kindle with me! I figured we weren’t going to have that much downtime with the sea lion encounter, so I didn’t bring it with me. I tried to nap but it was very hot and I wasn’t super comfortable. I played on my phone for a bit but then it started to get overheated. Eventually, my mom and I walked around the island for a bit. I was hoping to find ice cream, but the ice cream truck was closed down for the day. Then we just waited at the nearby bar for our ferry to arrive and take us back to the port.
The ferry ride back to the port was really fun! They played a lot of songs that we sang along to (and some people even got up and danced to!), and then we were back at the port just 20 minutes before we had to be back on the ship. Eeps! We normally like to be back on board at least an hour before the ship leaves, so this was uncomfortable for us. While the ship wouldn’t leave us in Nassau (since we were returning from an excursion through the cruise line), we still felt the pressure to get on the ship. We couldn’t speed-walk, either, because of my mom’s injury so we had to walk slowly back. We got on board on time, though.
It was only in the elevator to go back to our room that I realized I was starving and hadn’t eaten much all day! Thankfully, there were Reese’s and Dr. Pepper in the cabin so I was able to quickly get some sugar in me to prevent a crash. Then, we decided the dining room’s menu for tonight was meh and skipped it in favor for dinner at Johnny Rockets! Mmm. I ordered a burger, fries, and a delicious chocolate shake and it really hit the spot!
Afterward, we went over to the shore excursions desk to see if they would grant us a refund for our cancelled shore excursion. Not only did they refuse to give us a refund, but they said they wouldn’t even give us money back for the downgraded shore excursion since we got the original one 30% off! It was very disappointing service, and I was more than happy to fill out the post-cruise survey and let them know how I felt about it. I doubt anything will come of it (it’s been almost a week since I submitted my feedback and… crickets).
The entertainment on Wednesday evening wasn’t too exciting so we decided to go back to the cabin early and try to see if we could stream Paramount+ on my phone. I had purchased the ship’s Internet package but wasn’t sure if the signal would be strong enough to stream a show, but it worked! We were able to watch Survivor and the season finale of The Summit, so that was a nice surprise. After the shows, we read for a bit before calling it a night.
THURSDAY
We woke up on Thursday in Cococay, which is Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. We booked a pool day at their adults-only area of the island, which was such an excellent decision. We got there around 10, found two chairs next to each other, and then got right into the pool. It felt glorious! The temperature was like bathwater, which felt great since it wasn’t all very hot at that point of the day. We got some drinks at the swim-up bar (a rum punch for me, a Bahama Mama for my mom) and boy, those drinks were strong. I honestly didn’t taste any punch in my drink, just rum. After sucking that down quickly, it was back to the bar for my second drink (this time, I got a Bahama Mama) and I was a happy little drunk very early in the day. However, I am a sleepy drunk so after those drinks and doing some walking laps around the pool, I was ready for a nap on the lounge chair, and that’s exactly what I did!
I woke up an hour later a bit more sober and ready for lunch. My mom and I walked over to a pizza place where I scarfed down food. Then, we got ice cream and walked back to the pool.
It was starting to get hot at this point of the day so I slathered on (more) sunscreen and read my book for a bit while my mom napped. Then, we opted to spend more time in the pool. We got more drinks (I opted for a strawberry daiquiri, which was fine but not outstanding), strolled around the pool, and sighed with envy at the people in their cabanas (which were in the thousands of dollars to rent for a day!).
Around 2, we decided we were ready to go back to the ship so we packed up and got a ride back to the port. Then, we collapsed on our bed and took naps for a few hours. The naps I took on the cruise! A delight, I tell ya.
I took a shower and got dressed for dinner. We opted for the main dining room tonight since the menu looked a lot better for our picky tastes. We had a lovely dinner together (although the dessert did not hit the spot, wah). Then, we went to the casino to play our luck! The BEST part about this ship is that they have a NON-SMOKING CASINO! There’s still the big casino where people can smoke (ugh), but I really appreciated that they offered a smaller room where you could enjoy some games without dealing with all the cigarette smoke. We both just put $20 in the machine to play and when we used it all up, we called it a night.
Then, it was back to the cabin to pack up! We got everything done by 9pm and we’re both cozy in bed reading for the rest of the evening. I was hoping to zoom through a lot of my book, but I got sleepy so easily. We had an early start to our day and a long drive home, so it was good to call it a night early.
And that’s our cruise! It was filled with lots of ups and downs, but mainly, I got to make more memories with my mom and enjoy a very relaxing getaway. And that’s all I can ask for!
Have you ever played the slots at a casino?
That is a bummer about your excursion and not getting a credit for the lower cost excursion you ended up doing. Boo. And cutting it close sounds stressful!
But I am glad you mostly had a good time on this cruise. All the naps sound delightful! Did you bring your CPAP with? My dad does when he travels but I know it’s a hassle!
I haven’t been to a casino in probably 20+ years? I hate them since you can usually smoke. And the odds are just not too and I can’t ignore that as a math major. Ha
I didn’t bring my CPAP with me because the outlet situation on cruise ships is pretty terrible. There aren’t outlets near the bed, just at the vanity so I would have needed an extension cord, which aren’t allowed on ships. What’s funny is that as my mom and I were walking to the elevator in the parking garage, I saw a guy with the same CPAP carrying case that I have! He either had a suite (which may have a better outlet situation, I’m not sure) or he was in for a rude awakening when he got to his cabin.
Awww, that’s such a bummer about the sea lions. I love sea lions so much and have wonderful memories of feeding them fish at SeaWorld many years ago. Your cruise sounds like the ultimate in relaxation, and the many different drinks and naps sound luxurious! What a nice way to spend time with your mom!
I played a slot machine once when we went to Las Vegas, just to say I did it. I didn’t win anything, of course!
I’ve fed sea lions at Sea World, too! It’s a fun experience. I was really looking forward to playing with them and learning more about their habitat there in the Bahamas. Oh, well!
Slot machines are fun but I can only play them for, like, 10 minutes MAX. Then it’s just pushing a button again and again, and I have better things to do with my time.
Oh, the sea lion experience sounds so disappointing! I’m sorry you missed it. The rest of your trip sounds super relaxing though and I love all the great photos you got with your mom!
It was a great time with my mom!
Wow. I can’t believe they didn’t give you any money back after that happened. WTAF. Like you though, I am glad they were keeping the animals’ well-being in mind.
And I’m glad you still felt like you got to make good memories and relax. I hope the next cruise is better!
Yes, I am still upset that Royal didn’t want to do anything to salvage the situation. I am so glad the company puts the well-being of their animals first – obviously, that’s what I want them to do! But there was no disclaimer on the excursion that it could be cancelled due to the animals so in that case, a refund is warranted. Very bad service!
Too bad about the excursion, it sounds like the company certainly could have handled that better. It makes me angry when a big corporation can’t bend for things like refunds, because they are making SO much money, and the amount that a discounted refund would be is so small to them, but meaningful for customers.
Day drinking is a big activity for me while I’m on a beach vacation! Woooo!
I don’t care for casinos but my husband likes them fine, and when we were in Vegas he played the slots a bit. I was surprised at the smoking in casinos, it was so strange to me that smoking was inside. Of course I remember the days when that was the norm, smoking everywhere, but it felt weird in this day and age!
That’s how I feel about it, too! Like, this $250 refund is PENNIES for them, but would be nice to get back for us since we spent money on an excursion we didn’t even get to use! It’s really upsetting.
I’ve gotten used to the smoke in casinos but yeah, it’s still really weird that we’re all “no smoking inside!!” but like it’s fine in casinos?! What?!
Sounds like a typical vacation, when I think about it, with highs and lows and so on. I’m glad you were able to make good memories with your mom, and I don’t like that you didn’t get any kind of refund for the cancelled excursion. Seems like they could have arranged to move you from point A to point B so you could do something different if you wanted.
I am not a fan of casinos,they always seem depressing to me. Likely this would not be the case on a cruise, but the ones I’ve been to have been in Nevada, so Reno/Tahoe/Vegas, and I always feel like people are spending their rent money in a desperate attempt to get rich. And the cigarette smoke. Blah. Plus I think they sucked the fun out of slot machines when they took away the little arm that you pull down. I don’t want to put it on a credit card or push a button, I want to put a quarter in the machine and pull the arm! Yes, I am an old grouch, get off my lawn, etc. My husband and his BFF went to Vegas to see a concert once and did a little slot machine gambling, and his friend won enough to pay for his trip, so that was awesome. Your casino time sounds pretty ideal to me…no smoke, just a little fun, you had your budget and stuck to it. Well done!
Casinos are SO depressing! I see this on cruise ships, too, where people are just sitting in front of these slot machines with glazed eyes as they push buttons over and over again. It’s so sad to me. Go out and enjoy the cruise ship! Why are you spending all of your time in the casino? And yes, slot machines are 1000x less fun without the arm!
I can see why this wasn’t your favorite cruise ever! There were definitely ups and downs. But, the last day sounds very relaxing and fun (I also get VERY sleepy if I drink during the day!) and like you said, you got to spend time with your mom. Overall it sounds like a positive experience.
Oh what a disappointment to have that excursion canceled. Bad handling by the cruise ship though.
Making memories is the most important part though and it seems like you needed all the naps.
I’m sorry, but no refund is just wrong. It sounds like this cruise was great for resting and time with your mom, but more meh on the cruise-related aspects. Have you used this company before? I hope that you were relaxed when you got home despite the frustrations. <3